Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast and Crepes

If you’ve ever wondered whether pancakes, waffles, French toast, or crepes have a place in your weight loss eating plan, look no further! We’ve rounded up more than 50 of our favourite lower-Point recipes for these classic breakfast and brunch staples in addition to our best tips for preparing these foods in a healthy, efficient manner.

General tips for keeping pancakes, waffles, French toast, and crepes on the lighter side:

• To add sweetness (and dietary fibre!), make use of fruits such as berries, apples, pears, and peaches—fresh or frozen will work equally well.

• Use a good non-stick pan to make pancakes, French toast, and crepes—the better the non-stick coating, the less butter or oil you’ll need to add to the pan.

• Similarly, use a non-stick waffle iron when making waffles, coating the cooking surface with a quick spritz of cooking spray (check the manufacturer’s instruction manual first) before adding the batter to the iron.

• Powdered peanut butter adds plenty of peanut flavour and protein without the high Points value (compare 2 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter at 1 Point versus 2 tablespoons of regular peanut butter at 6 Points.)

Whether you prefer a straightforward pancake recipe or you like to mix things up with non-traditional ingredients such as leftover oatmeal, ricotta, or coconut flour, you’ll find several options to suit your taste listed below. If you have the time, give the assembled pancake batter 15-30 minutes to sit before cooking. This extra time will allow the flour in the batter to absorb the liquid ingredients, resulting in super-fluffy and light-tasting pancakes.

Savoury or sweet, our Point-friendly waffle recipes are a filling and nutritious addition to any breakfast or brunch menu. If you’re new to the world of waffle-making, keep these simple tips in mind: don’t overfill the waffle iron with batter, resist the urge to open the waffle iron to check on the waffle as it cooks, and check the waffle iron’s manual before using—some will require the use of non–stick spray while many newer models won’t. Freeze leftover waffles in a resealable freezer bag; if multiple waffles are being frozen, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between each waffle to prevent them from sticking together.

These French toast recipes range from traditional to out-of-the-ordinary, making use of unexpected ingredients such as homemade avocado banana bread, pineapple, and eggnog. If the thought of making French toast from scratch is daunting on weekday mornings, we recommend any of our recipes for baked French toast, which can be assembled the night before and then baked before breakfast is served. To prevent soggy French toast, be sure to use stale bread whenever it’s called for in a recipe. If you only have fresh bread, let it sit out overnight in a single layer on a baking sheet, or crisp it up in a low oven for 10-15 minutes before beginning the recipe.

You won’t need a crepe pan to make any of the following crepe recipes! Instead, you can use a large non-stick skillet or purchase frozen crepes—simply heat and fill with fresh or cooked fruit. A blender or food processor makes quick work of the crepe batter and, like pancakes, generally benefits from a resting time of 15-30 minutes. For more savoury lower Point crepe filling options, try crumbled turkey bacon, a poached egg, leftover sautéed or roasted veggies, or shredded reduced-fat cheddar, gouda, or mozzarella.