Oat Flour Pancakes

These oat flour pancakes make a delicious, gluten free healthy breakfast. Using oats rather than wheat flour means they'll keep you fuller for longer. And oats are very nutritious. Oatmeal also gives these pancakes a lovely nutty flavour, and a very nice texture. I love them piled with natural yogurt, fruit and seeds.

What you'll love about the recipe

• Oatmeal pancakes need just 4 simple everyday ingredients
• Quick to make and ready in 15 minutes
• These flourless pancakes are easily made gluten free using certified oats. So many gluten free flours are low in fibre and nutrients, and oats are a great healthy alternative.
• You can also make oat flour pancakes dairy free using plant based milk
• Wholegrain oats make these a healthy, filling and substantial breakfast

If you want a thinner pancake that you can fold, try this recipe for oat flour crepes.

Health benefits of oats

Oats are rich in a particular type of fibre called beta glucans. Beta glucans will keep you feeling fuller for longer, and benefits your digestive system by helping to promote healthy gut bacteria. Beta glucans can also help to control cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Oats are also packed with antioxidants, and these can help to reduce blood pressure. They are also loaded with vitamins and minerals, including iron, zinc and several B vitamins. See here to find out more about the health benefits of oats.

Oats are also a good source of protein, so in combination with egg and milk, they'll make these oat flour pancakes a great healthy start to the day.

You might also like to try these oat bran pancakes.

Ingredients for oat flour pancakes

Oats: I prefer to use whole rolled oats for this recipe, as they are healthier than instant oats. But you'll be blitzing them to a flour in the recipe, so it will work with either. You can also use ready ground oat flour.

Oats are naturally gluten free, but they can easily become contaminated with gluten, so if you are celiac, or sensitive to gluten, make sure you buy gluten free oats.

Egg: Eggs bind the ingredients together, and provide extra protein and nutrition. I've never made the pancakes using an egg replacer such as flaxseed but if you do give it a go, please let me know how it works in the comments below.

Milk: You can use any type of milk, dairy or non dairy, skimmed or full fat.

Baking powder helps to make these oat flour pancakes light and fluffy

You'll also need a tiny bit of oil to cook the pancakes.

Optional ingredients

Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon is optional in this recipe. But as well as adding a delicious sweetness, there is strong evidence that cinnamon also has health benefits. It is anti inflammatory, and can help to control your blood sugar levels. And like oats, it can also help to reduce 'bad' cholesterol.

You could also add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract for extra flavour and sweetness.

How to make gluten free oatmeal pancakes

If you have a hand blender or food processor, you can make these oat flour pancakes in minutes. The oats become very finely chopped in the process of blending the pancake, turning them into flour. I usually make the pancake mixture in a tall jug with an immersion blender. You simply need to add all the ingredients and blitz until smooth.

The mixture should be quite thick so that the pancakes hold their shape. If necessary add a few more oats. Or if the mixture looks too thick, you can add a little more milk.

If you don't have a processor or blender, then it's best to use ready ground oat flour rather than whole oats to make this recipe. Beat the egg in a bowl, and add in the oat flour, baking powder, milk and cinnamon if using.

The pan needs to be hot before you add the pancake mixture to stop it sticking to the pan. Heat the pan, add a tiny bit of oil and tip to spread it around the pan. Then add tablespoonfuls of the mixture and gently spread them out slightly. You'll get 6-8 pancakes from this quantity of mixture, so it's best to cook them in two batches.

Cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is set, and the top is just starting to dry out. Then flip the pancakes and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes. Oat flour pancakes are quite robust, so they are easy to handle.

Serving

I enjoy these gluten free oat flour pancakes regularly for breakfast or lunch (after a bowl of soup!)

They are delicious with maple syrup, or piled with fruit and yogurt. Cooked fruit also goes very well - how about stewed apple or these stewed plums with honey?

But you could also try them with this low sugar berry jam, date spread or homemade fig paste.

For a more indulgent treat, add a drizzle of tahini and maple caramel.

Or for a savoury option, add a poached egg, smoked salmon and some healthy hollandaise sauce.

Frequently asked questions

Other healthy pancake recipes (gluten free)

For a pancake which is higher in protein, you could also try these cottage cheese pancakes. Or use the mixture to make protein waffles. If you've got a glut of courgettes, you might also like to try making these healthy courgette pancakes.

You might also like these gluten free drop scones which are similar to pancakes and made with gluten free flour.

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Recipe

Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.