Fluffy Oat Flour Pancakes

These oat flour pancakes are tender and fluffy, gluten-free, and full of the goodness of whole oats!

Last week was the first time I've seen all-purpose flour in my grocery store in 2 months! While I never did run out of flour (I tend to be well-stocked in that department), I did get a bit nervous by week 8.

Because, guys, we've been baking up a storm around here.

Bread of course (Nagi's recipe for the easiest yeast bread is on repeat). Also some variation on these raspberry muffins happens nearly every week.

And since the kids are home and eating this stuff all day, I've been trying to keep it on the healthier side. Which is why I was thrilled with how these oat flour pancakes turned out!

And I didn't have to use my precious all-purpose flour!

These pancakes also happen to be gluten-free, provided your oats are gluten-free. Some are cross-contaminated with wheat, so be sure to check the package.

As I've been discovering, it is not only possible, but pretty simple to make pancakes with any type of flour, not just the traditional all-purpose! Try these delicious almond flour pancakes for another example.

The kids LOVE these pancakes, and with plenty of fresh (or thawed frozen) fruit on the side, these fluffy oat flour pancakes make a great lunch, brunch or breakfast treat.

The secret to fluffy oat flour pancakes

Oat flour is heartier than regular all-purpose flour, so you can end up with some pretty dense pancakes if you don't take measures to lighten the batter.

So there is an extra step to making these pancakes that might surprise you if you're used to making regular pancakes. But it's the secret to fluffiness here, so don't skip it.

Basically you need to separate the egg yolks and whites, and beat the whites to stiff peaks before folding them into the batter.

This makes the batter light and airy and guarantees your pancakes will be tender and fluffy.

You can use any beater to beat the eggs whites to stiff peaks, but I have this Braun immersion blender kit that works like an absolute dream for this recipe. (Not sponsored by Braun. Just love this thing).

I use the food processor attachment to quickly grind the oats into a flour, and then the whisk attachment to beat the whites to stiff peaks in a matter seconds.

Super handy, and I highly recommend going with a multi-purpose tool like this if you're in the market for an immersion blender.

Can I make my own oat flour?

Yes, so as I mentioned above, all you need to do to make oat flour is pulse some whole oats in a food processor for a minute or two until you have a fine, flour-like texture. Super simple.

To get the 2 cups of oat flour called for in this recipe, I find I need about 3 cups of large flake old-fashioned rolled oats. If you have quick cook oats, you may need less because the flakes are already smaller.

Here's what it looks like to make oat flour.

What Should my Pancake Batter Look Like?

Before we get to the step-by-step, I thought I should talk about what sort of consistency you should look for in your pancake batter, because that is truly make or break when it comes to pancakes.

Depending on how you measure your ingredients, by weight or with cups, you can end up with quite different measurements, and your batter could have a very different consistency.

Pancake batter should be pourable, but should also hold its shape a little once poured. After pouring the required amount into the pan, you should still need to spread it out a little to get a pancake that's about ½ inch thick.

Too Thick

If your batter doesn't spread at all when you pour it into the pan, it's too thick. Add a bit of milk, one tablespoon at a time, to thin it.

Too Thin

If your batter spreads into a large puddle immediately when you pour it into the pan, it's too thin. You can fix that by folding in a little extra oat flour.

How to Make Oat Flour Pancakes Step-by-Step

1. Start by separating the eggs, reserving the yolks. In small bowl (NOT plastic. Scratches in plastic trap grease which prevents egg whites from foaming properly. Use a metal, ceramic, or glass bowl), beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (see photo below).

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour (homemade or store bought, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon).
3. Add the reserved egg yolks to the oat flour mixture. Stir in the milk and melted butter.
4. Fold in the egg whites being careful to deflate them as little as possible. Don't over stir.
5. The batter may still have some bubbles of egg white, as you can see in the 4th image below. That's totally fine.

6. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and grease with butter. Pour a ⅓ cup of batter in the pan and spread it out a little to make a 4-inch pancake. I can fit two pancakes at a time in my 12-inch pan.
7. Cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles start to appear on top. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or so until golden on both sides. Transfer to a plate and proceed with the remaining batter.

Serve with whatever you like on your pancakes! I love the creamy orange syrup from this ricotta pancake recipe 🙂

LOVE oats as much as we do? Try these other oaty breakfast ideas!

• Blueberry Overnight Oats
• Banana Granola
• Caramelized Banana Oatmeal
• Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins