In Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook, I have a delicious and healthy recipe for Pillowy Wholesome Pancakes. It’s made without any milk or eggs, is purely whole grain, and yet somehow those pancakes come out nice and fluffy. Years ago, I shared a gluten-free version of that recipe, and today I’m giving it a big update and moving it to our recipe section so more of you an find it!
Our Best Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes for a Perfectly Fluffy Stack
Way back in 2010, a viewer named Nicole emailed to tell me what gluten-free flour blend worked perfectly as a substitute in my Pillowy Wholesome Pancakes recipe.
Nicole had become a big fan of the original recipe from Go Dairy Free, but her family had to transition to a gluten-free diet. She was determined to keep these pancakes on the table, so Nicole began experimenting. She tested several store-bought blends that didn’t make the cut, but found that the simplest homemade blend worked like a charm! We’ve included that popular quick mix with the recipe. It doesn’t use any gums, so the texture is preserved.
Freezer / Toaster Pancake Tips
If you have leftovers, flash freeze the gluten-free vegan pancakes in a single layer in your freezer. Place them in a zip-top baggie, press the air out, and seal. Store them in the freezer and enjoy as many as you want on any given morning. Just pop them in the toaster!
Special Diet Notes: Fluffy Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
- 1¾ cups plain dairy-free milk beverage of choice (see Variations below)
- ¼ cup oil, plus some for the skillet
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (below)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Maple syrup, cut fresh fruit, drizzly nut or seed butter, or Coconut Whip, for topping (optional)
- Measure the milk beverage in a glass measuring cup. Whisk in the ¼ cup oil, flaxseed, sweetener, vinegar, and vanilla.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the milk beverage mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Using roughly ¼ cup per pancake, pour the batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes until the outside edge begins to look dry and bubbles break on the surface of the batter, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until both sides are light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Serve with any of the optional toppings.
Fluffier or Thinner Variations: This makes rather fluffy pancakes. If you like them even cakier, lower the milk beverage by up to ¼ cup. But if you want thinner pancakes, increase the milk beverage by up to ¼ cup (2 cups total).
More Staple Gluten-Free & Vegan Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Homemade Spinach Tortillas
Healthy Power Muffins
For More Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Recipes, Enjoy Eat Dairy Free!
65 Comments
Amazing! I have a tendency to start a recipe before I check if I have all of the ingredients. Realized I was out of flax seed so I substituted for a tablespoon of chia seeds. Recipe still turned out great! I also used Bob Red Mills 1 to 1 baking flour because that’s what I had on hand. Best GF DF pancakes I’ve ever had!
I’m so glad they worked out well for you Alexis! Thanks for sharing your successful modifications.
Can Almond Flour be used instead? Has anyone tried it? Thanks!
Almond flour doesn’t substitute well in a 1:1 ratio. You would need to experiment a little. I would add it, and see the thickness of your batter adjusting accordingly. I can’t guarantee the results!
If you do eat eggs Robert, I have a gluten-free almond-oat pancakes recipe that might work better for you – https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/gluten-free-almond-oat-pancakes
I just made these…
I used your gluten free flour recipe They came out runny I added another cup of flour Let them sit…
They did NOT get fluffy when cooking The taste was blah I hate when I waste money and ingredients….. smh
I’m so sorry this happened to you Paula. I wish that I knew what it was that made this happen. We’ve not had this issue, and this recipe is used by many with great success. The pictures are what we get! Again, if there is any way I can help you troubleshoot, let me know.
These area solid meh for me – they were very thin and crumbly. I ended up adding extra flour to make them thicker, but it didn’t really help. I think the issue was that I used a gum free oat milk, so we got a double whammy with the milk being thin to begin with and no gums to help bind them. I don’t think I’ll make these again, but I’m glad they worked out for others!
AWESOME RECIPE! I use the recipe to make waffles instead of pancakes, because these freeze wonderfully, and I can pull one out of the freezer and toast it for a quick breakfast, and they are MUCH better than Eggos. Perfect for those of us who much avoid gluten, dairy, and eggs. I substituted in a little buckwheat flour, and swapped out the honey for maple syrup, making them low FODMAP as well. I also worked out how to mix up the 2 cups of gf flour by weight: 119 g sorghum, 54 g. potato starch, 19 g. tapioca starch and 35 g. buckwheat flour. Thank you so much for formulating this recipe!
That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing your adaptations Melinda!
I must have done something wrong. These were so thick and the texture seemed undercooked no matter how long I left them. I guess I should have added more almond milk
Yes absorption can vary. Add more milk beverage if the batter is too thick.
I made these this morning and I’m amazed at how brilliantly they’ve turned out! I’m a vegan with a nut allergy, and I’ve recently found that gluten is the source of a lot of my IBS issues…I thought pancake days were behind me. How could I possibly have a vegan, nut free, gluten free pancake!?
Until today! These are DELICIOUS. My non-vegan, non-gluten intolerant boyfriend approved too! I didn’t have any lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, so I skipped those and they still turned out brilliantly.
They are soft in the middle with a lovely, crispy edge. These will be my go-to pancakes from now on. Thank you! 💛
That’s wonderful! I’m glad you both enjoyed them!
Hello!! Okay, so I rarely comment on recipes but wow. Just WOW. I have to start by saying that I suffer from MANY food allergies and over the years have had to experiment a lot! It’s been so long since I’ve had puffy fluffy pancakes until I made your recipe today! With most recipes online, I have to make my substitutions with ingredients that are safe for me and just hope for the best! For example, some of the things I used in your recipe were Trader Joe’s gluten free mix, rice milk, maple syrup as the sweetener etc. but for the most part, the ingredients you stated were all safe for me and easy to use what I already have! WOW! The search for fluffy, allergy safe, vegan and GF pancakes is over! Wish I found this recipe sooner instead of the flat pancakes I’ve been making (lol)! These are AWESOME! They taste better than “regular” pancakes but remind me of the pancakes I once ate before my allergies! Which is so great! I missed these textures and flavors! I knew once I saw the batter and smelled it that it would be good! And it was beyond! Did not disappoint! Thank you SO much for this recipe! You have no idea how much finding a recipe as great as this means to someone like me that has many limitations due to life long food allergies! This is a forever recipe! Thank you!!!! Yummm!!!!
I’m so happy to hear this recipe brought pancake joy into your life Mayen! Thank you for the feedback.
What can you use in place of Sorghum Flour? Almond? Oat? Millet? Brown rice? Or a combination?
You’ll want to use another grain flour. I would recommend rice or oat as my preferred flours. You might get good results with other grain flours. Nut flours would require modifying the recipe.
Hi Alisa,
This recipe seems wonderful and would like to make, but 16 pancakes at one time is a lot! Could the leftover pancakes be frozen and heated in a toaster oven for a future date?
Yes, see the “Freezer Tips” in the post.
Amazing recipe, thank you so much! I will definitely be making again. I used Bob’s Red Mill GF flour and subbed 1/4 cup almond meal in place of some of the flour (a trick I use a lot for baked goods).
They are PERFECT! Yummy in my tummy!
That’s wonderful Myriam! Love the addition of almond flour, too!
I recently had to give up gluten, eggs, dairy, peanuts, and bananas so baking feels nearly impossible right now. I woke up this morning NEEDING pancakes and the internet led me to this recipe. I used a blend of coconut and oat milk, Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour, and whole chia seeds instead of flax. At first my batter was incredibly thick so I added more coconut milk to thin it out a bit. It was still pretty thick. The pancakes came out great. They were thick and fluffy and filling! Just what I needed this morning. I but a teaspoon of almond butter and some maple syrup on them – so yummy!
That’s wonderful! Yes, the thickness of the batter can vary based on the flour blend you use – perfect that you added more liquid.
i’m currently eating these. First time trying a GF pancake recipe. I’m trying to cut back on my gluten.
These are kind of meh. I guess I’m just a diehard carb addict, so the texture and taste will take some getting used to… Don’t get me wrong, they’re probably phenomenal for a “gf” recipe but I’m still adjusting. 🙁