These healthy oat flour pancakes will keep you full and happy all morning! They're soft and fluffy, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and made with just 5 ingredients. No eggs or dairy needed! Oat flour pancakes are also free from gluten, soy, nuts and refined sugar.
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Why You'll Love Oat Flour Pancakes
If you're anything like me, you love the TASTE of pancakes but not necessarily how you feel after you eat them.
These oat flour pancakes are the best of all worlds! Whole-grain oat flour provides fiber and a soft-yet-hearty texture that makes these so much more satisfying than traditional pancakes made with refined flour.
And since oat flour has a nice neutral flavor AND is gluten-free, it's a great alternative to other whole-grain flours like whole wheat.
For most of my life I wasn't a big fan of pancakes (although that has changed recently with this vegan pancakes recipe). I think there are a few reasons, but basically, it comes down to growing up in a very healthy-eating household.
When Mom did make pancakes they were of the whole-wheat variety, and my young taste buds weren't impressed! And if we went out for Sunday brunch (anyone remember the Shoney's breakfast bar?), I always went straight for the savory options like biscuits and gravy and cheesy scrambled eggs.
And once I grew up and started paying more attention to nutrition and the way different foods make me feel, I realized my body doesn't like starting the day with a big pile of bread. I mean, for me, traditional pancakes are pretty much a blood sugar nightmare.
But my husband is a huge pancake fan, so I really wanted to create an easy, healthy, delicious pancake recipe that both of us would enjoy. Oats to the rescue once again!
Another thing I love about this recipe is that naturally creamy "lite" coconut milk adds just enough fat to make these pancakes more satisfying, super moist, naturally sweet, and totally irresistible. No butter, eggs, or oil needed!
Ingredients and Substitutions
I love recipes that are simple and straightforward, and I know most of you do, too. So you're in luck because vegan pancakes don't get much easier than this! Here's what you'll need:
- fine oat flour - I like to blend rolled oats in my Vitamix, but you can also use store-bought oat flour (look for certified gluten-free oats, if needed).
- baking powder - for leavening
- lite canned coconut milk - the creaminess and higher fat content, as compared to other non-dairy milks, is what makes the pancakes so moist and delicious.
- maple syrup - adds flavor, sweetness and moisture to the pancake batter
- vanilla extract
See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
And that's it. So simple and sooooo good.
The vanilla really shines through even though we're using coconut milk.
Recipe Yield
This recipe makes eight 4 ½-inch pancakes.
Since pancakes are best enjoyed fresh, if you're cooking for just yourself (or two light eaters), you can easily scale the recipe down by half. Or go ahead with the full batch if you're feeling extra hungry!
How to Store
Store oat flour pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze them for later. When I have time I like to make an extra large batch and freeze half for another day.
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Pancake Cooking Tips
If you don't make pancakes very often, it can take a couple of tries to really get the hang of it. That's totally normal!
There's a bit of an art to getting the heat just right. Plus, as you try different pancake recipes, with different types of flour and fat/sugar content, it can throw off everything you think you know. So use patience and don't give up.
For the oat flour pancakes, here's what you're looking for:
- The edges should look set and there should be bubbles across the entire surface of the pancake before you flip it. See photo above. This may take a few minutes.
- If the heat is too high, the outside of the pancake will brown before the middle is done. And if the heat is too low, well, you won't really get a lovely golden exterior without overcooking them.
- It's okay to adjust the heat once you see how the first "test" pancake cooks. But also, try not to constantly change the heat throughout the whole cooking process. The idea is to dial it in.
Substitutions
As mentioned above regarding coconut milk, I recommend trying the recipe exactly as written. There are about a million-and-one ways to make pancakes, and no shortage of recipes on the internet. So if you don't have oats (or oat flour) or light coconut milk, it may be best to find a different recipe for now.
In recipes like this that contain so few ingredients, it gets more difficult to make successful substitutions. I'm not saying they won't work with a different milk or flour or sweetener, but they WILL be different than intended.
Now that I've finally fallen in love with pancakes, I'm sure I'll be sharing many more recipes soon, with a wide variety of flours, milks, and additions.
Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd ever get excited about pancakes, and I'm so glad it finally happened!
MORE PANCAKES: Try these healthy Spinach Pancakes, Vegan Bacon Pancakes, and Lemon Blueberry Pancakes!
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm with maple syrup and your favorite pancake toppings like:
- fresh berries and jam
- almond milk yogurt or cashew yogurt
- vegan cottage cheese or a schmear of cream cheese
- chopped nuts or nut/seed butter
- vegan whipped cream!
Top Tip
It's normal for pancake batter to thicken as it rests. But if it becomes too thick, the pancakes won't spread properly, making it difficult for them to cook through.
The oat flour batter should look thick and fluffy but still pourable. If it looks too thick, simply whisk in a small splash of milk.
I hope you enjoy these vegan oat flour pancakes as much as we do. If you try the recipe be sure to leave a comment below to let us know!
More Oat Flour Recipes:
Recipe Video
Tap to play the video and to see how oat flour pancakes are made.
Recipe
Vegan Oat Flour Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour (180 grams) - See Notes; make your own by blending rolled oats until fine.
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ⅓ cups canned lite coconut milk - Shake can before opening. Sub cashew, oat, or soy milk if necessary.
- ¼ cup maple syrup - Plus more for serving.
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In a small bowl combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. The maple syrup is heavy and will sink to the bottom, so vigorously stir the mixture and immediately pour it into the dry ingredients. Whisk just until there's no visible dry flour. Let stand 5 minutes.
- Preheat a non-stick skillet or electric griddle over medium heat.
- Tip: it's normal for pancake batter to thicken as it sits. If it becomes too thick and doesn't look pourable, simply whisk in a splash of coconut milk.
- Once the cooking surface is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, pour a scant ⅓ cup of batter onto the pan/griddle. Personally, I like to cook oat flour pancakes at a slightly lower temperature than all-purpose flour pancakes. You may need to adjust the heat slightly during cooking to get it just right. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear across the top and the underside is golden. Cook until the 2nd side is golden and the center is done.
- Serve warm with maple syrup and any other toppings you enjoy, such as vegan butter, yogurt, fresh berries, or nut/seed butter.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Joan
This recipe is very easy and quick to make. Pancakes were delicious. …and so few ingredients:
Meagan
Delicious and fluffy pancakes. They’re not like traditional pancakes as they are more moist in the centre. They’re really easy to make and cook. All the ingredients are things you would typically have in your kitchen and if you don’t have oat flour you can just blend some oats.
Sophia
Delicious!!!! And so easy. I had all of the items in my pantry and it tasted amazing. I added a hefty amount of cinnamon and it tasted amazingggg. This shows that simple recipes can be DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for the really easy recipe, it will easily be on my rotation!
Rebekha
Is the maple syrup compulsory? It’s for my baby so I’d like to omit if possible! Thanks
Lori
Hi Rebekha,
The maple syrup adds moisture and sweetness to balance the overall flavor, but you can certainly experiment with omitting or using a different sweetener that works for you. If you omit it I would increase the coconut milk to compensate. Hope that helps!
Rebekah
Thanks for your reply! I was wondering whether i could add banana or apple purée instead to act as sweetener/moisture? Have you ever tried those? Thanks!
Lori
I haven’t tried those but I think it’s a great idea. Banana would be delicious!
Carolyn
Lori, Love you and your delicious as well as easy recipes. I made the Oat flour pancakes. They were good, but could you tell me how to cook them so they are soft and fluffy? Mine were sort of slick on the side that cooked first.
I cooked them on my Corningware electric skillet. No oil was used or needed.
Carolyn 🥞
Lori
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you. I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes.
It's difficult to know for sure but based on your description I wonder if either the baking powder is old OR maybe the griddle temperature needed to be a bit higher. If the 2nd side cooked better than the first, maybe the griddle just wasn't fully preheated yet. Do any of those sound like possible culprits? Hope that helps you dial it in next time!
Hannah
Wow! I’m very impressed with this recipe! Usually gluten free stuff has a dry grainy texture, but these are amazing! They don’t hold together as well as pancakes made with egg (to be expected) but the texture and taste was great! Not sure if it made any difference that my oat flour was toasted. I bake sourdough bread in a Dutch oven and it gets too dark on the bottom, so this time I put some oat flour in the bottom of the pan, under parchment paper and dough - it helped a lot! I didn’t want to waste the oat flour and had 1/2 cup, so I made 1/4 of this recipe and it made 3 small pancakes - just right for one person. Thanks Lori!
Mia
These pancakes were delicious and easy to make. Thank-you!
Bduboff
Came out gummy. Must have been user error.
Lori
Sounds like they didn’t fully cook. Or maybe expired baking powder interfered? Sorry to hear they didn’t turn out. Better luck next time!
Leila M
Thanks for this super simple, delicious pancake recipe. I've made it numerous times for myself and the kids and we all love it. It turns out great every time!
Bett
Lori, do you think this could be done without the coconut milk? I'm going oil-free or almost so.
Lori
Hi Bett, I can't say for sure since I haven't tested other ingredient combinations. Without the small amount of added fat you may want to include some mashed banana or applesauce, as well, just to help with moisture and texture. Also, decrease the amount of milk slightly. If you give it a try let us know how they turn out!
Sue
Delicious!! Subbed 1/2t. almond extract. Thanks for the recipe Lori!
Lori
You're very welcome, Sue. I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Mark
These were good! The coconut milk adds such good flavor that I didn't expect. Delicious alone but of course even better with syrup. Thanks for this reciope. Will make again!
Lori
Great! Glad to hear you enjoyed the pancakes, Mark. 😀
daisy
These look amazing. I'm sure I will enjoy every no-sugar bite! Thank you for all of your lovely, clean recipes.
Lori
Thank you for the kind message, Daisy. Hope you enjoy them!