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Quinoa 105: Strawberry Red Quinoa Pancakes with Cashew Butter Syrup

Breakfast gets the quinoa treatment and honestly it was only a matter of time. Red quinoa mixed into pancake batter gives you this gorgeous pink-flecked stack with a slightly nutty chew that regular pancakes just can’t compete with. Top it with a cashew butter syrup that’s equal parts indulgent and wholesome and you’ve got a breakfast worth waking up for.

This one came together on a lazy Sunday morning when I had leftover red quinoa in the fridge and a pint of strawberries that needed to be used. Sometimes the best recipes are the ones you didn’t plan.

Ingredients

  • For the pancakes:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup cooked red quinoa
  • 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced
  • For the cashew butter syrup:
  • 3 tablespoons cashew butter
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar together and let sit for 5 minutes to curdle into a vegan buttermilk.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
  3. Add the almond milk mixture and melted coconut oil to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the cooked red quinoa and diced strawberries. Do not overmix.
  4. Heat a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, then flip and cook another 2 minutes.
  5. For the syrup, whisk together cashew butter, maple syrup, warm water, and salt until smooth and pourable. Add more water if needed to thin it out.
  6. Stack pancakes, drizzle generously with cashew butter syrup, and top with extra fresh strawberries.
  7. The red quinoa holds its shape in the batter so you get little pops of texture in every bite. The cashew butter syrup is dangerously good — make extra because you’ll want it on everything.
  8. This is the fifth installment in the quinoa series. Catch up with Quinoa 103 if you missed it.

Craving more? Try Quinoa 103: The Day I Found Out Mushrooms Were Fungus — Wild Mushroom Quinoa Risotto with White Truffle Oil next.