Powders, shakes and convenience
Protein pancake mix on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 30 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), dry mix, representative value, for around 380 calories. One serve of dry mix, about 50 g (1.8 oz), gives roughly 15 g of protein for 190 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from protein pancake mix alone you would need about 100 g (3.5 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How protein pancake mix sits on a GLP-1
Protein pancake mixes are flour or oats blended with whey or a plant protein, at anywhere from about 25 to 60 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz) dry depending on how much of the mix is powder. A 50 g (1.8 oz) serve makes three or four small pancakes at about 15 g, and made with milk and an egg rather than water it lands closer to 25. Pancakes are soft, warm and small, and on a GLP-1 that makes them one of the more appealing breakfasts, and one of the few that freezes and reheats in a toaster.
When your appetite is small
Make the batter on milk with an egg beaten in, cook small pancakes the size of your palm, and eat two with Greek yoghurt on top. Two small pancakes plus yoghurt is about 20 g and is a breakfast that looks like a treat. Freeze the rest between sheets of baking paper; one or two in the toaster is a 10 g stop with no bowl and no batter.
Three ways to prepare it
Small pancakes on milk and an egg, with yoghurt
Milk and an egg instead of water lift the protein, and the yoghurt on top does the same. Two pancakes and yoghurt, about 20 g.
Frozen and reheated in the toaster
Cook a batch on Sunday, freeze them flat. A toasted pancake with a smear of ricotta is a soft, warm 10 g in two minutes.
Savoury, with cheese and chives in the batter
Unflavoured mix with grated cheddar and chives, topped with a poached egg. About 24 g for someone who cannot face sweet in the morning.
What to eat it with
Greek yoghurt, ricotta, berries, a little maple, or an egg and cheese for savoury. The topping is the second half of the protein, so make it dairy or egg rather than syrup alone.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein pancake mix | about 30 g | 380 kcal | this page |
| Protein oats | about 20 g | 370 kcal | See the page |
| Whey concentrate | about 78 g | 400 kcal | See the page |
| Eggs | about 13 g | 150 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, dry mix, representative value, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Protein pancake mix in all three countries. Kodiak Cakes is the US supermarket standard, MyProtein and Bulk in the UK, and Bulk Nutrients and Macro Mike in Australia. Protein per serve on the pack assumes water; made with milk and an egg the number rises by about 10 g. The figures here are representative rather than any one brand.
Questions people ask
How much protein is in protein pancakes?
It depends on the mix and what you add. A 50 g (1.8 oz) serve of dry mix carries about 15 g on our representative figure, and closer to 25 g made with milk and an egg. Two small pancakes with Greek yoghurt on top is a realistic 20 g breakfast on a small appetite.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.