Gluten-Free Vegan Pancake Recipe – Easy to Make and Allergy-Friendly!

What are pancakes made of?

Traditional pancakes are made of flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, milk, egg(s), and butter. When cooked they are delicious and basically like a flat cake – and also full of gluten, sugar, and eggs. Which is no bueno if you have food sensitivities or allergies. 

What are gluten-free vegan pancakes made from?

To make gluten-free pancakes, you can simply switch gluten-free flour for the regular flour and see how it goes. Most of the time it will work and you will have delicious gluten-free pancakes.

But if you want to make gluten-free AND egg-free pancakes you need to make further adjustments as you’ll see below.

Gluten-free pancake mix

You can buy pre-made gluten-free pancake mixes at your local health food store or even on amazon. Sometimes it’s nice to have the convenience of done for you mixes. 

But those store-bought mixes often require the addition of eggs among other wet ingredients.

So, if you’d like to make your own gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free pancake mix and make this recipe a little faster to make, you can mix up the dry ingredients and store them in an air-tight container in the cupboard. 

Then you only need to add milk, applesauce, and oil when you’re ready to cook! 

Gluten-free pancake mix ingredients

Here’s what you need to combine to have ready in your pantry whenever you’re ready to whip up a batch of yummy gluten-free vegan pancakes: 

• white rice flour
• brown rice flour
• almond flour
• coconut flour
• tapioca starch
• xanthan gum
• baking powder
• baking soda
• cinnamon

Simply mix and store. See the recipe below for amounts for each ingredient. 

Where to get gluten-free flour

I’ve included Amazon links above for the flours we use in our pancakes. But I tend to shop around for the best price on each one – since our grocery store almost never has the best prices. Here’s where we typically get our gluten-free flours:

• Rice flour: from a local grain processing plant
• Almond flour: Costco 
• Coconut flour: Amazon or Natura Market
• Tapioca starch: Amazon
• Xanthan gum: Superstore or Amazon

Gluten-free vegan pancake recipe

In the interest of full disclosure, we aren’t vegan. We do eat meat. But a couple of us cannot eat eggs, hence the “vegan” part of this recipe. We did go vegetarian for about a year many years ago, but it wasn’t for us. Anyway, I hope regardless of your preferences that you enjoy this recipe! 

Our kiddos have grown up loving the pancakes dad makes on the weekends. But when a couple of us had to go gluten-free and could no longer tolerate eggs, Dean had to find another option. 

So he spent many weekend mornings tweaking and re-tweaking this pancake recipe. He wanted to get rid of the potato starch and the sugar from that version. And we all love cinnamon so he experimented with adding that. 

And finally, he came up with this delicious recipe for vegan and gluten-free pancakes that everyone loves.

The Secret Ingredients to Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Fluffy Pancakes

The secret ingredients to delicious gluten-free vegan pancakes are:

• apple sauce
• cinnamon
• baking soda

They add needed moisture, fluffiness, and delicious flavor to the pancakes.

How to make gluten-free pancakes from scratch (step-by-step)

Our pancake recipe requires no sugar, no salt, and no eggs. Just a few flours, baking soda and powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, milk, a tiny bit of oil, and applesauce. 

For the full recipe and printable instructions, see the recipe card below.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend (1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup coconut flour, 1/2 cup tapioca starch)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 cups unsweetened nondairy milk
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat a nonstick pan. 
2. Measure and add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
3. Add wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Cook pancakes on one side. Flip when bubbles break up. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining batter. 
5. Serve and enjoy!

Flour variations

The only variation that we recommend is that all white rice flour can be used in place of the white and brown rice flour in this recipe. Otherwise, it’s best to use the flours we’ve listed in the ingredients.

But if you can’t find a certain flour, you can try to use more of one of the others in its place. Just know that the recipe may turn out slightly differently. 

Milk substitutes

You can use any dairy-free milk you like for this recipe: 

• coconut milk
• almond milk
• oat milk
• rice milk
• soy milk

Oil options

You can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil. Basically, any natural-tasting oil will work. 

Tips for success

• Use a soup ladle or a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop and pour the pancake batter onto the pan. 
• Add in berries or chocolate chips if desired before cooking.
• Do not overmix the batter. 
• Use a non-stick pan to cook your pancakes and make sure your pan is nice and hot before adding batter. 
• Do not use a griddle or a cast-iron skillet – the pancakes stick too much. 

What to top vegan pancakes with

Topping pancakes is so much fun! Of course, everyone’s tastes vary, but you could try toppings like these on your vegan gluten-free pancakes: 

• butter (or a dairy-free substitute) and real maple syrup (salted butter is extra yummy on pancakes)
• sliced bananas
• fresh berries lik blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries
• peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or seed butter and jam (I love to top my pancakes with pumpkin seed butter and chia jam for less sugar)
• pancake syrup (but that stuff is pure liquid sugar!)
• a little coconut whipped cream and some icing sugar (definitely more of a dessert than breakfast!)

How to store leftovers

Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. 

Can I make gluten-free pancakes ahead of time?

Yes! You can make pancakes ahead, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them in the microwave, oven, or on a pan. Then top them with your favorite toppings and enjoy! 

How do I freeze gluten-free pancakes?

You can freeze gluten-free pancakes in the freezer two ways: 

• Place cooked and cooled pancakes on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, you can place them in a freezer bag and reheat them when needed. 
• Stack cooked and cooled pancakes with a piece of parchment paper between each one and freeze in a freezer bag or container. 

Another pancake recipe you’ll love

Here’s another pancake recipe that you may love if you want a bit more protein in your pancakes (it does include eggs though):

• Chocolate Protein Pancakes

Want more breakfast ideas?

• Blueberry Granola Overnight Oatmeal
• Paleo Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding
• Grain-Free English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches
• 3 Ingredient Banana Berry Smoothie
• Gluten-Free Slow Cooker French Toast Recipe
• Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Waffles

Do you have a favorite breakfast recipe? What do you love to serve with your pancakes?