High Altitude Whole Wheat Cornmeal Pancakes

Fluffy, high altitude cornmeal pancakes, with a hearty texture from whole wheat flour and yellow cornmeal, and a hint of cardamom. Similar to johnnycakes, these corn cakes are lightly sweetened, and so delicious topped with butter, pure maple syrup and some chopped pecans or walnuts for a little crunch. If you love cornbread, then these pancakes are the perfect weekend breakfast to treat yourself to.

You might also love these high altitude recipes for classic sweet cornbread, cinnamon apple cider pancakes, and pumpkin pecan waffles.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy to Make. The batter comes together in just about five minutes with a bowl and whisk.

Standard Pantry Ingredients. You only need simple ingredients for these pancakes, and you’re sure to have everything on hand already.

Breakfast or Dinner. These make a fantastic breakfast, but they’re also wonderful served with a bowl of hot chili or beef stew for dinner. I also love the idea of topping cornmeal pancakes with some bbq pulled pork and maple syrup, sort of like a sweet and salty chicken and waffles dish.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Cornmeal. Use yellow cornmeal for today’s recipe.
• Flour. A combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour gives the pancakes structure, and makes them fluffier than if you only used cornmeal.
• Sugar. Granulated sugar adds a touch of sweetness.
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavens the batter, making the pancakes light and fluffy.
• Salt. Enhances the flavor of the cornmeal and balances the sweetness.
• Spices. A pinch of cardamom adds more depth of flavor, and a touch of vanilla makes everything better.
• Milk. Use whole milk for richness and flavor.
• Butter. The butter adds flavor, but also makes the pancakes more tender, and helps the pancakes brown when the batter hits the hot griddle.
• Eggs. Gives the pancakes structure.

Instructions

• In a bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom.
• Add the milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla, and whisk until combined. It’s okay if there are some small lumps throughout, since you don’t want to over-mix pancake batter.

• Preheat your griddle to 325 F. (The griddle should be hot enough that the batter sizzles when it touches the griddle, but not so hot that it will burn the pancakes before they cook through.)
• Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup (for medium sized pancakes) or a 1/3 cup measuring cup (for large pancakes) to portion the batter onto the griddle, leaving plenty of room between each pancake for the batter to spread out.
• Cook the pancakes for several minutes until browned on the bottom, and you can easily slide a spatula underneath. Flip the pancakes over, and cook for several more minutes until cooked through.
• Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200-degree oven while you cook the rest of the pancakes.
• Serve the cornmeal pancakes with softened butter, pure maple syrup, and some chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use white cornmeal or polenta instead?

There’s not much difference between white cornmeal and yellow cornmeal, although yellow may taste a little sweeter, so I prefer it for today’s recipe. As far as cornmeal vs polenta, they are very similar, although polenta is more coarsely ground than cornmeal. So yellow cornmeal is the best choice for this recipe.

What if I don’t have a griddle?

I love using an electric griddle for pancakes, so that I have complete control over the temperature. If you don’t have a griddle, you should use a large nonstick skillet, heated over medium heat. The pan should be hot enough that the pancake batter sizzles when it hits the hot pan, but doesn’t burn.

What can I use instead of cardamom?

If you don’t have cardamom, you can simply leave it out, but it adds a really nice depth of flavor to so many baked goods. I’d encourage you to keep it on hand, as I use it in many of my recipes.

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