A keto pancakes recipe had been planned for quite a while. Naturally, every keto cook should have their own version of pancakes, and I took my time to come up with this one. Because pancakes are a very simple meal (well, dessert), and I like to take simple things on higher levels, I'm presenting the yummiest and ultimate keto au gratin pancakes.
By the way, au gratin is a French method of baking or broiling stuff, and I've been a fan since I became aware of myself and my food preferences. Anything gratinated, and I find myself drooling all over it. Not, literally. But let me take this opportunity to admit that I miss foods like gratinated potatoes since going keto. So I might just come up with more keto au gratin recipes in the future.
The yum is in the crunch
What makes the biggest difference between just any au gratin pancakes and my version? Firstly, mine are filled with ground and roasted macadamia nuts which add that special crunch. Moreover, when you roast nuts with some granulated erythritol, you get awesome caramelized nuts. Add some rum for baking to that, and it's not just about the crunch anymore. The flavor, OMG, the taste of baking rum! I'm sorry to all of those who are avoiding alcohol. You can freely skip it in this recipe.
Assembly
Do make sure that the baking dish for assembly is big just enough to fit the rolled-up pancakes. This will make the topping fulfill its purpose and defend its name, and stay on the top of the pancakes instead of slipping to the bottom of the pan.
One more thing. If you think there's never enough fat and don't care about calorie count at all, make the topping solely of heavy cream, replacing the portion of almond milk. On the other hand, this way you also get more carbs in, so think about it. Ain't it frustrating how these fatty milk products are accompanied with carbs? Heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, ricotta cheese.
Speaking of cheeses, if you can't find any ricotta for the filling, use cream cheese. Again, more fat (yay!) while not much difference in the carb count. Bon appetit, dear readers!
Related: Keto pancakes
Ultimate Keto Au Gratin Pancakes
Ingredients
The pancake batter
- 4 large eggs
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tbsp psyllium husk
- 1 tbsp erythritol
- 1 pinch salt
The filling
- 4 oz ground macadamia
- 5 tbsp erythritol
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 9 oz ricotta cheese - (fresh)
- 2 oz sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp rum - (optional)
The topping
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup almond milk
- 2 tbsp powdered erythritol
- 1 tsp vanilla bean seeds
Instructions
The pancakes
- Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C). In a medium bowl, mix all of the batter ingredients with an electric mixer. From here on, either bake 4 pancakes in a pan, one after another or pour the batter into a 10 by 10-inch baking pan, lined with parchment paper. In this case, spread the batter evenly and bake for 12 minutes. Cut into 4 squares (or rectangles).
The filling
- This step is optional but I like it a lot: Take the ground macadamia (or other type of nuts), and roast it in a small pan for a couple of minutes (don't let it burn, though). Add in half of the erythritol and the rum, and roast for another minute. Keep stiring through the whole process.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, sour cream, erythritol, egg, and orange zest. Mix, using a fork. Add the ground nuts and combine well.
The topping
- In a small bowl, mix all five topping ingredients.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C). Take a 9 by 8-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.Spoon ¼ of the filling onto each of the pancake and spread it evenly. Roll the pancakes. If they tend to unroll, help yourself with some toothpicks.
- Pour the topping over the pancakes and bake for 25 minutes.
- Let the pancakes cool a bit, cut each in half and serve. Enjoy while still warm!
Nutrition
Do these pancakes reheat well, if there are any left over?
I've reheated them in a microwave once and they were still good. So I'd say yes.