Buckwheat Pancakes (Vegan, No Eggs, Gluten-Free)
on Feb 02, 2024, Updated Apr 28, 2026
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These buckwheat pancakes are vegan, gluten-free and ready in about 15 minutes. No eggs, no dairy and no special equipment needed, just one bowl and a hot pan.
Buckwheat is one of my favourite flours for pancakes. It has a distinctly nutty, slightly earthy flavour that works beautifully with maple syrup and fresh berries, and it produces a thicker, heartier pancake than all-purpose flour without feeling heavy. Despite the name, buckwheat is completely gluten-free and unrelated to wheat.
5-Star Review
These really are the best buckwheat pancakes! I’ve tried other recipes and they simply fall apart when cooking. Not these ones! Going to be using this over and over again.
Why You’ll Love Buckwheat Pancakes
- Vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and oil-free.
- Ready in 15 minutes in one bowl
- 8g protein and 7g fibre per serving.
- Naturally whole grain with a nutty, satisfying flavour
- Works with water. No plant milk required.
- Meal prep friendly. Store in the fridge for 4 days or freeze for 3 months
🔍 Recipe at a Glance
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Servings: 2
Per Serving: 293 calories, 8g protein, 7g fibre
Diet: Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free.
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- 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 but is still ok to use. I recommend using light buckwheat flour. Buckwheat flour can also be used in these Vegan Buckwheat Crepes and Buckwheat Muffins.
- Baking powder. It’s important to use active baking powder (not baking soda) 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.
- Sweetener. I used pure maple syrup to sweeten these. It can be substituted with brown sugar, coconut sugar, agave or brown rice syrup. For sugar-free pancakes, sweeten to taste with stevia.
- 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.
- Water or Milk. 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! You can also use soy milk or oat milk.
Additions and Variations
You can add just about anything to the batter and even make this recipe savory.
- To make savory buckwheat pancakes, omit or reduce sweetener. Add savory herbs and spices such as garlic powder, onion powder or rosemary.
- Coconut: Add up to 1 cup shredded coconut to the batter or us it as a topping. Try toasting the coconut flakes for 5-10 minutes at 350 F for a toasty, nutty flavour.
- Nuts: Add your choice of nuts to the batter or use as a topping, such as walnuts, slivered almonds or pecans. For a yummy combo try pecans or walnuts and banana.
- Berries: Add up to 1 cup fresh or frozen berries to the batter. If you’re using frozen berries, I suggest plopping a few berries into each pancake once you add the batter to the pan.
- Banana: Works best as a topping or add banana slices to each pancake after adding the batter to the pan.
- Chocolate Chips: YUM. Pair with banana? Ever better. Add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips to the batter or sprinkle in each pancake after adding the batter to the pan (before flipping).
How to Make Buckwheat Pancakes
Step 1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Make sure to mix well thoroughly distribute the baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Step 2: Add the sweetener, vanilla and milk to the dry ingredients and start folding together until the flour is all wetted. Once you’ve mixed it up, let it rest for 8-10 minutes while you heat the cooking surface.
Step 3: Make sure the pan or griddle is fully heated and prepped with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Drop batter onto the hot griddle in 1/4 cup portions.
Flip the pancakes when small bubbles appear across each pancake and the sides start to look dry and firm. Flip and cook for a couple more minutes, repeating until you’ve used all the batter.
Serve your buckwheat pancakes with a pat of butter or almond butter, maple syrup, banana, fresh blueberries and any other toppings you enjoy!
Deryn’s Notes
- Use light buckwheat flour if you can find it. It has a finer texture and milder flavour than dark buckwheat flour and produces a pancake that looks more like a traditional pancake. Dark buckwheat flour works fine but the pancakes will be darker, slightly grainier and have a stronger earthy flavour.
- I almost always make these with water rather than milk. The difference is minimal and water works perfectly. If you want a slightly fluffier result use almond or oat milk but don’t feel like you need to.
- Start with 3/4 cup liquid. The batter should be thick but pourable. Add an extra tablespoon or two if it seems too stiff, but don’t go above 1 cup or the pancakes will be too thin.
- Let the batter rest. The baking powder needs time to activate and the batter will thicken as it sits. Pancakes cooked from rested batter are noticeably fluffier than ones cooked immediately.
- My go-to topping is sliced banana and maple syrup. Simple but the banana complements the nutty buckwheat flavour better than almost anything else.
- For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients with accuracy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Although buckwheat has wheat in its name it’s not even related to wheat. In fact, buckwheat isn’t even a grain, it’s a grain-like seed.
So yes, buckwheat is gluten-free and perfect for a gluten-free diet. Just make sure you use gluten-free certified buckwheat in severe cases such as coeliac.
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 suggest light buckwheat flour for baking and pancakes as it’s finer in texture and lighter in colour.
I’ve 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.
Buckwheat pancakes provide a healthy alternative to pancakes made with white flour. These pancakes provide 7 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein per serving for a more balanced meal.
It’s also possible to make the pancakes sugar-free by using a sugar-free sweetener like monk fruit or stevia and they make a great base for healthy additions like blueberries. Buckwheat is also naturally gluten-free, making buckwheat pancakes an excellent option for those with celiac or a gluten intolerance.
Leftover pancakes can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container or food storage bag for up to 3 days. Enjoy cold or reheat briefly in the microwave, over or toaster.
Yes. Let cool completely then either freeze on a baking tray then transfer to a freezer bag or sealed container or freeze with a piece of parchment between each pancake to avoid them sticking together.
If frozen, thaw briefly at room temperature or in the fridge or reheat from frozen in the microwave, oven or toaster.
Yes. The batter works well in a waffle iron. Use the same batter and cook according to your waffle maker’s instructions. The result is crispier on the outside than a pancake with the same nutty buckwheat flavour. Grease the waffle iron well before adding the batter.
Yes, buckwheat flour can replace all-purpose flour 1:1 in pancake recipes. Depending on the type of buckwheat flour used, the result will be denser and earthier in flavour than a standard pancake and the colour will be darker, but the texture holds together well. This recipe is written specifically for buckwheat flour so no adjustments are needed.
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
Buckwheat Pancakes (Vegan, No Eggs, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour, 120 g
- 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*
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: 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.
- Rest Batter: Let the batter rest for 8-9 minutes while you heat a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium heat.
- Cook Pancakes: Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray then scoop the batter onto the pan in scant 1/4 cup portions. 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.
- Serve: Enjoy right away topped with your favourite pancake toppings like maple syrup and fresh blueberries. Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Leftovers can be reheated in the toaster or oven.
Because I recently heard that cacao is great for magnesium, I added 2 T to this recipe. They were great! Of course, I had to add a bit more liquid but very good!
Thanks, Dianne!
Excellent recipe! I use a bit more almond milk beca I like them thinner. But this is great! On repeat!
They were pretty good as is, but somewhat dry for me, and the batter a little thin even after sitting. I added a couple tablespoons of avocado oil to the rest of the batter and they were amazing. Moist, crispy, and still a good chew. The batter was thin, but the pancakes held together nicely and still became somewhat fluffy though thinner than traditional pancakes (of course, because they’re not traditional pancakes :)). Overall a pretty good base recipe. Thanks!
Just had these for breakfast topped with sweet freedom choc sauce, banana and walnuts. I never used buckwheat flour before so I was curious. Used oat milk instead of almond/cashew milk and it worked fine. Absolutely loved the super fluffy texture and nutty flavour. I made 6 rather than 8 pancakes out of the mixture as I prefer bigger pancakes. Thanks for another great recipe!
Can you use sprouted buckwheat for this?
You could use sprouted buckwheat flour but not whole/raw sprouted buckwheat.