Easy Matcha Pancakes Recipe
These tasty matcha pancakes are perfect when you’re looking for a new pancake option to bring to life your weekend breakfast. Full of flavour and fun to make and eat, you’ll love these matcha souffle pancakes. Read on for the ultimate matcha pancake recipe!
Matcha Pancakes
These matcha pancakes are delicious decadent and extra fluffy. If like me, you love an easy to make breakfast recipe, this matcha pancake recipe is made for you. And there’s no need for pancake mix.
I love matcha and am excited to introduce you to one of my favourite Japanese ingredients. Matcha is the indispensable ingredient for making traditional Japanese tea. If you go to a Japanese Tea Ceremony, it’s matcha that you’ll be drinking.
Alongside being steeped in Japanese cultural tradition, matcha has a great health benefit. It’s no wonder it’s starting to get international attention and is starting to be used in lots of different ways. (source)
I thought these Japanese souffle pancakes would be a great way to bring together matcha with a typical western breakfast – pancakes! But I wanted to also make them into Japanese fluffy pancakes.
Bring joy into your life and share it with loved ones. Read on!
What are matcha pancakes
These matcha pancakes are extra fluffy and airy like Japanese souffle pancakes. Egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks and combined with egg yolks, flour, matcha and milk.
These matcha pancakes taste like a complex, umami rich fresh leafy (and ever so slightly bitter taste at first) with a sweet aftertaste. Add whipped cream and a sweet syrup and you’ve got a decadent and delicious pancake.
In a Japanese tea ceremony, matcha is always served with sweets. These Japanese sweets are called wagashi, and sweet red bean paste (anko) is one of the main go tos. So, we are going to use this sweet red bean paste and matcha combination today!
Matcha and anko might be little mysterious to you. But if you want to spice up your usual pancakes, it’s time to try something new and exciting! They are easily available in local shops or online. Importantly, anko is delicious, and matcha is healthy for breakfast.
But if you don’t like matcha
The truth is that my partner Andy doesn’t fancy matcha so much because of its bitterness. But he loves the sweet red bean paste (anko).
When matcha and anko are blended with dark cane sugar syrup (kuromitsu), it creates a sensation in your mouth, and this combination has certainly converted Andy! So, if you didn’t fall head over heals in love with matcha at a Japanese tea ceremony, give it another go with this sweet anko, cream and syrup fluffy pancake option.
Ingredients in matcha pancakes
MATCHA
There are various matcha powders available at shops. Choose 100% pure matcha powder. One thing to pay attention to is that matcha is different from green tea leaves. So make sure it’s matcha!
ANKO
Anko is a sweet red bean paste, and is made with azuki beans. It’s readily available at local Japanese and Asian shops or online. This bean paste works really well with matcha flavour.
SYRUP
I recommend using a kuromitsu syrup for these pancakes. It’s a thick, dark syrup made with raw cane sugar. It’s similar to molasses but is milder and smoother.
The syrup will elevate any matcha sweets to the next level! It’s easily available at local Japanese and Asian shops or online. Also you can make kuromitsu with raw cane sugar easily.
MILK
I use regular milk. You can use any plant-based milk such as almond milk, soy or coconut milk. Use light plant-based milk. Just ensure you use the right amount.
How to Make Matcha Pancakes
Preparation
Make anko whipped cream. Simply mix up whipped cream and anko (red bean paste). If you cannot find kuromitsu syrup, you can make it easily.
Combine matcha powder and milk in a small bowl. And shift the flour, baking powder and corn starch.
Keep the ingredients in fridge
Separate egg white from yolk and place them into separate bowls. Place the egg whites in the freezer while you mix the yolk and other ingredients in a bowl. Once combined, keep the yolk batter in the fridge.
Whipping egg whites
Remove egg whites from the freezer (not problem if they’re starting to freeze a bit) and start beating them on high speed with a hand mixer for five to eight minutes. Add a third of the sugar three times as you beat them.
Make sure that you have stiff peaks. Soft whipped egg whites won’t make the pancakes extra tall and fluffy.
Mixing up
I’ve found that a tablespoon is best for folding thee mixture and not breaking the structure.
Add ¼ of the whipped egg white mixture into the egg yolk batter and mix them up thoroughly. Then add all the batter over the egg whites. Keep folding the egg whites into the batter. Avoid overmixing.
While you mixing up the ingredients, keep the frying pan warm with medium heat. So that you can start cooking straight away.
Cooking
Bring a frying pan to low heat, add vegetable oil, and place the paper molds on it. Add the pancake mix into the mold, and keep adding until the mix fills 80% of the mold height. Place one teaspoon of water next to each pancakes, and cover the frying pan. Cook for 4 minutes, flip over gently and cook for 3 minutes further.
Topping!
This is the most exciting part for pancake making. Place pancakes on your favourite plate. Then top the anko paste and fresh butter on the pancake. Then place the anko whipped cream mix.
That’s it! Serve immediately. Enjoy!
FAQs
My matcha pancakes are not fluffy
The success in making these pancakes is all about timing. Check out these tips:
- Ensure you use the correct measure of ingredients. Ideally use scales.
- Egg whites need to be whipped to stiff peaks, but not over mixed.
- Preheat a frying pan and be ready to start cooking as soon as the batter is mixed.
My matcha pancakes are deflated
To avoid your pancakes becoming deflated, place one teaspoon of water next to each pancake in the heated frying pan, and place a lid on it. It’s tempting but don’t open it until the pancakes are cooked and ready for flipping once (4 minutes).
Why does matcha turn brown when baked
Matcha’s green colour is slightly dulled when heat is added. To avoid this, there is matcha powder which is particularly made for baking. An artificial colouring or chlorella powder is added.
This matcha pancakes recipe doesn’t need this specific matcha baking powder for this recipe, but if you have it, of course you can use it.
Matcha pancakes for gluten-free needs
I tested this recipe with rice flour, mochiko, Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free Flour and oat flour. They all worked.
If you use oat flour, ensure it’s labeled as a certified gluten-free product. Find more details on gluten-free souffle pancakes.
More pancake recipes:
Matcha Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
Matcha pancakes
- 2 tablespoons milk (30ml)
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder
- 3 tablespoons cake flour (24g: or gluten-free flour)
- ½ tablespoon baking powder (2g)
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (I use beet or cane sugar)
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Topping
- ½ cup anko (110g: for topping and mixing with whipped cream)
- 1 cup whipped cream
- 2 tablespoons kuromitsu (raw cane sugar syrup)
- powdered sugar (optional: for decoration)
Instructions
Preparation
- Combine anko paste and whipped cream in a bowl. Set aside in the fridge.
- Combine matcha powder and milk in a small bowl. Set aside.
Egg yolk mixture
- Sift the flour, corn starch and baking powder into a bowl, mix to combine. Set aside.
- Whisk egg yolks for two minutes. Add the matcha mix, and combine them well. Add the sifted flour and fold it into the egg yolk matcha mix. Use a spatula, and avoid overtaxing. Set the bowl aside in the fridge.
Whipping
- Take the white egg from the freezer. Start beating it with a hand mixer on high speed for 1 minute in a bowl. Add lemon juice. Add the sugar in three parts, one every few minutes. Beat the mixture for 5 to 8 minutes in total, or slightly more if the stiff peaks are not yet made.
Mixing up
- Once the egg white is ready, preheat the frying pan over the lowest heat.
- Add 3 tablespoons of whipped egg white to the batter with a tablespoon and mix them up well. Then add all the batter into whipped egg white bowl. Gently fold the bottom of the batter to the surface and repeat until it's mixed well. Avoid breaking the meringue.
Cooking
- Put some cooking oil in the pan and remove any excess oil with kitchen paper. Keep the heat on low.
- Scoop up a spoonful of pancake batter and place it on the frying pan. Add two more tablespoons of batter directly on top of it. Use the back of the spoon and clean the wrinkles on the sides. Cover the frying pan with a lid and leave for three to four minutes.
- Gently check the bottom of each pancake (lift carefully with a spatula) to see if it has become a golden colour, then gently flip it upside down. Cover with the lid and cook them for around 3 minutes.
- Place the pancakes on a plate, following the image of the recipe. Place anko and anko cream around the pancakes like the photo shows.
- That's it! Serve immediately. Enjoy with kuromitsu!
