Fluffy Grain-Free Pancakes with Maple Syrup Alternative | Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan Option

I love pancakes. My husband loves pancakes. It’s safe to say that pancakes are a weekly tradition in my house. We eat pancakes once a week. I’ve posted a recipe for pancakes without any flour, a basic and classic multigrain recipe with low-gluten flours, and created my first vegan pancake recipe that turned out delicious. If my husband was in charge of what we ate, we’d probably eat some 4 times a week! But I do enjoy other foods too, so, we control ourselves and have it once a week, usually on the weekend. Honestly, pancakes are so versatile and easily made into a healthy meal, there’s no reason to miss out on it, and no reason to settle for mediocre pancakes made with tasteless bleached white flour.

Buckwheat

I like to experiment with the various healthy organic flours that I have in my cupboard, and I always mix my flours, I cannot remember a time in the past 12 years when I only used 1 kind of flour in my baking. At the very least, I use 2. And they are mainly whole grains. I do own some unbleached ‘white’ flour (wheat) but I rarely use it. In fact, I probably should use it before it goes bad! hahaha

I usually use a bit of buckwheat flour in my pancakes. It really adds another dimension and character to the taste. It’s also very healthy, packed with good nutrition, and naturally gluten-free. But did you know:

• Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is not a cereal grain at all, it is a fruit seed!
• Buckwheat is one of the best sources of high-quality proteins in the plant kingdom.
• It is highly digestible, in fact with a 74% protein absorption rate it’s an excellent meat substitute.
• It is very high in carbohydrates (80%)
• It has high levels of antioxidants as well as numerous minerals and vitamins such as zinc, copper, and niacin. This makes buckwheat an ideal ingredient for a wide range of food products.

So, my genius sister texted me one day to mention I should try buckwheat and coconut flour only for pancakes. I had previously made pancakes using these 2 flours, but in combination with other kinds of flours too, but I gave this a try. She was right! The pancakes were insanely fluffy! I only used the same amount of baking powder as usual, and I probably could’ve left it behind altogether.

If you eat gluten-free, I highly recommend this recipe, since it uses real ingredients only, no funny business, and no xanthan gum either (I never use any of that stuff in my gluten-free baking). I haven’t done extensive research on it yet, but my gut feeling tells me to stay away from it. I don’t like ‘extracts’ in general, I prefer to stick to whole foods, and I definitely don’t like food products that are made in a lab… plus, I wonder if it’s genetically modified (GMO)… hmmm… I see a future research project coming! 😉

Anyway, so, back to the recipe… so this recipe is very simple, uses real food, and only a few ingredients. Just keep in mind that the coconut flour absorbs liquid like crazy, so you’ll need at least twice as much of your favourite milk (rice, or nut milk) as usual.

Maple syrup alternative

A little while ago, someone on Instagram mentions that maple syrup is really expensive in her country, so she can’t use it as freely as I do. I gotta say, I’m pretty lucky to be living in the land of maple syrup! Growing up in Quebec especially, it’s kind of mandatory. But I thought, what about all those poor people out there who don’t have access to maple syrup, or where it costs a ridiculous amount of money, how can they enjoy their pancakes too?? So, I decided to create this quick syrup to pour over pancakes! Yum! Although the recipe does call for a little bit of maple syrup, it can easily be replaced by raw honey, or even a tiny bit of whole sugar (Sucanat) or agave syrup.

Enjoy those yummy pancakes!

ECP xo

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Fluffy Grain-Free Pancakes with Maple Syrup Alternative | Gluten-Free, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Vegan Option

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2 servings

A simple and healthy recipe for fluffy grain-free pancakes with maple syrup alternative if you don't want to drown yours in maple syrup!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder (if you have celiac disease, make sure it says 'gluten-free')
• 2 organic free-range eggs or 2 chia seeds 'eggs' (mix 2 Tbsp chia seeds with 1/3 cup warm water, mix, and wait for 5 mins before using)
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups nut milk or rice milk

Maple Syrup Alternative

• 1/4 cup organic almond butter
• 3 Tbsp cashew milk or nut milk of your choice
• 1/4 cup organic strawberry jam (low-sugar)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup or raw honey (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs, the olive oil, and the milk together. Pour the dry ingredients in the medium bowl with the liquid ingredients and mix well. You will want to be quick to mix, and you might need to add more milk if the batter is not pourable (that's what happened to mine at first, but I simply added more milk, and it was totally fine after).
2. In a pre-warmed large pan over medium heat, add a tsp or two of coconut oil, and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. When the coconut oil is melted (it should take a few seconds), pour the batter (you'll want to reduce the temperature a bit under medium). I prefer to keep my pancakes on the smaller size; I find it much easier to handle in the pan, and easier to portion in the end too.
3. Keep an eye on the pancakes, you want to wait until the edges are looking nice and crispy before turning them over. Golden brown is usually what we go for 😉
4. For the sauce, simply mix all the ingredients and blend together in a blender, or using an immersion hand blender.
5. Serve the sauce over the pancakes, with some fresh organic fruits. Delicious!

Note: I do not believe anyone should worry about counting calories, but here is the nutritional information for one serving
Calories: 724kcal | Fat: 37g | Saturated fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 558mg | Potassium: 835mg | Carbohydrates: 86g | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 34g | Protein: 22g | Vitamin A: 730% | Calcium: 560% | Iron: 4.5%