Beetroot and Date Pancakes

 

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Beetroot is a fantastic source of iron and powerful antioxidants. It also adds a unique sweet flavor to any recipe and, more importantly, gives food a cool pink color that no one can ignore.

The combination of dates and beetroot creates extra sweetness and a welcome boost of dietary fiber.

These pancakes are perfect for Saturday morning or whenever you want to impress someone special (maybe for a festive dinner?)

A bit about Beetroot and Date Pancakes

• To make these pancakes, I used fresh beetroot, peeled and boiled in a pot of hot water for about 15 minutes. You can also cook it in the microwave or use vacuum-packed pre-cooked beetroot. It doesn't matter.
• To add sweetness to the pancakes (they are pancakes, after all), I added 4 dates and half a banana. You can skip the dates entirely and add an extra half banana instead.
• The base of the pancakes is oat flour, which is actually just fine oats that I ground in a blender for a few seconds until I got a flour consistency.
• A vital part of creating the unique texture of these pancakes is vegan yogurt. I used store-bought soy yogurt with no added sugar. You can use any other vegan yogurt you have at home.
• An excellent egg substitute is a "flax egg" – a mixture of freshly ground flaxseeds with a bit of water that binds the whole mass together. You can also replace the flax with chia seeds.
• You don't have to fry the pancakes in a lot of oil. A high-quality non-stick pan and half a teaspoon of oil will be more than enough.
• I served these beetroot and date pancakes with vegan yogurt on top, dried beetroot chips, and plenty of maple syrup.

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Nutritional Values for Beetroot and Date Pancakes

One pancake out of 10 contains:

• 134 calories
• 5g protein
• 23g carbohydrates
• 2.6g fat
• 2.5mg iron

Want another great beetroot recipe?

Print

Beetroot and Date Pancakes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Servings 10 thick pancakes

Calories 134 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups Oats 200g
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp flaxseeds 20g
• 60 ml water 3 tbsp
• 1 cup soy yogurt, no added sugar 125g
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 beetroot peeled and cubed
• 1/2 banana
• 4 pitted dates
• A little oil for frying

For Serving

• 1 soy yogurt
• A little maple syrup

Instructions

1. Grind the flaxseeds in a spice grinder, mix in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of water, and set aside until it thickens. The flax will help bind all the pancake ingredients together.

2. In a food processor with a steel blade, pulse the oats together with baking powder until you get a fine powder like flour. You can also grind the oats in a blender.

3. Once you have a fine flour, remove it and set it aside.

4. Place the beetroot cubes in a glass bowl, cover, and microwave for 7 minutes until the beetroot is soft.

5. Alternatively, you can roast the beetroot in the oven for 20 minutes at medium heat (180°C).

6. If using vacuum-packed beetroot, there's no need to cook it beforehand.

7. Transfer the cooked beetroot, pitted dates, banana, flax mixture, yogurt, vanilla extract, and salt to the food processor.

8. Blend all ingredients well until you get a very smooth, wet batter.

9. If the batter is too dry, add a little more yogurt or soy milk.

10. Gradually add the oat flour while mixing. You can also run the food processor briefly until a uniform texture is achieved.

11. Heat a high-quality non-stick pan with a little oil.

12. Spoon the pancake batter into the pan and fry over low heat for about 2-3 minutes until browned.

13. Flip the pancake using a spatula and fork, and fry on the other side.

14. Serve with soy yogurt and maple syrup.