How to make smoothies that are actually healthy?

For starters, she recommends combining: Protein, such as a commercial protein powder, Greek yogurt (which is higher in protein than regular yogurt) or nut butters. Fruit, including berries, mango, bananas and avocado. Greens, such as spinach or kale. A liquid base such as dairy or plant-based milk, water or fruit juice.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (2024)

The world's most charming chef cooking the world's most charming breakfast.

Christine ByrnePublished on December 20, 2015

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (2)

Jamie Oliver wants to change the world by teaching people to make healthier food.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (3)

So he came to the BuzzFeed Test Kitchen to show us how to turn a healthy smoothie into even healthier pancakes!

"The idea is to take something that already has so much goodness (a smoothie) but isn't exactly balanced, add what's missing, and all of a sudden it's a perfect breakfast," Oliver says.

Here is everything you need to make the smoothie pancakes:

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (4)

And here's exactly what to do:

1. Add the blueberries and the peeled banana to a blender.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (5)

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (6)

Breaking the banana into chunks will make for easier blending.

2. Add the milk, egg, whole wheat flour, and baking powder, too.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (7)

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (8)

The recipe in Everyday Super Food actually calls for whole wheat self-rising flour, but that's not widely available in the United States. If you ever come across self-rising flour in a recipe and don't have it on hand, you can just add a teaspoon of baking powder for every cup of all-purpose flour.

3. Blend on high (or "blitz," as Jamie says).

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (10)

4. Until the mixture is a smooth, uniform batter. Then transfer it to a bowl.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (11)

5. Mix in the remaining blueberries.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (12)

6. Pour a little bit of olive oil into a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (13)

To grease a nonstick pan without adding too much fat, Jamie wipes the oil around the pan with a paper towel.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (14)

7. When the pan is hot, add the batter in dollops.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (15)

We started by making one big pancake.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (16)

8. Cook it for a couple of minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown and the underside is totally set, then flip.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (17)

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (18)

9. Cook for another minute or so, until both sides are golden brown and the pancake is cooked all the way through.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (19)

If you want, you can slice the pancake in half, crosswise.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (20)

10. To finish, just garnish with the yogurt...

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (21)

...plus the chopped nuts, honey, and cinnamon.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (22)

You can also make smaller pancakes — two or three at a time.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (23)

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (24)

Smaller ones are cool, because then you can have a legit pancake STACK.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (25)

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (26)

And you can finish that stack with a perfect cloud of cinnamon.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (28)

Jamie Oliver probably won't be there to cook your pancakes and deliver them to you personally. Which is kind of a bummer, I know.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (29)

But the recipe is so easy and so delicious, and you should definitely make it on your own.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (30)

Smoothie Pancakes with Berries, Banana, Yogurt, and Nuts

Makes 4 servings

Recipe by Jamie Oliver, from Everyday Super Food

INGREDIENTS

11 ounces (about 1½ cups) blueberries

1 large, ripe banana

¾ cup 2% milk

1 large egg

1¾ cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat the pan

Optional, to garnish:

¼ cup plain yogurt

Ground cinnamon

1 ounce chopped raw, unsalted pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts

Manuka honey (an extra-nutritious raw honey; buy it here)

PREPARATION

Blitz half the blueberries, peeled banana, milk, egg, and flour in a blender to make a smoothie pancake batter. Tip into a bowl and fold in the remaining berries. Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour in a little bit of olive oil, then use a paper towel to wipe it around the pan and absorb the excess. Once hot, put your batter into the pan to make large pancakes or little ones, whichever you fancy. Either way, cook for a couple of minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden. Sometimes I flip them for an additional 30 seconds on each brown side to ensure they get super crispy. Serve as and when they're ready, while you get on with more.

To serve, I like to slice my pancakes in half so you can see all that lovely fruit. Top with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a scattering of toasted nuts, then finish with a little drizzle of honey.

For more great recipes just like this one, check out Everyday Super Food.

Here's How Jamie Oliver Turns A Healthy Smoothie Into Pancakes (31)

FAQs

Put half of the blueberries, the banana, milk, egg and flour in a blender, and pulse to make a smooth (but thick!) batter. Scrape the batter into a bowl and fold through the remaining blueberries. Place a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat.

Pancakes and waffles typically both contain baking soda, which causes them to rise. As soon as the baking soda is combined with the wet ingredients (which contain an acidic ingredient, like often buttermilk), it starts producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the batter to rise.

For starters, she recommends combining:

Protein, such as a commercial protein powder, Greek yogurt (which is higher in protein than regular yogurt) or nut butters.
Fruit, including berries, mango, bananas and avocado.
Greens, such as spinach or kale.
A liquid base such as dairy or plant-based milk, water or fruit juice.

1. Use Milk/ Alternative Milk Instead Of Water. Even though the mix may call for water, you can easily substitute that for an alternative milk (I like oat milk). You may have to add a dash more due to the difference in consistency, but it'll taste so much better!

Beat two eggs with 4 tablespoons of sugar and about one teacup (or 3/4 of a cup) of milk. Add 4 teacups of flour and mix in another teacup of milk "as required" Mix in 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) Fold in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

Milk and butter: Milk and butter add moisture and richness to the pancakes. Egg: A whole egg lends even more moisture. Plus, it helps bind the pancake batter together.

The secret to fluffy restaurant style pancakes? Buttermilk! The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the leavening agents in the pancake batter, creating air bubbles that make the pancakes tall and fluffy. It's a simple switch that makes all the difference.

When chemical leaveners, such as baking powder, create bubbles in a cooked pancake, the gluten network traps these bubbles and allows a pancake to rise and stay fluffy yet still keep its shape.

This can be milk, or a dairy-free alternative such as soya or almond milk, natural or flavoured yogurt, fruit juice, or for a tropical flavoured smoothie, low-fat coconut milk or coconut water. It's important to add the liquid to your blender before adding the fruit, as this will prevent the blade from getting damaged.

No matter what type of liquid you're using — dairy or non-dairy milk, juice, coconut water, tea, or coffee — let this be the very first ingredient you add to the blender. Keeping the liquids on the bottom allows the blender to create a “vortex,” easily pulling down the greens, fruit, and veggies that are layered above.