These Fluffy Buttermilk Gluten-Free Pancakes are my secret recipe. Finally, the vault is open, and the syrup is pouring out!
Fluffy Buttermilk Gluten-Free Pancakes
Recently, my wife noticed, “You haven’t posted your gluten-free pancakes.” To which I replied, “Yeah, that’s a morning thing… I never make pancakes in the afternoon (which is generally when I do my photo shoots).” After some urging, I finally decided to make afternoon pancakes. I like my pancakes fluffy; two pancakes, and I’m satisfied. These wonderful fluffy buttermilk gluten-free pancakes are exactly that! Thin pancakes, although just as delicious, make me look like a glutton. But after years of using this recipe, I finally got around to writing it down, making them, and taking pictures!
Why These Pancakes Are the Best
Honestly, I always presumed pancakes are just pancakes; everyone has their quick scratch pancake recipe. It turns out I was wrong. After a little research, I noticed that there are plenty of people still in search of their perfect pancakes! Get ready, folks; your search may be over!
Simple Ingredients for Fluffy Pancakes
I try to keep this gluten-free pancake recipe simple since it’s usually made at 6:30 a.m. and the coffee hasn’t yet kicked in. It’s a big improvement from when I first started my gluten-free journey, mixing rice flour with a little tapioca flour and adding some xanthan gum. Now, in 2024, there are four different gluten-free flour blends at my local grocery store, making it much easier.
Step-by-Step Gluten-Free Pancake Recipe
Step 1: Combine Your Dry Ingredients
Step 2: Melt You Butter and Warm The Buttermilk and Combine with Eggs and Vanilla
Step 3: Mix The Liquid Ingredients into the Dry Ingredients
Step 4: Preheat and Oil Your Griddle to 325°F
Step 5: Ladle Approximately 2-3 Tbsp of Batter onto the Griddle and Repeat with 1.5- 2 Inches Separation
Step 6: Flip the Pancakes After 5 Minutes and Cook for Another 4 Minutes
Step 7: Serve and Enjoy!
The Best Gluten-Free Flour Blends and Why Buttermilk is Essential for Pancakes
Top Gluten-Free Flour Blends for Pancakes
I am constantly asked which gluten-free flour blends to use. To be honest, I can’t give you a definitive answer. I’ve tried many over the years—some I like and a couple I don’t. There have been blends that are too grainy and others containing chickpea flour, which has a distinct flavor. I generally stick with my favorite: King Arthur Measure for Measure. Is it the best flour blend out there? I couldn’t tell you for sure, but it’s readily available in the supermarket, and I’ve always had great success with it. I know many people use Pamela’s, Krusteaz, Bob’s Red Mill, and Baking Genius. While I haven’t used them for pancakes, I presume they should be fine.
Why Buttermilk is Key in these Pancakes
I know a lot of people are probably wondering, why use buttermilk? Does buttermilk really make a difference? The answer is yes. In this buttermilk pancake recipe, it’s a key ingredient.
The Benefits of Buttermilk in These Fluffy Pancakes
First, buttermilk helps as a thickening agent. Since it is already curdled, it gives your batter more density compared to regular milk. This density helps the pancake keep its form and rise up instead of spreading out.
Second, buttermilk has a bite. The fermentation of milk to buttermilk creates lactic acid, which gives a slight tanginess to the pancakes, rounding out the flavor.
Third, buttermilk makes bubbles! Technically, buttermilk doesn’t make the air bubbles itself. As mentioned above, buttermilk contains lactic acid from the fermentation process. This acid reacts with your leavening agent—in this case, baking powder. America’s Test Kitchen has a great article on why buttermilk makes the best pancakes, titled: Why Buttermilk Makes the Best Pancakes.
Making a Buttermilk Substitute
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can always MacGyver it. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or half a tablespoon of vinegar to your milk, stir it, and let it curdle. I use this trick quite often.
All About the Cakes…
Did you know pancakes have been around for thousands of years? And did you know the first known pancakes were from China? You learn something new every day… Going back to 500 BCE the Chinese excavated ancient ruins showing evidence of a “pancake.” These pancakes were actually ground from millet and probably weren’t as tasty as these buttermilk pancakes…
And the story goes on, going back even earlier, to over 5,000 years ago, the Otzi Iceman discovered in the Alps had the remains of a charcoal and wheat in him suggesting he probably ate something akin to a primitive pancake.
Then in the 5th Century, the Greek poet Cratinus wrote about pancakes made from wheat, honey, olive oil, and curdled milk! While pancakes seem very American and are an American tradition, it’s always fun to do a little sleuthing to find the origins.
My favorite part of the good ol’ American pancake tradition is all the names for them. Going through a few, you’ve got pancake, slapjacks, griddle cakes, hotcakes, johnnycakes, and I’m sure many more. I’d love to hear more if you have them.
Tips and Tricks to these Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes
Flour: As mentioned earlier, store-bought gluten-free flour blends work great for these buttermilk pancakes. If you don’t have a blend but have an assortment of gluten-free flours at home, you can combine 1.5 cups of brown or white rice flour, 1/4 cup of arrowroot or tapioca flour, 1/4 cup of cornstarch or potato starch, and 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
Buttermilk: You can easily make your own “buttermilk” by combining milk with either lemon juice or white vinegar. While it won’t have the full buttermilk taste since it’s not cultured, it works great! I keep buttermilk in the back of my fridge and I’m generally not worried about it going bad since it’s already curdled. That said, don’t leave it for months and expect it to still be good.
Griddle: The easiest way to make pancakes is with an electric griddle. If you have the storage space but don’t have one, they come in handy! I have a Black & Decker Griddle, and it works great. Pro tips: Griddles generally have hotspots, typically the side with the electric temperature probe will be slightly hotter than the far side. Second, let the griddle warm up for 3 or 4 minutes to achieve a more evenly heated surface.
Batter: You can make this batter in advance and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Baking powder, the leavening agent in these gluten-free buttermilk pancakes, has two leavening actions. The first one, like baking soda, immediately leavens your batter. The second reaction is heat-based, which is what causes your pancake to rise. Your refrigerated batter will work perfectly a day or two later.
If You Like These Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes, Try These:
Wonderful Fluffy Buttermilk Gluten Free Pancakes
Ingredients
Easy Ultimate Fluffy Gluten Free Pancakes
- 2 Cups Gluten Free Flour Blend I use King Arthur Measure for Measure
- 1.5 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt If using table or sea salt, cut it in half
- 1.5 Tbsp Baking Powder
- ¼ Cup Granulated White Sugar
- ¼ Cup Salted Butter Unsalted is fine
- 2 Cups Buttermilk- slightly warm If Buttermilk isn’t available, use milk and mix in 2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice and let it until it starts to curdle
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Cooking Oil Spray
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a whisk.
- In a measuring cup, melt your butter and pour it into a second smaller mixing bowl. Then warm up your buttermilk to just warm to the touch and also pour it in with your butter. (The warmed up buttermilk will keep the butter from immediately hardening.)
- Next combine your eggs and vanilla to your liquids bowl and mix so they’re evenly combined. Then pour your liquid ingredients in and whisk all the ingredients together just so they’re nicely blended and not clumpy.
- Set the batter aside for 10 minutes to allow the liquids to penetrate the dry ingredients.
- While waiting, set the griddle to 325°F and let it preheat for a few minutes. Spray the griddle with the cooking oil and ladle on your pancake batter leaving an 1.5-2 inches between each pancake.
- Cook until you start seeing some bubbles rising and the edges start to cook, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for approximately 4 minutes. You can also ease the spatula under to see if you’ve reached a nice golden brown.
- Plate, pour on the butter and syrup, serve, and enjoy!!!
So delicious and easy!
GF PANCAKES!