Oat Flour Pancakes

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These tasty, easy oat flour pancakes make the best breakfast, brunch, or even breakfast for dinner. They’re packed with hearty whole grains and a secret ingredient that makes them a little fluffy and cakey at the same time. Made with a blender batter, this healthy pancake recipe is slightly sweet, gluten-free and is the perfect way to start your day!

I think pancakes might be one of my favorite meals, and I typically end up craving them on the weekends when I have more time to cook. While I love traditional pancakes, I don’t love how they’re not exactly the healthiest for you — they’re high in refined carbs and don’t keep you full for very long.

But these healthy oat flour pancakes are packed with whole oats, lots of protein and are amazingly satisfying while also being good for you!

I’d say these are more like oatmeal cakes vs. true pancakes – they’re a little denser than regular fluffy pancakes because of the ingredient mix. That said, they have a nice, mild, nutty flavor – the perfect base for creative toppings. We topped them with bananas, chocolate chips, and maple syrup, but I also tried them with almond butter & honey (yum!) and peanut butter & blueberry preserves (double yum!).

This was the perfect weekend breakfast, but it would also be great for brunch or even as “breakfast for dinner!” My whole family was happy and satisfied after this meal.

These hearty, easy oatmeal pancakes are really easy to make and will be on your table in just a few simple steps! And if you’re looking for more healthy pancake recipes, be sure to check out my homemade almond milk pancakes which are light, fluffy and taste just like traditional pancakes too!

👩🏻‍🍳 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Just 6 ingredients: With simple ingredients and only a few steps, this is one of the easiest pancake recipes you will find!
• Totally Delicious: These oat and sunflower seed pancakes taste amazing, and no one will be able to tell that they are both gluten free and flourless!
• Healthier than regular pancakes, but tastes just as good! These gluten free oat pancakes are packed with whole grains, high in protein, low in added sugar and are low in calories!
• Easy To Customize: With endless topping options and different mix-ins, you can change up this recipe however you like!
• Family Friendly: And kid friendly too! The whole family will love this recipe!

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🥘 Ingredients

You just need 6 simple ingredients to make these healthy pancakes with oat flour! See the exact amounts of each in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Whole Grain Oats Or Oat Flour: You’ll need 1 cup of either old-fashioned oats processed in the food processor to make your own oat flour, or oat flour from the grocery store. 1 cup of rolled oats will make approximately 1 cup of oat flour. You can also use instant oats if you don’t have old fashioned oats, but you can’t use steel-cut oats for this recipe. The oats replace traditional all purpose flour in this flourless pancakes recipe!
• Cottage Cheese And Eggs: Gives this oat flour pancake recipe a boost of protein and acts as a binder for this recipe. I haven’t tried this recipe with flax eggs, but I imagine it would work for an egg-free option.
• Vanilla Extract And A Pinch of Salt: For extra flavor!
• Sunflower Seeds: For texture and protein.
• Optional Toppings: You can really add any of your favorite toppings to this healthy oatmeal pancakes recipe! We used sliced ripe banana and 1 teaspoon of mini chocolate chips per pancake, with a drizzle of maple syrup over the top. But any fresh fruit would be great – fresh berries or stewed pears or peaches would be delicious.

🔪 How To Make Oat Flour Pancakes

It is super easy to make this cakey & fluffy oat flour pancakes recipe! It’s ready in just 4 simple steps!

Combine Wet And Dry Ingredients: In a food processor, combine oat flour or rolled oats and all of your wet ingredients — low-fat cottage cheese, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract; blend until smooth. (Leave out the sunflower seeds and baking powder/soda if using!)

Add Seeds: Transfer the batter to a medium bowl. Fold in sunflower seeds and baking powder, don’t over-mix. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before making this oatmeal flour pancake recipe.

Make Pancakes: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour pancake batter onto the hot pan to form your first pancake. It should be about 4 inches wide. (Repeat for 3 other pancakes. You should have enough batter for four gf oatmeal pancakes with no flour!). Or, with a large enough skillet, you could cook all of them at once!

Cook: Cook for 3 minutes, until golden brown on each side.

Serve! Top these gluten free oat flour pancakes with banana and 2 tsp. chocolate chips (for 2 pancakes) – or with any toppings of your choice!

💭 Expert Tips

• Grease Your Pan Well: Use cooking spray to grease your hot griddle, or wipe a paper towel dipped in oil around the pan for an even coating to ensure your pancakes don’t stick. You can use any oil that you prefer – coconut oil is one of my favorites.
• Keep Pancakes Warm: To keep these oat flour protein pancakes warm, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in an oven (or toaster oven) pre-heated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
• For A Fluffier Pancake: Don’t omit the baking powder and baking soda! It’s important to help your pancakes rise.
• Process The Oats Well: If you’re making your own oat flour, be sure to process the oats completely to create a fine flour. I recommend using rolled oats, quick oats, or store-bought oat flour for this pancake recipe with oat flour.
• For Best Results, Use A Good Food Processor: This is important to making your pancake blender batter! I like this one from Hamilton Beach. It’s super affordable, easy to use, holds 12 cups, has tons of attachments, and has staying power (I’ve had mine for a few years with no issues!). You can also use a high-speed blender.

📖 Variations

• Warm Spices: A sprinkling of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or even cardamom would taste great with these pancakes made with oat flour.
• Fruity Pancakes: Add fresh blueberries or diced strawberries to these homemade pancakes for bright, sweet flavor. 
• Oat Flour Pumpkin Pancakes: Add 1/8 cup pumpkin puree + 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice + 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the batter to make these oatmeal pancakes without flour taste like pumpkin pie.
• Waffles: Experiment with using your waffle maker to use this same batter to make oat flour waffles.
• For Kids: These oat-flour pancakes already have a nice consistency and sweet flavor that kids will love. Feel free to let your kids experiment with different toppings or favorite mix-ins to try on their pancakes, making it a fun and interactive meal!

🍴Serving Suggestions

There are so many ways to serve these gf oat pancakes! Here are our favorite toppings and ways to serve:

• Toppings: Sliced bananas or fresh berries, mini dark chocolate chips, pure maple syrup or a drizzle of vegan honey or strawberry simple syrup, a dollop of your favorite nut butter, pumpkin seed butter, pear compote, or fresh fruit preserves.
• Dishes for Serving: Enjoy these oat sunflower pancakes alongside a fried potatoes and onions, with a healthy smoothie, or with this tofu scramble recipe on the side.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

• Vegan Oat Flour Pancakes: You’ll have to alter this recipe pretty significantly to make it vegan, but it can be done! You will need: 1 cup of oat flour and 2 teaspoons of vanilla like the original recipe calls for. But then, instead of the cottage cheese and eggs, you can use 1/2-2/3 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1.25 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda, and 2/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk or another plant-based milk.
• Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes: As long as you are using certified gluten-free oat flour or gluten-free oats, these pancakes with oatmeal flour will be gluten-free!

🫙 Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: Once they’ve cooled to room temperature, store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until just warmed through.
• Freezing: Store oat flour banana pancakes in a resealable plastic freezer bag or a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To prevent them from sticking together, place a piece of parchment paper in between them.
• Reheating: To reheat, place in the oven at 350 degrees until warm or microwave briefly.

❓Recipe FAQs

🥞 More Healthy Breakfast Recipes!

• Healthy Pancakes with Bananas
• Santa Pancakes
• Sourdough Discard Pancakes
• Spinach Pancakes
• Oat Milk Pancakes
• Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• Vegetarian Breakfast Ideas

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