Gluten-free Gingerbread Pancakes

These healthy whole grain Vegan Gluten-free Gingerbread Pancakes are the perfect vegan breakfast to start your day off right! They are packed with nutritious ingredients, are so soft fluffy, oil-free and absolutely delicious!

GLUTEN FREE GINGERBREAD PANCAKES

I love gingerbread so much, whether it’s cake, or house, cookies, spice blend or muffins! After posting my original Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes, I got many requests for a gluten-free version. I never turn down a vegan pancake recipe request! Y’all know my criteria for excellent pancakes.

They must be fluffy, not dense or mushy and cooked through the middles. Nobody wants to bite into a pancake with an undercooked inside, which happens way too often with vegan pancakes, especially gluten-free vegan pancakes.

Well, I cracked a major code with these gluten-free gingerbread pancakes! They are healthy, whole grain, nutritious and packed with fiber and protein.

Buckwheat flour is the main ingredient here with almond flour to add richness and moisture to prevent the buckwheat flour from being too strong or drying them out. This gluten-free flour blend creates thick, fluffy, cooked through, soft and delicious vegan pancakes! The magic is definitely buckwheat flour.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

(Full amounts and details on recipe card below.)

• Buckwheat flour: I make my own using buckwheat groats, details below.
• Blanched almond flour: Using almond flour provides fat to these vegan pancakes so they are moist and not overly dry. It replaces oil and helps to keep these oil-free. Use a superfine brand. Even the Bob’s Red Mill is superfine now and works great.
• Potato starch: This is the best starch for pancakes, as it really fluffs them up! This is especially important for vegan gluten-free pancakes since there is no gluten or eggs. I order mine off Amazon and it arrives in just 2 days.
• Gingerbread spices: Ginger, cinnamon and allspice are easy and perfect for these gluten-free gingerbread pancakes!
• Baking powder
• Almond milk
• Maple syrup
• Regular molasses: I used regular here, not the blackstrap. Blackstrap is quite strong and bitter, so I don’t recommend it here. You can find regular molasses at nearly every grocery store, even Walmart and Target or online.
• Vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE GINGERBREAD PANCAKES

Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk well.

Step 2: Add the liquids and whisk until completely smooth.

Step 3: Let the batter sit for a full 10 minutes while heating up the pancake griddle or stovetop over medium-low heat, closer to low for the full 10 minutes. This allows the batter to fluff up and the pan to get plenty hot, which will result in properly cooked and fluffy pancakes. DO NOT skip this step!

Step 4: Use 1/4 cup batter for each pancake (you should get 8 total this way) and cook the first side 4-5 minutes until the top is starting to look dry. This is important as to not flip them too soon. Flipping pancakes too soon will result in undercooked pancakes. Flip and cook the second side about 2 minutes.

Step 5: Serve with maple syrup and any other toppings, if desired. I love the pistachios on top because they add a lovely contrast of texture and crunch.

BUCKWHEAT FLOUR IS GLUTEN-FREE

Despite the name, buckwheat is not made from wheat. It is gluten-free and is actually a grain-like seed. They are hard and crunchy and when cooked, they are chewy like rice or farro. They are high in fiber, with good quality plant-based protein and extremely nutritious.

Can we talk about how fluffy and perfectly cooked through these vegan gingerbread pancakes are?? They are also low-fat and oil-free, too!

TIPS FOR FLUFFY PANCAKES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

• Raw buckwheat flour: You must use raw (untoasted buckwheat flour) for these. Otherwise, the buckwheat flavor will be overpowering. You want the light beige-colored buckwheat flour (reference above photo), not the gray kind. This can be trickier to find, so I always make my own buckwheat flour by grinding untoasted buckwheat groats in my Vitamix. Blend until superfine.
• Use a scale following my gram weights. Doing this will ensure the right ratios so the pancakes turn out as the recipe is written.
• Don’t sub the ingredients.
• Don’t be confused by the batter. With buckwheat-based pancakes, the batter will get a gooey texture, but do not worry, it is only like that wet, but the finished pancakes are the opposite, they are nice and fluffy!
• Let the batter rest. Make sure to let the pan heat up while the batter sits. Doing so will result in fluffy pancakes that are cooked through and not underdone or gummy in the middle.
• Don’t flip them too soon. Low and slow is best for vegan, especially gluten-free pancakes. Rushing this will result in pancakes overcooking on the outside before the inside cooks. Follow my directions below and they will help you out!
• Allergic to nuts? If you are allergic to almonds, replace the almond flour with more brown rice flour and increase the milk by 2 tablespoons. See NOTES on recipe card below. Replace the almond milk with oat milk or possibly soy milk.
• Maple syrup: You can sub with agave for a more affordable option. I know many readers have told me how hard to find or expensive maple syrup is, so this is a great substitute.
• Buckwheat flour: This flour cannot be subbed, it is the key to the fluffy texture and this flour combo I came up with. If you don’t want to use buckwheat, there are many other vegan pancake recipes linked below that don’t use buckwheat flour.
• Potato starch: This is the best starch for pancakes as it really makes them fluffy, so I highly recommend it. It can be hard to find in stores these days, so I just order it from Amazon and it ships in 2 days. Linked below on the recipe card. If you absolutely cannot use it, sub with cornstarch with the same weight amount, which will be about 4 tablespoons instead of 3, and keep in mind they will not be as soft and a tad more chewy.
• Low fat option: To make these lower in fat, replace half the almond flour with brown rice flour. See Notes on recipe card below.

MORE VEGAN PANCAKE RECIPES

• Best EVER Vegan Fluffy Pancakes
• Fluffy Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes
• Vegan Peanut Butter Pancakes
• Fluffy Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
• Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes
• Vegan Gluten-free Pumpkin Pancakes
• Vegan Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancakes

Gluten-free Gingerbread Pancakes

Brandi Doming

These healthy whole grain Vegan Gluten-free Gingerbread Pancakes are the perfect vegan breakfast to start your day off right! They are packed with nutritious ingredients, are so soft fluffy, oil-free and absolutely delicious!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, Gluten-free, Vegan

Yields 7 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (80g) raw (untoasted) buckwheat flour (see NOTES at the bottom!)
• 1/2 cup (56g) superfine blanched almond flour
• 3 tablespoons (30g) potato starch
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• SPICES: 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened almond milk (see NOTES below for sub)
• 3 tablespoons (60g) pure maple syrup or agave
• 2 tablespoons (40g) regular molasses, not blackstrap (This can be found at many stores or Walmart or online)
• 1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract

NOTE

• Just like with baking, I always strongly encourage the use of a scale with pancakes. Pancakes, since they are cooked so quickly and are vegan, getting precise measurements is so important so that the texture turns out right. Mismeasuring could cause overly dry pancakes, too thick or thin of a batter and uncooked centers. Make sure to add the bowl to scale, hit zero and then start measuring, making sure to hit zero in between each addition. You do NOT need to even use cups, just the scale, bowl and my gram weights listed.
• I use this scale.
• I use this pancake griddle. It never sticks and requires no oil.

Instructions

 

• I make my own raw buckwheat flour in my Vitamix. It only takes a few seconds and is much easier than trying to find the right kind of buckwheat flour. Additionally, if making homemade, (see picture above in the post) make sure you are not using toasted buckwheat, as the flavor will be overpowering. To make, simply add about a cup of buckwheat groats to the Vitamix and blend, starting low, increasing to high, for several seconds until completely fine. Measure out 80 grams only for the recipe. If using store-bought buckwheat flour, t is important to use the beige light-colored buckwheat flour and not the gray-colored one. That texture and flavor is too strong.
• These have a lovely kick from the ginger. Use only 1 1/2 teaspoons for a milder taste.
• To a large bowl, add the buckwheat flour, almond flour and potato starch. Add the baking powder, spices and salt. Whisk everything really well.
• To the same bowl, pour in the milk, syrup, molasses and vanilla. Whisk gently until smooth. The batter will seem kind of runny at this point, but will thicken up a lot as it sits for 10 minutes while letting the pan heat up. This is necessary, as thick batters is what results in fluffy pancakes, so don't be tempted to add more milk. Do not use the batter before letting it sit a full 10 minutes!
• Let the batter sit for a full 10 minutes while, at the same time, preheating up the pancake griddle or stovetop over medium-low heat, closer to low for the full 10 minutes. This allows the batter to react with the baking powder and fluff up and the pan to get plenty hot, which will result in properly cooked and fluffy pancakes. DO NOT skip this step!
• After the 10 minutes, give one LIGHT stir around the edge of the bowl and then use 1/4 cup batter for each pancake (you should get 6-7 total this way) and cook the first side 4-5 minutes until the top is starting to look dry. This is important as to not flip them too soon. Flipping pancakes too soon will result in undercooked pancakes. Flip and cook the second side about 2 minutes. NOTE: You will notice that the batter is quite gooey, almost glue-like. With buckwheat-based pancakes, this is normal, but do not worry, it is only like that wet, but the finished pancakes are the opposite, they are nice and fluffy!
• Serve with maple syrup and any other toppings you like. I loved the crunch of the pistachios on top.

Notes

• Almond flour: Make sure you are using a superfine almond flour here so the pancakes turn out light/fluffy, otherwise a gritty almond flour will yield more dense pancakes.
• Maple syrup: You can sub with agave for a more affordable option. I know many readers have told me how hard to find or expensive maple syrup is, so this is a great substitute.
• Buckwheat flour: This flour cannot be subbed, it is the key to the fluffy texture and this flour combo I came up with. If you don't want to use buckwheat, there are many other vegan pancake recipes linked above the recipe card that don't use buckwheat flour.
• Potato starch: This is the best starch for pancakes as it really makes them fluffy, so I highly recommend it. It can be hard to find in stores these days, so I just order it from Amazon and it ships in 2 days. Linked below on the recipe card. If you absolutely cannot use it, sub with cornstarch with the same weight amount, which will be about 4 tablespoons instead of 3, and keep in mind they will not be as soft and a tad more chewy.
• Molasses: This adds a lot of moisture and flavor to the pancakes, so you really don't want to omit. I used regular here, not the blackstrap. Blackstrap is quite strong and bitter, so I don’t recommend it here. You can find regular molasses at nearly every grocery store, even Walmart and Target or online.

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Keyword gluten free gingerbread pancakes, gluten free vegan gingerbread pancakes, vegan gluten free gingerbread pancakes

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