These gluten-free and vegan oat flour pancakes are light, fluffy and made with just a few simple ingredients. No banana needed!

Stack of thick and fluffy oat flour pancakes topped with sliced figs on a small plate.

You’ll love these thick and fluffy pancakes for an easy breakfast you can make in 15 minutes. No white flour or banana needed!

These pancakes are made with oat flour, which makes a great option for pancakes. It’s healthy, gluten-free, whole grain, hearty, inexpensive (make your own!) and adds a delicious nutty flavour to recipes.

Enjoy these pancakes with toppings like blueberries, banana and maple syrup for a delicious, family-friendly breakfast.

Recipe Features

  • Dietary Features: Vegan (dairy-free and eggless), gluten-free, nut-free (depending on milk used) and oil-free.
  • No white flour needed. These works great with homemade oat flour!
  • Easy to make with just 7 simple ingredients.
  • Lightly sweetened with the perfect fluffy texture.
  • Make them in advance and reheat in a dry frying pan or the toaster for a quick breakfast or snack.

Ingredient Notes

Oat flour, tapioca starch, sugar, vanilla and baking powder in small bowls on a marble surface. Each ingredient is labelled with text.
  • Oat Flour: You can make your own oat flour using rolled oats or quick oats, or use store-bought oat flour.
  • Tapioca Flour/Starch: This helps with thickening and binding. You can substitute it with cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
  • Plant-Based Milk: You can use cashew milk, almond milk, soy milk, oat milk or any other plant milk you enjoy. To use canned coconut milk, use half coconut milk and half water or a lighter milk like almond milk.
  • Coconut Sugar: This can be substituted with any other sweetener, liquid or dry. For sugar-free pancakes you can use stevia or monk fruit sweetener.
  • Applesauce: Applesauce helps replace oil and keeps the pancakes moist. I’d suggest unsweetened applesauce though you can use sweetened and reduce or omit the added sugar in the recipe.
  • Vinegar: Adds fluff! You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. Lemon juice also works!

How to Make Oat Flour Pancakes

Mix up the oat flour, tapioca starch, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl to thoroughly combined and ensure the baking powder is well distributed.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well until you have a thick but pourable batter.

Banana oat pancake batter in a glass mixing bowl.

Quick Tip: Avoid using too much oil in the pan by using a light coating of nonstick spray or rubbing a piece of greased paper towel over the pan before heating. If you have a good nonstick pan, skip the oil all together.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Once the pan is fully heated, add roughly 1/4/-1/3 cup scoops of batter to the pan.

Once the edges look dry and firm and bubbles appear across the surface, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Enjoy your oat flour pancakes with all your favourite toppings!

Hand pouring maple syrup from a small container over a stack of healthy oatmeal pancakes.

Success Tips

  • If the batter gets too thick (this will happen if it sits and the oats absorb the liquid), whisk in 1-2 tbsp milk or water as needed to adjust the consistency. It should be fairly thick but still pourable. If you add too much liquid, you can stir in some quick oats or oat flour to thicken. You can also add more liquid if you’d like thinner, crepe-style pancakes.
  • Preheat the pan then cook the pancakes over medium-low heat. This will allow them to cook through without burning or browning too much.

FAQs

Can I use a different type of flour?

This recipe was developed specifically for oat flour but good news, I have many different pancake recipes for you to try!

Here are some options:

Chickpea Flour Pancakes
Vegan Quinoa Flour Pancakes
Vegan Oat Banana Pancakes
Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes
Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes

Can I make them in advance?

Yes! These can be made ahead of time and stored in a sealed cotanienr in the frdige for up to 5 days.

Reheat as needed in a pan, oven, toaster or microwave until heated to your preference. Or enjoy cold for a quick snack!

Can I make my own oat flour?

Yes! This recipe works great with homemade oat flour. Add rolled oats, large flake oats or quick oat to a high-speed blender and process into a fine flour consistency.

I find a blender or single-serve blender container works best for making oat flour but if you have a good food processor, that works too.

Stack of thick vegan oat flour pancakes topped with blueberries and figs on a small plate.The stack has a slice taken from it so you can see the inside texture of the pancakes.

Serving

Variations & Add-Ins

  • Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Add up to 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate. You can mix them right into the batter or drop a few on top of each pancake after adding the batter to the pan.
  • Banana Oat Pancakes: Add up to 1/2 chopped or mashed banana or try these banana oat pancakes for a similar recipe made with oats and banana.
  • Blueberry Oat Pancakes: Mix in up to 1/2 cup fresh blueberries or any other berry, or drop fresh or frozen blueberries into each pancake after adding the batter to the pan (you can mix in frozen berries but they might turn the batter purple – that’s ok if you don’t mind!).
  • Double Chocolate Pancakes: Add chocolate chips and 2 tbsp dark cocoa powder.
  • Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: Add 1 tbsp cinnamon and sprinkle some coconut sugar or brown sugar over each pancake after adding them batter to the pan. Serve with this cashew frosting or this cashew cream cheese frosting.
  • Other Add-Ins: Try raisins, walnuts, grated carrot or shredded coconut.

Stack of thick vegan oat flour pancakes topped with maple syrup, blueberries and figs on a small plate.The stack has a slice taken from it so you can see the inside texture of the pancakes.

Storing, Freezing & Reheating

  • Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • Freezer: Store in a freezer bag with a piece of parchment paper between each pancake to prevent them from sticking together (or freezer in a layer on a baking tray before transferring to a bag or container). Store for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen pancakes briefly at room temperature before reheating.
  • Reheating: Reheat in a dry pan, toaster or in the oven at 350 F until heated through. The microwave works too but they can become a bit soggy. I prefer them to get a little crispy on the outside by reheating in a pan, stovetop or toaster.
Print
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Hand pouring maple syrup from a small container over a stack of healthy oatmeal pancakes.

Oat Flour Pancakes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: serves 3
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Hearty, healthy and delicious, vegan and gluten-free whole grain pancakes made with oat flour. 


Ingredients

  • 2 cups oat flour (200 g)
  • ¼ cup tapioca starch/flour (30 g)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
  • 1 cup plant-based milk of choice (240 mL)
  • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (45 g)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (65 g)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Instructions

  1. Mix the oat flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon, if using, in a medium mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  3. Lightly grease or spray a nonstick pan and heat over medium-low heat.
  4. Pour ¼ – ⅓ cup of batter into the hot pan and cook until the edges of the pancakes look dry and browned and the surface of pancakes have some bubbles.
  5. Flip the pancake with a spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, about 1-3 minutes more.
  6. Serve hot with your favourite toppings.

Notes

Sweetening: Coconut sugar can be substituted for any other sweetener such as cane sugar or maple syrup. For sugar-free pancakes you can use stevia or monk fruit sweetener.

Milk: Try almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk or soy milk. If you’d like to use canned coconut milk, use half light coconut milk and half water, almond milk, cashew milk or other lighter plank milk.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/3 of recipe
  • Calories: 305
  • Sugar: 12 g
  • Sodium: 281 mg
  • Fat: 7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 61 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 11 g