Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe | Fluffy and Filling (2024)

Healthy gluten free oatmeal pancakes made with whole grain gluten free oats help you start your day with a high fiber breakfast.

The best gluten free oatmeal pancakes recipe

I don't know about you, but I'm not planning to wake up early enough to make gluten free pancakes from scratch on a school morning for my kids. I may be unnaturally obsessed with their eating a good breakfast on a school day, but I have my limits.

These healthy gluten free pancakes are meant to be made on a weekend, or (better yet) made ahead of time, wrapped well and frozen. Then, on a school morning, just pop 'em in the toaster, serve up some fruit and breakfast is ready. Done!

There isn't a ton of gluten-free flour in these pancakes. And what there is, is xanthan-gum free since pancakes are better that way.

They are made of mostly roughly processed oats (in a blender or food processor). I tried making them with mostly whole oats, and let's just say … don't do that.

I used virgin coconut oil to keep them straight-up healthy, but they also work beautifully with an equal amount of unsalted butter, melted and cooled. They might even work with vegetable oil (but I haven't tried that so no promises).

They pass The 3-Kid Test—with flying colors. If there's higher praise, I don't know of it. Back-to-school here we come!

Gluten free oatmeal pancake ingredients

• Old-fashioned rolled oats – I use purity-protocol, certified gluten free rolled oats here, and process them roughly for a pancake that holds together but has the toothsome chew of oats. You can process your oats more fully into something closer to oat flour if you'd like a smoother pancake.
• Gluten-free flour blend – Here, I recommend either my 3-ingredient basic gum-free gluten free flour blend, or the same amount of superfine sweet white rice flour (also called glutinous rice flour, made from short grain white rice).
• Baking powder – Baking powder provides much of the lift in these pancakes as they cook.
• Baking soda – Baking soda reacts with the honey in this recipe to aid in the pancakes' rise, as well.
• Salt – Salt intensifies all the other flavors in these pancakes, and adds brightness.
• Coconut oil – Melted coconut oil is the only fat added here, and it helps tenderize the pancakes. In its place, you can use Spectrum brand nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, or even melted butter if you don't need these pancakes to be dairy free. If you'd like to use virgin coconut oil but you don't like coconut flavor, try using triple-filtered coconut oil, which has no coconut flavor at all.
• Eggs – Eggs provide structured and lift in these pancakes. The egg yolks also add some richness.
• Honey – Honey adds sweetness, flavor, and helps to tenderize these pancakes.
• Milk – To keep these pancakes dairy free, use a nondairy milk alternative. Ripple brand nondairy milk is rich and flavorful, but unsweetened almond milk is always a great choice.

A word about gluten free oats

Whenever I share a recipe that uses oats on this gluten free recipe blog, there are always those readers who get very upset, insisting that oats may not be enjoyed on a gluten free diet. I've already discussed the issue that purity protocol oats are safely gluten free as they are grown and handled in strict gluten free settings. If you don't eat oats, you can always try a different gluten free pancake recipe or one of our oat substitutions.

Tips for making oat gluten free pancakes

Choosing the right type of oats

This recipe calls for roughly-processed gluten free rolled oats, which creates something closely resembling quick-cooking oats. Avoid using steel cut oats, even if you can find gluten free steel cut oats, since they're just too thick to be cooked this way. Your oats will end up raw, even after the pancakes are cooked.

Processing your gluten free oatmeal

I simply place old fashioned rolled oats in a blender or food processor and pulse a few times. Be sure you process your oats in small batches, so you don't end up with all oat flour, but rather a combination of some resembling a flour, but most rolled oats being chopped into smaller pieces.

How to achieve fluffy oatmeal pancakes

To ensure that you make fluffy oat pancakes, be sure to allow the pancake batter to sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before you cook it. That will allow the oats to absorb some of the liquid, softening the oats and creating a thicker batter that makes a pancake that has more depth to it. Just be sure to let the pancakes cook at medium-low heat long enough to cook all the way through.

Storing leftover gluten free oat pancakes

Leftover pancakes are a rare commodity in my house, since they can be wrapped tightly and enjoyed later. If you're lucky, you'll have a stack of 2 leftover oatmeal pancakes waiting for you on a busy morning.

Freezing gluten free oatmeal pancakes

Once tightly wrapped in freezer-safe wrap, ideally in stacks of 2 pancakes, store your pancakes in the freezer. They'll stay fresh in there for at least 2 months.

How to reheat oatmeal pancakes

If your pancakes were frozen, allow them to defrost in the refrigerator while still wrapped tightly so they don't dry out. You can also defrost them in the microwave. Sprinkle lightly with lukewarm water and reheat them in a warm toaster oven (about 300°F works great).

Gluten free oatmeal pancakes: substitutions

Dairy free, gluten free oatmeal pancakes

This recipe for oatmeal pancakes is already dairy free as written. Just be sure to use a nondairy milk that isn't fat free, as fat free milk doesn't add any richness and will make a batter that's quite runny.

Egg free, gluten free oatmeal pancakes

To replace the 2 eggs in this recipe, you can try 2 “chia eggs.” Combine 2 tablespoons ground white chia seeds and 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water in a small bowl, and allow the mixture to sit until it gels.

Vegan, gluten free oatmeal pancakes

If you follow the instructions for replacing the eggs in this recipe, the only non-vegan ingredient left is honey. In its place, you can try Lyle's Golden Syrup or light corn syrup. If you'd like to use pure maple syrup, you might have to reduce the nondairy milk in the recipe as maple syrup is thinner than honey.

Gluten free flour blend substitute

In place of the 3-ingredient gum-free gluten free flour blend I use for pancakes and other delicate recipes like this, you can use superfine sweet white rice flour (also called glutinous rice flour). You may be able to use superfine white rice flour, as well.

Making healthy banana oatmeal pancakes

These oatmeal pancakes without banana are different from many other oatmeal pancakes. We have a recipe for 4 ingredient banana pancakes, if you'd like a recipe that can be made with oat flour or almond flour. This recipe is banana-free, though!

Oatmeal gluten free pancakes mix-ins

If you'd like to dress up your oatmeal pancakes, try some of these flavorful additions:

• Add some miniature dairy free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand is great) to the raw pancake as it cooks on the underside
• Add diced fresh berries or other fresh fruit to the raw pancake as it cooks on the underside
• Try adding 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the raw batter, whisking in with the other dry ingredients
• Sprinkle some toasted coconut chips to the raw pancake as it cooks on the underside

FAQs

Are oats gluten free?

Purity protocol oats in the United States are, indeed, gluten free. Please see our discussion about gluten free oats for full information.

Are these oatmeal pancakes healthy?

I would consider these to be healthy gf pancakes, since they have relatively little fat, are sweetened with unrefined sugar, and have tons of whole grains. But you know how to balance your diet best!

What are the benefits of eating oatmeal pancakes?

These pancakes are super satisfying and hearty, so just a couple of pancakes makes for a great breakfast that will keep you going strong for hours.

Can I use store-bought gluten free quick oats for these gf oatmeal pancakes?

Yes, you can use store-bought gluten free quick-cooking oats in this recipe. Just be sure to measure them by weight, not volume.

How long can you store gluten free oat pancakes?

I avoid storing gluten free pancakes in the refrigerator, since it tends to be drying, but when wrapped tightly in small stacks, these completely cooked pancakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months, if not longer.

Can I use this oatmeal pancake recipe to make banana oat pancakes?

You might be able to replace the honey in this recipe with an equal amount, by weight, of mashed banana, but I'm not sure it would work—and you should just use our recipe for banana oat pancakes instead!

Why are my gluten free oatmeal pancakes soggy?

If you allowed your raw pancake batter to sit and thicken before cooking your pancakes, your batter was probably quite thick. If your heat is too high, or simply don't cook the pancakes for long enough, your pancakes will brown deeply on the outside long before the inside is cooked all the way through, leading to soggy pancakes.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes, recipe below