These foolproof 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.
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 pancakes using gluten-free all-purpose flour, and I was intent on fluffy light pancakes (or hotcakes as you may know them). Since gluten-free pancakes 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.
The Secret to Fluffy Pancakes
These pancakes have beautiful air pockets in them thanks to a pretty significant amount of baking powder, which is basically the secret to making them perfectly fluffy.
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!
How to Make Gluten-Free Pancake Batter from Scratch
Start off by whisking the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl, until you get a light and pale yellow mixture.
Next, sift in the dry ingredients (gluten-free flour, xanthan gum if your blend doesn’t include it, baking powder, and salt). Whisk until fully combined and you get a thick mixture.
Now add in the unsweetened cashew milk or other non-dairy milk and whisk some more until you get a homogeneous thick pancake batter. I like to whisk very well to incorporate air into the batter – which together with the baking powder really helps to make the pancakes incredibly fluffy!
Cooking the Pancakes
Here comes to fun part: cooking the pancakes (or more accurately speaking, the second most fun part, since the best part is eating the pancakes). Heat up a greased non-stick skillet or pancake griddle to medium-high heat.
For each pancake, scoop out 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the skillet or the pancake griddle and let it cook for approximately 2 minutes until bubbles start forming at the surface and the bottom turns golden brown. Flip the pancake over and let it cook for another 2 minutes until the other side is golden brown as well. Set the cooked pancake aside and repeat until all the pancake batter is used up.
Tip #1: When making 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), 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!
Tip #2: 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 pan 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 gluten-free pancake recipe, you can add in some 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 top these 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
If you enjoyed this, you’ll also love these other 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
Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes (Dairy-Free)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- 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 neutral vegetable 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 cashew milk or other non-dairy milk, or more if required
- Fresh fruit, for serving
- Maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until you get a light and pale yellow mixture.
- 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 the cashew milk and whisk somemore 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.
- 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 until all the pancake batter is used.
- Serve the pancakes with fresh fruit and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
Notes
Cashew Milk: I like to use my easy homemade cashew milk because it literally takes just 5 minutes to make, but you can also use almond milk or other non-dairy milk if you prefer. You can also use normal dairy milk if you are not lactose-intolerant.
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!
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. When ready to eat the pancakes, simply reheat them up in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Adapted from: Mama Knows Gluten Free
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten-free pancakes, fluffy gluten-free pancakes
