I have a confession to make. Even though I love making and eating pancakes with my family on the weekends, I sometimes dread the pancake coma that comes after eating the pancakes. All I wanted to do after eating breakfast was to take a long nap. On the other hand, my 5 year old son, who I will affectionately refer to as “The Pancake Kid”, only becomes more energized after eating pancakes.

After a good breakfast of hearty pancakes, while I am struggling to keep my eyes open, he is running around the house like a caged animal finally set free. I developed this recipe for a healthy alternative without the gluten, melted butter, buttermilk, and cane sugar that has contributed to my after pancake crash.

I have been experimenting for a while on methods to make gluten free pancakes, but I was never quite satisfied with the results. One problem I have had was that the batter didn’t have the same structural support as a pancakes with gluten flour. I often would tear the pancake apart when flipping them, no matter how gentle I tried to be during this maneuver. I made a few changes from my original pancake portions which really seemed to make a difference. The key was to stick to the foundation of the pancake anatomy by making sure all 8 core ingredients are covered. See my post entitled “The 8 core ingredients of the pancake (Pancake Anatomy)”.

For the flour, I use gluten free old fashioned oats. For the leavening agent I used my standard portion of baking powder – 1 tablespoon per 1 cup of flour. I leave the baking soda out for this recipe (reasons are discussed later). For sugar, I use coconut flour instead of cane sugar. The coconut flour helps brown the edges of the pancake similar to cane brown sugar, but has a much lower glycemic index. I add my standard 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I use cashew milk instead of cow’s milk. Cashew milk is a little creamier than almond milk and a little higher in fat content which helps add to the overall flavor.

For an acid, I add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Since I want the vanilla flavor to come out in the final product, I don’t use baking soda to react with it. Instead of my standard one egg per 1 cup of flour, I add 2 eggs for this recipe. This helps make up for the loss of structure by not using gluten. For fat, I use 2 tablespoons of walnut oil. Walnut oil has a high melting point so it is great for cooking and baking. It adds a nice nutty aroma to the batter.

Finally, I add one banana to the batter. The banana adds to the sweetness of the pancakes and makes up for the loss of some sweetness by using coconut flour instead of cane sugar. But more importantly, the banana (like the extra egg) helps the pancake batter stick together. By using the banana and the extra egg, the pancake is almost easy to flip as a traditional pancake and shouldn’t fall apart when flipping.

I add all the dry ingredients together in a large blender cup and stir together with a spoon. Then I add all the wet ingredients into the blender (except the egg white) and blend it all together. The blender makes the whole oats into oat flour and mixes in the banana evenly with the rest of the batter. Finally, I gently fold in the egg white, let the batter sit for about 10 minutes while I let the stove top warm up the cast iron pan, and pop those pancakes onto the pan.

The pancakes really turned out great! I have repeated the recipe a number of times with consistent results. In fact, I just had these pancakes this morning and have I finally have the energy to write this post even after chasing The Pancake Kid around in the backyard.

Yield: 10-12

Healthy Gluten Free Banana Oat Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Healthy Gluten Free Banana Oat Pancakes. Non-dairy milk and fat is used. These pancakes are light and slightly crispy with a soft texture and a nice semi sweet taste.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup of gluten-free old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup of coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup of cashew milk
• 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla
• 1 whole banana
• 2 eggs - separated into yolks and whites

Instructions

1. Add the oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large blender cup and gently stir together with a spoon
2. Add the milk, vanilla, and banana into the same blender cup
3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites keeping the whites in a small mixing bowl, add the yolks to the blender cup
4. Blend the mixture on high until all items are evenly mixed
5. Whip the egg whites until a frothy white foam is formed and it starts to form soft peaks
6. Add the egg whites to the mixture and gently fold in the batter with a spatula, do NOT overmix!
7. Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes while you turn the stovetop burner to medium low heat and place a well seasoned cast iron pan on the burner
8. Test the temperature of the pan by placing a few drops of water on the pan, the water should sizzle and evaporate over about 2 seconds (if it takes longer, its not hot enough; if it explodes instantly into steam, the pan is too hot)
9. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop some batter out and place it on the pan, repeat for one or two more pancakes depending on the size of your pan
10. Wait until some bubbles start to form on the pancakes (it won't bubble as much as gluten flour pancakes), then wait a bit longer until the edges of the pancakes curl up on the sides
11. Flip the pancakes and let them cook on this side for about 45 seconds to one minute
12. Place the pancakes on a plate and serve with maple syrup or sugar free syrup

Notes

1. For thicker, fluffier pancakes: If you have a cover for the pan, place it over the pan for about 30 seconds - this helps cook the pancakes with convection heat and will help the pancakes rise a bit more

2. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy free.

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