Gluten free Buttermilk Pancakes take me back to my childhood. Well, not the gluten free part, but the classic buttermilk pancake part. My mom and stepdad regularly made pancakes for dinner. However (there was always a catch), you had to have one pancake with chicken and gravy before you could have any pancakes with maple syrup. That was okay with me.
Their chicken and gravy was really good. Although I have no idea how they made it or what was in it. The light and fluffy pancakes absorbed the flavorful gravy but never got soggy. They made big pancakes. Or at least they seemed big to me at the time. And I was ready to eat a lot of them. Fast forward to having celiac and not knowing how to make a decent gluten free pancake for a while. It was time for me to get to work. What a delicious project!
Gluten Free Pancakes
It took me a really long time to develop a gluten free pancake recipe that I would be proud to share. I went through countless gluten free flour blends, various types of leaveners, more eggs, then less eggs, oil or butter. There were many options and a lot of versions were good, but not quite right.
In the end, I realized that I had to commit to testing a recipe with only one gluten free flour because the blends vary so much. Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour was my choice because it is easy to find in many stores and has great flavor and texture. So just a heads up, that if you use a different flour blend with this recipe, it will turn out differently. Guaranteed. Once I settled on the flour, figuring out the balance of the rest of the ingredients was much easier.
The Ingredients
The mixture of baking powder and baking soda is essential in these proportions for flavor and lift. Baking soda reacts to acidity and baking powder reacts to heat, making a nice combination for lift without adding a metallic taste.
Buttermilk has more flavor than regular milk and is acidic which activates the baking soda. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use whole milk and a teaspoon of vinegar instead. The eggs work in a similar way, adding flavor and lift. The yolks add tenderness and flavor while the egg whites add lift.
When butter is added to cold buttermilk and eggs, it solidifies. Even if the pieces of solid butter remain small, when the pancake batter cooks, the butter melts leaving a pocket where the oil melted. If the butter is melted and added in the end, it will blend in with the ingredients at the same temperature. The result is a slightly crisp and more evenly browned pancake when it is cooked on the griddle.
The Method
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Then in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and buttermilk together. Whisk the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until no lumps remain. Then stir in the melted butter until no oily streaks remain.
Egg-free Option
We have tested this recipe replacing the eggs with ½ cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) that is whipped to stiff peaks, then folded in to the batter after the butter has been mixed in. This works very well and tastes great. The pancakes aren't as fluffy as they are with real whole eggs, but the recipe works and the pancakes taste very good. If you have never used aquafaba, this is a fun recipe to try it with. It is very easy to whip and doesn't have a strong flavor.
Cook the Buttermilk Pancakes
Just like you make any other pancake, heat up a frying pan or griddle and pour on the batter into circles. Let one side brown then flip and allow the other side to cook. Cook in batches until all of the batter is used. Store the cooked pancakes in a 200 degree oven on a baking sheet until ready to eat. Then serve with your favorite toppings.
Gluten Free Breakfast Deliciousness
- Enormous Waffles
- Make Ahead Sausage & Egg Casserole
- Southwest Shakshuka
- Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Bourbon Street Pancakes
Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
For the Pancakes:
- 1 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk - full-fat or low-fat
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoon butter - melted
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a fork until uniform in color.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg together until uniform in color.
- Whisk the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture until no lumps remain.
- Incorporate the melted butter making sure that there are no more streaks of oil.
- Heat a large griddle or frying pan to medium heat.
- Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle making pancakes that are approximately 4-5 inches in diameter. Cook each side until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
- Work in batches until all of the batter is used, keeping cooked pancakes warm in a 200 degree oven on a baking sheet.
- Serve with butter, maple syrup, jam, brown sugar, powdered sugar or any other toppings that you can dream up!
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