Keto Matcha Blueberry Pancakes
Keto Matcha Blueberry Pancakes
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yields: 2 servings
Course: Breakfast
What is Matcha, and How is it Used?
What is matcha? Matcha is a traditional and ceremonial green tea from Japan. It has been used in Japanese culture for centuries. Matcha was traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies, but it has become an integral flavor of Japan’s foodie culture over the last century. Matcha is used in baked goods, ice cream, mochi, chocolate, and puddings making it the perfect ingredient for today’s recipe.
Although most of us in the Western world have heard of matcha as this magical, healthy, green drink, matcha used in desserts or baked goods is still a rare occurrence. However, larger chains and brands are catching on to matcha’s fun versatility.
Dunkin’ Donuts has jumped on the matcha train and released a specialty donut just in time for spring and St. Patrick’s day that is dusted in the bright green powder, as well as adding a matcha latte to their list of specialty drinks.
Matcha tea is creamy, earthy, and delicious. It pairs great with all nut milks, but for the purpose of this recipe, we used hemp seed milk in our pancakes because of the continued sneaky health benefits. Hemp seed milk contains all 20 essential amino acids including the ones that our bodies don’t produce themselves.
How Matcha is Made
How matcha is made is incredibly simple. The tea plant’s young green leaves are covered with shade cloths before being harvested to produce leaves with better flavor and texture. These leaves are stone-ground into its well-known soft, bright-green, fine powder to make matcha.
Instead of steeping the tea and removing the leaves after steeping time, the fine grinding of matcha allows the tea to be blended right into the heated milk or water using a traditional bamboo matcha whisk.
Curious as to what matcha tastes like or if matcha is healthy for you? Because you are ingesting the leaves of the plant when you drink match and not just drinking a tea made from the steeped leaves, you are providing your body with higher antioxidant levels and several vitamins and minerals.
Matcha has a bright vegetation-type deepness much like spinach or wheatgrass but has a natural sweetness with a touch of nuttiness.
Estero Bay Brings it All Together
This recipe is incredibly versatile, and we’ve kept it simple so that it can fit any dietary need. Whether you are keto, gluten-free, or vegan, this recipe is the perfect morning fuel to get your day started.
In this recipe, we are going to use your favorite pancake mix. We have used Birch Bender’s Keto Pancake mix because it is shelf-stable, gluten-free, and requires only milk (or water) and oil to create beautiful fluffy pancakes. You can choose to make your own pancake mix from scratch or substitute another keto or gluten-free brand with very similar results. Just be sure to follow the package directions.
This recipe takes the ingredients of your standard matcha latte to a whole new level and transforms this antioxidant-rich green tea into a breakfast superfood that is still fun and enjoyable to eat.
The amino acids in the hemp milk, the gluten-free almond flour high in protein in the pancake mix, and the antioxidant-rich matcha and wild blueberries create a breakfast dish perfectly formulated to fuel the body first thing in the morning—all while not skimping on flavor, experience, or taste.
For this recipe, we have chosen our Samurai Matcha Green Tea, which we have imported from Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture region. It is high in antioxidants but low in caffeine, so you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of this tea without caffeine jitters.
However, Estero Bay has an extensive selection of matcha tea varieties — this selection includes almost every matcha imaginable. This recipe would be drastically different but just as delectable if you were to recreate it using our Cochin Masala Chai Matcha which would add a spicy kick and raise the caffeine levels to medium.
Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Estero Bay Samurai Matcha Green Tea
- 1 tablespoon Estero Bay Butter Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/3 cup keto pancake mix. We used Birch Benders
- 1 cup plus extra unsweetened original Hemp milk
- 5 packs or cubes of stevia divided in half. We used Whole Earth Stevia
- Living Harvest Unsweetened Original Hemp Milk or milk of choice
- ½ cup of frozen wild blueberries
- Optional: Drizzle wildflower honey to taste
Directions
- In a small saucepan, add ½ cup of frozen wild blueberries and three of the stevia sugar cube and cook on medium heat until sugar dissolves and blueberries and their juices are cooked through. Set aside to allow time to set
- Next, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, add your tablespoon of Samurai matcha, your tablespoon of butter olive oil, your two teaspoons vanilla, two packs of stevia, and half of your hemp milk.
- Whisk contents together to form a batter. Slowly pour in more hemp milk until desired thickness is formed. It should be a bit runny but still thick. Repeat this for each pancake.
- Meanwhile, preheat a nonstick skillet on medium-low heat. Add ¼ cup of batter to the pan and allow your pancake to cook. You will see bubbles forming and popping through the middle of the batter.
- Once each pancake is cooked through on the sides, use a rubber spatula to lift and flip.
- Pile up your pancakes four to a plate and top with stevia-sweetened blueberry compote.
- If you aren’t counting carbs or have the wiggle room, drizzle the top of your pancakes with some local wildflower honey to brighten all the flavors and add a little added sweetness. Grab your fork and enjoy!A Product with Pride
At Estero, we take pride in the quality of our olive oils, balsamics, and teas. We pride ourselves on creating tea and food recipes that reflect and amplify this quality while sharing fun new ways to enjoy our products.
Each of our teas is hand-selected by our staff and weighed just for your needs in our beautiful shop located in Estero Bay, Florida. Let us excite your senses and delight your palate through our extensive selection of fine teas, olive oils, and balsamic vinegars.
Sources
https://www.health.com/nutrition/what-is-matcha
https://www.southernliving.com/news/dunkin-debuts-matcha-topped-donut-blueberry-matcha-latte