Low carb pancakes were not on my radar screen last year, but since starting a low glycemic and controlled carb diet (Trim Healthy Mama), I was determined to find a way to carry on our Saturday brunch tradition.
The Trim Healthy Pancake recipe (E) in their book was good, but eggs and bacon were an integral part of the Saturday tradition, as was cream in my coffee. So I’ve been on the lookout for a good “S” (satisfying) version that would allow us to indulge in our feast. This is that pancake. It’s based on my friend Em’s recipe. Thank you Emily!
They are lovely. And now we are full, satisfied, and don’t have the sugar-jitters after breakfast. And, I’ve lost over 20 pounds eating like this for the last couple months. Life is good.
I’m including a single serving recipe that makes 3 pancakes, and a family sized recipe that makes 12 pancakes. These are quick enough to mix up any morning of the week.
When I set the plate on the table on Saturday morning, our pancakes were on one half, and the “normal” pancakes were on the other. My man didn’t know which was which, and when I showed him the “diet” pancakes, my daughter groaned, “Those look like the best ones!”
And that might be the end of “normal” pancakes all together in this house.
[bctt tweet=”My daughter groaned, “Those look like the best ones!” My #lowcarb #pancake #recipe”]
The pancakes you see above were made with a finely milled organic golden flax meal that I found at Costco. The ones I’ll show you below are made with Bob’s red mill flax meal, which is not as finely ground, and even has the occasional whole flax seed in it. It definitely has more of a “whole grain” mouth feel and look.
So if texture is a big deal to you, go for this brand:
So, aside from the flax meal, you’ll need regular or low fat ricotta cheese, eggs, baking powder, and sweetener of your choice.
I like to add vanilla, and sometimes nutmeg and cinnamon to my pancakes. Just to mix things up a bit in the flavor department. This morning, I’m just making a small batch of pancakes for myself. So I’ll add 1/4 c. of ricotta, 2 T. of flax seed meal, a dash or 3 of the Nunaturals Stevia Extract, 1/2 t. baking powder, and an egg to a bowl. 
And I’ll blend it with a fork until it looks like this.
Then, I melted some butter in my cast iron skillet, over medium heat. If you use full fat ricotta, and have a decently seasoned or non-stick skillet or griddle, there is really not a need to use butter to fry them. But today, my skillet is screamin’ to be re-seasoned, and I wanted crispy edges. I also have found coconut oil spray that I like to use. 
Next, you’ll spoon your pancake batter onto the griddle in 3 equal puddles. This is not like working with regular flour based pancakes. The batter is softer and more delicate, so you want to let them really sit and cook to set. Which means that you don’t want your heat so high that they brown too quickly.
oops. Like that. <adjusts heat down a bit> There.
Add a melty pat of butter, and cover in sugar free berry syrup, and you’ve got a VERY satisfying and delicious breakfast. And a happy pancreas that’s not stressing out over a blood sugar spike. 
It’s gonna be a good day.
[bctt tweet=”Fluffy, light, and SO easy to make! #lowcarb #pancake #recipe #thm”]
Low Carb Pancakes Recipe & Pin
![A tasty low carb pancake that's easy to whip up on the weekends! [THM S]](https://gwens-nest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/low-carb-pancakes-pin-368x800.png)
For one serving of 3 pancakes:- 1 egg
- ¼ c. ricotta-full or low fat
- 2 Tbls. Flax seed meal-I like finely milled golden flax
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- dash of salt
- sweetener to taste -I use 2-3 dashes of NuNaturals Stevia Extract
- optional: 1 t. cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg
- ½ t. vanilla extract
For a family size batch of 12 pancakes, use the following measures: - 4 eggs
- 1 cup ricotta (full or low fat)
- ½ c. flax seed meal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- sweetener to taste (8-12 dashes of Stevia Extract)
- 1½ t. vanilla
- optional: 1 Tbls. cinnamon or ½ tsp. nutmeg
- Add ingredients to bowl in order listed.
- Blend with a fork until well mixed.
- Warm skillet or griddle over medium to medium low heat.
- Melt butter if you like crispy edges.
- Spread a single serving recipe into 3 equal pancakes, about 4-5 inches in diameter.
- Cook slowly until they are firm enough to flip.
- Turn and cook on opposite side.
- Serve immediately, with your choice of toppings. Our favorites are sugar free berry syrup, whipped cream, or Greek Yogurt with maple flavoring.
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These look sooooo yummy! Thanks for making the recipe!
Ha! I *blatantly* copied it from my friend Emily. But I wanted to share it because it’s so yummy!
So, because you use flax for the “flour”, this remains a “S” and you can add butter & meats? Looks awesome! Thanks!
Yes…flax is low carb. 🙂 Hope you enjoy! We love them!
Q: Have you tried other things in place of the ricotta, like, greek yogurt or cream cheese…? Just wondering about what to use if you don’t have ricotta on hand…=)
I did try this with cottage cheese early on, and it was pretty good, but I like the Ricotta best. I had a large tub of it that needed to be used up.
I’ve not tried it with cream cheese, but my feeling is that would be too dense, and yogurt too wet. I believe you’d get a similar result from cottage cheese that is blended.
Thanks! Whipping these up for supper. 😉
Ricotta cheese is just a gallon of milk brought to a boil, then 1/4 cup of vinegar added to it. Stir, and turn it off, cover. Let it sit for 10 minutes, tYou should see greenish yellow clear whey, and white clotted curds. If not, add 2 T more vinegar and stir for a second. Then gently scoop out the ricotta curds. Or you can pour it into a sieve lined with a boiled handkerchief or boiled clean linen cloth. Let sit until it stops dripping the whey off. Add salt to taste in your bowl if you wish.. That’s ricotta cheese.
Cool! That sounds easy enough…I’ll try it next time I get some skim milk on a good deal. 🙂
Thank you for the tip. Sounds easy enough even for a someone with such limited time. Appreciate all the details Kellie Hope to get back to you all with good results!
Can cottage cheese be used instead of Ricotta? Thanks!
I came to ask the same question but just noticed that she addressed this in her reply to Nichola’s question below. 🙂
Hope this helps.
Yum! 🙂
I made these tonight with cottage cheese as I don’t have any ricotta & didn’t want to wait.
Would greek yogurt be something that might work in place of ricotta? I made my own and it’s fairly thick, almost cream-cheese like.
Kristi, I haven’t tried it. If you try it, will you let me know how it turned out? I have some yogurt ‘cheese’ in the freezer that I made on accident. 🙂 This may be a great use for it!
I make it regularly with Greek yogurt and it turns out fine! I have even thinned it more with water or almond milk to make a more crepe like product.
These are delish, Gwen! 🙂 I made the whole family batch and had enough left over for a quick breakfast for the husband. Thanks!
I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta (gotta pick up some ricotta) and I served with maple flavored Greek yogurt. Total win. Thanks!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Gwen… I am looking forward to going through your recipes and printing them out. Everything looks so delish!
Thank you! I hope to get more recipes up in the near future! Enjoy. 🙂
Hi Gwen! These look great! Have you ever tried to mix a bunch of the dry ingredients together to have on hand like a pancake mix? I am wondering if I double the dry ingredients for the family batch, how much I would need to measure out for each small batch that I wanted to make or divide in half for the whole family. Hope that makes sense. Can’t wait to try these!
I love this idea! I’d do a test batch of just one serving of dry ingredients only, and see what size cup it fills…
Then you’d make the ginormous batch and the size cup that you filled would be your measure for one batch. 🙂 Does that make sense?
Thanks Gwen!
I would love to know this too!
I have made these twice with Greek yogurt instead of ricotta and LOVE them!!
I’m so glad to know that Greek yogurt works well too!
I am lactose intolorent.I wonder if there is anything else you can use other than ricotta cheese…
Hi Bridget,
There is a Trim Healthy Mama Allergen Free Facebook group that would have great recipes that would be dairy free.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/495900470451999/?fref=ts
Thank you so much for this recipe. They are delicious, allow me to have sausage and eggs with them and remind me of buckwheat pancakes. Yum!
You’re so very welcome! Happy to share what was shared with me. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I made it with cottage cheese. It took forever to cook. When i finally ate it, it was still kind of wet/slimy in the middle. Is it normal?
Btw, I tried the E version with oats flour. They taste and cook quickly like the normal pankes.
I don’t use cottage cheese in mine, so I’m not sure. Maybe turn the heat up just a little?
Has anyone else used cottage cheese with these?
I made it again this morning w/ fat free ricotta ( what I have), not so finely ground flax meal ( prefer the texture), and spinach of chia seeds. it turned out great.! So yummy with non fat Greek yogurt+ h.m. strawberry jam on the side. thank u so much for sharing!
Yum! I made a few tweaks…
I used cottage cheese (blended w/the eggs w/a hand blender) because I didn’t care for the texture w/the ricotta.
1t pumpkin pie spice (instead of cin or nutmeg)
1T Truvia
1 spoon NOW pure stevia powder (equal to one 7 hole dash of NuStevia)
Delicious! And I get fried eggs & sausage, too!
Thanks Gwen! I sure appreciate all your help on my THM journey. 🙂
Would you happen to know the carb count for each pancake? Thanks!!
Thanks so much for this recipe! Printing it for my THM notebook right now.
I am so anxious to try this! I was wondering, would you happen to know the nutrition facts for the single recipe?
Just had these for breakfast. They were AMAZING!
So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I like the taste but I find them maybe to be a little moist and eggy. Would I be able to add another Tbsp or two of flax meal?
Looks great! The only think I cant do is ricotta cheese cuz some family are lactose intolerant. Is there an alternate choice for us that cant have ricotta?
Oh dear. I’m not sure. The dairy is the main ‘body’ of the recipe. Anyone else have any ideas for tryit?
Thanks so much for sharing! Your site is such a BLESSING to me! Such a wealth of information for a THM newbie! 😀
Thank you for your sweet words, Natalie! I’m happy to be on this journey to share with others!
Works well as waffles too! 🙂
Hi Gwen.
I LOVE your site. Huge fan of THM as it has changed my life.
I have lost all the weight I needed to lose (12 lbs) and now love the lifestyle.
One quick question though:
I am VERY allergic to flaxseed – causes HUGE and severe gastric issues – kind of like lactose intolerance (in fact, my doctor said flax allergies are way more common than most people think, but few people are aware of this as flaxseed has only recently become “mainstream”), so can almond flour be used instead of the golden flaxseed. Is there any other flaxseed substitute you recommend?
Thank you soooo much,
Patricia
Hi Patricia,
I do think you could sub almond flour here. You may also look at coconut flour as a great sub, but it’s got an unusual texture and you’d use less coconut flour and more liquid. I would probably look up a coconut flour pancake recipe that’s already done, and use that. 🙂
Hi Gwen,
Thank you so much for your reply.
So, I used 2 1/2 tbs of almond flour (for the 3 pancakes) and they turned out DELICIOUS. I started off by using 2 but noticed the consistency of the batter was a bit watery. So, putting in an additional 1/2 tbs of almond flour did the trick! Also did your wonderful syrup recipe and used truvia instead of stevia and it is fantastic.
Thank you so much for doing such an amazing job with your blog/site. I am an ardent follower!
Thank you so much for sharing your successful tweaks, Patricia! Love it!
So happy you’re enjoying what I share here. 🙂
Just finished eating the pancakes for the first time. Absolutely loved them; this was my third attempt at low carb pancakes and i had pretty much given up, except i had left over ricotta to be used….. this will become a regular addition to our weekend breakfasts – a nice change from the heavy protein breakfasts too 🙂
Oh, HOORAY!
Hi Gwen,
Just wondering, about how much Now brand stevia would you use in the family size batch? I am never sure how much a “shake” is! 🙂 Would I use a teaspoon for the family size recipe? Or more or less?
Oh, a lot less than a teaspoon. Stevia is so hard to measure because it’s so concentrated. I’d start with a scant half of a 1/4 teaspoon (1/8th) and see if that hits it for you. Taste and adjust for what you like. 🙂
The NOW is almost twice as fluffy as the old NuNaturals that I used to use.
Thanks a lot Gwen ! By the way, thanks for all the hard work that goes into your awesome website! I come here almost every day! 🙂 Your recipes are to die for 🙂
♥ Thank you, Mel!
Hi Gwen,
First of all…sorry to be commenting on an old post.
I really would like to make some THM style pancakes but all the recipes I have seen need a nonstick pan (which I don’t have). Do you have any ideas about which recipes would work best in a normal frying pan?
Sarah
Hi Sarah Jane,
I don’t have a non-stick pan. I just add a bit of oil to my cast iron skillet or griddle for these S pancakes. 🙂
Instead of the flax flour could i use gluten free instead.
Should my batter be really thick? And should they take a really long time to cook?
The thicker the batter, the more time they will take to cook. Try adding a bit more almond milk to thin it down to the consistency you like.
We’ve had these twice now, and LOVE THEM! We choose to use almond meal instead of flax meal but WOW! We’ve been on THM for 5 months and this is the BEST recipe yet! ( We used 3 TBSP xylitol for sweetening for the 12-pancake recipe )
Thanks, Megan! So glad you’re enjoying them!
My nutritionist tells me that flax seeds have high amounts of polyunsaturated oil that cannot be healthfully heated.
Hmmm…there are different points of view on that. 🙂 I would agree that flax seed oil is unstable for higher heat, but I think the seeds are fine either raw or heated. Some good reading: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=18
Gwen,
Thanks for the recipe! I used 1 tbs of coconut flour, added a tsp of veg. oil, 1 tbs of lemon juice and an extra egg. They turned out beautifully!
Yum! I’ll have to try these with your revisions. Thanks, Randi!
Have you ever tried this as waffles? If so, do they come out crispy? I am on the hunt for a THM waffle recipe that comes out crispy.
You and me both! I haven’t tried this though…good idea!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe. I am just starting out on my THM journey (7 lb lost so far) but Hubby is not on board yet (at least not that he knows of 🙂 ) Anyway, tried these tonight for supper with bacon and eggs. I added just a bit more flax and also a little more vanilla. Took it easy on the sweetener and let the dough sit on the counter for 5 minutes or so to firm up a bit before cooking. Otherwise made exactly to recipe. I also added in 1T of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg like you suggested. I LOVE these. Hubby liked them too! Made an easy supper for me and I have 2 left for breakfast in the morning. Yippie!
Thank you for the recipe. I have tried a couple of other low carb pancake recipes (coconut flour and cream cheese) and these are the best! I just put cut up strawberries and a small amount of maple syrup (my one cheat) on them and they were delicious!
Just wondering how many carbs per pancake?
I calculate net carbs (subtracting out the fiber). The only ingredient that has carbs worth noting is the ricotta, and my brand has 4 per 1/4 cup. Which would give each pancake a tiny bit over 1 gram.
Gwen Thank you!! No Thank you is not enough, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER!!! I just LOVE your site,your recipes and your posts. This is the only pancake that is THM approved that works for me. After so many failures I went into this recipe with low expectations but man was I wrong- it is the bestest pancakes I have ever had!!! 5 stars all the way!!!!
Wow, Sarah! I’m go thrilled that you love them! 🙂
This is my first attempt at THM pancakes and they are easy and delicious!! I did not have ricotta, so I substituted with sour cream and it worked great! Thanks so much for all of the wonderful recipes you post!!
Ooh…great sub! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi, these look like great pancakes. Unfortunately though, we are dairy free. Can you make a suggestion for what I could substitute for the ricotta cheese? thanks!
I just want to say thank you SO much for the recipe (and your website). I have been eating low-carb, sugar free for 5 months now (30.lb down and just feel a lot better all around). I really enjoy pancakes every so often and I’ve tried a lot of the low-carb pancakes. These are BY FAR the best ones I’ve had.
They are my GO TO pancake recipe. I’ve even made them for non low-carb friends and they can’t taste a difference (they though these were better actually. They have a heartier taste to them that is cleaner).
So thanks! You rock!
Wow! Thank you SO much Erinn! So glad you’re enjoying them. 🙂
Up early on a Winter Break morning, looking for something healthy to try. I changed the recipe a bit, just due to what I had on hand…but it turned out GREAT! We enjoyed a lovely breakfast of “pancakes” and thick-cut turkey bacon! (For the pancakes, I made them more savory, using equal parts Eggbeaters, cottage cheese, and wheat germ, blended to a creamy batter, then stirred in another equal part shredded 2% Italian cheese blend. The whole breakfast tasted like a ham and cheese omelet! Thanks!!!
Just wanted to let you know that this recipe worked great subbing cream cheese for the ricotta. I used a scant 1/4 cup cream cheese with a splash of heavy cream and then blended the whole mixture in the blender.
Thanks for the great recipe! Even the kids and hubby loved these pancakes. That hasen’t been the case with other thm recipes I’ve tried.
Oohh…great tip, Khristin! Thank you so much!
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! I am brandy new at THM, I am wondering if I had these pancakes (with a little protein powder added in to the batter) a few blueberries (less than 1/2 C) and some fat free whipped cream on top, would it be S or E?
Hi Brittney! This recipe is an S, meaning that it already has enough fat to take it into S territory. I like to make this sugar free berry syrup with blueberries, and just use a couple of tablespoons of that to boost the blueberry taste, and you get some berries in there without upping the carbs and going into a crossover. Does that help? 🙂
I can’t remember the exact measurement, but I think *maybe* 1/2 cup of blueberries is enough carbs to make that a crossover. I could be wrong. But the syrup is a great way around that! The mixed berry blends also make an AMAZING syrup!
I loved the texture, airy and fluffy and golden color of these pancakes. They browned gloriously! I can give 5 stars for texture and color. However the flavor was a miss for me. It had cardboard aftertaste. I suspect it was due to golden flax meal. I followed the recipe exactly.
Flax can be finicky, and can go rancid and take on off or even fishy flavors. I store mine in the freezer now for this reason. Try it again with a fresher flax, and see if that helps. Or you can add cinnamon to your batter and additional flavorings to boost the taste to where it’s yummy for you. 🙂
Do you know of any low carb recipes similar to this that don’t use dairy? My kids are all allergic, and it makes things like THM very difficult every time I think of trying it, as most lovely recipes like this we can’t have and we already feel very limited. I wonder if something like tofu would work at all instead of ricotta…
Sure! I’d try tofu or maybe applesauce for kiddos. 🙂
I love this recipe! So easy and they look like actual pancakes! I’ve even been known to grab a few out of the fridge as a snack on the run. Cold. Still yummy!
I’m out of ricotta and thinking of mixing up a batch using greek yogurt. According to former comments, it looks like that should be a success. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Any idea the number of carbs per pancake?
I have been making this exact recipe every couple of weeks for the past four+ years (since I started eating low-carb), and I NEVER grow tired of them. They are almost as good after re-heating from the fridge. I’ve even dehydrated the batter to take on motorcycle and canoeing excursions, re-hydrating with water in a Nalgene… still awesome.
My own parents (70 yrs old) prefer these over wheat flour pancakes, and especially love how they are filling without being bloaty, keeping you fueled for hours.
Thank you thank you!
Love this! Thanks for your kind comment and sharing the great idea for making a travel mix! Genius!
Yum! We just made these. I made one larger pancake instead of the 3 small ones, topped it with your SF Berry Sauce Syrup & then topped that with Plain Greek yogurt flavored with maple extract and sweetener. OH MY! It was soooo good! I was so happy I had all the ingredients! Thanks Gwen! Gotta get our “E’s” in since we LOVE “S’s”! Haha!! A big hit with me & my hubby! Wish I could post a pic. 🙂