These gluten free Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes are crispy on the outside when they come off the griddle, while fluffy and light on the inside. They have a bright lemony flavor and a delightful crunch from the poppy seeds. When they are topped with the Easy Blueberry Sauce, they are a wonderful flavor combination of sweet and tart. They are quick and easy to whip up for breakfast anytime.
The Back Story
Years ago, Ashley Glass, a co-worker and friend of mine asked me if I had a recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes. She was planning to make a special breakfast for her husband and that was one of his favorites, but she lacked a recipe. Although I didn’t have a recipe, I welcomed the challenge to develop one! The goal was to have bright, lemony flavor in a gluten free pancake with poppy seeds scattered delightfully throughout.
I played around with some ideas and had really wonderful results. My family truly enjoyed every version I made. Then some time passed and I tried the recipe that I thought was my favorite again. It failed miserably. These things happen. Somewhere along the line, something changed. Whether I wrote something down incorrectly, an ingredient changed or I measured incorrectly at some point, I’ll never know. Whatever happened didn’t matter, it was time to redeem my Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes!
The Flour
Nine times out of ten, when a gluten free recipe that contains flour turns out poorly, the flour is the key. Not to say that it is directly the “flour’s” fault. It may be that substituting one gluten free flour blend for another has impacted how much liquid or rising agent is required. Gluten free flour blends have varying amounts of xanthan gum, which is a key ingredient in the texture and elasticity of baked goods. Some blends don’t have any xanthan gum in them at all. And sometimes companies change their recipes without us knowing.
My mode of operation is that when I post a recipe, I always note which flour blend I use to get the results you see in my post. This isn’t to force you to buy what I buy. It is only to ensure that you get the same results. By all means, try another flour blend! And let me know how it turns out. Some recipes are more forgiving than others and options are always welcome.
While re-developing this recipe, I tried several different brands and had several different results. Ultimately I found that with some minor alterations to the recipe, Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour created the results I was hoping for. Just make sure that you are using the one in the blue bag, the one without chickpea flour. Which is important to take note of, because it changes the flavor and texture of baked goods dramatically.
Not Quite Basic
Although I wanted a fairly classic pancake in texture, I wanted the flavor to be overtly lemony with a subtle crunch of poppy seeds throughout. To elevate the flavor even more, the Easy Blueberry Sauce adds a burst of fresh flavor and is a better compliment to these Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes over the standard maple syrup.
Making the Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, most of the wet ingredients in another, then mix them both together, add in the melted butter if you are using that instead of oil. That’s all there is to it! Cook them up like you would any other type of pancake.
Making the Easy Blueberry Sauce
Place all of the sauce ingredients in a small pot on the stove. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then let it simmer for a few minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved, it is ready. However, feel free to let it keep simmering until it thickens to the consistency you like. The longer you let it simmer, the thicker the sauce will be and the more the blueberries will break down. It will continue to thicken after you remove it from the heat as well.
They are crispy on the outside when they come off the griddle, while fluffy and light on the inside. They have a bright lemony flavor and a little crunch. Topped with the Easy Blueberry Sauce, they are a perfect combination of sweet and tart.
More Gluten Free Breakfast Delights
- Enormous Waffles
- English Scones
- Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
- Breakfast Stacks
- Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
- Bourbon Street Pancakes
- Banana Pancakes
- Vanilla Crunch French Toast
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
- 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour I can't recommend using any other flour blend with this recipe
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cup milk or buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 lemons 1/4 cup juice & zest
- 6 tbsp melted butter or canola oil
Easy Blueberry Sauce
- 1 cup blueberries Fresh
- 1 lemon 1/4 cup juice & zest
- 3 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Zest and juice the lemons. Reserve 1/4 cup of juice for the pancake mix and 1/4 cup for the sauce. The zest of 2 lemons goes into the pancake batter while the remaining zest goes into the sauce.
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, poppy seeds and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, lemon zest & juice. Beat with a fork until the eggs are incorporated well with the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Gradually combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture and stir or whisk to combine very well. Stir in the melted butter or oil, mixing it in completely. But do not over-mix and deflate the batter.
- Spoon approximately 1/4 cup of the batter on to a warm, non-stick griddle (greased if needed) for each pancake and cook on each side until lightly browned.
Easy Blueberry Sauce:
- While the pancakes are cooking, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice & zest in a small saucepan. Heat to bring it to a boil. Then simmer until the sugar dissolves and it reaches a consistency you like. The longer it simmers, the thicker it will become and the more the blueberries will break down. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve the pancakes with the blueberry sauce, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, whipped cream or a dollop of jarred lemon curd… yum!