It’s another fine day to enjoy grain free pancakes. This particular grain free pancake recipe comes loaded with a little extra protein from my galpal Ana over at Naked Nutrition. She was like, hey, can I send you some vegan pea protein? And I was like, heck yes. However, opening the package was hilarious because the container is the size of my head (bigger actually).
Now, before you go any further, inherently, this isn’t a recipe for paleo pancakes since the pea protein is present. If you need paleo pancakes, or low histamine grain free pancakes, use this recipe instead.
If you’re still here, I sure hope you enjoy these egg free + grain free pancakes made from simple ingredients, and that you can add them to your breakfast rotation. And, a huge thanks to Naked Nutrition for sponsoring today’s recipe.
Allergy Status
Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nuts, Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Top 9 Allergens, Top 14 Allergens, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Carrot, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Cooking Oil/Added Fats, Cruciferous, Garlic, Latex Cross Reactive Foods (H/M), Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Nightshade, Oat, Onion, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Squash & Gourd, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tomato, Yeast
Friendly To: EOE, Grain Free, Vegan
Compatible With: Coconut Free, Stone Fruit Free
- For Coconut and Stone Fruit Free: Use organic maple sugar in place of the coconut sugar. If you’re only coconut free and can have stone fruits, organic date sugar is another option. Technically, you can use any granulated sweetener, but this is a refined sugar free recipe, so I’m limiting my suggestions.
Grain Free Pancakes Recipe Video
Tools Needed for This Easy Recipe
- Medium or Large Mixing Bowl
- Frying Pan (I like this brand)
- Small or Medium Whisk
- Kitchen Scale
- Small measuring cup OR cookie dough scoop for portioning and cooking pancake batter
Grain Free Pancake Recipe Ingredients
Chia Gel/Binding Agent
- 2.5 TBSP Organic Chia Seeds
- 7 TBSP Water (room temperature)
Dry Ingredients
- 250g Organic Cassava Flour
- 60g Naked Pea Protein
- 40g Golden Teff Flour
- 100g Organic Coconut Sugar
- 30g Arrowroot
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
Wet Ingredients
- 3 TBSP Organic Apple Cider Vinegar OR Vinegar of Choice
- 550mL Milk of Choice
- 35mL Organic Vanilla Extract (you can absolutely use less, but I was like, VANILLA)
You May Also Want
- Dairy Free Butter for Cooking (you can use cow’s milk butter, coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, avocado oil [make sure it’s LEGIT], etc. instead)
Ingredient Substitutions & Notes
Chia Seeds: This is not the same thing as chia seed meal (which is what I normally call for in my recipes with chia). I used the whole chia seed for these tasty pancakes. If you’re not allergic to eggs, you can use 2 large eggs in place of my chia seeds + water. Just be sure to give them a quick stir in a small bowl first, then add them where I call for the chia seeds.
Milk of Choice: You can use cow’s milk (sometimes called regular milk), lactose free milk, unsweetened almond milk, and so on when you make this new recipe of mine. Normally I’d also include rice milk and oat milk in my milk list, however, since this is a grain free pancake recipe, you’ll want to stick to grain free dairy free milk if you need it.
If you want to use coconut milk in this grain-free pancake recipe, only use the boxed/watery style of coconut milk, not full fat canned coconut milk.
Grain Free Flour Blend: For best results, my flour blend (total weight is 320g) should only be swapped for an all purpose flour that you trust. I don’t have brand suggestions for this.
Do not swap my flours for a single standalone flour such as sorghum flour, almond meal, tapioca flour, or even all cassava flour only. For the best results and a great fluffy texture, you need to use the grain free flour blend.
Coconut Sugar: This is a granulated sweetener. It can only be swapped for organic maple sugar or organic date sugar if you’d like to stay in the refined sugar free boat. You can also use granulated cane sugar, but the pancakes will read as SWEET. In all granulated sweetener swaps, it’s a 1:1 substitution.
Do not swap this granulated sugar for a liquid sweetener including maple syrup, raw honey, date syrup, etc.
Vanilla Extract: I use this organic vanilla extract and get the best results each time. You can use pure vanilla extract as well, just don’t use “vanilla flavouring” as this will be an imitation product. You can also use less vanilla and still have plenty of flavor in these grain free pancakes. Be sure to use at least one teaspoon vanilla extract if you decide to scale back.
About the Naked Pea Protein
If you’ve never worked with protein powder in pancakes, waffles, and other baked goods, now’s the time to start. If can perform like a specialty flour, and the key to success is to not go overboard. If you were to use 50% protein powder and 50% flour, it would be too much. Well, in egg free and grain free it would be too much. I don’t know how the other side lives.
The Naked Pea Protein is naturally gluten free and very allergy friendly. It doesn’t really have a smell, so if you’ve ever used a protein powder that smells off putting, this isn’t that. The cool thing is that you can give your recipes a nice little protein boost without it tasting overtly of protein powder.
If shared equipment is an issue for you, be sure to check the Naked Nutrition website for all the latest info on shared lines and allergy protocols (you can also reach out to their customer service).
Personally, I’ve only worked with a few protein powders, and that’s because most contain milk. Since I have a kid with a milk allergy, and several tasters are allergic to milk, I have a narrow scope on protein powder. All of that to say, if you need to use a different protein powder, use a 1:1 substitute, but manage your expectations. Changing the protein powder in this recipe will affect the outcome.
Grain Free Pancake Directions (with lots of pictures)
Start by combining your chia seeds and water together in a small bowl and set aside.
Next, place your mixing bowl on your kitchen scale and tare to zero. Add each of the dry ingredients one at a time, and tare between weighted ingredients.
Once all of the ingredients are in, use your whisk (or a fork) to mix and combine the dry ingredients well. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to combine your ingredients.
Now, with the bowl still on the scale, tare and add the wet ingredients.
Lightly mix, then let the pancake batter sit for one minute. This gives the chemical reaction a little time to get happy and bubbly.
Add the chia gel to your mixing bowl. Whisk by hand to combine for the ultimate fluffy texture. You can use a stand mixer, but it will knock out some of your lovely air bubbles.
Once your batter has formed, you’ll cook your pancake batter as you normally would. For my kids, I make these in a medium nonstick pan on medium heat with a little melted dairy free butter in the pan (more on that below). I’ve asked them, and they insist that you must cook pancakes in a little butter or a little oil (DF butter is their preference but sometimes I use oil because I don’t want to cook in my respirator).
Note: If you’re used to cooking pancakes until golden brown, you won’t be able to see a huge colour change with this pancake recipe due to the natural colour of the flours. However, you will see general darkening, which is kind of like cooking to golden brown.
Be sure to watch the recipe video further up on the page if you’d like to see all of this in action.
More Egg Free Pancake Recipes (Gluten Free and Grain Free Options)
If you’re looking to add more pancakes to your regular breakfast rotation (or maybe your freezer stock), check out these tasty pancake recipes. They’re all gluten free, egg free, dairy free, and more.
- Truly Corn Free Pancakes (Gluten + Top 9 Free + Vegan)
- Grain Free, Paleo, Low Histamine Pancake Recipe (Vegan, Top 14 Free, Truly Corn Free)
- Chocolate Chia Pancakes (Vegan, Gluten Free, Flax Free, Top 9 Free)
- Fluffy Egg Free + Dairy Free Pancakes with Torched Vegan Aquafaba Marshmallow Fluff
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First Time Making Pancakes (or Free-From Pancakes)?
If you’re new to making pancakes, let me welcome you to the breakfast club. Here are some great free-from pancake making tips for you:
- When cooking pancakes, make sure you give your pan enough time to heat. If you don’t have a hot pan when you start, the first pancakes will have you questioning your life choices.
- Use a measuring cup to add your batter to your frying pan (1/3 cup is my go-to size, or I use an OXO cookie dough scoop).
- Pour your batter into the hot pan and wait for bubbles to form on the first side before flipping the pancakes over.
- Watch the recipe video above if you’d like to see the process step by step.
Generally, you’ll cook your pancakes for 2-3 minutes when first adding the batter, then a little shorter after the flip. However, every stove and pan are different. You can do a test pancake and see how long the batter will take to cook to your personal preference, then use that as your cook time moving forward. I personally like pancakes a little runny in the middle, so I don’t cook them all the way through. Have fun!
Storage Notes for Your Delicious Pancakes
When it comes to saving leftover pancakes, freezing them will be your best option. This will also allow you to turn your perfect weekend breakfast into awesome busy morning breakfasts (assuming you’re making these fresh on the weekend). Storing leftovers in the fridge is NOT recommended.
Once you’ve cooked all of your grain free pancake batter, allow the pancakes to cool. Line a large baking tray/baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a single layer of pancakes on the tray, top with a piece of parchment, then add more pancakes. It’s OK if the sides are touching, but you don’t want the tops and bottoms touching to prevent them from sticking together.
Place the entire tray into your freezer. Once the pancakes are frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer safe airtight container. I like to use freezer bags for cooked and cooled pancakes. Know that this is a great recipe to batch cook, which will allow you to create a freezer stock of grain free pancakes to pull from for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and even snacks and desserts.
Thawing & Enjoying Your Pancakes
To thaw frozen grain free pancakes, leave them on the countertop at room temperature for about 60 minutes, and they’ll be ready to enjoy. In a pinch you can heat the pancakes until just thawed (my kids do this in the toaster oven), but absolutely don’t overheat, as this can negatively alter the texture of your tasty grain-free pancakes.
Also, if you want to use your leftover loot in a lunch, place a frozen pancake (or a few) into the lunchbox and by lunch time, they’re thawed and ready to go. Use a small container with a tight lid/seal to hold a little bit of maple syrup so you can have the complete pancake experience at lunch time. You can also thaw leftovers for an easy breakfast for dinner situation.
Also also (I know, I just keep going), you can freeze remaining batter (the liquid batter) if you don’t have time to cook all of the pancakes. Read this article for all of the instructions.
Great Ways to Serve Your Grain Free Pancakes
One of the best things about making pancakes is that you can jazz them up in all sorts of ways. Whilst I’ve shown you how to make delicious fluffy pancakes, I’ve also left you some space for creativity. Sure, you can stick to your favorite toppings if you have them, but if you’re up for a little pancake adventure, here are some ideas to try out the next time you make this grain free pancake recipe.
Go Nutty! (or seedy)
After you’ve made your pancakes, you can add almond butter, peanut butter, or your favorite seed butter on top. Add to that a drizzle of maple syrup, and crushed nuts or crushed seeds, and now you’ve got a real breakfast treat on your hands.
Get Fruity!
Pancakes and fresh fruit are a seriously classic combination. You can go with pancakes and fruit only, or you can jazz things up a little bit. For jazz hands with each bite of your grain-free pancakes, slather lightly sweetened cream cheese on top of the pancake, then add fresh fruit slices. Top with a drizzle of maple syrup, then proceed to dance a little bit whilst you eat.
Take a Page From The King
Supposedly, peanut butter and waffles was one of Elvis Presley’s favorite foods and there was a weird food combination later called The Elvis. It’s rather popular, and my kids say it’s super delicious. All of that to say, you should make Elvis Pancakes.
Make these grain-free pancakes, then top with a slather of organic peanut butter, crispy bacon, and chocolate chips (or melted chocolate that you drizzle on all over).
I feel like there’s a joke to be made here about sweet tender pancakes or like, hunk a hunk a burnin’ love for pancakes, something like that. Give me some time, it will come to me.
Get Warm & Cozy with Your Grain Free Pancakes
Combine a dairy-free milk of choice with organic cashew pieces and your favourite warming spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, etc.) in your blender to make a sauce. You can add in a little maple syrup, or even raw honey, to the blender.
Once it’s nice and smooth, drizzle the sauce all over your fluffy pancakes in place of pure maple syrup.
Go Nanners!
You can use this grain free pancake recipe as a jumping off point to make make chocolate chip banana pancakes (one of my kids is a big fan of these). You’ll want to make the pancake recipe, then sprinkle on chocolate chips of choice after you pour the batter into the hot pan.
Once the pancakes are cooked, add banana slices and enjoy. Alternatively, you can make a banana sauce, or even caramelized bananas and serve those on top instead. Sky’s the limit, and you’re only hindered by your imagination, and the allotted time you have to make pancakes.
Make Pancake Parfaits!!!!!
The number of exclamation points reflects how excited I am about this idea, FYI. So, you know how people use granola in a parfait? You’re going to ditch that and use either cute little pancakes (so they can easily fit into the cup), or chopped pieces of grain free pancakes.
Layer your favorite yogurt with blueberries and other berries you love and the pancakes. When you have it all loaded in, add a drizzle of maple syrup to complete your creation.
Also note that you can swap the berries for jam, or even do a layer of fresh fruit and a layer of jam. Heck, you could even add bacon bits and crushed nuts to this creation for all sorts of additional textures.
Get Fancy and Serve Brunch
I feel like pretty much anything and everything can be made grain free these days with a little bit of elbow grease. So, my grand idea is to have a grain free brunch with all the ladies (and/or gents). Like, tell everyone the dress code is lowkey fancy, and serve up a grain free pancake bar alongside a grain free waffle bar, and don’t forget the grain free bagels. Make sure you have not only your favorite toppings, but lots of options for everyone to choose from.
There can also be a beverage station. For fun, serve butterfly pea flower tea. It’s blue when you make it. Then, have a large bowl with strawberries and pineapples available. Encourage guests to put some in their drink, and poof, it will turn purple (from the acid). It’s a cool little party trick.
You can also serve up these sausages at your brunch, and maybe these almond flour cookies as well. If you have time, there could be some kind of egg dish as well. Deviled eggs!!! Yes, make those because who doesn’t like a good deviled egg?
Basically, just have a grand old time making grain free recipes your friends will enjoy, put your pinkies up, and have a fabulous brunch together whilst making the kind of memories that last a lifetime.
Answering Your Questions About This Grain Free Pancake Recipe
Can I use a flax egg instead of the chia seeds?
Yes, you can use what some like to call a flax egg instead. I personally don’t like the term since there isn’t an agreed upon universal measurement. If you want to use flax, use 3 TBSP Golden Flax Meal + 6 TBSP Water. Mix that together in a small bowl and set aside, then use the gel in place of the chia gel when I call for it in the instructions.
Are these grain free pancakes like regular pancakes?
Whilst these grain free pancakes don’t use wheat flour, in a sense, yes, they’re like regular pancakes. The taste will be different since we use a blend of different flours, and, if you’re used to eating highly processed wheat flour, these pancakes will taste VERY different to you.
However, if you’re already on the grain free boat, you’ll love these grain-free pancakes. They absolutely read like traditional pancakes, and you can add your favorite toppings, then enjoy each and every bite.
Can I use gluten-free all purpose flour instead of grain free flours?
If you need gluten-free pancakes that aren’t grain free, you can make the swap for a gluten-free flour blend. However, I’d encourage you to use this gluten-free pancake recipe instead. It’s the best choice since it’s built from the ground up to only use a custom gluten-free flour blend, rather than a grain free version.
Are these healthy pancakes?
OK, I could talk your ear off about this topic, but, long story short: it depends on who you ask, because no two people are the same. Sure the foundation of this recipe is a handful of simple ingredients (well, maybe two handfuls, but you get the idea), and there’s the added protein, but ultimately, who you ask is going to determine the answer.
For someone that’s on a keto diet for medical reasons, no these aren’t healthy pancakes since they won’t meet their individual needs. On the flip-side, if someone is coming from the Standard American Diet (sad), man oh man, these are super healthy pancakes when compared to what they used to eat.
See where I’m going with this? If you want to know if something is healthy, you have to look at your own individual needs and assess if the food will nourish you and help you feel good/perform well. If it ticks all of the boxes, then the item is healthy for you. Remember, “healthy” isn’t a regulated term and it’s open to a very wide interpretation.
Now, if you’re asking for my personal take, for my kids, yes, I’d call these healthy pancakes. For myself, absolutely not since I’m allergic to several of the ingredients.
Will these grain free pancakes turn out OK without xanthan gum?
Have I got great things to tell you! First, you won’t find a pancake mix or baking recipe produced by me with xanthan gum, and for good reason: I’m allergic to it. Most xanthan is corn derived and I have a life threatening corn allergy. There is a brand that makes cabbage derived xanthan and I’ve messed around with it, but since I’ve always gone without, it’s just not necessary.
Now, let’s talk about the why for a moment. When it comes to gluten free grains (and grain free grains), when they aren’t mixed well, they can produce a gritty texture, gummy texture, and well, a whole lot of negative features. This is why some companies that sell a gluten free all purpose flour or grain free all purpose flour include gums and conditioners.
It’s done to give your baked goods and other creations a fighting chance at coming out right because there are a lot of variables the company can’t control. However, back to the great things. Since each of my gluten free recipes and grain free recipes are developed from the ground up, with a custom flour blend each time, you never have to worry about getting that gritty texture, gummy inside, and so on.
Rest assured, my whole family and a team of taste testers try out recipes to ensure you’re only getting the best.
Can I make grain free pancakes with raw milk?
Yes, but if you dink raw milk because you like that it’s never heated, it’s not the best choice since your grain-free pancakes will be heated, thus, heating the raw milk. However, if you’re just wondering in the sense of raw milk vs regular milk vs dairy free milk and so on, raw milk is fine. I used it for my kids (the ones not allergic to milk) all the time when they were growing up.
You’ll still have awesome grain free pancakes with a fluffy texture if you use your raw milk. Also, totally a side note, but have you tried raw sheep’s milk??
Could I use coconut flour in place of the flour blend?
I’m so glad you asked because no, you can’t use coconut flour, standalone, in place of my grain free flour blend. If coconut flour is your only safe grain free flour to choose, from, you’ll want to search online for “coconut flour pancakes”.
The problem with using specialty flours like coconut flour, superfine blanched almond flour, or even cassava flour standalone is that they absorb liquid differently when compared to other gluten free grains and grain free grains.
To compound the problem and make matters worse, this isn’t a typical pancake recipe. As an egg free recipe developer, I can tell you, grain free + egg free is actually one of the hardest free-from combinations and that’s because a lot of your recipes can come out gummy. For the best texture, it’s critical that the flour blend be ON POINT.
So, to circle back, if we want grain free + egg free, we need a killer blend. It might be that with eggs, you can use coconut flour standalone, but I wouldn’t know those ratios since one of my kids and several of my tasters are all allergic to coconut.
Is it OK to leave out the baking powder?
Maybe. The baking powder is an important leavening agent used as part of the egg substitution in this grain-free pancake recipe. However, if you can have eggs, then you’d probably be able to get away with leaving out the baking powder.
And yet, having said that, I see recipe developers who work with eggs still call for a teaspoon of baking powder to boost the lift in a typical pancake recipe. So, if you’re egg free, no, you absolutely cannot leave out the baking powder. If you can have eggs, it’s worth trying.
Will this recipe work for sheet pan pancakes?
Honestly, I’m not sure, and I’m going to err on the side of no. Whilst I’m a huge fan of making a literal pan cake and baking pancake batter in the oven, there are limitations where free-from recipes are involved.
I recently made a different grain free pancake recipe for one of my 1-on-1 consultation clients. It was perfect inside when cooked on the stovetop. When I took the leftover batter and popped it into the oven, it was a hard pass. The inside was gummy and weird and it was no longer a tasty little breakfast. So, grain free + egg free in the oven isn’t something I can recommend at this time.
If you really, really, really want to try it out, only bake a small amount of the batter leftovers on a small sheet pan, covered in parchment paper. Heat your oven to 350f/17c and start with 12 minutes. Check to see how it’s going, and add more time as needed.
Is it OK to cook these grain free pancakes in a cast iron skillet?
In theory, yes. Confession, I have one cast iron skillet and I bought it to literally make test batches of two recipes (cast iron pizza and a cast iron cookie for my kiddo with the most food allergies). Outside of that, I don’t use cast iron because it’s not dishwasher safe, and as a mixed allergy household, dishwashing and high temp sanitizing is a huge part of my workflow.
So, make a few in your cast iron skillet the way you normally would make pancakes and see how these turn out. Be sure to use some kind of fat (butter, dairy free butter, coconut oil, etc.) not only for added flavour, but to prevent sticking. If that doesn’t work, you could try a griddle, as those seem to do well with pancakes (based on what my friends tell me).
Also, mind the heat. When I cook pancakes, it’s on medium heat. I’m not sure if your skillet would need medium-low heat, or even something a little higher than medium. It’s all about how it holds and transfers the heat, and each type of pan/material will be different.
Could I make the pancake batter in my food processor?
I have made countless pancake recipes and I can honestly say, I’m not sure. I’ve never tested making pancake batter in a food processor, so I’m going to cautiously tell you to cut the recipe in half and give it a try. In theory, it should work, however, the blade of a food processor doesn’t function the same as the whisk on a stand mixer.
And yet! Since the goal is to have the fluffiest pancakes, I usually mix by hand anyway (high speeds can knock out the air we’ve developed with the leavening agent combination), so maybe if you pulse with your food processor this could work?
I vote you give it a go, then write back (with pics or it didn’t happen) and let me know what you think. Did you get the best grain free pancakes ever, or were there weird lumps all over the place? Does pulsing create a well-combined pancake batter or did you need to full on process the batter? We need to know these things.
Can I purchase the pea protein at the grocery store?
I don’t think you’ll find Naked Pea Protein at the average grocery store. If you want to use the same ingredients as me, visit their website and purchase online.
If you want to use a different brand, maybe? Often, I see why protein and other types of protein powders at the grocery store. It’s rare that I see something so simple and pure. It’s usually chocolate, vanilla, etc., or some kind of blend of proteins.
Ultimately, for the best texture, you’ll want to use the same weight of protein powder that I used when making your awesome grain free pancakes.
What brand sells the best sugar-free maple syrup?
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you since I’ve never purchased sugar-free maple syrup. When you buy that, it’s usually weird sweeteners combined with flavouring agents and other ingredients you may not love. Not only that, but one of my kids requires an organic diet, and there’s no way he could handle sugar-free maple syrup because of the additives.
Having never bought this, I went online looking in hopes of finding something I’d at least be willing to purchase. Guess what? Nothing. I looked at a bunch of sugar-free maple syrup products and couldn’t find a single one I’d be willing to buy for my kids, and that’s putting organic aside. The sheer amount of additives and chemicals had me saying nope. If I were in this boat, I’d make something at home with ripe fruit or whole foods that are naturally sweet (think medjool dates).
Sorry I have nothing to suggest, but definitely consider using dates, or a date syrup.
