These are really filling and satisfying, and only require a couple of extra easy steps compared to a regular pancake batter, ie you simply need to separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites.
That’s the secret to their pleasing fluffiness and texture.
There are all sorts of things you can use to make low carb pancakes, such as coconut flour (expensive), ground flaxseed (high in nutrition, but they do have a particular taste), oat fibre (this is a new one for me, having been introduced to the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating – it’s not at all the same as oat flour), and of course, ground almonds, which is what these pancakes use. Ground almonds are easy to pick up in the supermarket, and very cheap if you shop at places like Aldi and Lidl. They contribute a great texture, without an overpowering flavour.
This recipe comes from Karen Barnaby’s book The Low-Carb Gourmet, which has some great ideas for healthy, low carb eating. Barnaby is a chef from the US who managed to shed over 5 stone in weight by adopting a low carb lifestyle. She calls them Almond Puff Pancakes in the cookbook, and I’ve just slightly modified the proportions.
I’m really a savoury breakfast person at heart – for instance, today’s breakfast consisted of a fried egg, slice of bacon on a bed of balsamic sprouts (last night’s leftover veg) which was really filling and delicious.
However, these pancakes make a nice change, and you don’t have to turn them into a sweet meal. You could make them into smaller rounds, add slightly more salt, and use them as blinis served with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Now there’s a thought….
Fluffy low carb pancakes – six servings
2 large free range (or three medium) eggs
60g ground almonds (just over 2 ounces)
60ml double (heavy) cream (just over 2 ounces)
Dash of vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt (bit more of a pinch if making savoury pancakes)
1 tsp xylitol (or carb-free sweetener of your choice). Leave out for savoury pancakes
Oil or butter for frying
Method
Separate eggs from whites and put each in a different bowl. Add the cream and vanilla to the yolks and mix well, before folding in the ground almonds, baking powder, salt and sweetener.
In the other bowl, beat the egg whites (obviously a lot quicker to use an electric hand whisk if you have one) until they start to form soft peaks. Add the beaten whites one large spoonful at a time, gently folding into the egg mixture until well combined.
I used a quarter-cup measuring cup to scoop up the mixture and drop it into a well heated, oiled pan so it formed a round. Once the underside starts to brown, flip it over (you will see the pancake ‘fluff up’ nicely after you flip) and cooked for another minute or so.
This batch makes six satisfying pancakes. Serve with sweet lemon butter, cream cheese or a topping of your choice.
I currently have an experimental jar of chia seed jam sitting in my fridge, and if it’s deemed a success, I’ll be posting the recipe shortly!
I’ve shared this post on the Trim Healthy Tuesday link up on the Gwen’s Nest blog (you’ll find Gwen’s blog a great source of information about the Trim Healthy Mama plan).
Julie is a food and lifestyle blogger! 
Hi Rose, yes I use ready ground almonds. They’re readily available in the UK (including Aldi) but I’m not sure if it’s the same in the US.
stupid question….but are you grinding the almonds yourself or are you buying ground almonds? Not sure where to find those in the US…Aldi does not have
Hello Deb, sorry for the delayed reply. I’m so glad you liked them. Hope you’ve managed to dig out your electric mixer by now! Regards, Julie
I’ve haven’t tried (or bought) almond flour yet, so I can’t say for sure. But it’s definitely worth a try. The fluffiness mainly comes from whisked egg whites, so you’re still likely to get a light pancake. In fact, they may be even lighter, as ground almonds can be a little heavy. Thanks, Julie
Hi April, please see my response to Regina for details. Many thanks, Julie
Hi Anna. For this recipe quantity, you’d need to use around half a cup of flour. But to be honest, I’ve never tried almond flour – it’s not so common here in the Uk – so I’m not sure how it behaves (for instance if you need to add a lot of liquid etc). But worth giving it a try! Thanks, Julie
These pancakes were delicious and even my husband enjoyed them 🙂 I think they’ll turn out better once I make the effort to get the mixer out of storage instead of trying to hand whip the egg whites — forearm workout! Thank you.
Can I use almond flour instead of ground almonds?
If am using almond flour how much in cups would I use? Thanks!
Hello Marcia, 60g is just slightly over 2 ounces. Julie
How much is 60g???
Thanks Gwen. Am so enjoying your blog – so many wonderful THM recipes to try. Just at the start of my journey. Looking forward to the next Trim Healthy Tuesday! Thanks, Julie
Beautiful blog, Julie! Thanks for linking up at Trim Healthy Tuesday! 🙂