These fluffy gluten-free vegan pancakes are incredibly healthy too! They are made with a mix of four gluten-free flours and have the most perfect crispy, tender texture. Serve with a glug of maple syrup for a nourishing vegan breakfast or brunch that everyone in the family can enjoy.
Pancakes are my favorite breakfast and I have shared with you so many recipes I adore, like these scrummy vegan pancakes made with whole wheat flour (they are truly the best!), these amazing vegan sourdough pancakes and these adorable vegan sheet pan pancakes, to name just three.
Also on that list is this vegan gluten-free pancake recipe. Although I am not gluten-free and neither is anyone else in my family, we can never have enough of these pancakes (and these vegan gluten-free coconut flour pancakes!).
They are deliciously puffy and light with a crispy and tender texture. And I love them especially because they are very, very healthy. That’s because I mix four different flours to make them.
One of the big problems I have with some store-bought gluten-free flour blends is the amount of starch in them and the presence of gums, like xanthan gum, when you don’t really need them. I think the gums and starch also tend to make the pancakes (and waffles) gummy. So although I do use them occasionally (like in this gluten-free sourdough pancake recipe), I do prefer using my wholesome, homemade mix of flours when I can.
These vegan gluten-free pancakes are very customizable. I’ll share with you tips to make these with a gf all purpose flour if that’s what you want to use, and to replace some of the other ingredients if you don’t have them, as well as some useful troubleshooting tips to ensure your pancakes turn out perfectly each time you make them.
Why you will love these pancakes
- Absolutely delicious. You don’t have to be gluten-free to eat these pancakes or fall in love with them. They have the perfect flavor and texture and the applesauce makes them slightly sweet, so you can even skip the maple syrup if you want to.
- Healthy. The mix of healthy, gluten-free flours makes these really nutritious and loads the pancakes with fiber, protein and nutrients.
- Easy, one-bowl recipe. You can dump all ingredients in a bowl for the pancake batter and mix. Prep can’t get any simpler. There’s no need to make flax eggs first or separately mix vinegar with milk.
- Soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and vegan. Everyone in your family or circle of friends can eat these gluten-free pancakes, regardless of their dietary preferences.
Ingredients
See recipe card below for exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Gluten-free flours: sorghum flour, brown rice flour (white rice flour works too!), stone ground cornmeal and oat flour. You can skip the cornmeal if you don’t want to use it and use more sorghum and brown rice flours. See FAQs below for more substitutions.
- Leavening: baking soda and baking powder
- Flaxseed meal. This is just ground flax seeds.
- Ground cinnamon (optional). I like adding it in for a nice flavor.
- Applesauce. Applesauce adds more flavor and keeps the pancakes really tender.
- Vegan yogurt. I love vegan yogurt in this pancake recipe because it adds more flavor, protein and deliciousness. But if you don’t want to use it, use more milk and add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar along with the wet ingredients. Use a nut-free yogurt or milk if nut-free.
- Non-dairy milk. I used oat milk, but any dairy-free milk of your choice will work here.
- Pure vanilla extract
How to make gluten-free vegan pancakes
Place all four flours in a large mixing bowl.
Add the salt, cinnamon and flaxseed meal.
Whisk the flours and other dry ingredients together with a whisk or fork.
Dump in the wet ingredients–applesauce, yogurt, non-dairy milk and pure vanilla extract.
Use a spatula to mix into a batter with no dry flour. The batter will be thick.
Heat a cast-iron griddle or a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Scoop out the batter into pancakes (I used a ¼-cup measure).
Wait for the pancakes to get really puffy and for the edges to dry out, about two minutes. The bottoms of the pancakes should be a deep golden-brown.
Carefully flip the pancakes and continue cooking for another minute or so.
Recipe FAQs and Troubleshooting Tips
The gluten-free pancakes don’t have any gluten to act as a binder, so they need enough time on the skillet to set up. If you try flipping the pancakes too early, before they have had time to set, they can break. Make sure the pancakes are very puffy and the edges are dry with a strong golden-brown hue before you carefully flip them. Also don’t make the pancakes too big–I use a ¼ cup measure to scoop out the batter for pancakes that are about 3 ½ inches in diameter. Flipping smaller pancakes is far easier.
Yes, you can skip the cornmeal or the oat flour if you don’t want to use them and just use more of the rice and sorghum flours. Don’t use too much cornmeal by itself because it has a coarse texture and you need the finer-textured flour to help the pancakes hold together. You can also add almond flour instead of cornmeal.
Yes, certainly. Replace all flours with 2 cups of the gluten-free all-purpose flour.
You can skip the yogurt and add ½ cup more of non-dairy milk with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice mixed in it to make a vegan buttermilk.
Yes! Four pancakes have 498 calories, 15 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber. They make a very filling, satisfying and healthy breakfast.
Make-ahead tip
- You can make a large batch of gluten-free pancake mix by whisking together the flours with flax meal and salt (use the servings slider to scale out the recipe). When hungry for pancakes, measure out two cups and add in the wet ingredients.
Topping suggestions
- A pat of vegan butter and maple syrup.
- Fruit like bananas, blueberries or fresh berries. Peaches and apricots are lovely with these pancakes as well.
- Vegan whipped cream
- Chocolate chips or rainbow sprinkles (if serving to kids).
- Peach jam, raspberry jam, banana jam or rhubarb jam.
- A dusting of powdered sugar.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store pancakes in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freeze: Flash-freeze the pancakes by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer. Then store in a freezer-safe container or freezer-safe bags for up to four months.
- Reheat: Reheat pancakes on a griddle or in a toaster oven until heated through.
More vegan pancake recipes
If you love these multigrain gluten-free vegan pancakes, be sure to check out more gluten-free vegan recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
Multigrain Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes
Equipment
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Non-stick griddle or cast-iron griddle or skillet
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown rice flour (or any rice flour)
- ½ cup sorghum flour
- ½ cup oat flour (be sure to buy one that is labeled gluten-free or make your own by milling rolled oats)
- ½ cup stone ground cornmeal
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional, but very nice)
- 2 tablespoon flax meal
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used oat milk. Use any milk of choice, including almond milk, soy milk or cashew milk)
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Place all four flours in a bowl. Add the salt, cinnamon and flaxmeal. Whisk together.
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Dump in the wet ingredients–applesauce, yogurt, non-dairy milk and pure vanilla extract. Use a spatula to mix into a batter with no dry flour visible. The batter will be thick but pourable.
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Heat a cast-iron griddle or a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Scoop out the batter into pancakes (I used a ¼-cup measure).
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Wait for the pancakes to get really puffy and for the edges to dry out, about two minutes. The bottoms of the pancakes should be a deep golden-brown. Turn heat down if the griddle gets too hot and the pancakes start burning before they are cooked.
-
Carefully flip the pancakes and continue cooking for another minute or so.
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Serve hot!
Notes
- The gluten-free pancakes don’t have any gluten to act as a binder, so they need enough time on the skillet to set up. If you try flipping the pancakes too early, before they have had time to set, they can break. Make sure the pancakes are very puffy and the edges are dry with a strong golden-brown hue before you carefully flip them. Also don’t make the pancakes too big–I use a ¼ cup measure to scoop out the batter for pancakes that are about 3 ½ inches in diameter. You can make them even smaller if you are a new cook. Flipping smaller pancakes is far easier.
- If using a store-bought gf flour, replace all flours with 2 cups of the gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store pancakes in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freeze: Flash-freeze the pancakes by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer. Then store in a freezer-safe container or freezer-safe bags for up to four months.
- Reheat: Reheat pancakes on a griddle or in a toaster oven until heated through.
Nutrition
The post Multigrain Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes appeared first on Holy Cow Vegan.