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Golden and gorgeous, whole-grained and healthy - we think you will absolutely LOVE these gluten free pancakes! They are tender and delicious, just like pancakes made with wheat.
Can breakfast food be both gluten free and whole grain? I am here today to tell you, “Yes it can!”
Today we’re going to make a delicious breakfast staple with a flour that may be new to you: teff flour. These pancakes are made of 3 whole grains, but are so tender and fluffy and bendy. All the things we love (and might miss) about whole wheat pancakes.
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Who Wants Pancakes? Raise your Hand 🙌
Why you should make these pancakes ASAP:
- The pancake batter takes 5 minutes to whip up.
- It can be made the night before pancake day for some fun, easy-going Saturday mornings.
- If you think all gluten free treats contain nothing but empty calories from overly-starchy ingredients, then these are your new whole grain, breakfast besties.
Healthy, Wholesome Ingredients
The beauty of this ingredient combo is, the pancakes we’ll be making are just as delicious as they are healthy!
🥞 Dry Ingredients:
- Oat flour - use certified gluten-free oats. Save some money and make the flour yourself (see below).
- Brown rice flour blend (How do you make that? See Notes in the recipe card)
- Teff flour - this less common flour is very similar to whole wheat flour, and has a nutty, molasses-sweet taste. But it’s totally gluten free.
- Xanthan gum - a gluten free baking staple found in most grocery stores these days, but easy to grab online if you prefer.
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Brown sugar, or coconut sugar - I love using unrefined coconut sugar in this recipe. But regular brown sugar works just as well, no worries.
🍯 Wet Ingredients:
- Honey - good old, sweet delicious honey
- Oil - I keep a big jug of avocado oil in my kitchen so you will see that in many of my recipes. But nearly any mild tasting oil will work here.
- Eggs -use large eggs or medium eggs, it doesn’t matter much. I included a milliliter measurement for egg in the recipe card to be extra precise.
- Buttermilk - if you want pancakes but have no buttermilk, you can use soured milk: add a spoonful of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk.
- Water - you’ll need a little water after the batter rests. It always thickens up.
How to Make Your Own Oat Flour
You can always buy pre-made oat flour, but it’s not always easy to find when you need it. I have always made my own, and it's really easy to do in a blender:
- Add a cup or 2 of gluten-free rolled oats/oatmeal to a blender.
- Pulse until it has turned into a fine powder, or to your liking. I like mine to be a little coarse - it adds texture to the pancakes.
- Add to your recipe, and store the extra in an airtight container.
Tools You Might Need
Over the years I’ve had several electric griddles. They were always bulky and hard to store in my tiny kitchen. This cast iron griddle fits over 2 burners on my stove, and tucks away into the side of a cupboard. I HIGHLY recommend this one - I use it several times a week for grilling chicken and steaks, making grilled cheese sandwiches, and lots of golden brown pancakes 🙂
My Cast Iron Griddle
Buy Now → Honey Oat Pancakes Step by Step
Step 1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together to blend.
Step 2. Add honey, eggs, oil, buttermilk, and water.
Step 3.Whisk really well - make that arm burn!
Step 4.Cover and let the batter rest. After it soaks up all that flour, you'll need to add a little water (see the recipe card).
Step 5. Heat a griddle or skillet to 330℉, or medium-low heat. Brush with oil.
Step 6. Pour out ¼ cup batter for each pancake.
Step 7. Heat until the surface has several small bubbles.
Step 8. When you can slip the pancake turner under it easily, the pancake is ready to turn over. Flip and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown.
Whole Grain Gluten Free Flours
You may not have heard of teff flour before, so let me tell you a little bit about it:
- It’s made from the seeds of the eragrostis tef plant, which originates in Ethiopia.
- Teff flour is a wonderful gluten-free substitute for whole wheat flour, with its golden brown color, and mild, nutty flavor.
- It’s high in fiber, protein, and calcium.
- It may be hard to find in regular grocery stores. I get mine from a local health food store. It can also be found online.
You can read about other whole grain gluten free flours I use in this article I wrote years ago - Guide to Gluten Free Flours. If it seems old, it is 🙂 It just needs a few updates, but the info that’s there has stood the test of time -an update is coming soon.
Gluten Free Honey Oat Pancakes - Easy & Healthy
Golden and gorgeous, whole-grained and healthy - we think you will absolutely LOVE these gluten free pancakes! They are tender and delicious, just like pancakes made with wheat.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 pancakes 1x
Ingredients
- 70 g oat flour, or ¾ cup
- 85 g Brown rice flour blend, or ½ cup (see notes)
- 45 g teff flour, or ¼ cup
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons oil (I use avocado oil)
- 2 large eggs, or 90 ml
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- In a large bowl stir together the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add honey, oil, eggs, and buttermilk. Whisk very well until blended and smooth.
- Cover the batter and let rest for about 20-30 minutes. This will allow the gluten free flours extra time to absorb the liquids, and make the finished pancakes really tender and delicious. You could also chill the pancake batter in the fridge for a few hours, even overnight, and cook the pancakes the next morning.
- After the resting time, the batter will become really thick. Now is the time to whisk in the water, adjusting the amount to suit how thick or thin you like your pancakes.
- Heat an electric griddle or large skillet to medium or medium low heat. Brush the surface with oil (such as avocado, coconut oil, etc.).
- If you want 4 inch pancakes as shown in the photos, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop out the batter and pour onto the heated griddle.
- Pour out the pancakes and heat until there are several small bubbles on the surface. Remember that gluten free pancakes tend to take a little longer to cook than regular pancakes.
- When you can easily slip the pancake turner under the pancake, it’s ready to flip over. Flip, and cook until the other side is golden brown.
Notes
Notes: How to make my brown rice flour blend: This is a combination of 3 parts brown rice flour, 1 part tapioca starch, and 1 part potato starch. I've got 3 gluten free flour combos in my Free ebook, Gluten Free Baking for Beginners.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: breakfast
- Method: stove top
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 143
- Sugar: 9.5 g
- Sodium: 43.3 mg
- Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 39.9 mg
Questions About Gluten-free Pancakes
Yes, gluten free pancakes freeze very well. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and put them in the freezer for at least an hour or two. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. These can be safely frozen this way for several months.
Besides freezing cooked pancakes, another way to save time is by making your own gluten free pancake mix. Put all the dry ingredients - all the flours, baking powder, soda, salt, and brown sugar in a zip lock bag. Label it, and when you want to make pancakes you just have to add the wet ingredients, and proceed as described in the recipe.
Most gluten free recipes are made with several different flours, and each flour absorbs liquids at different rates. Giving them enough time will make sure each flour is hydrated to its optimum potential, which makes a big difference in the quality of the pancakes.
Store teff flour in a cool, dry place in an airtight container to keep it fresh. You can also store the container in the refrigerator or freezer for long-term storage.
To store oat flour, keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, ideally in the refrigerator or freezer for the longest shelf life. This helps prevent it from going rancid due to its high oil content.
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