Oatmeal-Lemon Pancakes with Raspberry-Date Syrup

These oatmeal pancakes rise nicely and fill your kitchen with a wonderful lemony aroma. Top pancakes with walnuts and a fruit syrup naturally sweetened with dates. Use any leftover syrup on fruit or oatmeal.

Looking for more delicious and healthful ways to start your day? Check out our 14 Boredom-Busting Plant-Based Breakfasts.

By Cathy Fisher,

Ingredients

RASPBERRY-DATE SYRUP

  • 4 oz. pitted dates, chopped (7 to 8 Medjool or 14 to 16 Deglet Noor)
  • ½ cup fresh raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries, or chopped peeled kiwifruit, peach, or mango

PANCAKES

  • 2 cups unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk, plus more to thin batter as needed
  • 2 oz. pitted dates, chopped (3 to 4 Medjool or 6 to 8 Deglet Noor)
  • 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ½ cup cornmeal
  • 1½ teaspoons regular or sodium-free baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
  • Fresh raspberries (optional)

Instructions

  • For syrup: In a blender combine 4 oz. dates, the raspberries, and 1½ cups water. Let stand at least 15 minutes to soften dates. Cover and blend until smooth and pourable consistency. Set aside. (Syrup will thicken as it sits. If needed, add more water to thin.)
  • In a small bowl combine milk and the remaining 2 oz. dates; let stand 15 minutes to soften dates. Place oats in a blender; cover and blend until oats are ground to a flourlike consistency. Transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon; make a well in the center.
  • Pour milk-date mixture into the blender; cover and blend until smooth. Add mixture to dry ingredients along with lemon zest and juice. Whisk until smooth.
  • Heat a griddle or extra-large nonstick skillet over medium until a few drops of water jump and sizzle. For each pancake, pour ¼ to ½ cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes 1 to 2 minutes or until surfaces are bubbly and undersides are medium brown. Flip pancakes and cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until surfaces are bubbly and undersides are medium brown. Flip pancakes and cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until Browned. (If batter gets too thick while it sits, stir in a little more milk as needed.) Serve pancakes with Raspberry-Date Syrup, and, if desired, chopped walnuts and raspberries.

Comments (16)

(5 from 9 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Cleo

Could I substitute chickpea flour for the cornmeal?

Sonal

Delicious! It's sweet on it's own with all the dates in it that you don't really need maple syrup. I added lemon essence because I didn't have a lemon and it took it to the next level.

Gayle

I really enjoyed this, I only made half a batch so that I wouldn’t have leftovers. They are so easy to make it doesn’t make sense not always eat them fresh and hot. A half a batch works really well by using my smoothie blender instead of the big blender. I did not have lemon zest so I used orange zest and I loved the flavor the orange zest gave it. I also found it quite runny the first time I made it & added flax meal to thicken it up. The second time I measured out an extra 1/4 cup of oats, ground them up, and set aside to use for thickening later. An eighth of a cup would’ve been just perfect for thickening. I also added extra dates the second time around, using one and a half times the amount. I did not make the Syrup yet as I do not have any fresh raspberries, looking forward to that next time. But maple syrup tasted wonderful and with the orange zest and a little extra cinnamon it just seemed to have a wonderful harmony of flavor. I also added extra cinnamon. Thanks so much for the recipe I absolutely have decided it’s my new favorite breakfast

Cheryl

Made these today minus the cornmeal cause I didn't have any. They are delicious! I added a little extra cinnamon which gave them a slight gingerbread taste/smell! Will certainly make these again, lovely for breakfast or afternoon snack. Made the syrup with frozen berries and turned out really good too.

Laurena Barlow

What are the nutritional facts on this recipe for pancakes. I have to eat according to my labs

April

For 6 servings I got it as 253 calories including the syrup. This is a cool website that will analyze recipes according to ingredients and give a full nutrition label

Meg

Question -- could you just use oat flour instead of grinding oats into a flour-like consistency?

Jenn

Yes, I just used the oat flour and they turned out great!

Colleen D

It would be nice if FOK would stop relying so heavily on baking powder as a leavening. Some of us can’t use baking powder, and therefore either have to skip the recipe altogether or find a substitute because of the phosphates in baking powder. Thanks!

Joe D

Just skip it.

Jana

I live in Europe and banking powder without phosphates is available here. For example one is called Weinstein which means wine stone.

Lisa Nigro

Delicious! I loved it

Donna

I added 2 tablespoons of flax seed to thicken a bit more. Didn't have any dates used cranberries. Also grabbed a cool one and ate plain, really good cold too - very good, it's a keeper !

Christina

My husband was craving pancakes and decided to make these this morning...I don't normally care to eat pancakes, but these were really good! Easy to make and a great alternative to get your oats in when you don't feel like having a bowl of oatmeal! The syrup was perfect and this recipe satisfied my husband's craving for pancakes!

Meri Schroeder

Made these today and used oat milk as my milk base. Turned out great. They're VERY filling and satisfying. I do have leftover syrup, so that's a bonus. Besides my food processor deciding to explode on me (which warrants a new FP now), it was a smooth process.

Maria

I am new to eating plant based foods. I thought I was eating clean most of the time, but am now making a strong effort to remove animal products from my diet. Today was the 1st day. Anywho, I made this recipe this morning (except the date syrup, because I didn't have any dates) with agave nectar. Pancakes were amazing & I was full until lunch time. I just added fresh blueberries on top. I'm a new fan, this will be my go-to recipe when I want pancakes & I love that they are gluten free because my son has a wheat allergy, perfect family meal. Thank you!!

About the Author

Headshot of Cathy Fisher

About the Author

Cathy Fisher

Cathy Fisher is the creator of StraightUpFood.com, a website offering free recipes and information on eating a whole-food, plant-based diet free of salt, oil, and sugar. She is also a cooking instructor, teaching classes at TrueNorth Health Center and the McDougall Program, both in Santa Rosa, CA. Cathy began eating a plant-based diet in 1999, and in 2016 published her first cookbook, Straight Up Food: Delicious and Easy Plant-based Cooking Without Salt, Oil or Sugar. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
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