Fluffy Oat Flour Pancakes Recipe

Gluten Free Oat Flour Pancakes

How to Make Oat Flour Pancakes in Under 30 Minutes

For a quick and easy gluten free breakfast option, give these fluffy oat flour pancakes a try! Served with a drizzle of maple syrup and your favorite fresh fruit—maybe also a dash of whipped cream—they’re a sweet and satisfying way to start any day. Plus, you can have them cooked and ready to eat in under 30 minutes! I’ll show you how to make healthy pancakes with oats, milk, eggs, baking powder, lemon juice, and just a few seasonings.

Sure, a premade pancake mix offers a faster and simpler just-add-water option. But this 8-ingredient blender batter is too easy not to try! Not only do homemade oat flour pancakes give you a gluten free option, but they’re also a whole grain option—offering the nutritious complex carbs and fiber contained in rolled oats. And, honestly, these turned out way fluffier and more voluminous than any boxed pancake mix!

Because you only need a few ingredients, this is also an excellent budget-friendly healthy breakfast. You probably already have most or all of the ingredients on-hand at home! No oat flour in the pantry? No problem. If you’ve got rolled oats (or even quick oats), simply blend them into a flour and, voila—DIY oat flour on a budget.

Whether you’ve got a house full of pancake lovers or you’re a pancake lover yourself, these oat flour pancakes offer a nutritious, filling, and tasty breakfast. Rather than leaving you hungry an hour later, they’ll fuel you through the morning! A great option that you can whip up for little ones and for yourself. Plus, everyone can customize their healthy oat pancakes with as many (or few) of their favorite toppings as they like.

Oat Flour Pancakes Ingredients

• Oat flour, store-bought or homemade from rolled oats
• Baking powder
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Eggs
• Milk of choice
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon Juice

Substitution Notes

• Flour: Obviously, these are pancakes made with oat flour—either store-bought or homemade from rolled oats. But, this recipe will work just as well with all-purpose flour, or even a whole wheat flour if desired.
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent essential to the pancakes’ fluffiness, but I know many people search for how to make oat flour pancakes without baking powder.
  • Option 1: You can generally substitute for baking powder with baking soda at a ratio of 3:1, meaning swap the 2 tsp of baking powder for ⅔ tsp of baking soda.
  • Option 2: Separate your egg whites from your yolks and whip them up before incorporating them into your batter This will add some rise and fluffiness!
• Flavorings: I like to use a simple combination of cinnamon, salt, and vanilla, but feel free to get creative and switch things up. You could try pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or even some cocoa powder for chocolate pancakes!
• Eggs: In this recipe, I consider the eggs a must for proper fluffiness and texture! I haven’t personally tried making this batter with any egg substitutes, but you’re welcome to experiment.
• Milk: You need some liquid in this batter, but any kind will do. Feel free to use a dairy milk, a nondairy milk, or even just water.
• Lemon Juice: The acid in lemon juice reacts with the baking powder to make extra fluffy pancakes! Alternatively, you could substitute with apple cider vinegar.

What kind of flour is best for pancakes?

Generally, all-purpose flour is the go-to flour for homemade pancakes (and baked goods in general). It’s versatile, it’s easy to work with, and it’s the most glutinous—which results in a stretchier, fluffier texture! And, even though this is an oat flour pancakes recipe, you can absolutely use all-purpose flour instead of oat.

Can I use oat flour instead of plain flour?

Of course! Now, this may not be true of all pancake recipes, but I specifically designed and tested this healthy oat pancakes recipe to work with oat flour. Despite being totally gluten free, these pancakes turn out deliciously springy and fluffy! Oat flour itself is a light and fluffy flour which helps, but the eggs and baking powder also give the batter some rise.

What makes pancakes rise and fluffy?

Traditionally, fluffy pancakes rise due to a reaction between lactic acid (in buttermilk or milk) and bicarbonate (in baking powder). This produces gas bubbles that get caught in the pancake batter as it cooks to make it fluffy. In this oat pancake recipe, rather than using dairy milk, I’ve added lemon juice (or you could use apple cider vinegar) to react with the baking powder for maximum fluffiness!

How to Make Healthy Pancakes with Oats

Believe it or not, making oat flour pancakes isn’t all that much more complicated than a just-add-water boxed mix. First, if you don’t have or don’t want to buy oat flour, simply toss 2½ cups of rolled oats (or quick cooking) into a blender and blend them up into a fine flour. This is my go-to budget-friendly option to avoid spending money on oat flour!

Next, mix your dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then stir the dry into the wet—just don’t overmix. Once integrated, allow the batter to thicken for about 10 minutes. Once thickened, you can add any desired mix-ins (like chocolate chips, banana slices, etc.). Or, sprinkle them onto each pancake once they’re poured onto the pan.

Then, heat a griddle or a frying pan over medium heat and add butter or oil for cooking. Scoop the batter onto the pan, creating whatever size of pancakes you prefer. I used a ¼ cup ice cream scoop to make my fluffy oat flour pancakes a medium size, but I’ve also made this recipe as mini silver dollar pancakes using a 1 Tbsp scoop!  

Once poured, turn the heat down to medium-low and allow each pancake to cook for about 1½–2 minutes per side (or about 45-60 seconds per side for silver dollar pancakes). When bubbles start to form and the bottom surface is lightly browned, flip them and continue to cook until done. Repeat until all batches of oatmeal pancakes are ready. Finally, serve warm with maple syrup and your favorite toppings and devour!

How do you make oat pancakes light and fluffy?

For maximally fluffy oat pancakes, follow these basic steps:

• Don’t overmix the batter. First, mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Then, fold the dry mixture into the wet—just until it’s integrated. Some small lumps are okay! This will leave room for air bubbles, resulting in softer, fluffier pancakes.
• Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes before cooking. That way, the wet ingredients have some time to soak into the flour for a more integrated batter.
• Wait to flip until small bubbles form. These healthy oat flour pancakes won’t bubble as much as traditional pancakes. But, after you cook the pancakes for 1½-2 minutes on the first side, you will see some small bubbles form. Once you do, flip and cook on the other side!
• Flip each pancake only once, if possible. Additional flips can cause your pancakes to flatten.

For more tasty homemade pancakes recipes:

• Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
• Almond Flour Keto Pancakes
• Keto Coconut Flour Pancakes (Vegan-Friendly)
• 3-Ingredient Vegan Pancakes
• Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

To see how this recipe is made—along with the rest of this breakfast bento box—check out my Bento Box Breakfast & Lunch video!