These oil-free buckwheat pancakes are what my girls ask for every weekend — easy to make, gluten-free, and delicious.
During the week mornings are hectic: two schools, early starts, and quick breakfasts like toast, yogurt, or fruit. Weekends are different — the kids ask for slower, homemade breakfasts. Among their favorites are low-sugar breakfast cookies, berry muffins, and these buckwheat pancakes.
My daughters especially love this recipe. Jade requests it most weekends because it works well for her when she needs to limit gluten. The recipe uses a single flour (no gums or added starches), keeps sugar low, and is simple to prepare. Best of all, all the kids enjoy them — which is rare and always welcome.
These pancakes don’t rely on much added sweetness, so a light drizzle of maple syrup enhances them nicely. Most weekends my kids eat them plain — no syrup or butter — which says a lot about how good they are on their own.
The batter is forgiving and adapts well to additions like blueberries or a sprinkle of cinnamon, so feel free to customize. Below is the cleaned, SEO-friendly recipe and clear instructions so you can make oil-free buckwheat pancakes at home.
Easy Buckwheat Pancakes
5 mins
15 mins
20 mins
18 3-inch pancakes
Lauren Goslin
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour see Notes
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp sugar (I use cane sugar)
- 1 ¼ cup ‘butter’milk see Notes
- 1 egg (1/4 cup applesauce also works)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over low heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- To make the ‘butter’milk, add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to a measuring cup, then add milk of your choice to reach 1 1/4 cups.
- Whisk the egg (or applesauce) and vanilla into the milk mixture.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the milk/egg mixture in.
- Whisk until smooth. The batter may be thin at first but will thicken as it rests briefly.
- Add a small pat of butter or coconut oil to the warm pan and increase heat to medium.
- When you see tiny bubbles form on the surface, spoon about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the skillet.
- Cook until the edges set and bubbles form, then flip and cook an additional 20–30 seconds.
- Repeat with the remaining batter.
Notes
Nutrition facts are based on using buttermilk and an egg. WW SmartPoints: 1.
Nutrition
Notes:
I often grind my own buckwheat flour from raw groats, but pre-ground buckwheat flour works well in this recipe. For the ‘butter’milk, I sometimes use homemade coconut milk or regular milk with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar added to make the tangy milk substitute used here.
