Funny thing about this Whole Wheat Applesauce Pancakes recipe: It’s low in fat. Crazy, right? Laura never shares “low fat” recipes. (Though she does sometimes talk about herself in third person.)
Trust me, I did not do this on purpose. I didn’t substitute the butter for applesauce in order to cut down on fat consumption. I did it to create a yummy fall recipe. I did it because applesauce makes a recipe quite moist and flavorful. I did it because as it turns out, this recipe works better without any butter or coconut oil. Who knew?
I tell you what, though. Make these pancakes, then slather them with real butter or natural peanut butter. Those are good, real fats our bodies recognizes and uses to nourish our brains and bodies. Go easy on the maple syrup though, because sugar is where many of our health problems lie. Poor fat. It gets all the blame for what sugar is doing to us. (Don’t get me started.)
Whole Wheat Applesauce Pancakes
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (I used freshly ground hard or soft whole wheat)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1 egg
- Milk or water to reach preferred batter consistency
- Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
- Add milk or water to make a thinner or thicker batter - however you like it.
- Cook pancakes on a buttered griddle, flipping once they become bubbly.
- These take a bit longer to cook compared to regular pancakes, so turn the heat down so the outside doesn't burn while the inside cooks fully!

In order to make these Whole Wheat Applesauce Pancakes as wonderful as possible, you’ll want to learn to make Homemade Applesauce. My favorite way is to make applesauce using the very wonderful Victorio. Read more about that here.
Other great apple recipes
- Applesauce Bread
- Mini Apple Pies
- Crock Pot Apple Cider
- Apple Crisp
- Apple Pie Filling
- Cinnamon Apple Toast
- Baked Apple Pancake
- Salted Caramel Apple Crisp
- Cream Cheese Fruit Dip (to go with your apples)
- Apple Fruit Leather
- Build a Fruit Salad Bar
- Apple Butter
- Apple Nachos
Just in case you wanted to see what the amazing Apple Nachos look like:
Mmmmm, apple season!
P.S. These Applesauce Pancakes freeze well. :)
I LOVE whole wheat pancakes, muffins, and cookies. I never add oil or butter to my pancakes. I do use lots more baking powder and all buttermilk for the liquid. They are light and delicious.
Do you use your cast iron griddle to make pancakes? I have the same one you do and it smokes up the house so badly. I fry them in butter, because I don’t always have coconut oil. Tips?
Yes, I do use my cast iron griddle. Mine only smokes when I let it get too hot. Typically, the smoking comes from the butter or coconut oil overheats. Thankfully I have a vent over my oven that I turn on when that happens. :)
I made these this morning to a rousing chorus of “mmmmm”s from my two year old, who is working on his third pancake :) thanks!