Healthy gluten-free whole grain and almond flour pancakes your family will love and you feel good about serving. This recipe is our new standard for fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes.
Our daughter decided to avoid gluten and sugar for a month to support a friend doing the same. Within the first week, she noticed she didn’t feel fatigued as she had, yet dreading the idea this may be a new way of life for her. Flipping through an issue of Fine Cooking, Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes caught my attention and since I wanted to support her desire to live healthier, I was set to try them.
Folks, they are delicious. Really.
Pancakes are my husband’s favorite breakfast food. “It’s cake, in a pan,” He says. Add blueberries and I could use it as leverage to ask for just about anything. 😉 But you know me, it needs to be healthier cake in a pan. Well, the Fine Cooking recipe served as a great start and with a few adjustments to the flours, oil and sugar we found a new standard for Buttermilk Pancakes.
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What did my pancake man say?
Once he got past the “Mmm” was, “Those are the best pancakes I’ve had in a long time, maybe ever.” When our daughter’s friend tried them, she asked, “How is this possible?” Evidently, other bread-type gluten-free products she had eaten for the past two weeks were like bricks.
I was happy to find sprouted brown rice flour and sprouted oat flour at Whole Foods to raise the nutritional value—the results were fluffy, crave-worthy pancakes the whole family enjoys and I feel good about serving. Yes, these are whole grain and almond flour pancakes that will rock your breakfast world.
Know what else? You can make them ahead and pop them in the freezer for later too! I think you’ll be impressed with how nicely they reheat in the microwave or toaster (even with blueberries) to satisfy your pancake mood on a whim.
For more make-ahead meals or breakfast ideas, follow my Make-ahead Meals Board or Breakfast & Brunch Board on Pinterest where we add new ideas almost daily.
Did you know this recipe is also in my Serve and Savor cookbook? I share updated recipes from the blog in the book as well new recipes you won’t find here, like Sprouted Whole Wheat Waffles with Mixed Berries—another great make-ahead breakfast. Get a signed print copy when you order from my cookbooks page. 🙂
Buttermilk Pancakes [Gluten-Free]
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sprouted brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup sprouted oat flour
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter , melted
- 1 tablespoons honey or 1/4 tsp. Stevia
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Coconut oil
- Butter
- Pure maple syrup
- Blueberries (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the brown rice flour, almond meal, oat flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, butter, honey, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.
- Coat a griddle or skillet with coconut oil and heat over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, ladle 1/4 cup of the batter per pancake onto the griddle or skillet, leaving a few inches of space between each to allow for spreading.
- Cook until golden-brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes (if adding blueberries, drop several on top of the pancake before turning). Flip and cook the pancakes until the other side is golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Serve immediately, or transfer to a cooling rack set over a large baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Apply more coconut oil between each batch as needed. Serve the pancakes with butter and pure maple syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: If the sprouted flour is not available at your local health food store, it is available online. Regular brown rice flour, oat flour, and almond flour is available at most King Soopers (Kroger) stores.
Have you figured out the secret to the perfect first pancake? … have you ever noticed how the first two pancakes always seem to be “testers” that don’t quite turn out the rest of them? No matter the batter, it never fails to be that way for me.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Good looking pancakes, I think your daughter will be wanting these often.
mjskit says
You sure these are gluten-free? They look like some of my favorite blueberry pancakes. Have never used rice flour before, but you just inspired me to give it a go.
BTW – Happy Valentine’s Day!
Raymund says
So want to have another breakfast again! just look at these pancakes, I know its gluten free but they sure look mist and fluffy
Fran @ G'day Souffle' says
Hi Judy, I learned of your blog through Kitchen Riffs. Nothing better than blueberry pancakes in the morning! I keep on hearing about different kinds of flours sold at Whole Foods- I’ll have to stop in there and have a look! Thanks for sharing!
Judy Purcell says
Hi Fran! Thanks for stopping by. I just took a look around your blog and what delicious adventures you have. It is always such a treat to find new blogs to love. 🙂
Cecile @ My Yellow Farmhouse says
These look so light and delicious – thanks for sharing!!!
Judy Purcell says
Thanks Cecile, have a great weekend! 🙂
John/Kitchen Riffs says
That first pancake can be difficult, can’t it? I have pretty good luck using an electric nonstick griddle, though — and letting it heat sufficiently. I can set it at 350 degrees F, and it stays pretty constant. Anyway, good recipe! And very inventive. Thanks.
Judy Purcell says
I used to have an electric skillet/griddle but got rid of it because the only thing I used it for was … pancakes. You are right, it is the ideal way to cook every single one of them perfectly.
ChgoJohn says
What a thoughtful daughter you’ve raised, Judy, going GF in support of a friend. Good of you, too, to do your part and come up with this winning stack of pancakes. Who needs gluten when the dish is this good?
Judy Purcell says
Thanks John, she is thoughtful and a joy to be around. 🙂
Andrea @Andreas Kitchen says
These pancakes sound great Judy! If you end up continuing with gluten free recipes, you might want to consider trying Authentic Foods brand Superfine Rice Flour. It is available in many Whole Foods locations and they also sell from their own website. I always recommend their flour because it is milled much finer than many other brands, especially the rice flour. If you have tasted a grittiness in commercial gluten free prepared foods, it’s the rice flour.
If you would like to see more gluten free recipes that can also be prepared with “regular” flour, I’d love for you to check out my blog!
Judy says
Hi Andrea, thanks so much for the flour recommendation, I always love to hear about what is working for other foodies. I know what you mean about the brown rice flour, however, in this particular recipe, there is absolutely no grittiness. I haven’t yet figured out what makes the brown rice flour work in this case, but it does. I rarely use it in other GF recipes for the very reason you mentioned. I’ve used sweet rice flour with success, as it does not have the grittiness some of the other flours can have. I will look for the Superfine Rice Flour you mentioned. 🙂
Shannon says
Lovely! I’ll be passing this recipe along to a few friends, we have several that follow a GF diet.
Thanks for linking up to Friday Food on Momtrends.com!
Sanna says
I want to make pancakes when we go cottage, but couple friends can’t eat almonds. So is there any substitute to almond meal?
Judy says
Sanna, I would use buckwheat flour instead of the almond meal. Also, I have found if the batter sits for a couple of minutes before you start cooking them, it fluffs better and you can avoid those first “trial” pancakes. Let me know how it turns out, okay. 🙂
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
These pancakes sound lovely. Although my family are all able to eat gluten, I would love to make these. Not only do they look wonderful, but I am sure the almond meal would make them extra specially delicious! Thank you for sharing them with the Hearth and Soul blog hop.
Judy says
Thanks, April, I had a save-error with this post so I may have accidentally shared this on Hearth and Soul twice, sorry about that if I did. My husband was telling a friend of mine about these pancakes saying, “he was ruined” because other (regular) pancakes he had while traveling for business were not as good. He and I are not gluten intolerant like our daughter (20), but these are my go-to recipe even when she’s not around for breakfast. Let me know how you like them!
Alea Milham says
The pancakes look fantastic! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Two of my children are gluten-intolerant and we have been blessed to have friends who have learned how to prepare gluten-free meals for when she visits. Two of the families have since had children who were told they need to avoid gluten. They felt that they were better prepared since they had already started playing with gluten-free recipes.
Thanks for sharing your recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Judy says
Thanks, they are delicious. Honestly, they are better than any non-GF or soaked wheat pancake I’ve ever had. Hope you and your kids like them.
Zo Zhou says
These look great, and I love that these don’t use more than five types of flour! Do you think it’d be ok to omit the almonds or do they play quite an integral role?
Judy says
Zo Zhou, I suspect the almond meal adds a depth of flavor and according to this site, http://www.foodsubs.com/Nutmeals.html it makes baked goods more moist. If you have a hard time finding it in stores, I understand it is easy to make at home with a food processor. Please let me know if you do make these without it and how they turn out, I always love to learn new things 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, I enjoyed browsing your blog too!
GroundCherry says
Those look delicious! I usually make buckwheat pancakes, but I might have to mix it up a little.
so simply good says
Can’t wait to try these! I’ve been searching for nearly a year and haven’t found a gluten-free pancake I love yet.
Judy says
Well, I made them again this morning with blueberries–oh, man, just so good. Let me know what you think when you try them.
Carmen Thigpen says
I can’t wait to try them Judy. They look fabulous! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Judy Purcell says
Hi Carmen! Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment–hope you enjoy this one.
Brochure Printing says
You discovered a great recipe. I think I need to lessen my sugar intake. I will try this one. Thanks for sharing.
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says
What a great looking stack!
Colleen says
I’ve never made gluten-free food before… but this recipe is tempting me to start!