By Marnie Kunz,
NASM-certified trainer, USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach

Protein pancakes are a tasty and nutritious way to start the day. Protein is the essential building block of muscle repair, growth, and maintenance, and it also helps you feel full and satisfied for longer. These tasty blueberry protein pancakes are easy to make and will give you plenty of protein, fiber, and some carbs to fuel your workouts.

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Benefits of Protein

You may be wondering what all the hype is about protein in the fitness world. Protein is essential for muscle health and functioning. Eating enough protein is important to help speed up muscle recovery, build lean muscle, curb hunger, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce muscle loss that occurs with age.

Related Post: Guide to Minimially Processed Foods

Whether you’re a long-distance runner, a weightlifter, or both, protein is important to help your body function and perform its best. Protein also helps you to feel full and is a useful tool to help with losing weight in a healthy, sustainable way.

These protein pancakes will make you feel more full than regular pancakes, which are heavy in carbs and not much protein. If you are tired of being hungry before or after workouts, these pancakes can help you feel satisfied while giving your body the fuel it needs to perform. If you need more ideas for protein-rich foods, check out my post-workout snack ideas and protein smoothie recipes.

Protein Guidelines

Every person varies, but if you’re an active adult, you will need more protein than the average person, and more than the general recommended U.S. nutrition guidelines. If you are training regularly, your body will need plenty of protein to repair muscles and reach peak performance.

In general, active adults need about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. If you don’t know your lean body weight, you can get a rough estimate of this by multiplying your body weight in pounds by .8 to get your daily grams of protein. So if you weigh 150 pounds, for instance, you should aim to eat 120 grams of protein per day. A 135-pound person should eat 108 grams of protein per day.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for athletes, with higher amounts for athletes who do longer duration and higher intensity workouts. After a hard run or workout, it’s important to eat 20 grams of protein or more.

How Much Protein in Protein Pancakes?

This blueberry protein pancakes recipe includes 14 grams of protein per serving - 28 grams total for the recipe, which makes 2 servings. If you add an egg to your protein pancakes, that adds 6 grams of protein to the recipe. Egg substitutes will give you about 6 grams of protein. If you add milk, you will get even more protein, with the exact amount depending on the type of milk you use. For regular milk, you get about 6 additional grams of protein total, whereas almond milk adds 1 gram of protein and oat milk will give you an additional 1 to 2 grams of protein.

Pancakes Prep

I am not a gourmet chef and this recipe is beginner-friendly and perfect for busy people on the go as they are quick to make. It takes about 12 minutes to make these blueberry protein pancakes.

For this recipe, you will need Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Buttermilk mix. You can also get it on Amazon.

If you are not a fan of blueberries, you can substitute any berries or one mashed banana for the pancakes.

If you use blueberries (or strawberries), try to get them organic when possible. Berries tend to hold a lot of pesticides and organic versions are worth the health benefits if you can swing it. Learn more about the benefits of organic food and which foods hold the most pesticides in my article on organic food.

I get my blueberries from the farmer’s market when possible but you can also use frozen blueberries or blueberries from the grocery store. When I have other berries on hand, like strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries, I add those as a topping.

You can also top your protein pancakes with maple syrup. If you want thicker pancakes, add an egg (or egg substitute) and replace water with the milk of your choice. The bonus is you get even more protein when you use an egg and a form of milk.