These foolproof and deliciously fluffy gluten-free pancakes are what pancake dreams are made of. They’re a cinch to make, and have the perfect light and airy texture that you’ll surely love. Serve them with fresh fruit and a generous drizzle of maple syrup and transform your breakfast routine! Dairy-free as well, but no one would know.
Jump to:
- Pancakes for Breakfast (or Lunch, or Dinner)
- The Fluffiest Gluten-Free Pancakes Ever
- Why This Recipe Works:
- Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
- How to Make Gluten-Free Pancakes from Scratch (Step by Step)
- Dish by Dish Tips & Tricks:
- Optional Mix-In Ideas:
- Pancake Topping Ideas:
- Recipe FAQs:
- If you enjoyed this, you’ll also love these other gluten-free breakfast/brunch recipes:
- Brunch Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
- Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes (Dairy-Free)
Pancakes for Breakfast (or Lunch, or Dinner)
When the weekend rolls by, one of the things Juan and I really enjoy is indulging in a leisurely breakfast or brunch. Since we don’t have to rush to work during the weekends, it’s the perfect moment to cook up something a little more elaborate, sit down together and just relax and chat.
While I definitely love starting my day with savory meals such as baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms, low-carb omelet wraps or this easy crustless spinach quiche, I also really like to begin my mornings with something sweet.
Pancakes are synonymous with the weekend for me, and these easy gluten-free corn flour pancakes (cornbread in pancake form!) as well as these grain-free coconut flour pancakes (perfect for when you want something low carb and lighter) are both recipes that I absolutely love.
The Fluffiest Gluten-Free Pancakes Ever
This time, I wanted to experiment with making gluten-free pancakes using gluten-free all-purpose flour, and I was intent on fluffy light pancakes (or hotcakes as you may know them).
Since pancakes made with gluten-free pancake mixes can sometimes turn out dense, I had to make sure I found and tested a great recipe for fluffy pancakes before sharing it on the blog, and I’m stoked to tell you that I’ve finally found one!
In fact last week we literally made them twice in three days, with Juan (a.k.a. the blog’s Chief Tasting Officer) giving his stamp of approval, I’m beyond excited to share this awesome recipe with you. And Juan just requested that I make them again this weekend. Yep, that’s just how good they are.
Why This Recipe Works:
- The Fluffiest Pancakes Ever: These amazing pancakes have beautiful air pockets in them thanks to a significant amount of baking powder, which is basically the secret to making them perfectly fluffy.
- Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free: Not only are these pancakes incredibly fluffy, they’re also totally gluten-free and dairy-free too, which means even those with Celiac disease or on a gluten-free diet and those with lactose intolerances can indulge in them too!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required to make this gluten-free pancakes recipe. (For exact quantities and measurements, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
You’ll need eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum (if your flour blend doesn’t include it), baking powder, salt, and non-dairy milk. The good thing is that you probably already have all the ingredients to make these pancakes, so let’s just dive straight into making them!
Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
- Eggs: The eggs act as a binder to bind the ingredients together, as well as help the pancakes to rise better. I personally have not tried this without eggs so I don’t know how it will turn out, but if you are allergic to eggs, you could try using aquafaba or an egg-replacer.
- Sugar: I used granulated white sugar in this recipe, but you can also use brown sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic of insulin-resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic-index).
- Sunflower Oil: I like using sunflower oil because I almost always have a bottle of it in my kitchen. You can also use other neutral-flavored vegetable oils if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use melted butter instead.
- Vanilla: I like adding vanilla extract to add extra flavor, but you can leave it out if you prefer not to add it (or if you don’t have it on hand).
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: For this gluten-free pancakes recipe, I recommend using a good-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend that is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, corn starch, tapioca starch or potato starch) to ensure a lighter and fluffier texture. I do NOT recommend using gluten-free flour blends that include heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a denser final texture. You can also substitute 1/2 cup of gluten-free flour blend with almond flour, brown rice flour or oat flour for added nutrients and texture.
- Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum acts as a replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps the ingredients to bind together better. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure you add it in for best results.
- Baking Powder: In this gluten-free pancakes recipe, baking powder is required to make the batter rise and is the secret to making the pancakes fluffy. I highly recommend that you use baking powder to get the perfect fluffy texture. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure you use gluten-free baking powder.
- Almond Milk: I like to use my easy 5-minute homemade almond milk, but you can also use other non-dairy milks such as cashew milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk or sunflower seed milk if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you may also use normal dairy milk.
- Maple Syrup: I love drizzling pancakes in maple syrup for the perfect Sunday morning feel. However, you can also use honey or agave nectar if you prefer.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pancakes from Scratch (Step by Step)
1. Whisk Eggs, Sugar, Oil and Vanilla
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until you get a light and pale yellow mixture.
2. Add Dry Ingredients
Sift the gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already has it), baking powder, and salt into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Whisk well until you get a thick mixture.
3. Add Almond Milk
Add the almond milk and whisk some more until you get a homogeneous pancake batter.
(The batter should be rather thick, but you prefer thinner pancakes, you can add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of milk).
4. Cook Pancakes
Heat up a greased non-stick skillet (or pancake griddle if you have one) over medium heat, and using a measuring cup, scoop and pour 1/4 cup batter into the middle of the skillet or hot griddle to form each pancake.
Let the batter cook for at least 2 minutes or until bubbles rise to the surface of the batter and the bottom is golden brown, before flipping the pancake over to the other side. Allow the pancake to cook for another 2 minutes until it is golden brown on the second side before removing it from the skillet. Repeat until all the remaining batter is used.
5. Serve and Enjoy
Serve the gluten-free pancakes with fresh fruit and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
Dish by Dish Tips & Tricks:
- Testing the Batter: When making these gluten-free pancakes, I usually like to test out the batter by making a first pancake and checking if the texture is to my liking. If the batter is too thick for you, simply add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of milk and mix well.
If the batter is too liquid (resulting in thin pancakes), you can use less milk or add 1 or 2 tablespoons of gluten-free all-purpose flour until the batter results in thicker pancakes. Once you’ve got the consistency of your choice go ahead and make the pancakes of your pancake dreams!
- Make Buttermilk Pancakes: To make buttermilk pancakes, simply add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the almond milk (to create vegan “buttermilk”) and mix well before adding it to the batter.
- Pancake Griddle or Pan: If you have a pancake griddle, you can cook multiple pancakes at the same time depending on the griddle size, but since we don’t have one, I use my non-stick skillet to cook one pancake at a time. It does take up some time to cook up the whole batch, but trust me when I tell you it’s absolutely worth it!
Optional Mix-In Ideas:
Since this is a basic and easy gluten-free pancake recipe, you can add in some other fun ingredients such as:
- Fresh blueberries
- Banana puree/Apple puree
- Peanut butter/Cashew butter/Almond butter
- Chocolate chips/Cacao nibs
- Ground cinnamon
- Cacao powder
Pancake Topping Ideas:
There are so many ways to garnish these amazingly fluffy gluten-free pancakes, but here are some of my favorite toppings:
- Fresh fruit (berries or sliced bananas)
- Generous drizzle of maple syrup or honey
- Mixed berry chia seed jam
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate sauce
Recipe FAQs:
Storing: The pancakes not only taste great freshly made, they still taste great after being frozen and reheated in the microwave (how’s that for awesome?). To store, make sure to allow the pancakes to fully cool before separating the pancakes with parchment paper and storing them in a ziplock bag or airtight container. The pancakes will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. When ready to eat the pancakes, simply reheat them up in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Yes you can freeze these pancakes. Once the gluten-free pancakes have cooled down, simply place them in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bags and freeze for up to 3 months. On busy mornings, pop a pancake or two into the toaster oven and you’ve got the perfect gluten-free breakfast!
If you enjoyed this, you’ll also love these other gluten-free breakfast/brunch recipes:
- 10 Delicious Gluten-Free Brunch Recipes
- Corn Flour Pancakes (Gluten-Free Dairy-Free)
- Grain-Free Coconut Flour Pancakes (Dairy-Free)
- 5-Ingredient Banana Flaxseed Waffles (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Crumb Bars (Dairy-Free)
- Creamy Millet Breakfast Porridge (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Gluten-Free Maple Peach Oatmeal
- Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Crustless Spinach Quiche (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Sweet Potato and Kale Breakfast Skillet (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
- Omelet Wraps with Spinach, Lettuce and Mushrooms
Brunch Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!
PrintFluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes (Dairy-Free)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 pancakes 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These foolproof fluffy gluten-free pancakes are a cinch to make, and have the perfect light and airy texture that you’ll surely love. Serve them in a stack with fresh fruit and a generous drizzle of maple syrup, or with this mixed berry chia seed jam and get ready to transform your breakfast routine! Dairy-free as well.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, plus more for greasing the skillet
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (leave out if your gluten-free flour blend has it)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, or more if required
- Fresh fruit, for serving
- Maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- Whisk Eggs, Sugar, Oil and Vanilla: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until you get a light and pale yellow mixture.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Sift in the gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already has it), baking powder, and salt. Whisk well until you get a thick mixture.
- Add Milk: Add the almond milk and whisk some more until you get a homogeneous pancake batter. If should be rather thick, but you prefer thinner pancakes, you can add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of milk.
- Cook Pancakes: Heat up a greased non-stick skillet (or pancake griddle if you have one) over medium-high heat, and pour scoop 1/4 cup of pancake batter to form each pancake. Let the batter cook for at least 2 minutes or until bubbles rise to the surface of the batter and the bottom is golden brown, before flipping the pancake over to the other side. Allow the pancake to cook for another 2 minutes until it is golden brown on the bottom before removing it from the skillet.
- Repeat: Repeat until all the pancake batter is used.
- Serve and Enjoy: Serve the pancakes with fresh fruit and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
Notes
Eggs: The eggs act as a binder to bind the ingredients together, as well as help the pancakes to rise better. I personally have not tried this without eggs so I don’t know how it will turn out, but if you are allergic to eggs, you could try using aquafaba or an egg-replacer.
Sugar: I used granulated white sugar in this recipe, but you can also use brown sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic of insulin-resistant, I highly recommend that you use Lakanto monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic-index).
Sunflower Oil: I like using sunflower oil because I almost always have a bottle of it in my kitchen. You can also use other neutral-flavored vegetable oils if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you can also use equal quantities of melted better.
Vanilla: I like adding vanilla extract to add extra flavor, but you can leave it out if you prefer not to add it (or if you don’t have it on hand).
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I recommend using a good-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend that is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, corn starch, tapioca starch or potato starch) to ensure a lighter and fluffier texture. I do NOT recommend using gluten-free flour blends that include heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a denser final texture.
Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum acts as a replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps the ingredients to bind together better. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure you add it in.
Baking Powder: In this recipe, baking powder is required to make the batter rise and is the secret to making the pancakes fluffy. I highly recommend that you use baking powder to get the perfect fluffy texture. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure you use gluten-free baking powder.
Almond Milk: I like to use my easy 5-minute homemade almond milk, but you can also use other non-dairy milks such as cashew milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk or sunflower seed milk if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you may also use normal dairy milk.
Maple Syrup: I love drizzling pancakes in maple syrup for the perfect Sunday morning feel. However, you can also use honey or agave nectar if you prefer.
Testing the Batter: When making pancakes, I like to test out the batter by making a first pancake and checking if the texture is to my liking. If the batter is too thick for your liking, simply add 1 or 2 extra tablespoons of milk and mix well. If the batter is too liquid (resulting in thin pancakes), add 1 or 2 tablespoons of gluten-free all-purpose flour until the batter results in thicker pancakes.
Skillet vs. Griddle: If you own a pancake griddle which allows you to cook more than one pancake at a time, I highly recommend it so you can cook the pancakes faster. If not, simply cook them one pancake at a time in a non-stick skillet like I did (it’ll take a little longer, but these pancakes are totally worth it!)
Optional Mix-In Ideas: Since this is a basic gluten-free pancake recipe, you can add in some fun ingredients such as fresh blueberries, banana puree, chocolate chips, ground cinnamon or cacao powder! Go play around and have fun with these if you like!
Storing/Freezing the Pancakes: The pancakes not only taste great freshly made, they still taste great after being frozen and reheated in the microwave (how’s that for awesome?). Simply make sure to allow the pancakes to fully cool before separating the pancakes with parchment paper and storing them in a ziplock bag or airtight container. The pancakes will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, or can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to eat the pancakes, simply reheat them up in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Adapted from: Mama Knows Gluten Free
This recipe was originally published in June 2020, but has since been republished to include ingredient photos, step-by-step instructions, as well as better ingredient notes and substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten-free pancakes, fluffy gluten-free pancakes
While the pancakes do come out very fluffy, they rise so high that, even with more milk for thinning, they don’t cook all the way through before burning on the bottom, except on very low flame setting, which makes them take longer to cook. The baking powder taste is also very evident. I’ll halve the baking powder next time.
★★★
Hi Edward, thanks for your feedback. Did you use aluminium-free baking powder? Sometimes baking powder can taste strong because of the aluminum in it. Feel free to reduce the baking powder slightly if you think the pancakes rose higher than you prefer.
Love this recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Holly! So happy to hear you loved these pancakes! Hope to see you around the blog again sometime soon!
Love this! First recipe that has worked for me
Hi Lauren!
So happy to hear that you love these pancakes!! Thanks for sharing!
Hope to see you around the blog sometime soon!
Good morning Felicia,
I have tried this pancakes with different complimentary spreads – fruit jams, kaya and coffee cream spread – and they all turned out to be so so good. So no worry even if I run out of maple syrup, I can still enjoy this pancake in a variety of ways!
Thanks again and have a blessed week ahead!
Love you lots,
Mum
★★★★★
So happy your enjoy these pancakes mummy 🙂
Love you lots!
Hi Felicia,
Your pile of pancakes makes me start to salivate and I’m really dreaming of having some for my breakfast this morning.
I am thinking of adding banana puree into my pancake batter which gives the natural sweetness so I do not have to drizzle much of the maple syrup onto it.
Ciao – Going for my breakfast now!
Enjoy the rest of the day with much love and joy 🙂
Mum
★★★★★
Hi Mummy! Yes, adding banana puree will make it naturally sweet so no need for maple syrup in that case 🙂 Enjoy your weekend, love you!