Green tea matcha pancakes? Sounds a little like a breakfast straight out of Dr. Seus! Turns out, matcha green tea powder can be used in many creative ways in the kitchen. I started my adventure with matcha as a replacement for my favorite morning drink, a strong cup of black tea with some non-dairy creamer. But since I discovered how good green matcha is, I have been drinking it at breakfast a few times a week and looking for more ways to incorporate this superfood into our daily life.
In case you are new to matcha, here are a few things that caught my attention and you may find interesting:
Traditional green tea is made from pouring boiling water over green tea leaves, let them steep then drink. Matcha powder is made from grounded up young tea leaves. So when you are drinking matcha tea powder, you are actually drinking whole leaves that have been dehydrated and powdered. No stems just leaves.
Superfood?
1/2 tsp which equals a serving contains a whopping 305 g of protein!
It is also rich in potassium (27mg), magnesium (2.3 mg) calcium (4.2mg), and other minerals.
Matcha tea is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols that are anti-cancer, reduce inflammation, and alleviate chronic conditions. They help protect against heart disease and cancer, they are known to regulate blood sugar, prevent type-2 diabetes, and reduce blood pressure. Basically, everyone should be drinking it!
Need energy in the morning?
Move over coffee, make a place for matcha green powder! You get almost 3 times the caffeine of a cup of coffee, the energy boost plus the clarity but without any of the jitters! You feel energized but calm (from the intake of L-theanine) at the same time. Matcha is best taken in the morning and early afternoon but not in the evening because of the caffeine.
Need to lose a few pounds?
Apparently, matcha can prevent fat cells from growing. Why I am only hearing about this now? There is a compound in matcha called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) that is high in antioxidants and can boost your metabolism. It is best taken before a meal or an hour after eating.
Do you feel a little down?
Matcha is known to reduce anxiety and depression by activating your dopamine and serotonin receptors. All of this without a pill and just a cup of tea!
Need to detox?
Matcha helps your body to get rid of chemicals and heavy metals and replace them with beneficial anti-oxidants.
Go for the good stuff!
Organic matcha powder can be a little pricey compared to regular green or black tea, depending on your budget, but it is totally worth it and you only use a little anyway. Skip matcha tea bags and only buy the powder. The tea bags tend to contain mostly green tea and aren’t as potent as a result. Choose organic and preferably from Japan. Matcha from China has been known to contain moderate levels of lead. When you drink green tea, 90% of the lead stays in the leaves and since you discard them, there is little exposure. With matcha tea, since you are ingesting powdered leaves the exposure can be greater. However, as I mentioned earlier, matcha can bind and pull out heavy metals and toxins from the body so we have a solution!
Back to our pancakes… So, one morning, I decided to transform plain pancakes by adding some matcha powder. We also had some mangoes in the freezer that needed to be eaten, so I decided to make my favorite, mango coulis. The color combination couldn’t be more beautiful and the pancakes turned out really good. I was a little worried that they would be a little bitter because matcha is quite concentrated but you only use a little so it wasn’t.
The problem with making pancakes is that whoever is making them ends up spending the whole time in the kitchen while everyone else gets to enjoy them as they come off the stove. So this time, I made a whole stack of them, kept them in the toaster oven until the last one was done and finally we were able to eat them together! We also had harvested fresh blueberries from our garden and had some nectarines that were perfectly ripe. It was a treat for our eyes and our tastes buds!
If you are in a hurry, you can use Bisquick mix. I tried it and it came out beautifully fluffy. If you don’t have fresh or frozen mangoes, you can substitute other fruits or use my cranberry relish recipe.
Vegan Matcha Pancakes with Mango Coulis
Equipment
- Large bowl
- whisk
- spatula
- medium sauce pan
- oil sprayer
Ingredients
Pancake mix
- 2 cups flour all-purpose
- 2 tbsp raw sugar
- 1 tbsp green tea matcha powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups non-dairy milk (soy, cashew, almond)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or mineral water)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Mango Coulis
- 2 whole fresh mangoes (or 1.5 cup of frozen mangoes)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
Making the pancakes
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and matcha powder in a bowl.
- Slowly add the non-dairy milk, cider vinegar and vanilla extract and continue whisking until the batter is smooth.
- Let it rest for 5-10 minutes
- Heat up a thick frying pan and spray some oil.
- Pour a ladle of batter and let it bubble for 2 minutes
- Only after it comes loose, flip it and cook for another minute.
- Make all the pancakes and keep them warm in the oven at 350 F.
Make the Mango Coulis
- Cut 2 halves for each mango leaving the pit in the middle.
- Using a cup, scoop out the flesh and place in a saucepan.
- Juice the lime or lemon and add to saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat until the mango is pureed.
- Taste, if needed add some sugar. Set aside.
- Serve a stack of pancakes and pour the mango coulis over it.
