The Best Substitutes for Flour in Pancakes (Recipes Included)

Pancakes – a classic, easy breakfast food. Oftentimes we think about the toppings that go on pancakes, be it fruit, syrup, whipped cream, nuts – you name it. But what about what goes inside of the pancakes?

You may not be able to eat pancakes with gluten flour in them, or you may just want to try something new!

If you’re looking for a substitute for flour in pancakes, try buckwheat, spelt, almond, or brown rice. Want to skip your flour altogether? Try a mashed banana or cottage cheese.

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Gluten Flour Alternatives

If you’re able to consume gluten and are just wanting to switch up your pancakes a little bit, try these flours instead of your regular kind.

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour isn’t very new or original when it comes to pancakes, but it’s delicious, and that’s what matters. The best part about buckwheat flour? You can make sweet or savory pancakes with it.

Spelt Flour

Spelt is flour made from the entire grain, ground up. It can be used 1:1 to the original amount of regular flour in your recipe.

Spelt is particularly delicious when paired with lemon or orange flavors. Try a lemon poppyseed pancake with spelt flour. Add ricotta cheese – fresh or frozen – into your batter to make it fluffy and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect pancake.

Brown Rice / Almond Flour

For those of you who are gluten-free, brown rice flour or almond flour makes for great flour alternatives in pancakes.

These options are great with a sweeter fruit that caramelizes. Try banana or dates to really ramp up on your pancake game.

Flour-free Alternatives

Looking to skip the flour altogether? Try any of these options when making flourless pancakes.

Mashed Banana

Bananas are a great fruit – and extremely versatile. Mashed banana in pancake batter can add flavor and sweetness. If you use enough bananas, you can replace flour entirely!

Try using a mashed banana with almond or peanut butter, and maybe even some oatmeal. This makes your batter thick and when cooked, it’ll feel just like a regular flour pancake.

Cottage Cheese

Another great alternative to flour is cottage cheese. Try pairing cottage cheese with dry oats – that will help your ingredients stick together and your pancakes won’t feel like pudding.

Pancakes with cottage cheese:

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 cup oats
1 tablespoon oil
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼-½ cup of cottage cheese – depending on how thick you want your pancakes to be

Directions:

Preheat your skillet over medium heat. If you’re not using a non-stick pan, don’t forget your cooking oil!
Mix together eggs, cinnamon, a little neutral oil, oats, and cottage cheese until your batter is well blended and slightly lumpy.
Cook your pancakes, ¼ cup at a time. Serve hot with your favorite toppings!

Pancakes From Scratch

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour, or gluten flour alternative
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 egg
¾ cup milk or water
¼ cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat your skillet over medium heat.
Blend your ingredients until your batter is mixed but still lumpy. Let sit for 5 minutes before cooking.
Using a ¼ cup measure, spoon your batter onto the hot skillet or griddle. Let cook until you start seeing bubbles form in the batter. Flip, and cook the other side, about 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot, with your favorite toppings!

Tip: Whether or not you’re using regular flour, flour alternatives or no flour at all, try mixing any of the following into your pancake batter to make your pancakes even better!