Teff Pancakes Are So Sweet & Delicious, You Might Like ‘Em With Just a Hint of Butter

These teff pancakes are so sweet and delicious, they can be enjoyed with nothing more than a hint of butter. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of maple syrup, but these banana sweetened griddle cakes are so tasty, you may not want to mask the flavor with any toppings.

You can of course embellish them with the usual garnishes, or with my lip-smacking good All Natural Better-Than-Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread (what? yes!) or try topping with the delicious Chayawanprash from Hanah One. But if you prefer to keep it simple, I’m sure you’ll leave the table satisfied with these delicious and nutritious pancakes served any which way.

Nutrition

Teff is an amazing little gluten free grain with a rich flavor reminiscent of sourdough bread. It’s a good thing that it tastes so good, because the incredible amount of nutrients it offers will make you want to eat it often.

It’s packed with a vast variety of essential minerals including high values of manganese, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, iron and calcium, as well as protein, fiber, a range of B vitamins and much more.

All these nutrients combined make this low-glycemic grain one of the most nutritious grains you can eat, with wide ranging benefits that can result in:

increased energy (copper)
weight loss (copper)
improved circulation (iron)
better absorption of protein (copper)
naturally balanced hormones (phosphorus)
improved digestion and nutrient absorption (Thiamin)

To reap these benefits, I’d suggest making teff a regular part of your diet. Aside from being used to make pancakes, teff grains are absolutely delicious used to make a sweet morning porridge or as a savory side to meats and veggies. Stay tuned, because I’ve got more teff recipes coming your way soon!

Cooking Notes

Water + Consistency

Reserve the water until after blending the remaining the ingredients. Depending on the ripeness of the bananas and size of eggs, you may only need to add a splash of water to thin the batter to the right consistency. Anywhere from a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water will help to achieve a thick, but runny enough consistency to pour from the carafe.

Teff Flour -v- Grains

Using teff flour will get you the best results, but if you’re dying for teff pancakes and all you have on hand is teff grains, you’ll still get a decent pancake. You can try milling the grains with a food processor, but they’re so tiny I’m not sure how much luck you’ll have with that. What I know works for certain, is blending the whole grains with batter, 2-3 times on high power in my Blendtec.

Although you get a fluffier pancake and a generally easier cooking process when using teff flour, the advantage of using whole grains is that you can soak and ferment them for a more nutritionally sound dish. That’s what you see in the top process shot – 48 hours soaked and drained teff grains. To learn more about how and why to soak grains read The How & Why of Soaking Grains, Nuts & Legumes.

Organic + Gluten Free

I’ve not come across certified Organic teff that’s also certified gluten free, but Maskal Teff is the closest to meeting both criteria without the certifcations. Grown in Idaho, it’s produced with ecologically-sensitive farming methods and batch tested for gluten.

In terms of gluten, Maskal only grows teff, and it goes on to be processed in a facility where only teff and small amounts of Ethiopian coffee are processed, at which point each lot is tested for gluten contamination.

Tools & Pantry Shopping List

The one tool you’ll need to make this batter is a blender, food processor or an immersion wand. Here are the top contenders, along with all your pantry needs:

On Amazon:

Blendtec
Cuisinart 11-Cup Food Processor
Vitamix 5200
Waring Light-Duty Quik Stik Immersion Blender (100% stainless steel wand)
Maskal Teff Ivory Teff Flour
Spicely Organic Ceylon True Gluten Free Cinnamon
Ancient Organics Grass Fed Artisanal Ghee

For easy discounted Thrive Market shopping:

Coombs Organic Dark Maple Syrup Grade A (16 oz for $12.95!)
Purity Farms Organic Ghee Clarified Butter
Primordial Himalayan Sea Salt
or Redmond’s Real Salt, Sea Salt (a very affordable option for mineral rich sea salt)

Simply Delicious, Highly Nutritious Teff Pancakes

Created by Patryce Kinga Bak on April 19, 2017

These teff pancakes are so sweet and delicious, they can be enjoyed with just a hint of butter. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of maple syrup, but these banana sweetened cakes are so tasty, you may not want to mask the flavor with any toppings.

Prep Time: 5m
Cook Time: 20m
Total Time: 25m

Serves: 2
Yield: Roughly 8 pancakes

Ingredients

Pasture Raise Butter, Ghee or Avocado Oil, for frying

Pancake Batter

2 Organic Bananas
2 Pasture Raised Eggs
1/2 cup Teff Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Sea Salt
1/2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
dash Cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 cups Filtered Water, enough to thin dough

Garnish Options

All Natural Better-Than-Nutella Butter (see post for recipe link)
Berries and/ or thinly sliced orange wedges
Organic Maple Syrup or Hanah One Chayawanprash
Pasture raised butter

Instructions

Pancakes

Using a blender, mix all pancake ingredients on medium until smooth. If the dough is too thick, add 1/4-1/2 cup water to thin batter for a runnier consistency.
If using whole teff grains instead of flour, blend 2-3 times until the grains are broken down.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot add a small amount of butter, ghee or avocado oil for each spoonful of batter. Fry on medium-low heat for about a minute on each side. Flip the pancake once some bubbles appear on the surface of the first side, making sure not to burn the bottom side. Test the first pancake to make sure it's cooked through. If you need to cook for a longer time, be sure the heat is low enough not to burn the outside.