Finger Millet (Ragi) Coconut Pancakes | Gluten and Dairy Free

Have your (pan) cake and eat it too! Indulge in healthy breakfast by using this quick recipe made with simple wholesome ingredients. These pancakes are perfect for a fun and healthy breakfast.

On most Sunday mornings, my son demands a stack of pancakes for breakfast. Pancakes, because it is a no school day. That is his idea of celebrating his holiday. So, I put on my mommy apron to make sure the pancakes that he is so craving are wholesome and nutritious.

Hence, here I am sharing with you one of his favourite pancake recipes – Ragi Pancakes. I call them ‘my feel good pancakes’ because it feels so great to serve this super healthy and yet so delicious breakfast to my kid.

I will share with you versions of both eggless and with eggs pancakes. I have made eggless version of these pancakes many times when I run out of eggs.

More About Ragi Pancakes

These pancakes are light, fluffy and are very easy to put together. They’ll be ready to serve in less than 20 minutes. 

• Absolutely delicious! Of course and ragi when combined with banana and coconut milk, takes the flavour to a whole new level.

• Fabulous source of calcium, protein, iron and fiber.

• You can add extra superfoods to it like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds or powdered nuts etc.

• Makes a great tiffin recipe for kids.

5 Reasons Why This Millet Should Be In Your Diet

1. High fibre content: Ragi is high in dietary fibre which will help to promote proper digestion and keep your bowel movements in check. 
2. Rich in Calcium: It is an ultimate non-dairy source of calcium. Just 100 grams of ragi can give you 344 mg of calcium.
3. Supports Gluten-Free Diet: It is a great choice if you are on a gluten-free diet – it’s naturally gluten-free! No need to worry about hidden gluten as it’s a safe and delicious way to enjoy your meals.
4. Child Nutrition: It helps to fulfill child’s nutritional needs. It is rich in protein, calcium, iron, zinc and other essential nutrients.
5. Treats Anaemia: Since ragi is an excellent source of iron too, which is essential for producing red blood cells therefore, it helps to fight off anaemia.

Ingredients Used

1. Finger Millet Flour (Ragi Flour):  I have made these pancakes using Sprouted Finger Millet (Ragi) flour.

2. Rolled Oats: Too much millet can make for a somewhat bitter flavour pancakes, so a combination of oats helps to keep it balanced. You can also add rolled oats flour. Simply grind rolled oats in a blender to get oats flour.

3. Overripe Banana: The natural sweetness of banana works great in this recipe. It helps to balance out too much earthy flavour of ragi. Choose the most yellow banana or the most ripe banana. They are the sweetest.

4. Coconut Milk: Extracting fresh coconut milk is recommended. It tastes the best. Period! It will take you literally 5 minutes to make fresh coconut milk at home. You can check out my recipe of Homemade Coconut Milk here. However, you can use store bought coconut milk also but it might alter the taste a little.

5.  Baking Soda: For adding lift and lightness to the pancakes. You can skip it if you like. The pancakes may becomes dense and not fluffy but it will not change the taste.

6. Eggs + Coconut Oil: Eggs not only add protein but are also helpful in adding volume to the pancakes. They also provide moisture along with the oil. Unprocessed coconut oil is anti-inflammatory in nature and helps to maintain heart health. Thanks to all the good fats.

7. Pure Vanilla Extract: This is for enhancing the flavour. If you like to spice it up, feel free to add 1/4th tsp of cinnamon and a generous pinch of nutmeg powder to it.

Substitutes Of Above Ingredients

Substitute of Ragi Flour: You can use any other millet flour for this recipe like buckwheat, barnyard Millet, pearl millet or little millet flour.

Substitute of Coconut Milk: You can use any other vegan milk like almond milk, cashew milk. I have also tried these pancakes using buttermilk which goes great as well.

Substitute of Eggs:

• You can use flax-eggs as a substitute of eggs. Take 1 tbsp of coarsely ground flaxseeds and mix them in 4 tbsps of water. Let it sit for 10 to 12 minutes or till it gets a gel like consistency and use it place of 1 egg. So, if the recipe calls for 2 eggs, take 2 tbsps of flaxseeds and 8 tbsps of water.
• You can also use 1/4th cup of Greek yogurt or buttermilk or milk to replace 1 egg. So, if the recipe calls for 2 eggs, take 1/2 cup of yogurt/buttermilk/milk.

How To Make Ragi Pancakes

Making the Batter

1. In a large bowl, peel and fork mash 1 overripe banana. The riper the banana the better. Just incase the banana you are using is firm, you can slice the banana first and then mash.

2. If using egg, add one egg, vanilla extract and mix well. I have directly added egg here but ideally you should add egg in separate bowl just to make sure there are no egg shells in the batter. For eggless version, check for substitutes mentioned above.

3. Now add coconut milk. I prefer adding less coconut milk at first to make sure that I don’t end up adding too much liquid to the batter. Mix very well.

4. Next add rolled oats followed by ragi flour and mix the batter. Adjust the consistency by adding more coconut milk if required. Mix together to form a loose and smooth batter. Overall, I have added 3/4th cup of coconut milk.

6. Finally, add a pinch of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of coconut oil. Adding baking soda is totally optional. You can skip baking soda if you are ok with dense pancakes.

6. Continue mixing the batter till there are no lumps. The batter should have a medium-thick but flowing consistency.

Cooking the Pancakes

7. Let the batter rest while you heat a non stick or cast iron pan. I prefer using cast iron pan for pancakes because it gives that extra bit of crispiness on the outside. Brush it with a bit of oil, ghee or butter and allow it to spread evenly.

8. Keep the heat to medium low and pour a spoon full of batter, approximately 1/4th cup, to the pan. Use the back of the spoon to slightly spread the batter to form a small pancake.

9. Cook the pancake on low to medium heat till the top sets and you see bubbles forming on top.

10. Carefully flip the batter and cook the other side for couple of more minutes. Feel free to flip the pancake back and forth once or twice if required.

11. Similarly cook the rest of the pancakes. You can keep the cooked pancakes in a casserole dish lined with butter paper to keep them warm.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve these pancakes with:

• Melted Peanut Butter or any Nut Butter for extra protein. Check out Peanut Butter recipe here.
• Homemade Chocolate Sauce. You can check out my recipe- 2 Minutes Homemade Chocolate Sauce here. It is heavenly.
• Honey
• Seasonal Fruits
• Maple Syrup

Storing and Refrigeration

You can store the leftover batter in refrigerator for maximum 1 or 2 days.

Once you have made the pancakes, it will last at room temperature for a day or 2-3 days in refrigerator. However, cooked pancakes tend to become dry. I recommend to have it fresh.

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