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Pancakes and Waffles without vegetable oil?

Matt McSpadden

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Hi,
Question
Can you make pancakes and waffles with something other than vegetable oil?

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I will start by acknowledging that these are not the healthiest of foods... especially with as much syrup as most people add. However, I'm am attempting to make them healthy-er, and every recipe I've seen uses vegetable oil. Getting organic whole wheat flour is easy, using fruit instead of cornsyrup, and things like that are easy. But what in the world can you replace vegetable oil with so you still get some crispy-ness? Can you use lard? How about olive oil (worried that would make it taste funny)?

Any ideas?

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r ranson

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We've only ever used butter or drippings (usually from bacon fat, but sometimes from a roast or ham).

But also, English pancakes don't have a livening agent, just flour, eggs, and milk. We use the fat for cooking.

Other styles might have other needs, but butter makes a pretty easy substitute for veg oil in baking. I usually replace one for one, or a little bit less butter.

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Carla Burke

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I don't ever use vegetable oil, canola oil, or even safflower oil - for anything. I much prefer (for both health and flavor) butter, ghee, bacon fat, lard, or tallow - all depending on what I'm making, and the flavor profile I'm looking for. So, in the case of pancakes & waffles - be they regular or sourdough - I normally go with butter or ghee, or sometimes bacon fat. If you go with the olive oil, I'd reach for a 'light' version, because the flavor is much less pronounced. Avocado oil is substantially more expensive, but it's very neutral flavored, and has many health benefits.

Toppings with great health benefits might include real maple syrup, honey, homemade jelly or jam(made with a little bit of honey instead of sugar), sorghum molasses, or pureed fresh fruit.

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suggestion to try would be apple sauce.(have never tried with pancakes or waffles but should) For cakes you can replace the volume of oil with the same volume of apple sauce. The cake is mildly moister and slightly denser feeling in your mouth but have never had it fail to look, feel and taste like a cake.

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John F Dean

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Yes. Applesauce.

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Matt McSpadden

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@r - maybe I need to keep looking for recipes and find some that don't call for oil.

@Carla - if a recipe called for oil, would you put in the same amount of butter? Or less?

Two votes for applesauce... interesting.

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I do oil for butter 1:1. Applesauce does work - and can be excellent - but there are caveats. If you are watching your blood sugar (keto, diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc.) applesauce (even unsweetened) increases the gi index, dramatically. It also makes for a much sweeter end product. So, if you're good with substantially sweeter cakes, pancakes or waffles, it would be fine, but for example, if you're looking for something a little more savory, not so much. Finally, applesauce makes a much more moist, dense product, so if you're looking for light, fluffy waffles and pancakes, I wouldn't recommend it. If you decide to try it, (and I do think it would be a great idea - I do enjoy it, from time to time, but must watch the blood sugar), keep in mind that you may need to cook it a bit longer, to avoid a raw-ish interior.

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Melted butter should work fine. I've used it plenty of times. Generally speaking, you want to use the same amount of butter as oil, or a little more. Butter is a mix of milk solids, fat, and water. Oil is almost pure fat. So when you substitute butter for oil, your lowering the fat content a bit. For something like pancakes, though, it probably won't matter.
Olive oil does have a strong taste on it's own, but it probably won't come through in the amount you are using for pancakes, especially if your using a strong tasting flour like whole wheat.

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real genuine whole butter. the batter needs no oil or butter but the pan does for cooking. flour, eggs, milk, baking powder in the batter. but you can add buttermilk, sour cream, and any number of different things for variety. im not real sure about what is healthy eating or living. to this I think of Jim fixx, he wrote the book on running and healthy living, died at 52. and in contrast my mom, now 93, grew up on dairy and chicken farm grew up using rendered chicken fat to cook with never exercised a day in her life.
if your going to make pancakes might as well use real butter and real maple syrup. I prefer buckwheat which has become very difficult to find or even afford when it is found.

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r ranson wrote:But also, English pancakes don't have a livening agent, just flour, eggs, and milk. We use the fat for cooking.

What I would call 'pancakes' are like French crepes: very flat. The pan is quite hot so use a high temp fat that won't burn quickly like lard or coconut oil.
This is how I make the batter - actually I do it by eye, but this is the nominal recipe!
Sift 4Oz plain flour with a pinch of salt, make a well in the centre and add an egg and about 5 flOz milk. Gently stir to incorporate the flour until it is all smooth and thick. Then add another 5 flOz milk a bit at a time till it is all included.
That's it! Then pour a little into your hot pan (with hot fat), swirl around to cover, when the top is set flip it over (try not to get it stuck on the ceiling) and cook the other side.
Note no sugar in this batter, so you can fill with fruit and cream for a sweet treat, lemon and sugar is traditional in my family, but they can also be used as a wrap for savoury fillings too.

However I usually cook small thick pancakes called drop scones or scotch pancakes. These do have a bit of sugar in the batter, but no oil. Maybe the oil makes them easier to handle when you make them larger diameter?
My method:
sift 4 Oz plain flour with 1 or 2 teaspoons of baking powder, stir in 2 tablespoon caster sugar. Then mix in one egg and 5 fl Oz milk to make a thick batter. Again I tend to do this by eye rather than measure accurately!
Drop a spoonful of batter on a hot pan, spread to a circle with the back of the spoon. When the bubbles stop rising and the surface starts to turn dull, flip the pancake with a thin knife and cook the other side briefly. My drop scones are usually about 4 inch diameter.

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American pancakes - about the thickness of 2 - 4 crepes, vary in diameter between 'silver dollar'(roughly 3 - 4") and full-plate-sized.

Sourdough pancakes are often about the middle point in thickness, between crepes and very fluffy pancakes, with a bit of a tangy flavor - quite yummy, imho!

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greg mosser

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i feel that in a proper pancake or waffle recipe, one reason for the oil to be there is to keep it from sticking, and where that’s the case (as it seems like it would make leaving out oil earlier somewhat pointless, to add it to the pan), applesauce would work in a directly opposite way, since the sugars would stick…

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I do scratch pancakes fairly often and also don't bother with adding any fat to the batter. ( the 60+ year old recipe calls for about a tablespoon, but I stopped adding any 2+ decades ago) I rarely bother with any added sugar to the batter either since we love to soak in real maple syrup.
We usually use butter for the pan. Very little is needed with a good pan.
Buttermilk is wonderful, but yogurt works almost as well and still gives some tanginess.

I friend showed me the best way to add frozen berries which is by dropping them on to batter when they are just put in the pan. It avoids the whole muddy mess you get otherwise and let's us use our own fruit. We love our haskaps in them since they are pretty tart and help balance the syrup.

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Nancy Reading

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Nancy Reading wrote:What I would call 'pancakes' are like French crepes: very flat. The pan is quite hot so use a high temp fat that won't burn quickly like lard or coconut oil.

I forgot to say that the pan needn't be so hot for the scotch pancakes! They will stick and burn if the griddle temperature is too hot. This doesn't seem to be the case for the flat pancakes, although you may spoil one or two till you get the temperature right.

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greg mosser wrote:applesauce would work in a directly opposite way, since the sugars would stick…

I suspect the oil in the mixture does something different to the oil in the pan. Cakes are a sort of spectrum of eggs, flour, sugar and fat, so different proportions of each, and different forms of each give different effects, from scones to cookies to Swiss rolls. But fatless sponge cakes are indeed a thing!

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greg mosser

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i’m saying that i don’t add any oil to the pan at all. it’s not necessary with even a little bit in the batter. i make american-style, somewhat fluffy pancakes (1/4 acorn flour, very tasty!) and i’m not a fan of them seeming fried.

and if the pancakes ‘use up’ oil from the pan and more needs to be added, it won’t take long before one is using more oil than would have been in the pancakes in the first place.

i know my quibbling doesn’t answer matt’s original question, just stating my firmly held pancake and waffle beliefs.

Mart Hale

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One of my favorite recipies...

Cook with butter on pan, and top with a bit of maple syrup or honey.

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FLUFFY PALEO (GRAIN FREE) BANANA PANCAKES

2 ripe bananas (mashed)

4 large eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs ghee or coconut oil (I tried both, I like coconut oil better)

3 tbs coconut flour

2 tbs tapioca flour or arrowroot starch (I used tapioca flour)

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of sea salt (I use CELTIC Sea salt)

DIRECTION:

Whisk the bananas, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and melted ghee or coconut oil together. Sift the coconut flour, tapioca flour and baking soda and salt into the wet ingredients. Allow the batter to rest on the countertop for 5-10 mins to thicken slightly.

Heat a larget skillet over medium-low heat. Grease the skillet and spoon the batter into the skillet to make pancakes of your desired size. When a few bubbles appear, after 2 mins, flip the pancakes once to finish cooking. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the batter.

Serve with butter or ghee, sliced bananas, maple syrup and fresh berries. You can add blueberries in the batter too I think, but I have yet to try that yet.

NOTE:

It makes 1 dozen of 3″ pancakes. (2 Servings)

TIPS:

I tried both Coconut Oil and Ghee. I prefer coconut oil, because Ghee burns up a lot of faster. My pancakes were in the “Dark” Side when I used ghee. I don’t have problem when I use coconut oil.
The pancakes itself are very sweet, you may want to try it without maple syrup first.
Highly recommend this pancakes recipe!

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This is my current favorite, using vanilla extract instead of maple, and milk kefir, instead of milk or buttermilk: https://thefeatherednester.com/sourdough-pancakes/

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Add me to the butter &/or bacon grease camp.

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I have always used melted butter, guess I never looked at recipes, because it has never occurred to me to use veg oil.

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Another vote for melted butter added to the batter. I've also used coconut oil when short on butter.

Another great pancake tip is to add about a teaspoon of lemon juice to the milk when starting your recipe so it can sit for a few minutes while you do the rest. Creates a buttermilk like consistency for the fluffiest.

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Matt McSpadden wrote:Two votes for applesauce... interesting.

And one vote against. Fat is what slows digestion and makes me full longer. Apple sauce is a pile of fructose and since I'm borderline hypoglycemic, more sugar is a bad thing, particularly if it's replacing a fat.

That said, I pretty much can't do average pancakes. We make oatmeal pancakes which also calls for whole wheat flour and I add extra eggs. Then I can eat it with the apple sauce on top instead of syrup or yogourt with berries. We have real maple syrup, but I use it very sparingly if I'm really in the mood, because it is pretty much pure fructose.

Now that # 2 son is hanging with a newly minted Canadian of Indian heritage, ghee is great for cooking our pancakes, and I often use chicken, duck or goose fat in the recipe itself.

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William Bronson

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Butter ftw.
Coconut oil is OK, bacon grease is amazing.
I prefer to use strait oat flour for pancakes or waffles.
It gives a great texture inside and out.

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I use a seasoned cast iron skillet and pour the batter into it without additional oil or grease. The batter cooks and releases easily for me, although you may find that the first pancake is tough to turn. I also use melted unsalted butter in the batter if it calls for it. If the skillet is well seasoned, you shouldn't have any problem with pancakes.

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Leslie Jacobs

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I agree with most that just add butter or bacon grease or even coconut oil 1 for 1…I personally have been HAPPY..to find out that FIBER..WHOLE WHEAT, BRAN. Is not necessary in the diet.. following a lot of Ketocarivore..people including ..Drs, Chaffee, Berry, and Saladino..all MD’s.. that got wise to the corporate marketing..ploys..eggs are bad, butter is bad, fiber ( 30 grams) is necessary. Fiber in wheat ( the bran) is where the concentration of Phytates, lectins( Dr Grundy) and Oxylates ( Sally K, Norton) are. So good news to me, organic white wheat flour, pasture eggs, butter, organic cane sugar (not GMO.. as Beet sugar is)..and non aluminum Baking power, Redman, Real salt..for the occasional win.

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Carla Burke wrote:This is my current favorite, using vanilla extract instead of maple, and milk kefir, instead of milk or buttermilk: https://thefeatherednester.com/sourdough-pancakes/

Update: John requested "the thinner sourdough pancakes with the really thin, crispy edges, a little thicker in the middle, and tangier, that I remember from when I was a kid." I played with it for a bit, asking, "you mean the ones that are darker on one side, and almost a starburst pattern on the other?" John:"Yes! THOSE!!" Turns out, they're the very ones I used to make, decades ago:

2 cups starter (measured the next morning after it's fed--the amount of starter is VERY forgiving)
4T butter, melted, cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon sugar
Milk, to thin to about halfway between fluffy pancake batter, and crepe batter.

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Years ago, when I was a young busy mother of two holding down a full time job, I wanted to bake a cake with a cake mix.

The instructions called for oil and I seemed to be out so I called the phone numbers to call with questions.

The lady I spoke with said the cake would be okay without oil though it might be a little drier.

The cake turned out great so I bet pancakes would be okay without oil though a bit drier.

By the way, I ask Mr. Google if the word was drier or dryer. It seems the later is a machine...

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that is so interesting!!

when I was learning to bake, I made a lot of things without dairy or eggs, and was part of a community of home cooks that tested recipes that also cut oil.
In most cases, if you want richness you can sub applesauce or yogurt, but usually the recommendation is that you keep at least a teaspoon or so of fat (if the original recipe included it).
In pancakes, most people seem to agree that oil/butter/fat lightens up the pancakes to make them fluffy. I could conceivably see buttermilk or soured milk doing something similar.

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Matt's original question does say, "something other than vegetable oil?"

I have to admit that I tend to avoid most vegetable oils myself, substituting butter, goose fat, chicken fat etc depending on the recipe. Since yoghurt contains fat, a high fat yoghurt would work for me.

I do find it helpful in the cooking pan has some fat on it. Butter will tend to burn, but ghee is better.

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I do not buy vegetable oil.

I also find most oils are questionable.

Some recommend sunflower oil and then I read that is bad for you.

Same with coconut oil.

We use mostly butter. I buy the five pack at Sams Club and keep it in the freezer.

I do use oil for french fries.

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