These Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes are my attempt to recreate a childhood favorite.
I remember the excitement of going out to breakfast as a kid. Knowing that I could order French toast and eggs and ham, and homefries made me feel as if the world was my oyster.
Having so many choices can be overwhelming, so it I felt relieved knowing that I could skip an entire section of the menu; The Pancake Section. Why? Because (according to baby me) restaurant pancakes are gross, simple as that. You know the ones that are like sponges that absorb the syrup the second you pour it on? Blech.
Even as a kid, apparently, I was a food snob.
Mom’s were a different story. Somehow simultaneously rich and light, perfectly browned at the edges. She used to separate the eggs and whip the whites, which made the pancakes light and fluffy. The warmed maple syrup she served them with took them to another level.
For this recipe, I use her technique and paleo ingredients. Make sure to select the dairy-free options if you don’t tolerate dairy.
When I first switched to a mostly paleo way of eating, I tried a couple recipes for almond flour pancakes and found them to be a bit… dense. I really wanted to recreate the pancakes from my childhood, and with a few attempts, came up with these. I hope you love them!
Grain-free flours tend to vary quite a bit in quality and consistency. I’ve had good results with this one, which is a decent price, especially when buying a slightly larger quantity. If not using it quickly, make sure to store it in the freezer.
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PinIngredients
- 4 eggs, separated ((place the whites in the bowl to a stand mixer or a large bowl if using hand held beaters. Yolks in a medium mixing bowl)
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon flax seed meal
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream or full fat coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil, (plus additional for frying pancakes)
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a stand beater or large bowl with hand held beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, heavy cream, melted butter, honey and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Do not over mix
- Stir 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the pancake mixture, then gently fold in the rest.
- Heat a large pan or griddle to medium heat and add about 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. Once it’s hot, ladle the pancake batter into the skillet. If you were gentle with folding in the egg whites, the batter will be thick, and you’ll need to spread the pancake out a bit. Make them whatever size you want, but keep in mind they’re easier to flip when they’re small.
- Cook the pancakes for 3-4 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if necessary. I find with grain free pancakes, I have to turn the heat up a bit at first, and turn it down as the pancakes are cooking so they won’t burn. It varies with each type of pan, so play with it and see what works best.
- Keep the finished pancakes in a warm oven until ready to serve.
- Serve with grass fed butter, berries, and real maple syrup, warmed if you’d like.
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Chris says
These sound perfect.
lyndajeffersphotography says
These sound delicious, going to try them this weekend, thank you!
Emma Lowrey says
Super awesome! Thanks so much for this wonderful treat.
foodrevelation says
OK…another amazing recipe! I’m not really a huge pancake fan myself and, like you, would NEVER order them at a restaurant…but my 5 year old loves them so I thought I’d try this recipe. SO GOOD!! My husband and I even loved them!! I topped them with maple syrup (of course) and they tasted both sinful and healthy at the same time!! Now I’m off to make (your) chocolate chip cookies…I’m becoming slightly addicted to your website and recipes!! Thanks so much! 🙂
Janet says
OK…another amazing recipe! I’m not really a huge pancake fan myself and, like you, would NEVER order them at a restaurant…but my 5 year old loves them so I thought I’d try this recipe. SO GOOD!! My husband and I even loved them!! I topped them with maple syrup (of course) and they tasted both sinful and healthy at the same time!! Now I’m off to make (your) chocolate chip cookies…I’m becoming slightly addicted to your website and recipes!! Thanks so much!
christine says
Can you tell me how many pancakes this recipe makes? Thanks!!!
zenbellyblog says
hmmmm I wish I included that in the recipe. I want to say about a dozen medium size pancakes? I know I double the recipe when making it for 4, and have leftovers. I’ll definitely take note next time I make them and edit the recipe accordingly!
1antigone says
I have made these several times and they are amazing. I have adapted the recipe a bit based on the ingredients I have on hand and my own degree of laziness. I substitute the flax with additional almond flour, and I’m to lazy to who the egg whites so I just put the whole egg in (we have quail so I use quail eggs). These are amazing-my husband said he prefers then to my gluten pancakes! My kids get so excited when I announce we are having these for breakfast.
Jennifer Harju says
I have made soooo many different grain free pancakes and the kids never like them. These were the first ones that got a “delicious!” I couldn’t believe it. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. You are a genius!
Aimee C. says
Could I replace the flax seed meal with coconut flour?
zenbellyblog says
You could try, but with all substitutions, I can’t give a confident answer unless I’ve tried it myself! I would start by adding less of the coconut flour, since it’s so absorbent.
Patty says
These are without a doubt the best pancakes I have made yet, thank you!!! Only change I made was 6 eggs instead of 8, since we were using jumbo eggs… Thanks for all of the hard work you do to come up with these recipes!!!!
Mandy says
I didn’t have the arms to beat the whites into peaks, but they still came out wonderfully. They were so light and fluffy before I turned them over I started to giggle.
Ashley says
How do you think these would freeze and re-heat?
Cynthia G. says
Delicious! I had this recipe for a while but hesitant as I had done so many Paleo and Gluten Free pancakes (and cookies) that just ended up tasting awful or like sandstorms that I wasn’t in a hurry to try. Well this morning I made these and they were awesome. I am the pancake queen in my family but since having wheat problems I wasn’t making them much to the demise of my family. But these were so close and maybe even better than my regular pancakes that they disappeared in no time. I only made half the recipe and about 4″ diameter pancakes and got about 10. You are right about having to adjust the temp. I didn’t know if they were all cooked inside and they looked a little burnt (compared to a regular pancake) but were not and as I ….. and my family …. will say they were awesome. Thanks so much.
Mandy says
Ashley, I have frozen them and they do great. I just lightly toast to defrost them. The other weekend I toasted a couple and ate them on the way to meet friends for coffee. It was so nice not to have to search for something gluten free, by the time I got there I was full, I just needed coffee 🙂
Marlies says
What about adding nuts or berry’s to the mix?
zenbellyblog says
Go for it! This recipe is just a basic one; feel free to make it your own with your favorite flavors!