Make Ahead

Overnight Oatmeal Pancakes

October 12, 2017
5
9 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Prep time 8 hours 10 minutes
  • Cook time 6 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

This recipe is lightly adapted from the ever-wonderful, ever-poetic Molly Wizenberg and her blog Orangette (http://orangette.net/). The pancake process begins the night before, when you mix the oats and buttermilk together and leave them overnight in the fridge. I recommend pre-mixing the dry ingredients the night before as well and leaving them on the counter, so in the morning all you have to do is take out the oats, toss in a few eggs, some oil, and the dry ingredients and you're ready to go. Perfect for rainy Thursday mornings when you need something more than yogurt to get you out of bed, and bonus: they're excellent leftover. —Catherine Lamb

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Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 2 cups buttermilk, shaken
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, or any oil (or butter), melted but not hot
  • 1 splash Oil or non-stick spray for greasing the pan
  • 1 splash Maple syrup, yogurt, berries, or bananas, for serving
Directions
  1. The night before, mix the oats and buttermilk together in a large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge. If you're feeling especially efficient, mix the dry ingredients in a smaller bowl and set aside on the counter.
  2. The next morning, take the oat mixture out of the fridge. If you haven't already, mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk or fork until incorporated. Add the eggs and oil to the oat mixture, stir together, then add the dry ingredients. Mix until fully incorporated, but be careful not to overmix. Batter will be very thick.
  3. Grease a griddle or large pan with and set it over medium-high heat. When you flick water at the skillet and it sizzles, it's ready. Pour batter onto the hot pan (I used a 1/3 cup measure, but feel free to adjust if you want larger or smaller pancakes). If desired, sprinkle on sliced bananas, berries (fresh or frozen), nuts, or chocolate chips. When the top of the batter bubbles, the edges begin to set, and the bottom is bronzed, flip pancakes. They're done when the underside is done and they don't squish when pressed lightly with your finger.
  4. Serve with maple syrup, a dollop of yogurt, and two cups of coffee.

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9 Reviews

Emily May 20, 2023
Some of the best pancakes I've had in quite some time! Used milk kefir in place of buttermilk and since it was quite thick, had to add about 1/4 more liquid to the batter, but that's more personal preference than anything else. Can see myself making these again and again!
tamae March 21, 2023
Easy and delicious. I play around with the spices, nuts and fruit added, for example lemons zest with blueberries or pecans with chocolate chips
Christina H. October 13, 2020
How does this recipe only have 6 reviews! This seemingly unnoticed recipe is the BEST pancake recipe I’ve ever made. They are the morning superhero’s I didn’t know I needed. Easy, full of delicious but not recognizable oats, tons of fiber, fat to keep you full and the very little work required is why I’ve made this recipe 3 (!!) times in the last two weeks.

I feel like I’ve met a new best friend and we’ll be together forever. This recipe is a true gem.
Andrea October 3, 2020
I was not a pancake fan until I tried this recipe, they are wonderful. Will not go back to regular pancakes again. I added cinnamon to the recipe and gave it a little extra kick.
PJ May 12, 2020
OMG. Made them this morning and they were beyond delicious. Made them according to the recipe, but can think of tons of variations to add different flavors that would be really good. Definitely a keeper
Charissa May 4, 2020
I love these! I’ve always been for waffles as pancakes are too soft for me, but these have wonderful substance and flavour! I used a.p. flour and a neutral oil, and added the zest of half an orange and a touch of nutmeg. There is certainly a knack for flipping these. I suspect the oats are too heavy for the half-cooked batter, so use a larger spatula as unsupported edges can fall right off. Despite oiling my griddle as normal, mine had a tendency to want to stick; very gently loosening them first was a must. I had the best success with medium-low heat, a soup pot lid that fit over my cast iron, and using a 1/4 cup measure (these are filling!). Some that got a little burnt were easier to flip.
FizzyBlonde September 16, 2018
The flavor and texture - chewy! - were really good but they were incredibly hard to flip. I think they might work better using less batter than 1/3 cup, not sure. Seemed like they were close to burning on the bottom and still not flipping over easily enough without falling apart. But A+ taste, especially with a tiny splash of vanilla extract added to the batter.
MiChal November 17, 2017
DELICIOUS!!!!
Alex P. October 31, 2017
These are incredible and an extremely practical way to use up buttermilk which I can never seem to finish!