Easy to make pancakes made with orange marmalade, a pinch of cinnamon and no added sugar. These marmalade pancakes are a great way of using up some leftover homemade seville orange marmalade.
I always thought that marmalade is pretty healthy, so when I made this recipe for the first time I left out the sugar straight away. I think you won’t really need to add any, but if you do, choose something like light brown sugar, coconut sugar or other healthier sugar alternatives.
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MORE SUGAR FREE OR LOW SUGAR PANCAKES
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Why make this recipe?
- Great orange taste
- No added sugar (other than from the marmalade)
- Can be eaten on their own as a packed snack (instead of biscuits or a cake)
- Low calories per pancake
What are marmalade pancakes?
My take on marmalade pancakes involves a lot of marmalade in the pancake batter and some extra on the top (if you want to).
I had quite a lot of marmalade left after I made this year’s batch and wanted the pancakes to be properly flavoured with the orange marmalade.
Because I’ve used a lot of marmalade (which already has sugar), I’ve not added any more sugar to the recipe.
My marmalade pancakes are also slightly thicker and smaller than regular large pancakes or crepes. I suppose they are more like a scotch pancake or drop scones pancakes.
My top tips on making this recipe successfully the first time round
Use low to medium heat for your frying and pancake pan to fry your pancakes.
I found that when I used a slightly higher heat (or even a medium heat), the marmalade started to brown too much and the sugar inside started to caramelise. This meant that I either burned the pancakes or ended up with a slightly underdone inside.
What makes this recipe work
- Not adding any sugar
- Using a good quality orange marmalade
- Adding a pinch of salt helps to sharpen the flavours and won’t make your pancakes taste bland
Any specialist equipment needed?
You don’t need specialist equipment to fry your pancakes, any large frying pan or a flat griddle will be fine to use.
Since I make pancakes quite often, I’ve treated myself to a special pancake frying pan which, I think, makes a difference in how the pancakes rise. The pancake pan has deeper cavities, which prevents the pancake batter from spreading out and makes them rise a bit higher. This also means that they are thicker and that makes them lighter.
I think having a specialist pancake pan is totally worth it, as it also helps me to portion the pancakes better into more even rounds.
Ingredients & Possible Substitutions
Orange Marmalade
You can use any kind of orange or citrus fruit marmalade for this recipe.
This recipe also works with any other type of jam, but it’s preferable to use sharper types of jams (like blackcurrants) to get the most from the combination with the pancake batter flavour.
MARMALADE & JAM RECIPES
- Traditional Seville Orange Marmalade >>
- Tangerine Marmalade (all in one method) >>
- Orange & Lime Marmalade >>
- Orange Marmalade (reduced sugar) >>
- Grapefruit Marmalade >>
- Quince Jam >>
- Grape Jam >>
Flour
I’ve used plain flour (cake flour) in this recipe, but you could use any low gluten type of fine flour or a mix of different flours.
To keep the marmalade pancakes light you can use 50% plain flour and 50% different flour, such as:
- Spelt Flour
- Buckwheat Flour
- Wholemeal Plain (Cake) Flour
If you don’t have any other flours, you can also use self-raising flour, but don’t add in any additional baking powder.
Baking Powder
You can also use a mixture of baking powder and baking soda – I sometimes use whatever I have at hand. Don’t be too heavy-handed with the baking powder though, as your batter could taste too bitter if you add too much.
Salt
I always add a tiny pinch of salt to my pancake batter because it helps to bring all the flavours together. I use regular fine table or cooking salt.
Milk
You can use any kind of milk you like in this recipe. I usually use semi-skimmed milk, but whole milk would add extra creaminess if you wanted to. Lactose free or plant based milks are fine too – use the same amount as the recipe states.
- rice milk
- oat milk
- 50% water & 50% white yoghurt mix
- whole milk
- 50% cream & 50% water or milk
Eggs
Use one egg or 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil instead in this recipe. You can also use any leftovers of eggs, either egg whites or egg yolks if you are baking some other recipe.
I’ve used previously similar egg replacements from my Bisquick pancakes recipes and it works really well with this recipe too – mostly the oil, extra baking powder or yoghurt egg substitutions.
Cinnamon
These pancakes are pretty amazing as they are, but a pinch of cinnamon, mixed spice or other sweet spices will compliment the orange marmalade.
GLUTEN-FREE PANCAKE RECIPES
The method – Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix well.
Whisk in the egg, milk and orange marmalade until everything is combined and you have a smooth pancake batter.
Heat a little of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat until low to medium hot.
Depending on the size of your frying pan, drop about 2-3 tablespoons of the pancake batter to form one pancake.
Once one side starts to ‘dry out’ and you see bubbles forming, flip over and fry on the other side for another minute. Because the pancakes contain fair amount of marmalade it makes them slightly susceptible to sticking to a frying pan, so I find it’s best to lower the heat and cooking temperature.
Serve whilst still hot drizzled with extra marmalade, honey, maple syrup or yoghurt and a sprinkle of extra cinnamon or spice of your choice.
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Allergies, dietary requirements
This pancakes recipe (as it is) is not suitable for a gluten or dairy free diet. It’s vegetarian, but not suitable for vegan diets.
How else you can make this recipe?
Gluten-Free Version
Swap the plain flour for gluten-free plain flour mix and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum (unless xanthan gum is already included in the flour mix).
Dairy Free Version
Swap the regular milk for your favourite plant based milk. I usually use rice or oat milk to have the least impact on the flavour.
Vegan Version
Swap the eggs with about 2 tablespoons of vegetable or sunflower oil. I didn’t used any butter in the pancake batter, so you don’t need to worry about butter substitution in your pancake recipe.
Toppings & Sauces Ideas
This orange marmalade pancake recipe already has quite a lot of marmalade in the batter, but if you want to you can add some more on the top.
I usually have just a Greek Yoghurt or cream cheese on top or eat them as they are lightly dusted with icing sugar.
Citrus fruit curds compliment this recipe rather well too and I always use my Blood Orange Curd to add on the top of my marmalade pancakes.
RECIPES FOR PANCAKES TOPPINGS & SAUCES
Serving size
This recipe makes 8 medium sized pancakes (about 6-7 cm in diameter) on the standard pancake frying pan (see above).
Can I scale up or down this recipe?
This recipe serves 2 people (4 pancakes each). This is already a small quantity recipe, so I wouldn’t probably bother to half the recipe.
However, this marmalade pancake recipe is great for doubling or tripling. Simply multiply all the recipe ingredients to make more pancakes. You can always freeze some if you end up having too many.
How to serve orange marmalade pancakes
These are best warm, straight from the frying pan and topped up with more marmalade, honey or thick white yoghurt. Pretty much any type of fruit pancake topping is going to work with this recipe, so you can get very creative about what to serve with your pancakes.
They are perfect for breakfast or afternoon snacks and also great to carry around for your packed lunch (you don’t even need to use any toppings).
Can I make pancakes in advance?
Yes, you can make your pancakes in advance and then either keep them in the fridge in an airtight container (perhaps stored with baking parchment in between each pancake, so that they don’t stick to each other) for 2-3 days.
I would always heat them up in the microwave or oven (180C for 5-10 minutes – depending on the quantity) and serve them warm.
If you make far too many or you can’t finish them in a few days, I’d recommend freezing them. Freeze them straight away, leaving them on a flat tray (placed in the freezer) and then stack them up with baking or greaseproof paper in between. That way you can easily take them out one by one and have them for breakfast any time you want.
MORE PANCAKE RECIPES
How to store pancakes if you have any leftovers
If you do have some leftovers, cover your pancakes with another plate (or place them into an airtight container) and keep them in the fridge for 1-2 days or freeze your homemade pancakes on the same day.
I’ve never had them in the freezer for more than 1-3 months, but I’m sure they will probably last a bit longer if needed.
How to re-heat pancakes
It’s very easy to re-heat these pancakes. Simply microwave them for 15 seconds or so. Check after 15 sec and add more time if needed. You can keep them stacked in a 3-4 to prevent them from overheating or burning.
You can also use the oven preheated to about 180C (350F) for 5-10 minutes.
Orange Marmalade Pancakes (with no added sugar)
Equipment
- pancake frying pan with 4 cavities optional
Ingredients
- 150 grams plain flour
- 3-4 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or mixed spice or powdered mace
- 130 ml milk regular milk or plant based
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix well.
- Whisk in the egg, milk and the orange marmalade until everything is combined and you have a smooth pancake batter.
- Heat a little of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat until low to medium hot.
- Depending on the size of your frying pan, drop about 2-3 tablespoons of the pancake batter to form one pancake.
- Once one side starts to ‘dry out’ and you see bubbles forming, flip over and fry on the other side for another minute.
- Serve whilst still hot drizzled with extra marmlade, honey, maple syrup or yoghurt and a sprinkle of extra cinnamon or spice of your choice.
Nutrition
This blog post was originally written on 27 January 2022 and last updated on 12 February 2023
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