Oat Flour Pancakes

Why I Love Pancakes Made with Oat Flour

I absolutely adore this recipe and it's my weekend go-to breakfast for my girls, who, while they love oat flour waffles or whole wheat waffles, really just want pancakes as often as possible. I love these oat flour pancakes because they strike that rare balance between wholesome and indulgent. They're naturally gluten-free, come together quickly with ingredients I always have on hand, and cook up into sturdy, buttery pancakes that hold up to a generous pour of maple syrup. Here are a few more reasons why I love this recipe:

• So easy - I love the simplicity of these pancakes, which are made in just one bowl.
• Gluten-free - Skip the gluten-free all-purpose flour, which can have a funny taste or make your final results gritty; you don't need it to make these pancakes! Oat flour works beautifully to create a fluffy, tender pancake you'd never know was gluten-free.
• Adaptable - See my add-in suggestions below, but know that this recipe is a great base and one you can use for all sorts of variations. Add blueberries, coconut, nuts, you get the idea!

For more oat flour recipes, see my oat flour recipes page!

Ingredients Needed

You'll need just a handful of ingredients, outlined below, to make these little beauties. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post - this is just an overview.

• Milk - I use whole milk or 2% milk in this recipe.
• Butter - Salted or unsalted butter is fine. If you use salted butter, omit the amount of salt added to the batter.
• Egg - Use a large or medium egg.
• Oat flour - You can learn how to make oat flour or grab a package from the store. Use brown rice flour or sorghum flour if you can't have oats.
• Baking powder - Always check to make sure your baking powder is fresh.
• Sugar - You can omit this or use maple syrup.
• Salt - I always use fine sea salt in all of my recipes!

Add In Suggestions

• Coconut: Stir in some sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut.
• Fruit: Make these into blueberry oat flour pancakes for the ultimate in deliciousness! Or, add chopped strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, or nectarines.
• Chocolate chips: Add mini chocolate chips for a little extra decadence.
• Nuts: I love adding a handful of toasted, chopped walnuts to the batter for a bit of crunch.

Why Oat Flour?

Oat flour is my absolute favorite flour to use in gluten-free baking and cooking. It's naturally gluten-free (though if you're baking for someone with celiac disease, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats or oat flour to avoid cross-contamination), and it performs beautifully in a wide range of recipes, from pancakes to muffins to cookies to cakes.

Mild and slightly sweet, oat flour brings a soft, tender texture to baked goods and adds a subtle nuttiness that complements just about everything. It can often be swapped 1:1 by weight for all-purpose flour, especially in simpler bakes, and its profile is similar to whole wheat flour, but with a lighter, silkier crumb. Best of all, oat flour is a whole grain, so every bite comes with a little extra fiber and nourishment. Want more oat flour recipes?

Substitution Suggestions and Tips

This is a super simple recipe and, in my opinion, is the only pancake recipe you need! If you need to make ingredient swaps, see my suggestions below, along with a few tips for making these pancakes turn out perfectly:

• Oat flour substitute.  To make sorghum flour pancakes, substitute an equal amount of sorghum flour (140 grams) for the oat flour for similar results.
• Sub buttermilk. A lot of pancake recipes call for buttermilk, which can add a more more fluffiness. You can swap ½ cup of buttermilk for the milk if you like.
• Make it refined sugar-free. I love to make these pancakes with maple syrup in the batter rather than granulated sugar. Or, try coconut sugar. Or, leave the sugar out altogether and add fruit or more maple syrup on top.
• Throw in some spices. Add a bit of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, or a combination if you want warmly spiced pancakes.
• Make dairy-free. Substitute your favorite non-dairy butter and milk for the butter and milk.
• Heat the pan enough. Set the pan over medium heat, let it heat for a few minutes, then flick a few drops of water on the surface. If they sizzle and disperse, the pan is ready for the pancake batter. If the pan isn't hot enough, the pancakes will cook unevenly.
• Grease the pan well. Don't skimp on greasing the pan! This will help the pancakes to flip easily.
• Double up. This recipe easily doubles or even triples if you wish to make a larger batch of pancakes to feed a crowd or to have enough for leftovers later in the week.

Serving Options

Maple syrup and butter are all you need to achieve the ultimate in pancake deliciousness. But, if you feel like branching out, try:

• Honey - Add a drizzle of honey to the pancakes instead of maple syrup.
• Whipped cream - Top a pile of pancakes with softly whipped cream for a treat!
• Nut butter - I love serving pancakes with a little peanut or almond butter for an extra hit of protein.
• Fruit - Add fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries, sliced bananas, nectarines, peaches, or whatever is in season to the top of a stack of pancakes.

Proper Storage & Reheating

I love saving leftover pancakes for quick on-the-go breakfasts all week long. Make sure to cool the pancakes completely before adding them to your storage bag so that they don't get soggy.

• Fridge - Store leftover pancakes in a sealable bag, with a piece of parchment between each pancake, for up to 3 days.
• Freezer - Place the pancakes in a freezer-safe, sealable bag with a piece of parchment paper in between each pancake, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
• To Reheat - Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds per pancake.