Oat Flour Pancakes

Learn how to make Oat Flour Pancakes with this quick and easy recipe. Fluffy and irresistibly delicious, these pancakes are the ultimate healthy breakfast ever.

It was a Sunny morning of late February 2020, San Francisco, California. I just came home from my early run and had a quick shower. Now my “duty” was to make breakfast for everyone before they would wake up.

I’d been making oatmeal for a week and people showed the first signs of boredom. Well, as much as I love my oats, this time I had to come up with something different, yet still tasty and satisfying. In 10 minutes. Literally, I could hear the host already showering.

Planning to whip up my famous cottage cheese pancakes, I opened the fridge and froze as the refrigerator door swung open. Oh no, we had run out of cottage cheese! So I had to get away with what was left: oat flour, a couple of eggs, some golden maple syrup and almond milk. Challenge accepted!

In a couple of minutes, a fluffy stack of oat flour pancakes was in the center of our breakfast table. Everyone ate them with gusto, astonished to hear that they were so soft and fluffy yet still incredibly healthy!

The secrets for fluffy pancakes

Tired of boring flat pancakes? I was too, but with time and experience I’ve come to learn all the secrets for making pancakes that are soft and fluffy. Today I’m happy to share these tips with you, so that you don’t have to struggle with boring breakfasts anymore!

• Choose the right oat flour: Make sure to use a finely ground oat flour, as this mixes better and yields a smoother pancake texture. You can either purchase oat flour from the store or make your own by blending rolled oats until they turn into a flour-like consistency.
• Add a leavening agent: Using either baking powder or baking soda is essential because these ingredient create air bubbles in the batter and make fluffier pancakes.
• Use (homemade) buttermilk: Buttermilk is an acid component that reacts with the leaving agents, resulting in fluffier oat pancakes. You can purchase it from the store or simply make it at home by mixing milk with apple cider vinegar.
• Don’t overmix the batter: When whisking the wet and dry ingredients together, make sure you stir just to combine. Avoid overmixing, as it can result in tough pancakes.
• Let the batter rest: Once you are done mixing, place the batter in the fridge and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. This step ensures that the oat flour hydrates fully, resulting in a fluffier texture.
• Cook on medium-low heat: For even cooking and fluffiness, cook your pancakes over medium-low heat. Avoid high temperatures, as they can cause the pancakes to burn and get dry.
• Flip with care: When flipping homemade pancakes, flip them gently with the aid of a spatula to avoid deflating them.

The ingredients

Before delving deeper into the recipe details, take some time to get familiar with all ingredients you need to make pancakes with oat flour. Further down the lines you’ll find plenty of substitute options, so that you can whip up an amazing breakfast also if you don’t have the exact same ingredients I used.

• Oat flour: You can use either store-bought or homemade oat flour; gluten-free if it is necessary. For the best healthy pancakes be sure to select a finely ground oat flour.
• Eggs: These ingredients give pancakes a soft and fluffy texture while enhancing the taste. I recommend two large fresh eggs.
• Maple syrup: In this recipe, the maple syrup will sweeten your pancakes in a more nourishing way. What is more, the natural sugars it contains contribute to a fluffier and softer texture.
• Vegetable oil: The oil is a key ingredient in making softer oat flour pancakes. I opted for coconut oil, but you can select any other vegetable oil or even butter.
• Milk of choice: Milk is added to provide moisture and create a batter-like consistency. You can use any type of milk, such as cow’s milk, unsweetened almond milk, soy milk, oat milk or any other dairy-free milk.
• Apple cider vinegar: This ingredient is optional, but highly recommended for fluffy oat flour pancakes. When mixed with milk, it triggers a chemical reaction that makes the milk curdle and thicken as if it were buttermilk. Due to its acidity, homemade buttermilk will react with the baking powder and make your pancakes softer.   
• Baking powder: This works as leaving agent. 
• Salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon: Aside from the salt which enhances the flavors, both vanilla extract and ground cinnamon are optional. But still, I encourage their addition because they will improve the flavor profile of your breakfast.

Replacement options

Don’t worry if you are missing something. In the following lines I am going to provide you with all the replacement options.

• For a vegan breakfast, substitute the eggs with one ripe banana, mashed, or two flaxseed eggs.
• If you can’t find oat flour, make it at home by blending rolled oats into a fine powder. Another option is also to blend all recipe ingredients until you get a smooth batter. 
• Replace maple syrup with honey, agave syrup, date syrup, coconut sugar or brown sugar. Calorie-free sweeteners, such as erythritol or stevia are also an option, but as they have a weird aftertaste I don’t recommend their use.
• Coconut oil can be substituted with any other vegetable oil or melted butter. For soft and fluffy oat flour pancakes, don’t omit. 
• Use about a third teaspoon of baking soda instead of baking powder. Keep in mind that baking soda is stronger than baking powder, meaning that you’ll need a smaller amount.

Healthy pancakes with rolled oats

If you don’t have oat flour at home, you can also make this recipe with rolled oats. One option is to grind oats to flour, just add rolled oats into a food processor and blend until you get a fine powder. Another quicker (and smartest) option is to prepare the pancake batter in a blender. It’s so simple and convenient: combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and mix until you get a smooth pancake batter. Ready to cook, top and enjoy!

Oat flour pancakes with protein powder

If you have an active lifestyle and regularly work out, you may be interested in making oat flour pancakes with protein powder. Besides balancing the macronutrient composition, the addition of protein will make your breakfast more filling and satisfying.

To make high protein oatmeal pancakes, replace 30 grams (or 1/3 cup) of the flour with a scoop of your favorite protein powder. I already tried with both whey, casein and vegan protein powder, all are okay. However, I’ve realized that casein and plant based options tend to be better because they do not dry when heated. In terms of flavor, I recommend vanilla, chocolate or unflavored protein powders because they are neutral and do not have an overpowering taste.

Recipe variations

One thing I love about this recipe is that it’s pretty basic, so that it can easily be customized and adapted to your preferences. From extra ingredients to toppings, the ways how you can make pancakes with oat flour are literally endless. And if you are looking for ideas, here are some of my favorite recipe variations.

• Chocolate chip pancakes: Fold though a handful of cocolclate chips.
• Peanut butter pancakes: Stir 1 tablespoon of peanut butter into the batter.
• Dark chocolate pancakes: Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and chocolate chips to the batter.
• Lemon blueberry pancakes: Stir in some blueberries and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice.
• Strawberry oat pancakes: Cut a handful of fresh strawberries and mix into the batter.
• Cinnamon roll pancakes: Stir in 1/3 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and some crushed walnuts.

How to make oat flour pancakes

Step 1: Make “buttermilk”. This step is completely optional, but it helps homemade oat pancakes get softer and fluffier. If you have some at home, I highly suggest mixing the milk together with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. After stirring, set aside for about 5 minutes; the result is a mixture which is similar to buttermilk.

Step 2: Make the batter. In a large bowl, stir together oat flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon (optional) and a pinch of salt. Add maple syrup, oil, the eggs and optionally the vanilla extract.

Start mixing while gradually pouring in the milk (stirred with apple cider vinegar), until the pancake batter reaches a smooth consistency; do not over-mix. If it is necessary, adjust the sweetness level with more maple syrup. Optionally, place the batter in the fridge and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Cook oat flour pancakes. Lightly coat a griddle with oil or butter and place over medium heat. Once it is hot, pour one scoop of batter into the pan. Cook your pancakes over medium heat until the underside is golden and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, then flip with a spatula and cook until golden. Serve with your favorite toppings or store in the fridge for a maximum of 5 days.

Storage instructions

After making, you can serve oat flour pancakes right away or save them for later. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge or in the freezer.

• Fridge: Let cool, then place the pancakes into an airtight food container and refrigerate for a maximum of 4 days. Before eating, microwave for about 30 seconds or reheat in a skillet.
• Freezer: Let cool completely, then line the pancakes over a baking tray and freeze for about 2 hours. After two hours, place in a zipper bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Freezing in two batches ensures that the oatmeal pancakes do not stick together in the bag. Before eating, reheat in the microwave or toaster until they’re soft and fluffy once again.

More healthy pancake recipes

• Healthy Greek yogurt pancakes for one
• Healthy sheet pan pancakes
• Protein pudding pancakes
• Cottage cheese pancakes
• Protein pancakes without banana
• Protein pancake pizza
• Cottage cheese pancakes (Syrniki)
• Low carb coconut flour pancakes
• Keto chocolate protein pancakes