Vegan buckwheat pancakes are easy to make and naturally gluten-free. Enjoy topped with blueberries, banana and maple syrup for a healthy and delicious breakfast the whole family will love.

A stack of buckwheat pancakes on a plate, topped with blueberry, banana and syrup.

These simple and delicious, gluten-free pancakes are easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. Enjoy straight from the pan, topped with blueberry, banana and syrup or stash in the fridge or freezer and reheat in the toaster for a quick snack or breakfast.

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Is buckwheat gluten-free?

Yes. Although buckwheat has wheat in its name it’s not even related to wheat. In fact, buckwheat isn’t even a grain! So yes, buckwheat is gluten-free. Just make sure you use gluten-free certified buckwheat in severe cases such as coeliac.

What does buckwheat flour taste like?

Buckwheat has a delicious nutty flavor that’s perfect in pancakes, baking and even savory recipes like veggie burgers.

A sliced stack of blueberry and banana topped pancakes on a plate.

Light vs. Dark Buckwheat Flour

You will find two different kinds of buckwheat flour in stores, light, and dark. The difference being light buckwheat flour is ground from hulled buckwheat whereas dark buckwheat flour is made from unhulled buckwheat.

I prefer light buckwheat flour for baking and pancakes as it’s finer in texture and lighter in colour.

What about the nutritional difference? Both are nutritious but dark buckwheat flour has a higher fiber content.

What if light vs dark is not specified? I have seen packaged buckwheat flour that does not specify light or dark. In those cases, it turned out to be dark buckwheat flour. Dark buckwheat flour is fine to use in these, the pancakes will just be darker in color and grainer than they’d be with light flour.

A stack of buckwheat pancakes on a plate, topped with blueberry, banana and syrup.

Ingredient Notes

  1. Buckwheat flour. I used store-bought buckwheat flour for this recipe and have not tested it with homemade buckwheat flour or any other gluten-free flours. I used light buckwheat which is why my pancakes have a more traditional pancake colour. Dark buckwheat flour will result in darker, grainier pancakes.
  2. Baking powder. It’s important to use active baking powder to give these some nice fluff! If you’re unsure if your baking powder is active, put 1 tsp in a small dish and pour hot water over it. It should bubble up right away if it’s active.
  3. Sweetener. I used maple syrup to sweeten these. It can be substituted with coconut sugar, agave or brown rice syrup. For sugar-free pancakes, sweeten to taste with stevia.
  4. Vinegar. The vinegar helps add some extra fluff to the recipe and gives it a subtle buttermilk flavour. You can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
  5. Liquid. I have tested this recipe with water, almond milk and cashew milk and haven’t noticed much of a difference between them. They came out slightly fluffier when made with nut milk but in a pinch, water is totally fine!

How to Make these Pancakes

Let’s go over a few tips and tricks for buckwheat pancake success!

Step 1. Combine the dry ingredients.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl to help distribute the baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl with a spoon.

Step 2. Add the wet ingredients.

Quick Tip: Begin heating a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium heat to it’s fully heated when you’re ready to start cooking.

Add the sweetener, vanilla and milk to the dry ingredients and start folding together until the flour is all wetted. Do not over mix, a slightly lumpy batter is best! Once you’ve mixed it up, let it rest for 8-10 minutes while you heat the cooking surface.

For a recipe variation, fold in 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries or a sprinkling of chocolate chips.

Raw pancake batter in a mixing bowl.

Step 3. Cook the pancakes.

Time to cook! Make sure the pan or griddle is fully heated and prepped with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Drop batter onto the pan in 1/4 cup portions.

Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear across each pancake and the sides start to look dry and firm. Flip and cook for a couple more minutes. Repeat until you’ve used all the batter.

A plate full of pancakes.

I get 8 medium-sized pancakes out of this recipe but it can easily be doubled if you need a bigger batch. Leftovers keep great in the fridge and are quite tasty cold. They can also be reheating in the toaster!

A sliced stack of blueberry and banana topped pancakes on a plate.

Related Recipes

Here are some more easy recipes to try:

I also have a free pancake ebook you can get here!

Did you make this recipe? Click here to leave a review!

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A stack of buckwheat pancakes on a plate, topped with blueberry, banana and syrup.

Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 pancakes 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

These delicious buckwheat pancakes make the perfect breakfast. Naturally gluten-free, oil-free and refined sugar-free, this recipe is great for the whole family.

★★★★★

4.9 from 27 reviews
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (120 g) buckwheat flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup + 1-2 tbsp unsweetened almond or cashew milk (see notes, can use water if needed)
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl until well combined.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and gently fold together until all the flour is wetted. If it’s a bit clumpy, that’s great, do no over mix.
  3. Let the batter rest for 8-9 minutes while you heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat.
  4. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray then scoop the batter onto the pan in scant 1/4 cup portions.
  5. Let cook until bubbles appear all over each pancake and the edges start to look dry and cooked, this should take 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Repeat until you’ve used all the batter, you should get about 8 pancakes.
  6. Enjoy right away topped with your favourite pancake toppings or store in the fridge or freezer. Leftovers can be reheated in the toaster or oven.

Notes

Start with 3/4 cup liquid and add 1-2 tbsp more, if needed. If you use 3/4 cup, the batter will be quite thick and you will get 8 medium pancakes. You can add more liquid for slightly thinner pancakes and to stretch the batter further. I’ve found 1 cup of liquid to be too much though, so it’s better to start with 3/4 cup and add a touch more if needed. If you do add too much liquid, no problem, just stir in a little more flour to thicken. I use 3/4 cup liquid as I like pancakes on the thicker side! If you do use up to 1 cup liquid they’ll be thin pancakes closer to crepes. Both are good, just depends what you like! Keep in mind the batter will also thicken a bit as it rests before cooking.

For blueberry buckwheat pancakes, fold in 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries after you mix in the wet ingredients.

I used store-bought light buckwheat flour for this recipe and have not tested it with homemade buckwheat flour or any other gluten-free flours. I used light buckwheat which is why my pancakes have a more traditional pancake color. Dark buckwheat flour will result in darker, grainier pancakes.

For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients. 

I get 8 medium-sized pancakes out of this recipe but it can easily be doubled if you need a bigger batch. Leftovers keep great in the fridge and are quite tasty cold. They’re also perfect for reheating in the toaster!

Keywords: buckwheat pancakes, vegan buckwheat pancakes, buckwheat flour pancakes