How To Make Dave Asprey's Healthy Spin On Classic Pancakes
Some meals simply taste like childhood. Everyone has their different nostalgic dish, but it’s fair to say many of these childhood staples aren’t the pinnacle of a balanced meal (pancakes, waffles, and the like). Does this mean you shouldn’t indulge? Absolutely not.
Pancakes certainly aren’t the worst thing for you, but they do typically contain a hefty amount of sugar. To come, a healthier spin on this sweet breakfast shared by world-renowned biohacker and New York Times bestselling author Dave Asprey on a recent episode of the mindbodygreen podcast.
Dave Asprey's healthy collagen pancake recipe.
Serves 1
What you'll need:
- 2 tablespoons flour of your choice.
- 1 scoop mbg beauty & gut collagen+
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon grass-fed Greek or sheep's milk yogurt
How to:
The method here is even simpler: Mix together the ingredients. Feel free to add in a bit more water, but the consistency will depend on what type of flour you decide to use.
Asprey often opts for coconut flour but mentions sweet rice, green banana, and cassava flour as other worthy options. (He personally tends to stay away from almond and oat flours because of their phytic acid content.) Remember to follow a 1:1 ratio so you don’t wind up with a dry mix.
If you want to shake it up, pick a few additions from the list below to toss in your mix or on top of your cakes:
- Blueberries
- Coconut flakes
- Strawberries
- Dark chocolate chips
- Honey
- Cinnamon
Why add collagen?
According to Asprey, the collagen makes a suitable egg substitute. "If you use collagen and you're egg free, you can do that," he notes. However, "You need a protein to bind it," he adds, which is why he recommends mixing it with grass-fed yogurt before tossing it into your blend; that's what gives it the "egg-like" consistency.
Not to mention, with just one scoop of mbg's beauty & gut collagen+, you’re amping up the health benefits of your pancakes (or any recipe, for that matter).* Just one serving includes:
- Hydrolyzed collagen peptides
- Hyaluronic acid
- L-glutamine
- Biotin
- Vitamins C and E
- Turmeric
- Sulforaphane glucosinolate (from broccoli)
If you opt for the chocolate mbg beauty & gut collagen+ (because who doesn't love chocolate pancakes?), you’ll enjoy the rich, organic cocoa without the added sugar, thanks to the organic monk fruit sweetener.
The takeaway.
Just because pancakes may not be the healthiest breakfast doesn’t mean you should skip them altogether. To whip up a healthier blend, use coconut flour, yogurt, and collagen powder as a base and top of your pancake stack with fresh fruit, cinnamon, or honey. Want to learn more about the benefits of using collagen in your daily breakfast recipe? This guide will answer all of your questions.
Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty & Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including skin care, women’s health, mental health, sustainability, social media trends, and more. She previously interned for Almost 30, a top-rated health and wellness podcast. In her current role, Hannah reports on the latest beauty trends and innovations, women’s health research, brain health news, and plenty more.