We love pancakes. In fact, they are one of our favorite breakfast foods. So when we started to experiment with gluten-free foods, we tried a number of store-bought pancake mixes. But none of them provided that fluffy pancake fix we were looking for. So we went in search of the perfect vegan, gluten-free pancake recipe and discovered the key! Buckwheat flour. It’s hearty and nutritious, but not overpowering or dense.
This recipe is easy to make and positively delicious. Oh, and it’s also free from refined sugar and soy. We’ve made this recipe for family and friends alike and they all agreed these pancakes are fluffy, scrumptious and easy to make!
Vegan Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes
(Makes 6-9 pancakes)
Wet
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 3/4 cup water or plant milk of your choice (we prefer unsweetened almond milk)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (Do not pre-mix this into your wet ingredients if you are using a plant milk or the milk may curdle.)
Dry
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups buckwheat flour*
Optional: A small amount of coconut or other cooking oil for the pan/griddle you are using.
That’s it!
* We’ve tried this recipe with both dark (heavy) buckwheat flour and off-white (light) buckwheat flour and both worked wonderfully.
1. Mix the apple sauce, milk and vanilla together. (we usually use a 2 cup glass measuring cup, measure out 1/4 cup applesauce, fill the rest of the cup with almond milk, then top it off with vanilla.)
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the baking powder, salt and buckwheat flour. You may need to add a Tbsp. or so of flour to the mixture to replace the buckwheat germ that you have sifted out. (Only applies to ‘purple/dark’ buckwheat flour – if your flour is off-white you won’t have to worry about buckwheat germ.)
3. Mix the wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, topping off with the Tbsp. of ACV or lemon juice and you’re ready to go.
Note: The batter may be much thicker then you are used to.
4. Turn your pan or griddle on to medium/medium high heat depending on your stove. Once you can feel heat radiating from the pan, put a small amount of cooking oil (coconut, sunflower etc.) on the surface of the pan and spoon a ¼- ½ cup of batter into the pan. We often cook 2-3 pancakes at a time.
5. You will know the pancake is ready to flip when the bubbles that form in the cooking batter pop and do not fill back in again.
6. Once you flip your pancake, cook it until the second side is browned and the pancake is firm, but still fluffy to the touch.
As the griddle or pan continues to heat you may have to turn it down or risk burning your second batch of pancakes.
This recipe is wonderful topped with vegan butter and syrup, fresh fruit or jam!