Let me introduce you to my favorite comfort breakfast – the gluten free, completely vegan, but still incredibly delicious buckwheat banana pancakes.
You know I’m not a heavy breakfast girl, so don’t think there’s anything hearty about these pancakes. The first time I made them I used a mix of plain flour and buckwheat; lately I discovered their best version – buckwheat flour only.
The texture is fantastic – fluffy, aerated, and the nutty taste of buckwheat is paired perfectly with the banana flavor. This dish is another great example of a healthy yet delicious version of an American classic.
Are Buckwheat Pancakes Healthy?
If you’re not yet familiar with the superpowers of the tiny pyramids of buckwheat, it’s just about time to give them the important place they deserve in your diet.
It’s not only about the nutty flavor, or only its versatility. It’s all about the high concentration of nutrients in such a small little seed that buckwheat is.
Manganese and phosphorus (responsible for healthy bone structure and production), good quality proteins and fibers – they are all packed in high amounts in buckwheat.
And there’s more about this little seed. Adding it constantly to your diet is a great way to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL, linked to cardiovascular disease) and regulate the production of good cholesterol (HDL), because buckwheat contains powerful flavonoids, particularly rutin.
Flavonoids are phytonutrients with antioxidant properties, that helps maintain the blood flow and protects the cholesterol against oxidation from free radicals.
Magnesium, another mineral found in buckwheat, has relaxing properties over the blood vessels and improves the action of nutrients delivery when blood pressure is low. Flavonoids make a great pair for a healthy cardiovascular system.
Buckwheat can successfully replace the rice or legumes to create protein-packed dishes, but it can also be eaten raw, in puddings, or smoothies, after overnight soaking. If ground, buckwheat is the best gluten-free option for any baked goods, giving a mild nutty flavor and enriching the dish with nutrients, unlike plain white flour.
Little Tips for Making The Best Buckwheat Banana Pancakes
This is a later edit, since my initial recipe was posted I kept experimenting with it on different occasions and I’m happy to share my findings for making the perfectly delicious buckwheat banana pancakes! I also took a completely new set of photos so if you arrived on this page from a saved pin on Pinterest and the photos look different, don’t worry, you’re in the right place, just with better photos 🙂
– The initial recipe called for 1 cup plant milk and the batter turned a bit too thick – I tried adding 1/2 cups more plant milk according to some of your comments and it worked just fine.
– If you don’t have flax seed you can use chia seeds – they will work perfectly as an egg replacement.
– Improve the flavour – a teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 tsp ground cinnamon or 1/2tsp cardamom powder will make your kitchen smell like holidays!
– If you aren’t a big fan of bananas, use applesauce for the same buckwheat pancakes consistency.
– Instead of agave syrup I tried using maple syrup and it worked deliciously. I also used it for garnishing instead of honey, to make the recipe completely vegan.
– Serve with with any of your favorite fruits – fresh berries or strawberries can be added to the batter too, or served fresh or stewed as a topping.
– For a creamier alternative, add 1 tbsp coconut oil to the buckwheat pancakes batter.
– To keep the buckwheat pancakes warm while prepping the remaining batter, preheat the oven to 100C/200F and keep the pancake plate inside until reef to serve.
Do you want to experiment more with gluten-free pancakes? Try my Oat Pancakes with Citrus Compote.
I love seeing your take on my recipes, so if you try this delicious pancake recipe don’t forget to tag me @theawesomegreen so I can see them and share with the community!
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1&1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- Coconut oil for the skillet
- Toasted almonds banana slices,diced strawberries and maple syrup to serve
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the buckwheat flour, ground flax, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add mashed banana, vegan milk and agave syrup to the dry ingredients and mix to combine, until you obtain a thick but runny batter.
- Grease a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium heat.
- Scoop 1/4 cup batter into the skillet and cook until little bubbles appear on the surface (about two minutes). Flip over and cook for two more minutes.
- Transfer on a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm.
- Continue the same with the remaining batter, greasing the skillet every time you start a new pancake.
- Before serving, top with banana slices, toasted almonds and a drizzle of organic raw honey.
Notes
Nutrition
Great pancakes! Thanks for the recipe. As a vegan eating gluten free, it had been AGES since I’d had pancakes, and these really are so yummy. I did have to add quite a bit more milk than the recommended cup.
This sounds so great, I’m so happy you made the pancakes and you actually loved them! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Hello, I am from Turkey and looking for gluten free recipes.I’ve tried many recipes so far and yours is the best by far. Even I’ve cooked half size the recipes and used cow milk, result is perfect.Great pancake taste and real cake like texture in my mouth.Thanks a lot for the awesome recipe.
Thank you so much for your feedback, it makes me really happy to read you enjoyed my recipe! 🙂
These are amazing! I can’t have gluten nor oats, and am vegan so these are absolutely perfect. I added half a cup more of the almond milk (So 1 ½ cups total) because the batter seemed a bit thick, but I think its not absolutely necessary, especially if you like yours to be a bit more doughy. I cooked them without oil in a non stick pan and they came out exactly right. Thank you for this recipe!
That’s really great, I’m so happy you made the recipe and you liked it! Thanks so much for your feedback!
These were just the best. I only had coconut milk and maple syrup. Tasted delish 🙂
Sounds so delicious using coconut milk! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Forgot to say I used oat milk instead of almond milk (because it’s what we had) and honey instead of agave syrup and they turned out perfectly! Thanks for the recipe…about time a really outstanding recipe surfaces!
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, so happy to read you liked the recipe! 🙂
I am guessing the flaxseed is to replace egg? Is it ok to use egg instead?
Thanks!
Yes, flaxseed is for veganising the recipe 🙂 Eggs work perfectly!
These look great! I’m going to omit the honey to make them vegan.
Thank you Madelaine! You can replace the honey with pure maple syrup.
I know it is easy to ignore the suggestion of honey in the recipe, but labeling it vegan while there is honey is contradictory, and it gives the impression that the author does not understand the definition of vegan :/
Good recipe but discounting a couple of stars for the use of the keyword “vegan” in a recipe that includes non vegan ingredients.
Toni, you are right about the raw honey, but the recipe calls for agave nectar as a sweetener, while the honey is just for serving, so you can easily skip it if vegan.
Hello this might seem like a silly question but I had to double check, is 465 calories for 4 pancakes?
fantastic !
Thank you!
Has anyone tried baking them instead of frying?
Sounds really interesting, but I’m wondering if the batter will not spread too much until it settles in the oven.
How did you find the nutritional value? I need to track everything I eat, I calculated it and I’m at almost 1000 calories! I did use cocnut milk though
How did you find the nutritional value? I need to track everything I eat, I calculated it and I’m at almost 1000 calories! I did use coconut milk though. I imported the recipie into MyFittness Tracker, it’s quite accurate from what I’ve seen and been told. Its way off from the nutrition stated here.
I was skeptical and I was only looking for eggless recipes because I’m out of eggs and I had old bananas ;). But these were excellent! The 3-year-old went for them too .
That’s so great, thanks so much for your feedback!
These are great! Used coconut sugar in the mix instead of agave syrup and had no baking soda so just added extra baking powder. Also added some blueberries to the pancakes as they were in the frying pan.
Lovely recipe , I’m about to go make some more for the second day in a row! Think I’ll add some dessicated coconut this time. :p
Sounds so delicious, I have to try adding the blueberries and coconut! I am happy it turned out good, and you personalised it in such a tasty way! Thanks for the feed-back 🙂
Ana, can you please clarify the nutrition info by defining what a serving means? It would seem the nutrition info list is for the entire batch and not just for 1-pancake.
Would love the clarification!
Hi Christy, I’ve just updated the nutrition info, I hope you find it helpful! Let me know how they turn out, thanks so much!
Wow terrible recipe even with adjustments
You must have gone somewhere incredibly wrong, I’ve made these many times and all good.
But then again my mom is a terrible cook.
These pancakes are delicious and I use the recipe almost daily at our vegan B&B in Scotland. As some others have commented, I also add about another half cup of almond milk, and as we’re vegans and therefore don’t use honey, I use maple syrup instead.
Okay… my kids just abandoned their utensils and are devouring these. I did make a few adjustments. I doubled the recipe. I omitted agave and used an extra banana. I didn’t have flax so I used one “chia egg” instead. I also added 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. The batter was a little think, but it still spread and rose the way I like. The texture is good. I hope these freeze and toaster well for quick mid week breakfasts. Thanks.
Sounds delicious, I love all the ingredient additions and definitely have to try adding the cinnamon and nutmeg, and I am soooo happy your kids liked it! Thanks for the feedback!
Been making this recipe for over a year now. Decided to use Bob’s red Mill 1 to 1
gluten free flour, they turned out great! So if you want a change of pace from using buckwheat flour I recommend Bob’s 1 to 1 flour.
Thanks for the suggestion, I’m sure our GF readers will appreciate this so much!
We LOVED this recipe! Best gluten free, dairy free recipe for pancakes out there and we’ve tried lots and lots of different ones!
Hello,
Looks like a good recipe! When do I add the lemon juice?
Thanks!
The lemon juice is for balancing the baking soda taste, so you can add to the bowl with the wet ingredients. It really is a keeper, I hope you like it!