
We’re delighted to bring you a new hearty and delicious tsampa recipe by Ann Lachman, owner of Purple Mountain Tsampa. (You may remember her great tsampa snack balls recipes from a few months back.) Ann’s recipes offer tasty contemporary updates to the ancient Tibetan tradition of eating tsampa — roasted barley flour. We are happy to recommend Purple Mountain if you’re looking for a source to buy tsampa. Ann’s hulless barley produces particularly nutritious and tasty tsampa.
Blueberry Purple Tsampa Pancakes
- 1/2 cup purple (or white) tsampa
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, or white-whole wheat flour
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar (or substitute agave)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk, soymilk, almond milk or water (or a bit more for thinner pancakes)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for the pan (YoWangdu note: We use avocado oil)
- Serve with melted butter and warm maple syrup or agave.

- In a small bowl, whisk together tsampa, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg.
- Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just blended.
- Stir the blueberries into the batter.
- Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. & Add some oil to the pan.
- For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round if you need to (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).
- Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in 200* oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You’ll have approximately 12 pancakes)
- Melt some butter in a small saucepan. Add some maple syrup – warm it all up together and pour on warm pancakes. Serve & enjoy!

Peggi Kensley says
I will surely buy tsampa at our Wellness Warehouse and try these pancakes, they look yummy! Thank you Yo.
Monica Dabney says
Just ordered some Sampa. my loving teacher Lama Kunga Thartse Rinpoche is coming from California to spend a week with me in Miami and I have no idea how to cook Tibetan meals, but found your website and am having a delightful time learning.
Perhaps you can cook some of those yummy things and ship them to me!
Tashi Delek
yowangdu says
Have a wonderful time with your teacher, Monica! And let us know how the cooking goes 🙂