These healthier, soft, oat flour pancakes are easy for a quick breakfast, and use wholesome ingredients that are naturally gluten-free, and usually healthier than a pancake mix from the grocery store. They’re so fast to make, and leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, making them perfect for a busy weekday morning. 

For a complete breakfast, serve them with my homemade breakfast sausage patties recipe! It’s a great way to skip some of the potentially harmful ingredients in store-bought versions while getting your morning protein fix.

And if you’re making these oat flour pancakes, feel free to get creative! I love to drop some fresh berries, frozen blueberries or chocolate chips in these pancakes, or top them with fruit or a drizzle of maple syrup. It’s definitely a favorite breakfast recipe of mine that shows up in my house at least once per week.

And if you love making healthier pancakes with oat flour, you might love my lemon ricotta pancakes recipe and my banana pancakes recipe–both made with oat flour!

Now back to our standard oat flour pancakes!

Healthier pancakes that don’t miss out on flavor

If you’re like me, you love a stack of warm, soft pancakes in the morning, but also want to make sure you’re eating nutritious food. Unlike normal pancakes which are made with refined wheat flour and loads of sugar, these oat flour pancakes are made with whole grains. According to WebMD, due to the extra fiber in whole grains, they may not raise blood sugar as much as refined grains. And if you’re gluten free, these pancakes can be a part of your diet, so long as you ensure your oat flour is certified gluten free.

I even made these for my grandmother, who has been making me pancakes since I grew my first teeth. She was so excited by the flavor and potential health benefits of the oat flour, and eagerly asked for the recipe to add to her regular breakfast rotation. If these are grandma-approved, I’m sure you’ll love them too!

What you’ll need to make healthier oat flour pancakes:

Milk

I used almond milk, but feel free to use any milk you have on hand. Most non-dairy milk will work great, but stay away from high fat milks like coconut milk or non-dairy milks labeled “extra creamy” since these can include high levels of gums and fats that can weigh down the pancakes and result in less fluff. I’ve tried this recipe with regular oat milk, almond milk, and macadamia nut milk, and they’ve all worked well for me. 

Baking powder

This makes sure your pancakes are fluffy and have that extra lift like traditional pancakes.

Oat flour

If you don’t have pre-packaged oat flour on hand, you can make easy, homemade oat flour by adding some plain, rolled oats into a high-speed blender or food processor, and blending for a few minutes until it looks like fine powder – like regular flour and without a grainy texture. In just few minutes, you’ve got your own oat flour!

Eggs

This helps the batter have the right texture and stick together once it’s in the pan.

Oil or butter

This is just to grease the pan and prevent your pancakes from sticking. You don’t need much.

Salt (optional)

You only need a pinch to make the flavors stand out, but feel free to omit it if you’re on a low-sodium diet.

Brown sugar or coconut sugar (optional)

Sugar will help the pancakes have a light, natural sweetness, and will help you get that classic browned pancake appearance. But if you want less sugar, you cam omit or reduce the sugar and they’ll still taste great. You can also use any other type of granulated sugar you have on hand, like turbinado or standard white sugar.

Vanilla extract (optional)

This will give the pancakes a more robust flavor, but feel free to skip this ingredient if you don’t have any vanilla extract, or just don’t like it.

Directions

You have two options – you can either dump all the ingredients into a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until you have a smooth pancake batter, or start by mixing your dry ingredients in a bowl and later add the wet ingredients. I’ll go over the process for the second option. If you’re using a blender, blend all your ingredients except the oil, then skip to step 4.

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients together

Add the oat flour, baking powder, salt (optional) and sugar (optional) to a large bowl and whisk well to combine.

Step 2: Make a well in the center of the bowl of dry ingredients

Use your whisk or a spoon to create a hole or indentation in the center of the dry ingredients, to get it ready for when you add the wet ingredients.

Step 3: Add your wet ingredients to the center of the bowl

Mix all of your wet ingredients together with a whisk until they’re smooth. This includes the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Once it’s in the bowl with the dry ingredients, stir gently with the whisk to slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and there are no more lumps.

Step 4: Preheat your pan

While the batter sits for a few minutes, preheat your pan on a medium-low heat. 

Step 5: Add some oil to the pan 

Add a thin, small amount of butter or oil to the pan. You can use spray oil here if you prefer. This step is just to prevent the pancakes from sticking to the pan.

Step 6: Pour your pancake batter into the pan

Pour ¼ cup of pancake batter into the pan for each pancake. Using a ¼ cup measure will help you get the perfect size every time.

Step 7: Flip your pancakes

Once the bottom is lightly browned, flip the pancake over to cook on the other side. Leave it for 1-3 minutes or until the pancake is cooked through

Step 8: Remove your pancakes from the pan

Add your favorite toppings and enjoy! You’ve got some fluffy pancakes made with whole grains, and they’re ready to eat.

How to store your leftover oat flour pancakes

Store your leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use the leftover pancakes within 2-3 days.