Pancakes can pack a seriously nutritious punch if you’re using the right ingredients. This puffy vegan offering from Cocos Organic is made with gut-loving kefir for a dose of probiotic power. 

This Shrove Tuesday, let’s make a pact: no more bloody protein pancakes. For one day of the year, we want real pancakes, made with sugar, flour and a good dose of flavour. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t still pack a seriously nutritious punch – as these vegan kefir pancake recipe proves. 

Kefir is a gut hero ingredient, with studies confirming it to be a stronger probiotic than yoghurt. It contains billions of live bacteria and yeasts, and to contains the probiotic Lactobacillus kefiri – a powerful antibacterial known to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria like E.coli and salmonella. It’s also backed with vitamin K2, which helps us to absorb calcium into the bone cells. Studies have shown that supplementing K2 has been shown to reduce your risk of fractures by up to 81%. 

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Normally, vegans don’t get to enjoy all those benefits as kefir tends to be a dairy product. However, this recipe uses Cocos Organic Natural Kefir, but there are other vegan options out there including The Collective Kefir’s coconut kefir drink or Biotiful’s offerings. You can also make your own kefir using soy milk and ready-to-drink water kefir.

Ingredients

225g self-raising flour

2 tbsp golden caster sugar (or coconut sugar if you prefer the taste)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

30ml coconut oil (melted), plus extra for frying 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

400ml Cocos Organic Natural Kefir

Method

Sift the flour into a large bowl before adding the caster sugar, baking powder and salt.

Mix together and then whisk in the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and 375ml of the coconut milk kefir. 

Stir until you have a smooth batter, about the consistency of thick double cream. If it seems a little too thick, add the remaining kefir to loosen.

Melt a little coconut oil in a large frying pan.

Add a large spoonful of the batter for each pancake. You may be able to fit two or three pancakes in the pan at a time. 

Cook on a low heat for up to three minutes, or until small bubbles start to appear. 

Flip over the pancakes and cook for another two minutes or until pale golden and well risen. 

Transfer to a plate and top with whatever you like. We love a drizzle of maple syrup, a dollop of coconut yoghurt and a load of fresh berries.

For more nutrition tips and healthy(ish) recipes, check out the Strong Women Training Club.

Images and recipe courtesy of Cocos Organic.

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