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These oat flour pancakes are gluten-free, vegan, and surprisingly fluffy! They have quickly become a family favorite, and I love that they are egg-free.
How to Make Oat Flour Pancakes
Oat flour is one of my favorite gluten-free flours because it’s affordable and easy to find in stores, but make sure you look for “certified gluten-free” on the label to avoid cross-contamination. You can make your own flour by simply grinding gluten-free rolled oats in a coffee grinder or blender.
Aquafaba as a Vegan Egg Substitute
In my experience, oat flour needs eggs to “fluff up,” but I finally figured out a way around that by using aquafaba, which is the liquid leftover from a can of chickpeas. (Or any other variety of bean.) Aquafaba whips up just like egg whites, adding lift to vegan recipes like this one.
I found that you get the best stability, and the most fluffiness, when you add a pinch of cream of tartar to your aquafaba mixture. It’s helps provide the same structure in recipes that eggs do.
If you don’t have aquafaba on hand, I also have you covered. I found that using arrowroot starch and additional water can also replace eggs in this oat flour pancake recipe, so I’ve included that variation in the notes below the recipe.
I’ve also included two methods for preparing these pancakes. You can cook them the traditional way, on a skillet or griddle on the stove, or you can bake them, to cook several at once, without added oil. Either way, they’re delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from chickpeas)
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (for baked pancakes) or preheat a skillet over medium-low heat on your stove top (for skillet pancakes).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the aquafaba and cream of tartar until foamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add in the oat flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder, oil, water, and salt and stir until a smooth pancake batter is formed. Stir in the vinegar last, which will react with the baking powder, adding a little extra fluffiness to the pancake batter. Taste the batter and add 1 more tablespoon of sugar, if desired. (My family prefers them a little sweet.) This batter will thicken as it rests, so feel free to add extra water, just 1 teaspoon at a time, if it thickens while cooking the pancakes to help make it pour-able again.
- FOR BAKED PANCAKES: Pour the batter 1/4 cup at a time onto the lined baking sheet. It should spread into small pancakes, so leave room for them to spread a bit when baked. Bake at 350ºF until the centers feel firm to a light touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. There's no need to flip them this way, and the whole batch can cook at once.
- FOR SKILLET PANCAKES: Grease the preheated skillet, and pour 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into the center. Wait for the middle of the pancake to bubble, about 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low heat. (If the heat is too high, they can burn-- just like traditional pancakes!) Use a spatula to flip the pancake when it looks sturdy enough, then cook on the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the pan each time to help prevent sticking.
- Serve the pancakes warm, with fruit and/or maple syrup, as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Per pancake: 123 calories, Fat: 4g, Carbohydrates: 16g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 3g
Recipe Notes:
- To make this recipe without aquafaba, omit the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Instead, use 1/4 cup of arrowroot or tapioca starch and increase the water to 1/2 cup total.
- You can omit the oil if you prefer an oil-free pancake. Just add 1 more tablespoon of water, if needed to thin out the batter. The pancakes are just slightly gummier in texture without the oil, but still totally enjoyable.
- If you’d like a recipe with buckwheat flour, try my Baked Buckwheat Banana Pancakes instead.
As always, if you try something different with this recipe, please leave a comment below letting us know what you tried. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: Have you worked with aquafaba before? What’s your favorite way to serve pancakes? My kids just like theirs with peanut butter on top– no syrup!
Hi! If I use arrowroot starch: what are some substitutes? Would I still beat it like the egg whites with water, or just add it in? Thanks so much!
Cant wait to make these. Do you have a vegan waffle recipe or can this be converted to make waffles
Thank you
Love this recipe! Replaced half of the oat flour with coconut milk pulp, half the water with homemade coconut milk and used melted coconut oil instead of olive oil – Delish!
Also, love baking method! It is a game changer 🙂
Can I use eggs instead of the aquafaba? I have to be vegan because of food allergies, except I can eat eggs. I’m allergic to beans, soy, nuts and dairy. That would be easier than trying to find arrowroot powder. Thanks
Hi, can someone suggest what I might have done wrong? I followed the recipe exactly (substituting the arrowroot starch and water for aquafaba, as I didn’t have any aquafaba), and the batter was so dry, it couldn’t even be considered batter. I had to add another almost full cup of liquid plus an egg until it was finally “batter-like.” I read others’ comments about how everything turned out perfectly, and I’m just very confused… Thanks for any suggestions!
Can I use flax seed egg intead of aquafaba :)) ??will it work the same??
Absolutely delicious! We use 2 apples instead of the apple sauce, and omit the maple syrup. This has become one of our favorite weekend breakfasts!
I love this recipe so much. I usually add a couple table spoons puréed beets and it’s fantastic
Thanks for this delicious pancake recipe. Finally a recipe we all love as a family, kids approved! 😊🎉
I added a bit of vanilla extract, exchanged half of the water with homemade coconut milk, and used melted coconut oil instead of olive oil. They came out exquisite! Mmm 😋
Now I’m wondering if I can use some of my dried coconut pulp to replace some of the oat flour.. and maybe use it also as a cupcake batter. What you think? Would you have some suggestions?
Thanks once again for your delicious inspiration!