8th February 2024
By Sarah Howey
Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is nearly upon us and marks the start of lent and countdown to Easter. It’s a great time to have fun with friends and family or cook up a tasty treat to enjoy on your own.
It can be really tempting to head for the chocolate spread and extra spoon of sugar, but it’s easy to enjoy pancakes as part of a balanced diet without feeling the guilt.
Top tips for healthier toppings and fillings:
- Top your pancakes with fresh chopped fruit. Raspberries are a good choice as they are also a good source of fibre and vitamins, especially Vitamin C.
- Try to use sugar, golden syrup or any other refined sugars sparingly as eating too much sugar can contribute to weight gain and tooth decay.
- Nutella and chocolate spreads contain saturated fat and sugars, so try to keep them to smaller amounts.
- Dark chocolate could be melted and used as a spread. Studies show dark chocolate is a healthier chocolate choice.
- Low fat Greek yoghurt and fruit/honey. Greek yoghurt is a good source of calcium and protein.
- Rather than sweet toppings, you could also opt for savoury toppings.
If you are looking for a way to join in on Pancake Day with a healthier alternative, we are sharing some recipe inspiration from the British Heart Foundation below.
1. Vanilla pancakes with berries and cinnamon custard
Set aside the usual lemon and sugar and spice up your crepes with our creamy cinnamon custard and juicy berries. Get the recipe for vanilla pancakes with berries and cinnamon custard
2. Oat pancakes with fruit compote
A sweet blueberry and apple compote is the perfect accompaniment to these oaty pancakes. Get the recipe for oat pancakes with fruit compote.
3. Lemon-blueberry pancakes
Lemon with pancakes is always a winner – we’ve given it a new twist with these fruity, light and fluffy pancakes. Get the recipe for lemon-blueberry pancakes.