Meet my new favorite pancakes, buckwheat pancakes. I’ll admit they aren’t the sexiest pancakes around, but they make up for their humble appearance with wonderful flavor and texture. Buckwheat, a gluten-free relative of rhubarb, has a delicate, almost nutty flavor all its own.
Thanks to the buckwheat flour, these pancakes possess a light and airy consistency that quietly surrenders to the pressure of a fork and soaks up maple syrup like a sponge. The pancakes pair well with roasted strawberries, as shown here, or with a healthy swipe of peanut butter or almond butter.
This recipe was adapted from a fun new cookbook called Pancakes, by fellow food blogger Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen. I visit Adrianna’s blog any time I need some creative recipe inspiration or a laugh, which is often.
Adrianna’s new (and first!) cookbook is bursting with 72 brilliant pancake recipes, half sweet (honey and oat, ginger pear, cinnamon-sugar popovers) and half savory (jalapeño corn cakes, goat cheese quinoa cakes, sour cream and chive latkes). If sky-high, fluffy pancakes are your jam, she offers a ton of options based on her buttermilk pancakes recipe. This book would be the perfect gift for the pancake/latke lover in your life. Congrats, Adrianna!
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 Pancakes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Gluten free
Buckwheat gives these pancakes incredible flavor. This buckwheat pancake recipe yields deliciously light and thin pancakes. For pancakes that are even lighter in texture and flavor, use half all purpose (Adrianna’s suggestion) or whole wheat pastry flour (my default). Recipe yields 8 pancakes (plenty for 2 people).
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 1 cup buckwheat flour (or ½ buckwheat and ½ flour of choice)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, shaken*
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Butter, for the skillet
Roasted Strawberries
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced into bite-sized quarters or halves
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Roast the strawberries: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss berries with the sugar and maple syrup/honey. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or long enough for the berry juices to thicken but not burn (watch the edges in particular).
- Make the pancakes: in a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps.
- Preheat your skillet over medium-low heat and brush with 1 ½ teaspoons of butter. Give the batter a light swirl with a spoon in case the buckwheat is starting to separate from the liquid. Using a ¼-cup measure, scoop the batter onto the warm skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes (you’ll know it’s ready to flip when about 1 inch of the perimeter is matte instead of glossy), and flip. Cook on the opposite sides for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter when needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Pancakes by Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen.
*Make your own buttermilk with dairy-free option: combine 1 ¼ cups low fat milk (any variety of low fat milk should do—almond, soy, rice, low fat coconut) with 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
If you love these pancakes: you’ll also enjoy my buckwheat crepes recipe and my other pancake recipes!
A note on fluffiness: I tried forcing some extra height into these pancakes by using half whole wheat pastry flour and even folded in whipped egg whites, but neither made a significant difference. Then I took another bite and wondered why I was trying to make these marvelous pancakes something they’re not. They’re perfect just the way they are.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Ali
These pancakes are great! Even with full fat coconut milk. Light and fluffy – just what I ordered ;-) Thanks so much, this is my go-to recipe from now on.
★★★★★
Ali
Oh, and I swapped the sugar for honey.
Kate
Thanks, Ali!
W. Brown
Cleaning house for company is a good way to loose things like an old favorite Buckwheat Pancake recipe.
Your photos looked like the Buckwheats I used to make, thin but dense with flavor. And having read your concern for fluffiness I was expecting the same thin cake as I got before.
I stirred in half a chopped peach to my first batch and to my surprise my first one came out thick and much fluffier than my old recipe.
Your recipe produces a cake that more closely resembles my concept of a pancake.
Yours easily replaces my old recipe.
Thanks for publishing it!
Kate
Well, hmmm! I don’t know what was up with my batch (shown here), but it sounds like most people’s pancakes are nice and fluffy and for that I am glad. :) Thanks you for commenting!
James Sklar
Hello,
Can I sub almond milk and stevia in this recipe?
Thanks
Kate
Hi James, almond milk will work, but see my recipe note on how to turn it into “buttermilk”. Stevia, I’m not sure about. Pancakes typically contain a small amount of sugar, which I’ve heard helps prevent the outsides from burning against the griddle. You could definitely replace the sugar with maple syrup.
Karin
I’ve just made these – blooming delicious, thank you! I love your blog, too
Kate
Hooray, thanks Karin!
zoe
egg is vegan ???
Kate
No, it’s not! I’ve heard from readers that these pancakes turn out well with flax eggs, though, and you *might* be able to get away with skipping the egg altogether, which has worked well for me in another recipe but I’m not sure about this one, given that it’s gluten free.
Laura
Made these this morning and I loved them! Substituted Truvia and almond milk and they still turned out lovely.
Kate
Thanks, Laura! Glad to hear it!
Sara
Delicious!
Kate
Thank you!
m
Because of a certain diet I’m on, I’d like to use nonfat milk only and not turn it into a “buttermilk.” Will that still work? I don’t mind if it alters the taste and texture, I’m sure it will, but just want something that will still be held together and cook up okay.
Kate
Hi M, nonfat milk shouldn’t be a problem. However, the baking soda needs the acidity of buttermilk (or milk combined with vinegar or lemon juice) or it will taste very bitter. If you can’t do buttermilk, I’d say try omitting the baking soda and upping the baking powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons. That’s my best guess.
Jenny
Hi Kate! I love buckwheat pancakes and those look fantastic. I can’t handle the cuteness of your blog and dog:) Furry companions are the best!
Janet
These buckwheat pancakes were absolutely delicious! I will never go back to plain flour pancakes. I substituted one tablespoon of honey for the sugar and it turned out great. Thank you!!
Kate
Thank you, Janet! Happy to hear it!
Jeanie
I made these for my 2 year old yesterday (and again today!) and she loved them. I used 1/2 buckwheat and 1/2 Pamela’s gluten free pancake mix the first day, and 1/2 buckwheat and 1/2 Pamela’s all-purpose GF flour and both worked well. Also, since I didn’t have buttermilk on hand, used 3/4 c plain, full-fat yogurt mixed with 1/2 c water. The pancakes turned out amazing. Light and fluffy–just perfect!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Jeanie! I’m glad you both enjoy these pancakes!
roselyn
Hi Kate, I have some buckwheat flour in the freezer and was looking for recipes to make it with because it is nearing its best before date. I chanced upon your pancake recipe and I gave it a try. I am new to the taste of buckwheat as it is not normally part of our diet here in the Philippines but some specialty stores stock up on these and other healthy flours. Anyway, I loved the pancakes the first time I tried your recipe. This morning, I used greek yogurt because I have some on hand. I thinned it with milk in equal proportions. The pancakes turned out thick, just like the results of the commenters who swapped yogurt for buttermilk. Either way, they tasted the same which is amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Awesome! I’m glad to know that yogurt turned out well for you. Thanks, Roselyn!
ZsofiN
This is the best pancake recipe ever!! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray, thank you!
kiersten garrand
So delicious! I made mine with the almond milk recipe you provided, but I can’t imagine how wonderful these must be with actual buttermilk. I have been dying to find a good recipe for gluten free pancakes, and these did not disappoint. So filling too.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kiersten! So glad to hear it.
Ebbing kilner
Just tried these pancakes and they were fantastic with blueberries, lemon juice and xylitol.
Doing a candida cleanse and it fits the bill for a delightful treat, thank you!
Carol Berman
I just tried these pancakes for the first time this morning for a birthday breakfast and they were fabulous with a few substitutions: Not having buttermilk on hand, I soured 2% milk with lemon and vinegar. To the batter, I added about a 1/2 cup of toasted walnut pieces. I put = amounts of oat flour with the buckwheat flour. Since we were out of strawberries, I made a sauce to go on top of the pancakes, heating 2 cups of frozen mixed berries with a 1/4 c of sugar and mixed in a slurry of 1 &1/2t of cornstarch, 1T water and 1T fresh lemon juice boiled for a minute and added 2 t of cherry liqueur.My husband and I adored the pancakes. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Carol! Your pancakes sound great!
Carol Berman
Can’t wait to try some of the other recipes!
Kate
Thank you, Carol! Hope you love them!
alina
These are delicious!! I substituted liquid stevia for the sugar and they were still wonderful!
Kate
Thank you, Alina!
Maureen
Went looking for a buckwheat recipe to make for Shrove Tuesday tomorrow. I was raised Catholic in Maryland but we always walked up the hill to the episcopal church for buckwheat pancakes, sausage, and applesauce on Shrove Tuesday. It was a fundraiser for them. Good excuse to make these tomorrow night!
Savannah
So very tasty! I made these for valentines today and added 1/4 c cocoa powder and a mashed banana (adds sweetness and makes them extra moist) ! I also used almond milk since we don’t do dairy. Served with strawberries blueberries and coconut whipped cream.
Thank you !
★★★★★
Lisa
Hi Kate! With 215 comments, you already know this recipe is amazing, but I had to add another. I’m moving my family toward paleo due to some grain sensitivities. I was sad about losing our favorite cookie and kate pancakes and waffles. Silly me! This recipe…my children exclaimed, “These are the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten”. That is straight out of the mouths of kids, regarding buckwheat. I can’t wait for strawberry season so I can try them with roasted berries. Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Brittany
Like Lisa above me stated, you already know how amazing these pancakes are but I just had thank you for such a great recipe! My boyfriend and I make them all the time for ‘brinner’ (bfast for dinner) but this last time we got caught up in the side dishes and let the batter sit out on the counter for at least an hour before griddling them up… Turned out to be a tasty mistake. They were fluffier than ever.
Anyway, thanks to you and Cookie for all the research you do! (In the name of science and health obviously ;))
P.S. I always fold in some sort of fruit to the batter at the end. Bananas, blueberries sometimes even Pineapple, allllll good.
★★★★★
Laura B
Just made these and they are quite tasty. I used almond milk and half buckwheat half oat flour. They are soft and light and melt in your mouth. Flavor-wise they are a bit bland, BUT that’s actually positive: they can be made into sweet, savory, or anything in between. They are a great blank canvas so to speak. I added some mini chocolate chips and put some coconut spread on them, but I could see using them as a sub for English muffins in an egg sandwich, or even making a sort of crepe and filling with eggs and veggies. Will definitely make these again!
★★★★
Debra L. Sanderson
I have wanted to cook with buckwheat flour for a while now. I found the pancake recipe in your blog this afternoon. I used almond milk with the lemon juice. The pancakes were very tasty! My husband and I both thought they had a fragrance reminiscent of chocolate. We enjoyed them very much. I can’t wait to make them again and experiment with yogurt. I read in a few of the comments that the yogurt makes the pancakes more fluffy. I also want to try using half buckwheat flour and half Better Batter flour blend (gluten-free). Besides taking the bitterness of the soda out of the batter, I think buttermilk or sour milk makes the pancakes more tender. I will be reading more or your blog to get more tasty recipes for my family. Thank you!
★★★★
Ann
Super easy . . . . added a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to the cup measure before measuring the buckwheat flour, and a rough tablespoon of melted butter to the batter, as well as some cinnamon. The results: fluffy buckwheat goodness eaten shamelessly with warm maple butter. Can’t belive there are any left. Will try dairy free option next. Thank you Kate :-)
Rosie
These are just brilliant, thank you. Have made them twice now and the whole family loves them. Just had them w spiced glazed pears with honey. Tell me though – when you freeze them, how do you reheat them? We don’t have a microwave – is that the trick?
Kate
Hi Rosie! So glad you’re enjoying them. I have best luck reheating them in the microwave but you can also [carefully] reheat them in the toaster.
Rose
I just made these pancakes for the third time – love them! Unfortunately, my brain was temporarily AWOL and I forgot to put the egg in. Guess what? They still turned out great! Only with Kate’s recipes can you make a mistake like this and STILL end up with food that tastes amazing!
Frances
+Leave out the sugar for diabetics. Also ok to use skimmed milk. Also good with a squeeze of orange and lemon juice.
★★★★★
Deb Schmidt
I had buttermilk left over from another recipe and decided to make these for Sunday morning breakfast. I used all buckwheat (did not do the half & half buckwheat/regular flour) and was a bit concerned that the batter was so thick. I was afraid they’d turn out to be rocks. No need to worry, however; they were perfect and delicious! My husband, a true (traditional) pancake connoisseur, really liked them. They are very light in texture and delicious. They are also very filling — those left over will make excellent snacks. Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
Heling Higgins
It’s delicious ! Finally found fluffy gluten free pancake recipe. Thank you for this !
Judy Harpur
Just made the buckwheat pancakes. What a pleasant surprise! I actually managed delicious, light, crispy pancakes made from scratch. I used sprouted buckwheat flour and curdled almond milk following proportions given in recipe. Thank you for a recipe that works for me!
★★★★★
Jayne
Hi Kate, and Cookie too! I made these buckwheat pancakes moments ago and they are delicious… I am so happy with this recipe and I added fresh strawberries from my garden as well. I made the buttermilk with almond milk and your vinegar formula, and just added some cinnamon and nutmeg on top before I ate them. Yum !! Great recipe thank you!
ora
Great! Also used for waffles as my husband loves them and I am a pancake lover. Will keep recipe as a staple. Thanks!
Millie
I made these pancakes without the sugar and had them with creamy garlic mushrooms – they were absolutely delicious!! They felt sooo nutritious too! Thank you for this brilliant recipe, it’s definitely going to be a regular for me!
ora
Hi Kate,
Thanks for the recipe! My husband and I love these! I am allergic to wheat and had and old recipe for buckwheat pancakes I made in a drawer. When we moved I missed placed it. This is wonderful and very similar to my lost recipe. I do add a tablespoon of oil to the batter as this was in my old recipe. My husband uses the batter for waffles and they work wonderfully. Today I added a half cup of almond flour as you suggested we could to half cup of buckwheat. It turned out great. Maybe a bit more crisp. Good news less carbs this way. Many thanks for the recipe. A staple in our home.
Theresa
These are my favorite buckwheat pancakes I have made so far… Thank you! Even my 5 year old loves them!
Crystal E
I’ve made these pancakes several times now, with the dairy-free buttermilk option (I use almond milk) and half buckwheat flour, half AP flour. They’re perfect! I’ve tried so many dairy-free pancake recipes, and few have I ever made more than once. I like it with a cinnamon banana compote, with a bit of apricot jam for acidity. Seriously, these are perfect! Thank you!!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Woohoo, thanks Crystal! Happy to hear it
Martha
Blended half rice flour w buckwheat flour and substituted whole milk yogurt for buttermilk. Delicious with bananas and maple syrup too. Made many happy tummies, thank you!
Georgia
Not sure if this little change made the difference, but I did 3/4 cup buckwheat and 1/4 cup coconut flour. Used a combo of coconut milk and almond milk with vinegar to make buttermilk and used stevia in place of sugar…. my pancakes were SUPER fluffy! About 1/2″ thick.
★★★★★
Kate
Awesome, thanks Georgia!
Megs
Kate! Thank you for this recipe. I’ve eaten a pancake today after years. Oh the joy! I didn’t change a thing. So good x x
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Megs! I’m so glad you enjoyed these. :)
Ivy
Just made these this morning, used whole buckwheat and ground it in the food processor, not as good as the fermented ones that we traditionally eat, but super good when you want something instant and so filling and delicious and i am so happy they are gluten free.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Ivy!
Sarah
Hi Kate! So I was wondering if these are sour at all? Where I live in West Virginia, we have a Buckwheat Festival every year, which is actually wrapping up today The Buckwheat cakes that they make here, though, are sour and I can’t stand them. I bought an entire bag of buckwheat flour from one of the vendors because my husband wants me to make them. He, like me though, doesn’t like the sour taste that they have. Any input would be helpful and appreciated! Thanks
Kate
Hi Sarah! Hmmm, I would describe buckwheat as nutty, but not sour. I can’t say that I’ve ever thought that these pancakes are sour, so I wonder if the festival cakes are intentionally made to be sour. I hope you enjoy these!
Sarah
My husband is on the board that organizes the festival. He said they let the batter sit for a day or so. I’m assuming this is what makes them sour (a lot of people that come to the festival love them…yuck!), so I just wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t be the same, even if they didn’t sit out. Thank you for the help and the recipe! :-)
Kate
Ohhh, that makes sense! So they are like sourdough pancakes. These will not taste that way. Hope you love them!
Laura
I love these! Thank you! But I switch out the buttermilk with organic goat milk yoghurt and that DOES make them fluffier. Secret I learned while living in the French Basque country-any yoghurt will do. I also use stevia instead of sugar because I’m hyperglycemic. But thank you for giving me back pancakes after not being able to eat them for so long!
★★★★
Kate
That’s a great tip, thanks Laura!
madmadjudy
It’s 11pm and I just finished frying up these buckwheat pancakes for my 8 month old daughter’s breakfast tomorrow. Neither of us has had buckwheat pancakes before, so I thought I’d give these a whirl and have a shared new experience! Not knowing much about the flavour profile of buckwheat, I did half buckwheat, half AP flour and subbed whole plain yogurt thinned with milk in place of the buttermilk. I tried the first one that came off the pan and they are sensational! Hope she likes them as much as I did. Thanks so much for the recipe!
★★★★★
Yana
These are the best pancakes ever! I have celiac disease and miss foods that I used to eat. I have now converted a whole troop of people to this recipe and we do not eat any other pancakes. These fill you up without giving you a disgusting post-pancake feeling. We follow the recipe as is and it is perfection every time. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Melanie
Can we do pizza dough like this?
Txmom
Hi, these look great. I am in the middle of making them. The batter is really runny. What did I do wrong? I did forget sugar until after I combined everything else but it’s still runny. I can only get two pancakes on a double burner griddle. I would think more would fit. Thanks!
★★★
Katrina
Me too!! They were like paper and I could not do anything with them
★
Karen
I just made there and they are delicious! I recently started on a GF, low carb diet and every once in a while wish for a bit of bread. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Nigel
Maybe you should put a side note where you say “half a cup of flour of your choice” that coconut flour definitely does not work.
Suzanne
I made these pancakes this morning. I just found out that I need to follow a low histamine diet for a while, and I was looking for an easy, gluten free recipe for pancakes. I used 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour, 1/4 cup of sprouted brown rice flour, and 1/4 cup of rice protein powder (provides satiety and evens out blood sugar levels). I also only added 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to my dairy substitute. The pancakes turned out delicious!
★★★★★
Gabrielle
I love these pancakes!! So flavourful and very easy to make. BUCKWHeat is my favourite flour these days.
Stephen Mason
I love this recipe! Great as is, but I have cut down on the baking powder and baking soda (1/2 tsp. each) to reduce the sodium and added another egg, separated eggs and added beaten whites after dry ingredients.
This is a simple recipe, but what a revelation to me! I didn’t conceive you could make pancakes so good without wheat flour. Terrific! Thanks Kate.
★★★★★
Bayan Abuzinadah
Followed the exact recipe.. added one table spoon of hemp seeds! Perfection! Thank You!
★★★★★
Melody
Hi! Would this recipe work with some kind of dairy free milk instead of buttermilk? I’m allergic to dairy but this recipe looks so fabulous!
<3 Melody
★★★★★
Melody
never mind- saw you’ve thought of dairy free buttermilk recipe already! haha thanks :)
Kate
No worries! Happy you found what you were looking for. Let me know how it works.
Charlotte
I wish I could agree with the other posts. I made these exactly as directed and couldn’t get over the grainy texture of the pancakes. I also had a aftertaste that lasted. For me, cutting the buckwheat with another flour would be a must. That being said, the overall look and presentation of the pancakes is as expected. For me, unfortunately, they looked a lot better than they tasted. I am sorry!
★
Kate
Bummed these weren’t to your liking, Charlotte. Let me know if you decide to cut with another flour; I’d recommend whole wheat pastry flour for you, which will make the overall product a lot fluffier, texture-wise. As always, thank you for the feedback.
Cleaning out my kitchen
These were magnificent. A little kitchen organization unearthed some forgotten ingredients, including a bag of buckwheat flour. I used all buckwheat, 1/4 cup of milk + water, didn’t have strawberries so subbed pomegranate molasses — another treat stocked, then too long forgotten.
★★★★★
Kate
Ooh, those sound like *great* discoveries :)
Mona
Really love these pancakes. I halved the recipe today and they were still awesome. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Mona!
Rosy
Thank you for this recipe Kate! I’m an avid follower of your blog :) I just made these for my brunch today and I created a soy milk buttermilk and also used flax egg instead; while they were cooking I threw on a few frozen blueberries! They turned out really good. Thanks so much again :)
★★★★★
David
Love the buckwheat pancakes. We add a teaspoon of vanilla and one of cinnamon
Kate
Yum :) Sounds great, David.
Debbie
I made buckwheat pancakes using a mixture of precooked buckwheat and flour. It worked well
★★★★
Kate
Great! Wonderful to hear that, Debbie.
Emme
I used 1/2 buckwheat and 1/2 brown rice flour because I wanted to use up some of the rice flour (no food waste in this kitchen!) They came out SO fluffy – like, almost too fluffy. I added more liquid because the batter was just this fluffy ball. I also used hemp/coconut milk blend + ACV to make buttermilk. Still very tasty, and very earthy, which I tend to like! A great low FODMAP pancake :)
Kate
I’m glad this worked with just a little experimentation!
Janessa A.
So we ran outta baking soda the night before I made these(doggy clean up project on a favorite rug–actually works well!)…and quite honestly, only adding baking powder to these pancakes turned out well. I’ve made these before w/both soda and powder as the recipe calls for but find they taste a bit too soapy/bitter when you add both for our liking. I know the intent is to help make the batter more fluffy, but adding only powder made a perfectly tasting, only slightly less fluffy pancake. I suggest trying w/o the baking soda, for flavor. I also used Tbsp of honey instead of sugar.
Kate
Thanks for the tip, Janessa! And baking soda should be in every dog-owner’s toolbox, for sure!
Katy
This has been my go-to pancake recipe for a few years now. I use almond milk and apple cider vinegar instead of the lemon juice/white vinegar, I find it makes them fluffier. I have tried so many variations of this recipe, from orange gingerbread to lemon rosemary and it never lets me down. Thanks Kate!
Kate
Thanks for the tips, Katy! These are all super helpful.
Cara
This is my go-to pancake recipe for my low-gi diet. I’ve used it maybe half a dozen times, and I think I’ve perfected it in multiple forms. So, I use almond milk instead of buttermilk, and the tip about adding vinegar is super helpful. My tip is to prepare it in a jar so you can shake it up instead of stirring it, as I think it helps the milk thicken and not curdle (which doesn’t ruin the pancakes). Then, I think it’s really necessary to use a whisk to mix the egg into the milk, and then combine the dry and wet ingredients to cut down on lumps. I’ve also found recently, which I’m really excited about, that a great way to get fluffy pancakes, much more like traditional white flour pancakes is to add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to this recipe! I’m not sure if it’s simply the change in the ratio of dry to wet ingredients, or if the cocoa powder tends to react like flour in baking, but I absolutely love the pancakes with the added cocoa. They don’t end up with too much of a chocolate flavor because there isn’t any added sweetness, but it does add a nice complexity to the flavor of the pancakes and gives them that thicker texture, for anyone desperate to make these as much like “normal” pancakes as possible. *Love* this recipe! Oh! And my favorite spread, since I don’t do syrup with low-gi, is to mix some cream cheese with cashew butter, drizzle with honey, and top with some sliced bananas. It makes an amazing breakfast, dessert, and I also shamelessly admit to having had them for dinner at least twice. So good!
★★★★★
Kate
Girl, there is no shame in that breakfast-for-dinner game! Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment– I sometimes struggle advising readers who have specific dietary needs, so I love that there is a conversation happening around different variations for different restrictions. Thanks, Cara!
LIZ
We made these and they were delicious. If I could suggest something it would be to make a double batch. They go too fast. Also we added chocolate chips and they didn’t even need syrup.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful! Thanks, Liz.
Jennifer
Love!!! Didn’t have strawberries, so used banana and another time used my own walnut butter on top w maple syrup. My new fav. pancakes, thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
Yum! Sounds delicious, Jennifer.
elizabeth hamre
Hello dear Kate… Thank you for this information… I have replaced the buttermilk with almond milk and used buckwheat honey… I was truly surprised with the wonderful flavor of the pancakes… hehehe…and forget the sexy look which can fool you most of the time because the ”look” appearance is only on the surface so the ordinary pancakes might look better in appearance but the reason we think -believe that those golden cakes look better because we are made to believe by general agreement that is the was the pancake should look.
So, my dear, thank you again and do have a lovely day! By the way, you also made my day!
Elizabeth.
★★★★★
Lisa
The first time I made the pancakes, I was out of milk so I used a cup of vanilla yogurt and enough water to make 1 1/4 cups. Turned out great. Love the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Great thinking, Lisa! I’m so glad it turned out well.
Terry
I made this recipe and found that there is too much baking soda in the recipe, I would reduce the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon. I thought that the baking soda might be too much when I made them so I did not add salt, thank goidness, or they would have been very salty. Also, almond milk does not coagulate with acid so a “buttermilk” is not created. The batter was runny so I will reduce the liquid to 1 cup next time.
Kate
Sorry this one didn’t work out for you, Terry.
Ruth morley
I found your recipe to be just what I wanted and needed! I’m assembling all my dehydrated meals to have sent to me when I thru-hike the whole Appalachian Trail, but lacked pancakes. Since I’m gluten and dairy free, I can’t eat the ones offered at cafes in the trail towns I’ll pass through. And I’ll NEED pancakes after weeks and months on the trail!!
I made up a test dry mix today at home, using your recipe. I substituted the buttermilk with powdered goats milk (which works for me), and the eggs with dried egg powder by OvaEasy. I also eliminated the vanilla since it was a liquid and non-portable. I just added water before cooking. Yum!
So my plan is to have individual servings of the dry mix in small ziplocks sent to me with my other food and ask the cooks at cafes to cook my pancakes up for me, to accompany my purchased tea, bacon, juice and fruit salad order. Now I won’t have to sadly watch my fellow hikers scarf down pancakes without me!
Kate
Wow, Ruth! What an amazing undertaking. I’m so glad that my pancakes worked for what you needed! All the best on your hike. I hope it’s beautiful and fulfilling, and that you get home safely.
Jackie Bouchard
Ooo, these are so good. Have been making these often for my GF hubby. Have also tried a variation, substituting 1/3 of the buckwheat w/ PB2 powdered peanut butter. So tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Great! I’m glad both versions worked out for you, Jackie.
Laura
Today I learned that I am either a terrible cook or not a fan of buckwheat. I went to the health food store and bought fresh locally sourced ingredients. Clearly, with all of the wonderful reviews that this recipe has received, I messed it up big time. My pancakes will now be fed outside to the birds. Hopefully, they will appreciate my cooking! Lol.
★★★★
Kate
Oof, sorry this one didn’t work out so well, Laura!
Betty Masters
Wonderful and light. Added blueberries and some pumpkin pie spice! Yum!
★★★★★
Sarah
I made this recipe (multiplied by 8!) for a large gathering of friends last weekend. I made adjustments, of course, but this is such a simple and flexible recipe that adjusting it is a pretty easy thing to do. I had 8 cups of flour, about 80% of which was buckwheat. The remaining 20% was a mixture of left over coconut flour and almond flour. I threw them in to make an even amount (and because those little baggies of expensive flours that aren’t enough for anything else just needed to be used!). I added a dash of hazelnut extract, in addition to the vanilla. And, finally, the store I went to only had one quart of buttermilk, but I needed 2.5 times that much for all the pancakes. So, I used cashew milk and lemon juice for the rest of the liquid. With all of these adjustments, the batter was pretty thick (I think coconut flour just absorbs so much more than I account for), but it was delicious. The pancakes were a hit, with a marvelous rich flavor. They weren’t super fluffy, as you said, but they were still light. We used up a lot of the batter, but there will be buckwheat pancakes in my freezer for many breakfasts to come! Thanks :)
★★★★★
Brynalee
I used homemade hazelnut milk, but otherwise did not vary the recipe. They were tasty, but the batter was far too thick. I had to add extra liquid. Next time I would try with 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup buckwheat flour instead. Also I didn’t use butter, I used coconut oil in a cast iron pan.
Rhona Weiss
Instead of the buttermilk could I use yogurt?
Kate
That might work. It’s hard to say since yogurts vary so much in consistency. If you want to give it a try, I would use a runny plain yogurt. Please report back if you do!
Joanne
I did the 1/2 buckwheat flour and 1/2 gluten free all purpose flour. These were the lightest pancakes I have ever eaten. They were like eating ‘air’…I will definitely make these again! Thanks.
Kate
Thanks for your comment, Joanne! If you would want to leave a star review since you really liked them, that would be great!
Angela
The texture certainly is different… I went to have these with strawberry jam and cream but my jam had begun to grow mould so I had to have just butter… Can’t help thinking if I’d had them with jam I might have liked them better. I will keep trying them to see if I can become accustomed to the texture of buckwheat but yeah… It’s a bit different to normal flour that’s for sure
Kate
Buckwheat does provide a different texture and can take some getting use to. I am happy you tried them! Yes, with the jam helps to balance and provides a nice sweetness and texture.
Maggie
I made the recipe as written, with 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour. These have a great texture, but the baking soda measurement seems to be way off. They tasted so strongly of baking soda that they were virtually inedible. Maybe there’s a mistake in the proportions?
★★
Kate
I am sorry to hear that, Maggie! The 1 teaspoon is correct. Sometimes if the baking soda is expired, it can change the taste. Also, make sure you buy aluminum free baking soda. That can be the strong flavor. Hope this helps!
Kristin
I made these this morning and they are delicious! I’ve been looking for a good GF buckwheat flour pancake recipe for a long time. I used about 2/3 C buckwheat flour and 1/3 C toasted almond flour. I topped them with cinnamon apple compote, wild blueberries, and maple syrup. Yum!
★★★★★
Kate
Those toppings sound delicious, Kristin! Thank you, for your comment and review.
Jan
Delicious. Even without the strawberries… I replaced sugar with vanilla bean extract paste and used almond milk instead of buttermilk. Still delicious!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing your variation! I appreciate the review, Jan.
liz silverstein
My daughter and I just finished eating these pancakes. YUM!!!! Best gf pancakes I’ve ever had!!! Thanks Kate
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful! I like that you posted immediately after eating. That’s a win. :)
Donna James
Have started the RAD eating plan and didn’t know how I could cope without an occasional brunch with pancakes and some sort of fruity topping on a weekend. Didn’t have strawberries so topped these with banana, California walnuts and maple syrup. I eat GF and DF so added rice wine vinegar to my almond milk. These were so fluffy and thick, no lack of height, cooked easily and quickly and looked fabulous. I loved the nutty flavour and can’t wait to try them with other berry toppings. They also absorb the maple syrup wonderfully! Thanks for yet another fabulous recipe making my new way of eating a great experience.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m really happy to hear they worked with your food needs! Love that. I appreciate your comment and review, Donna. :)
Tim
These pancakes were fantastic! Simple, without any crazy ingredients makes this a great Sunday morning breakfast for the Basic Dad.
They were fluffy enough for me, too. Of course, it could never get as fluffy as white flour pancakes.
I used full buckwheat and did the milk with vinegar to make buttermilk (we never have buttermilk around). That was the only thing we did outside of the recipe. It made more than enough for two adults plus an 18 month old. I didn’t make the strawberries, cause I’m not that dedicated. Peanut butter and honey did the trick.
Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Kate
Peanut butter and honey sound like great additions, Tim! I like to sometimes just defrost frozen berries and gets to be a nice jam-like topping. Thanks for sharing!
Trent Woodward
Oh my God, the flavor is unbelievable!! I used only buckwheat flour, and I made the recipe vegan (at first). I used nut buttermilk (almond-hazelnut-pecan) and a chia seed egg. The issue I had was that the first pancake was crumbly, so I added another chia seed egg tohe rest of the batter. Still crumbly. Then, I put half a chicken egg in the remaining batter. That solved it. But then I looked at a vegan buckwheat pancake recipe and realized that I forgot to grind the chia seeds before putting water in! So make sure to do that if you’re making a vegan version. Thanks for the recipe :)
Trent Woodward
Oh and to add to that, I found that putting the chicken egg in masked the buckwheat flavor–I prefer the chia seed egg. And I found that the middle of the pancakes stayed pretty soggy while the outsides were crispy. Probably I need to reduce the heat and cook I cook longer next time, right?
Kate
Thank you for sharing your variation and approach!
louise Allard
I love buckwheat crepes. But your pancakes are delicious.I just ate them with butter and mollasses. Next time I will try the roasted strawberries. I am sure it will be very tasty. Thanks
Kate
Thank you!
Victoria
Brilliant recipe, worked very well Kate! I added butter to the batter and cacao and choc chips as well to make it into a yummy morning tea treat.
Kate
Thank you! Sounds like a delicious variation, Victoria.
Anne Buggy
I just made these for our Memorial Day breakfast- used all buckwheat flour, subbed 1/4 c of plain Greek yogurt since I didn’t have enough buttermilk, and added 1/4 tsp cinnamon. I was a little worried they might not turn out so well since this is the first gluten free recipe I have used that didn’t ask for xanthum gum, but they were perfect!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Anne! Thanks for your star review.
Crystal
Our whole family gives these two thumbs up!
Daughter is allergic to eggs and dairy (among several other things), so I made the buttermilk with Flaxmilk and vinegar; and used a flax egg in place of the egg. Turned out great!
1/4 C of batter made mine spread a bit too much to flip, so more like 1/8 C was better. Otherwise lovely; thanks so much for an easy GF recipe with easy modifications!
★★★★★
Kate
Yes! Thanks for the two thumbs up and star review, Crystal. I’m glad you were able to adapt to meet your daughter’s needs.
Michelle Ford-Copley
making these for the 2nd time for supper tonight! These are wonderful!
★★★★★
Kate
Great, Michelle! Thanks for the review.
Ruslana
I just made these and loved them. The only thing I changed was omitting sugar and they turned out super fluffy don’t know how but they’re probbsky 3 times what yours look on the picture . Anyway I was just surprised because sometimes my pancakes turn out kindda flat but these were so fluffy thank you so much!! And super easy too. I did try them on coconut oil though so maybe that made a difference cause I read before that coconut oil makes the best pancakes.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Ruslana!
Lisa
These not only sound or look delicious they are delicious! I double the batch and freeze so I can have them through the week.
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! They are great to have on hand.
Jamie
I found your recipe a couple years ago and we LOVE these! They get made almost once a week :) I use all buckwheat flour, and I have found that different brands of buckwheat make for a different texture. One day my kiddos wanted these and I realized I was out of milk, so I thinned out some thick yogurt with water and used that in place of the buttermilk. It made beautiful light fluffy pancakes! So now I always use thinned yogurt in place of the buttermilk. Thank you for this great recipe! :)
Kate
Love hearing that, Jamie! Thank you for sharing.
Lina
Nailed it guys :)
My son and I have been on a pancake quest until we found THE ONE! Well thank you cause today this recipe was it. We omitted the toppings and went for the pancakes with maple syrup. We did add a TBL of baking powder to make sure we got as much fluff as we could and make a homemade cashew milk on the fly. Added some stevia and lakanto instead of sugar, used the blender and it was awesome!!!
My 6 year old son was very pleased with the results – yes we have become pancake critics :) We are avid buckwheat eaters so this made perfect sense. Loved it – thank you so much and my son says he loves your website name. We will have to rummage through your site recipes now. <3
★★★★★
Kate
Love that this one worked out so well for you and your son, Lina! I really appreciate you taking the time to review.
Joanne
I loved my grandmother’s apple pancakes! Basically just flour, water, and apples as far as I can remember (which is why I haven’t made them I can’t remember!). Could I add some thinly sliced McIntosh (or another grainy sweet apple) to this recipe? How do you think it would cook up? my mom and I can’t wait to experiment!
★★★★★
Kate
You could try it! Although I haven’t tried it with this recipe. Let me know!
Linda
My husband loved these pancakes. I used just buckwheat flour, almond milk with unfiltered apple cidar vinegar, and THM Gentle Sweet blend(homemade). They were perfectly ft. Luffy and no problems with frying temp like I often have with wheat. Do you know carb count for as pancake? I’d really like to get this info! Thanks Kate!
★★★★
Kate
I’m not sure on the the low carb count and what you need it to be, but the nutrition information is below the notes section of the recipe that should be insightful. Hope this helps! Thanks for the review, Linda.
Stephanie D Wells
These were very good… only trouble I had was scorching. I could NOT stop these cakes from scorching! My usual setting on my stove for pancakes is 3.5. So I kept turning it down and down and it wouldn’t stop burning. It was frustrating. They were very tasty despite some scorching, but that was my trouble and I’m not sure why. I made recipe exactly as stated. I stopped using the butter too, and switched to oil and still struggled. Not sure if that is because of the buckwheat, or what the deal was. If I can manage to fix that, this recipe is very good!
★★★★