Ever tried buckwheat pancakes? Sure, they aren’t the prettiest pancakes around, but they make up for their humble appearance with wonderful flavor and texture. Buckwheat, a gluten-free relative of rhubarb, has a uniquely nutty flavor all its own.
Thanks to the buckwheat flour, these pancakes are naturally gluten free! 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. I just love them.
This recipe was originally adapted from a fun 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.
It’s been eight years, so I’m revisiting this recipe to update the photos. I also tweaked the recipe a bit to work even better with 100 percent buckwheat flour. I added another egg and a smidge more flour. Hope you’ll give them a try soon!
What is buckwheat flour?
Buckwheat flour is often categorized as a whole grain, but technically, it’s not a grain at all. It’s a pseudocereal like quinoa and amaranth. Buckwheat flour is made from the seeds of buckwheat, a flowering cover crop.
Buckwheat is nutritious, offering a good source of minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Food52 says that buckwheat flour offers more protein, dietary fiber and B vitamins than an equal weight of whole wheat flour or oat flour.
Buckwheat flavor has a distinctive earthy flavor that you might recognize from soba noodles, blinis or crêpes. If you enjoy buckwheat, don’t miss my recipes for buckwheat waffles and buckwheat crêpes.
Buckwheat Pancake Tips
For thicker and fluffier pancakes, Adrianna suggests substituting half whole wheat or all-purpose flour for the buckwheat flour. Granted, your pancakes will no longer be gluten free, but the fluffier texture and lighter buckwheat flavor might be perfect for you.
Be sure to properly preheat your cooking surface. It’s ready when a few drops of water sizzle immediately upon impact. Don’t start too soon, or your pancakes won’t brown and will be difficult to turn.
Gently stir the batter before using, every time. Buckwheat flour tends to separate from liquid, so gently stir the batter before each batch to evenly distribute the ingredients.
If you’re cooking on the stovetop, you may need to dial back the heat a bit over time. Your temperature is too high if the pancakes are browning too quickly on the outside before they are done on the inside.
The pancakes are ready to flip when about 1-inch of the perimeter has turned from glossy to matte. Better to be patient than to end up with a doughy mess.
Serving suggestions: Buckwheat pancakes pair well with fresh berries and sliced ripe banana. I love them with a drizzle of maple syrup, of course, and a healthy swipe of peanut butter or almond butter for some additional protein.
More Gluten-Free Pancakes to Enjoy
- Banana Oat Pancakes
- Blender Oatmeal Pancakes
- Caramelized Peach and Oat Pancakes
- Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
Please let me know how your pancakes turn out in the comments! And check out even more pancake recipes here.
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: 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 flour (Adrianna’s suggestion) or whole wheat flour (my default). Recipe yields 12 medium pancakes, or enough for 2 to 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buckwheat flour (or ½ cup buckwheat and ½ cup flour of choice)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, shaken*
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Butter, for the skillet
Instructions
- 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. Set aside while you warm the skillet or griddle.
- Preheat your skillet or griddle over medium-low heat (if using an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Brush the cooking surface 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 cooling rack, or to a baking sheet in a preheated 200 degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm.
- Gently stir the batter before using again. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, brushing the skillet with additional butter as 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 milk of choice (almond, soy, rice, low fat coconut) with 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon vinegar and let it rest for 5 minutes before using.
Make it dairy free: See buttermilk alternative above, and lightly brush the skillet with melted coconut oil instead of butter.
Roasted strawberry topping option: (From original recipe.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss 1 pint strawberries (hulled and sliced into bite-sized quarters or halves) with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon maple syrup or 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).
Recipe edits 5/27/21: To make this recipe work even better with 100 percent buckwheat flour, I added an additional tablespoon of buckwheat flour and one additional egg.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Nurp
Would it be fine to grind buckwheat to obtain flour? I have organic buckwheat but do I have to wash first?
Kate
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you try it!
Tejwant Kaur
Hi Kate,
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.I tried the recipe using 1/2 buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup wholegrain wheat flour.The pancakes turned out fluffy and yummy.My family loved the pancakes.
Pam
This was fantastic!! The only change I made was to add 2 T. of melted butter to the batter before frying. I used 100% Arrowhead Mills organic buckwheat flour and they are light and fluffy. Great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Pam! Thank you for sharing.
Cheryl
I made as written using the milk+vinegar variation and just one teaspoon sugar. I separated the eggs and whipped the whites to soft peaks before folding them into the batter (to help make sure the pancakes would be fluffy). Delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad that worked so well for you, Cheryl! Thank you for taking the time to share.
PM
Used sourdough starter discard instead of buttermilk. Yielded a thick, light, almost fluffy pancake. Very tasty. This is now my go to pancake receipt. Uncomplicated, quick and easy, 5 stars!
★★★★★
Byron L Tapley
Thank you SO much for the GF buckwheat pancake recipe! Though I’ve never actually been diagnosed with celiac, it’s painfully obvious that’s what I have; thus am I grateful for any substitute that actually tastes like real food! LOL! Once I’ve tried it out, I’ll give the recipe a rating. Thanks again!
Kate
You’re welcome, Bryon!
Reshmi
Can you freeze these?
Kate
Yes! I have froze these and didn’t mind the results. They are best right away, but can be a freezer option.
grace
yum! these are so good, used flax milk, ground my own fresh buckwheat, only thing I changed was used the 2 eggs and folded in the egg whites. I always grind my own grains taste so much better and fresher than the flour sitting in the grocery store.
Thank You, its a keeper
★★★★★
Gordon Sorensen
Always curious when i see a recipe that calls for 1 PLUS 1 TBLSP. The add’l tablespoon seems so inconsequential. How did you come up with this as a necessary addition? Alsothe alternative of half b’wheat and half regular flour doesn’t call that out. why? thanks.
Kate
Hi Gordon! It comes with a lot of testing over the years. Different flours interact differently when using.
Karoline Spence
Thank you for another beautiful recipe.
I made this one twice so far. Once with all buckwheat flour and again using 3/4 cup and 1 Tbsp buckwheat flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour. I think of them as being 75% gluten-free. In both cases the pancakes were pretty and delicious.
Thank you for providing such a fantastic website.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Karoline! Thank you for your review.
Joyce
Thank you for this recipe…I did make it with the half buckwheat flour and half almond flour. I made my own buttermilk using almond milk and organic Mothers cider vinegar-thing is, i used a cup and a half instead of a cup and a quarter. To rectify the situation, I added extra almond flour. They were delicious.
★★★★★
Angela
This recipe is amazing!!!! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Angela! I appreciate your review.
Emily
I’m not sure how I missed this, as I completely forgot to add in the eggs in the recipe and honestly, it still turned out super delicious!! :-) Thanks Kate, I will try them again with the eggs next time haha.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they still turned out, Emily! Thank you for your review.
Maria
Best pancakes I’ve had. Brilliant recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Maria! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Gail
Followed your recipe exactly & they were delicious, light & fluffy. To cook I use olive oil & an iron frying pan and they cooked beautifully! I love your recipes.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Gail! Thank you for your review.
Larry
Followed the recipe to the tee as I always do 1st time. I went with the 100% Buckwheat version. They turned out fantastic. I enjoyed the nuttiness and hint of chocolate taste. They were fluffy and cakelike in texture. Excellent job Kate! The batter was thicker than I anticipated. Not a problem, just surprised.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Larry! I appreciate your review.
alice
Fantastic pancakes, the buckwheat gives a really strong, nutty and satisfying flavour and pair super well with roasted strawberries, or I really like them savoury with smoked salmon, soya yogurt and lemon.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Alice!
Cynthia Sappracone
This recipe is delicious! My naturopath has me on a low histamine diet, which can be pretty restrictive. So happy I can still enjoy pancakes, due to this recipe being gluten-free. Hubby liked it, too!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad these pancakes were a hit, Cynthia! I appreciate your review.