The Best Oat Flour Pancakes

Pancakes are our go-to weekend breakfast. Usually people think “ugh, pancakes leave me stuffed & tired”... but I make these oat flour pancakes with whole grains, high protein yogurt and flavor (vs. sugar) to up the staying power.

Jump to:

• How do I make oat flour pancakes?
• Storage and reheating
• Ingredients
• Can I substitute the oat flour? 
• Toppings
• Recipe

How do I make oat flour pancakes?

1. Preheat your griddle
2. Grind your oats
3. Mix your dry ingredients
4. Mix your wet ingredients
5. Pour your dry into your wet (versus the other way around to reduce the amount you have to fold together)
6. Let sit for a few minutes, while you set the table 🙂
7. Scoop with a ⅓ cup scoop onto a hot oiled surface and cook, flipping once

Simple. I also love that pancakes and waffles toast up nicely for an easy weekday breakfast. 

Storage and reheating

First, always cook up all of the batter. There are many who feel it’s okay to store batter in the fridge for a few days, but I always find the results are off – like the leaveners have lost some potency. Safe to store, but not the highest quality. 

Instead, I suggest one of two ways:

1. First you could just mix the dry ingredients in a bag (think bisquick), then when you’re ready for fresh, hot pancakes you only have to measure out the dry and mix the wet ingredients. Just make sure you record the recipe on the bag. 

2. Alternatively, I prefer to cook up all of the batter and store them in an airtight container. Then pop them in the toaster (for less time than toast so they heat up and just slightly crisp). Don't microwave, this just leaves them limp. 

Ingredients

Oat flour

So, I simply grind rolled oats for this recipe, that’s my “homemade oat flour”. I’m sure you could also use quick cooking oats, which are just more thinly pressed during production, but note I used rolled oats. You can learn all about oats from the experts. 

A side note, I recommend making your own oat flour versus buying it since the blender will really fluff the flour. In contrast, store bought will likely be pretty dense, which will change the amount quite a bit. 

You could sift your store bought flour, which results in greater accuracy, but no one bothers with this step anymore. More often you find the scoop and sweep method. Trust me, just follow the recipe on this one. Plus, it’s cheaper to make it, than to buy. 

Oats make a healthy flour substitute in these pancakes. The benefits include:

• Gluten free (if you use gf oats)
• Added protein
• More fiber, including beta glucans
• Vitamins and minerals 

Full Fat Greek Yogurt 

Greek yogurt is a must, don’t try this with regular yogurt. Greek yogurt is yogurt which has the whey strained, so it’s thicker than traditional. Now, I love using yogurt here because it adds the sourness similar to buttermilk, but with all the protein.  

Now, I bet you’re thinking “great! I’m also getting probiotics too”. Unfortunately, no, or not much. That’s because when we cook our pancakes we kill off most of the probiotics found in the yogurt. 

Dairy Milk or non dairy milk 

Either type of milk will work here. I used coconut, almond and cow’s milk. Choose the option that best fits your dietary preferences, and report back on your favorites!

Almond Extract 

Almond extract is a star flavor in these pancakes. So, I am a huge fan of almond extract, especially in my Christmas sugar cookies, and it makes these pancakes super delicious. Ah, my mouth is watering!

Can I substitute the oat flour? 

You can try! I tested this recipe several times using oat flour, and not other flours. Different flours will perform differently in the recipe based on their structure, protein, fat and fiber contents. 

For example, if you’re looking to sub all purpose flour (AP), remember that AP has 10-12% protein. Whereas, oat flour has slightly more protein with 13.3%. This variation alone can change the texture of the pancake pretty significantly. 

Toppings

As a kid I used ALL THE SYRUP. I was the kid that licked my dang plate clean. But as I age, I’ve learned that loads of syrup aren’t required when you have really good flavored, hearty pancakes (and that's what these oat flour pancakes are)!

Here are so nutrient dense toppings you should try:

• Compound butter (see recipe notes): so, butter provides some vitamin A and beneficial fatty acids including the short chain fatty acid, butyrate. Now I wouldn’t go crazy piling heaps of butter, but rest assured, it’s providing some nutrition and loads of flavor.
• Chia-berry compote: just heat fresh, or frozen berries until they’re softened. Remove from heat and add chia seeds (about 1 tablespoon per cup, depending on your desired consistency), plus maple syrup if additional sweetness is desired.
• Nut butters: I usually use nut butter when I reheat pancakes because they’re more “grab and go” and filling, like a slice of toast.

Recipe