Best Gluten-Free Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes
These gluten-free and vegan buckwheat pancakes are easy to make with simple ingredients and ready in 15 minutes for a healthy breakfast.
About the Recipe
If you love pancakes, then you’ll love these fluffy buckwheat pancakes!
This recipe is oil-free, gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free so makes an excellent option for those with allergies or other dietary restrictions.
Buckwheat pancakes have a nuttier, earthier flavour than regular pancakes made with white or whole wheat flavour. They may also vary from a light colour to a dark, greyish colour depending on if light or dark buckwheat flour is used.
Regardless of the differences, buckwheat pancakes still cook up wonderfully light, fluffy and delicious, just like traditional pancakes.
Enjoy buckwheat pancakes hot from the pan, topped with fresh fruit and syrup, or stash them in the fridge or freezer and reheat in the toaster for a quick snack or breakfast.
Gluten-free flours such as quinoa flour, oat flour and chickpea flour also work well for making gluten-free pancakes. You can try them in these Vegan Quinoa Flour Pancakes, Vegan Oat Banana Pancakes, Oat Flour Pancakes without Banana or Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes.
For easy vegan pancakes made with all purpose flour you can try these Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes or Vegan Banana Pancakes with Berries. For vegan pancakes made with whole wheat flour, try these Fluffy Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes.
Ingredient Notes
- 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.
- 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!
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
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!
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 prefer 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.
Cooking Notes
- Serving Size: 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 reheated in the toaster!
- Liquid Amount: 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.
- Too Much Liquid: 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 as it rests before cooking.
- Doubling: For a double batch of buckwheat pancakes, the recipe can be doubled with no further adjustments.
- Measuring Accuracy: For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients with accuracy.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 pancakes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These delicious buckwheat pancakes make the perfect breakfast for the entire family.
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.
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 flour 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 (2 servings) 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!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 the recipe
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 380 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 8 g
Very easy & tasty recipe. I used 1 rounded tsp granulated white swerve erythritol seeetener in place of maple syrup (I don’t like stevia), but used my maple syrup to drizzle over them. They tasted hearty and had a good flavor. I have never liked berries or fruit with my pancakes, but loved blueberries with these. Next time I will increase the vanilla a little & decrease the cinnamon.
These are delicious! I never thought of mixing the ingredients in this variation. I blended my own buckwheat into the flour and substituted monk fruit for maple syrup, since I’m fresh out They turned out great! Love the taste. Will definitely make them again and again
Oh wow, these were honestly incredible😍 Some of the best pancakes I’ve had (vegan or otherwise!), thank you for this wonderful recipe! (Even my non-vegan family LOVED them).
Vanilla makes everything better! And cinnamon!
I’ve made other buckwheat pancakes before, with egg, and they were tasty but a little heavy. I love how light this recipe is – though I cheated a bit by adding 1/2 cup of ground oats when I increased the recipe by 50% (rather than doubling) because I was worried of it being heavy. I’ll try with all buckwheat next time!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Since turning vegan almost 3 years ago I’ve tried making vegan pancakes several times and failed every time even though I followed recipes to the T (may have been the pans I was using lol but still they never made well so I’ll blame the recipe which always had bananas in the mix 🤨) and today I was doing a food shop and came across a bag of organic buckwheat flour which I prefer to white or wholemeal and I thought BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES so stood in Sainsburys and Googled this.. found a few other recipes and disregarded them until I came to this… simple recipe and extremely satisfied with the result!! I ate the whole batch to myself with bananas, blueberries, sweet potato, dessicated coconut and maple syrup for dinner lol!! I can see myself eating alot of these now!! Haha so thank you I am truly grateful 😍✌🏼💚🌱
This makes me so happy! I’m so glad you enjoyed them and thanks so much for letting me know! Happy pancake making!
Good!!! 🙂 I tried changing it abit to make more of a wrap type breakfast meal by taking away the sweet ingredients and the ACV and adding baobab and failed a tad haha so this morning I’m sticking to the recipe and having these pancakes again and I’ll just look up a proper wrap recipe! Thank you! You’re welcome and thank you!!! 🙂
These turned out great! I had to leave out the syrup but topped the pancakes with cooked fruit and it was tasty. Loved using the leftover pancakes for snacks too smothered in nut butters!
I was attracted to this recipe by its simplicity, and have bookmarked it because of its deliciousness! For those that are using dark buckwheat flour, you will need to add more water than the recipe calls for. Maybe even over a cup. I added a few extra pours of water on top of the 3/4 cup and that still wasn’t enough (batter only made 5 thick pancakes). Despite that, they were still delicious! I enjoyed mine with some strawberries and blueberries mixed with plain vegan yogurt and agave.
Thanks so much for the feedback! I haven’t made them with dark buckwheat flour so that’s great to know. Glad you enjoyed them!
My non-vegan housemate loved these! I made the flour by grinding buckwheat kernels but I didn’t have enough so I topped up with ground oat and it was delicious. Also took up the blueberry option, which made them seem more special and even more luxe. And so easy! Thank you.
Was looking for a pure buckwheat flour recipe so decided to try this! I also had the same issue as another commenter, 3/4 nut milk not was not enough liquid. I have organic buckwheat flour, no specification of dark vs light anywhere on the bag. I also kept splashing in more water until flour was fully incorporated. So this resulted in a lot of mixing, which I did not like.
And the batter was very sticky, very thick. Despite this, they tasted great when cooked in coconut oil in my cast iron! Maybe a scooch dry?? So even more liquid?! I can’t see how 3/4 cup is nearly enough and no indication my flour is anything special or different. Strange, I wonder why this larger discrepancy in volume of liquid. I can’t wait to make it again, regardless. I ate them with a cacao coconut milk chocolate sauce, strawberries and thick coconut yogurt (it’s like creme, so delicious, called Cocojune). My mouth was very happy. So next time I guess I’ll try initially adding between 1.25-1.5 cups nut milk, I haven’t decided as I didn’t measure my splashes.. maybe 1 and 1/3 then 🙂 And the batter was still very, very thick after this additional volume.
My only guess here is that you’re using far more than 1 cup of flour. If measured with a scale, 1 cup is only 120 g. If using a cup to measure, sometimes it can be as much as double that. No matter, though…the recipe will still work, you just need more liquid. Glad you enjoyed them either way!
Wowwww these are AMAAAAZING! Even better than McDonald’s pancakes I used to buy.
I’m a pancake lover and never thought these would be soooo delicious & soooo filling!
My husband loved it so much, he wanted them again for our dinner the next night 🥰
Really loved how fast and easy these were to make, to make 8 for me & hubby took me less than 10 mins to fry up, round about 5-8 mins to prep ☺️
Thank you for this awesome recipe ☺️
So glad you guys loved them!! Thanks so much for the review and message. 🙂
Worked great using ground buckwheat groats. I just had to add a bit more milk.
Okay, good to know! I haven’t tried these with homemade buckwheat flour yet. Thanks!