Couscous Kaiserschmarrn Recipe – Shredded Pancakes (22g Protein)
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If you’re here, I’m guessing you’ve never tried a kaiserschmarrn recipe before or you’re very confused as to what we’re on about, but saw it looked like pancakes, so thought you’d check it out anyway!
Kaiserschmarrn are light, fluffy, shredded Austrian pancakes and are usually served with a fruit compote.
The dish was named after the Austrian emperor Franz Jospeh I, who allegedly couldn’t get enough of them. Kaiser means emperor and shmarrn (or schmarren) means torn or scrambled. Colloquially, schmarrn is used to mean mishmash, mess, rubbish or nonsense!
Traditional kaiserschmarren are made from a sweet batter to which rum soaked raisins are added. It is split up in the pan during the frying process and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.
They are traditionally served with a compote called ‘zwetchgenröster’ which is made from plums.
We enjoy experimenting with alternative ingredients, and so we have replaced half the flour with couscous. Couscous pancake batter is super fluffy, and is also just a fun new way to use couscous! Bet you didn’t see that one coming in a kaiserschmarrn recipe!
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Why this kaiserschmarrn recipe is just so schmarrn healthy!
How have we made this a healthy pancake breakfast then?
This kaiserschmarrn recipe only uses 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 tbsp of sugar overall, which comes to just 10g fat and 13g sugar per serving.
We have also included greek yoghurt in the batter, which ups the protein levels to 22g per servings. Protein is so important to almost any diet, because it provides the essential amino acids from which your cells are made.
But in terms of a more tangible effect, protein rich foods are super filling, so a breakfast like this will keep you going all morning! This is great if you are trying to lose weight too!
Finally, we have replaced the traditional fruit compote with fresh berries, which provide plenty of vitamins! A crucial part of any healthy breakfast.
In this kaiserschmarrn calories are kept to a moderate amount – 376, to be exact. This is a good amount for breakfast, if we’re working with the 1500-2000 kcal allowance that we use in our vegetarian for weight loss course.
If you love the look of this, why not check out our healthy take on bread pudding? Also for breakfast! And if you’re not necessarily looking for super healthy, just regular pancakes, try our original kaiserschmarrn recipe!
How to make this Austrian breakfast recipe
Shredded pancakes are pretty easy to put together – 5 minutes prep, ready in 20!
You don’t need to cook the couscous first, just mix it with a milk of your choice and the liquid will soften it.
Add wet ingredients first, then incorporate the flour. You’ll want to make sure your batter is super smooth, so keep plugging at it with the whisk.
If you want a softer, silkier pancake, process or blend the couscous before you start. This is totally optional, as the couscous will soften with the soaking and frying anyway, it’s more a matter of personal preference!
While traditional kaiserschmarrn recipes involve pancakes shredded in the pan, we stick to shredding them once cooked – it’s easier, and you can be sure your pancake is cooked through before you start dismantling it!
Serve with yogurt and fruit, dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy!
Plus, did you know this is one of our top freezable vegetarian recipes? Yeah! You can freeze the batter and defrost it when you want to whip up a batch!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup couscous
- ⅓ cup milk of choice (eg. soy or oat milk)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup low fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp butter
- ½ cup berries or fruit of choice
- Powdered sugar (for serving)
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl add the couscous and milk.¼ cup couscous, ⅓ cup milk of choice
- Add to the bowl of the egg, greek yogurt, vanilla extract, sugar and salt. Mix until incorporated. Then add the flour and mix until there are no lumps and it is fully incorporated.2 large eggs, ¾ cup low fat Greek yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp sugar, Salt to taste, ¼ cup all purpose flour
- In a pan melt the butter. Once it’s very hot add the kaiserschmarrn batter and fry on medium-low heat for 13-15 minutes with a lid on. Flip after half the time roughly or when the surface becomes dry.1 tsp butter
- Once cooked, tear the pieces and scoop into two plates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with more greek yogurt and berries or fruits of choice.½ cup berries or fruit of choice, Powdered sugar
NOTES
- If you want a silkier or softer kaiserschmarrn, before making the recipe process or blend the couscous grains into a fine powder. Then make the recipe exactly as indicated in the instructions.
- You can use any berries you like in the Kaiserschmarrn. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries – I recommend whatever is in season locally!
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Nutrition
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Abril Macías
Creator of this wonderful recipe!
I am a culinary creator and food photographer from Quito, Ecuador. I have a Master’s degree in New Food Thinking and a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy, my expertise lies in crafting and capturing creative dishes. Collaborating with websites and blogs worldwide, I develop recipes and bring them to life through captivating photographs.
I dedicate my work in the kitchen and through the lens to explore food from different backgrounds, origins and diets. I would describe my style as “comfort food with a twist”. My goal is to create recipes that are homely, yet attractive, delicious and have something different and exiting to them.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
Comments
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2 comments
I’m pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was. I liked the textures and flavors and felt satisfied after eating it. Good stuff!
Hi Jessica, awesome to hear! Yes it’s deffo a filling one, and a very cool old European recipe 🙂