Buckwheat Pancakes
Delicious buckwheat pancakes made from 100% buckwheat flour. These pancakes are light, fluffy and easy to make! They're gluten free, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
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Ever tried buckwheat pancakes? Sure, they aren’t the prettiest pancakes around, but they make up for their humble appearance with wonderful flavor and texture. Buckwheat, a gluten-free relative of rhubarb, has a uniquely nutty flavor all its own.
Thanks to the buckwheat flour, these pancakes are naturally gluten free! These pancakes possess a light and airy consistency that quietly surrenders to the pressure of a fork and soaks up maple syrup like a sponge. I just love them.
This recipe was originally adapted from a fun cookbook called Pancakes, by fellow food blogger Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen. I visit Adrianna’s blog any time I need some creative recipe inspiration or a laugh, which is often.
It’s been eight years, so I’m revisiting this recipe to update the photos. I also tweaked the recipe a bit to work even better with 100 percent buckwheat flour. I added another egg and a smidge more flour. Hope you’ll give them a try soon!
What is buckwheat flour?
Buckwheat flour is often categorized as a whole grain, but technically, it’s not a grain at all. It’s a pseudocereal like quinoa and amaranth. Buckwheat flour is made from the seeds of buckwheat, a flowering cover crop.
Buckwheat is nutritious, offering a good source of minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Food52 says that buckwheat flour offers more protein, dietary fiber and B vitamins than an equal weight of whole wheat flour or oat flour.
Buckwheat flavor has a distinctive earthy flavor that you might recognize from soba noodles, blinis or crêpes. If you enjoy buckwheat, don’t miss my recipes for buckwheat waffles and buckwheat crêpes.
Buckwheat Pancake Tips
For thicker and fluffier pancakes, Adrianna suggests substituting half whole wheat or all-purpose flour for the buckwheat flour. Granted, your pancakes will no longer be gluten free, but the fluffier texture and lighter buckwheat flavor might be perfect for you.
Be sure to properly preheat your cooking surface. It’s ready when a few drops of water sizzle immediately upon impact. Don’t start too soon, or your pancakes won’t brown and will be difficult to turn.
Gently stir the batter before using, every time. Buckwheat flour tends to separate from liquid, so gently stir the batter before each batch to evenly distribute the ingredients.
If you’re cooking on the stovetop, you may need to dial back the heat a bit over time. Your temperature is too high if the pancakes are browning too quickly on the outside before they are done on the inside.
The pancakes are ready to flip when about 1-inch of the perimeter has turned from glossy to matte. Better to be patient than to end up with a doughy mess.
Serving suggestions: Buckwheat pancakes pair well with fresh berries and sliced ripe banana. I love them with a drizzle of maple syrup, of course, and a healthy swipe of peanut butter or almond butter for some additional protein.
Watch How to Make Buckwheat Pancakes
More Gluten-Free Pancakes to Enjoy
- Banana Oat Pancakes
- Blender Oatmeal Pancakes
- Caramelized Peach and Oat Pancakes
- Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
Please let me know how your pancakes turn out in the comments! And check out even more pancake recipes here.
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes
Buckwheat gives these pancakes incredible flavor. This buckwheat pancake recipe yields deliciously light and thin pancakes. For pancakes that are even lighter in texture and flavor, use half all purpose flour (Adrianna’s suggestion) or whole wheat flour (my default). Recipe yields 12 medium pancakes, or enough for 2 to 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buckwheat flour (or ½ cup buckwheat and ½ cup flour of choice)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, shaken*
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Butter, for the skillet
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps. Set aside while you warm the skillet or griddle.
- Preheat your skillet or griddle over medium-low heat (if using an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Brush the cooking surface with 1 ½ teaspoons of butter.
- Give the batter a light swirl with a spoon in case the buckwheat is starting to separate from the liquid. Using a ¼-cup measure, scoop the batter onto the warm skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes (you’ll know it’s ready to flip when about 1 inch of the perimeter is matte instead of glossy), and flip. Cook on the opposite sides for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Transfer the cooked pancakes to a cooling rack, or to a baking sheet in a preheated 200 degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm.
- Gently stir the batter before using again. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, brushing the skillet with additional butter as needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Pancakes by Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen.
*Make your own buttermilk with dairy-free option: Combine 1 ¼ cups milk of choice (almond, soy, rice, low fat coconut) with 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon vinegar and let it rest for 5 minutes before using.
Make it dairy free: See buttermilk alternative above, and lightly brush the skillet with melted coconut oil instead of butter.
Roasted strawberry topping option: (From original recipe.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss 1 pint strawberries (hulled and sliced into bite-sized quarters or halves) with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or long enough for the berry juices to thicken but not burn (watch the edges in particular).
Recipe edits 5/27/21: To make this recipe work even better with 100 percent buckwheat flour, I added an additional tablespoon of buckwheat flour and one additional egg.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Because I regularly use your Buckwheat waffle recipe, I used 100% buckwheat flour for the pancake recipe and they turned out equally delicious. I freeze them and take out 2 for breakfast, spread with jam like a sandwich. Totally good! Also I grind my buckwheat in the Vitamix as the flour here is very expensive.
Hi
Just made these. Made the 100% buckwheat. Didn’t put in any sugar and added extra water to my coconut milk and vinegar mix. Batter was more like traditional pancake mix. I loved them!!! Served them with fresh berries and raw honey.
Next time I was thinking to add cacao powder instead of the extra tablespoon of flour.
Thank you for a delightful recipe
Ailish in Ireland
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed these pancakes.
I read your tip to use an extra egg and an extra Tablespoon flour. So I made them using 1 cup buckwheat and two tablespoons arrowroot flour, 3 eggs and otherwise followed the recipe as stated, except for the fact I used pure stevia instead of sugar. Very nice, very filling. We had them with butter, banana and maple syrup. I’m sure they would be great with a savoury topping.
These pancakes were fabulous! I made them per the recipe except that since I don’t like bananas, I did use the applesauce instead. They turned out fluffy and tender. I topped them with fresh peaches and maple syrup. Amazing! Thank you.
You’re welcome, Kate! Thank you for your review.
This has been our go to breakfast recipe for years. I have a son who hardly eats any protein, but he will chow these down. We love them and I feel so good giving them to my kids, skipping the white flower for much more nutritious buckwheat. Thanks!!!
You’re welcome, Kendall!
Made this with a couple of changes: swapped out half of the buckwheat flour for Cup 4 Cup Wholesome GF flour; made the buttermilk with almond milk plus apple cider vinegar; used one egg because that was all I had. These turned out really well, light, snd rose a lot while cooking. Delicious with blueberries, nonfat greek yogurt, and grade B maple syrup.
I made them using half buckwheat and half spelt wholemeal. They were delicious and fluffy. Ate them with butter, maple syrup and blueberries. Wonderful treat!
So yummy!
Great to hear, Tracy! Thank you for your review.
Has anyone added xanthan gum to this recipe?
These pancakes are great. My go to recipe. Do you have the nutritional information?
The nutritional information is below the notes section of the blog. I’m glad you enjoy them!
So yummy! Thank you for another great recipe Kate! I can’t wait to buy your cookbook :)
I’m glad you loved this recipe and I hope you love my cookbook, Anna!
These are so delicious! We love the earthy flavor and they have become a staple in our house. I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder for additional protein.
Thank you for sharing, Judy!
Mmmmmm…!
hi, my batter is very thin. I did add 1/4 c. of ap flour, to the 1/2 c buckwheat, and 1/2 c. ww wheat that was already mixed up…it still seems very thin and not thick like my usual pancake batters (I make all kinds including gf, traditional, and pre-made mixes), is this normal? thank you!
It is a bit different than traditional mixes. They won’t be as thick.
Hi Kate,
Thank you for this recipe, it was delicious! I used 1/2 Buckwheat, 1/2 all purpose, added Pecans for a little extra “zing”, my family ate it up in no time!!
These are amazing and so easy to make! Usually my pancakes are a disaster but these are fail safe and delicious too!
I have made these pancakes many times. They are delicious! I use just buckwheat flour and for the buttermilk I use lemon juice with almond milk. Thank you for creating this recipe!
You’re welcome, Shannon!
I have made these pancakes many times. They are delicious! I use just buckwheat flour and for the buttermilk I use lemon juice with almond milk. And I never use sugar in pancakes because I know I’ll be topping them with something like maple syrup.Thank you for creating this recipe!
You’re welcome, Shannon!
Thank you for this recipe. Love them so much. It’s a staple for us. Make them a lot. Gluten free nutty taste soft fluffy texture. What could be better. Serve them with berries, maple syrup and Greek yogurt. Yum
Thank you for your review, Ruth!
These are so delicious! The texture and flavor are great! I’ve added blueberries to them and have made them numerous times. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome, Judy!
I have made these pancakes many times, and they’re so good! I use all buckwheat flour, almond milk with lemon juice for the buttermilk, and no sugar. (I know I’ll put something sweet on pancakes, so I always leave out sugar.) The pancakes are the best buckwheat ones that I’ve ever had. Thank you!
Great to hear, Shannon! I appreciate your review.
I will be using this recipe for my buckwheat pancakes! These pancakes were soft and very satisfying, so much better than the boxed mixes. Thank you for this nice recipe.
You’re welcome, Gina!
Yummy!!
Thank you for your review, Teresa!
Thank you so much for this awesome gluten free alternative!!! I love pancakes but so many recipes don’t love me back. Can’t thank you enough!!!
You’re welcome, Liz!
A super recipe. I added a tap of safflower oil and cardamom seeds this time. Maple syrup goes perfectly with them.
This is a recipe that I’ve used for a couple years. It always works out great for me! I usually add a little more buckwheat flour to make it thicker. It bubbles a bit and feels thicker when I stir it. It doesn’t take much. They always cook up great – browned lightly on the outside and cooked thru on the inside. I have never been able to make pancakes (GF or not) until I found this recipe. Thanks! I may try the strawberries today, I got some organic ones on sale.
Thank you for sharing, Jackie!
Delicious!!! I enjoy making your recipes! Your website is my go-to spot for vegetarian options.
I stirred the ingredients and immediately made my first and second batches with thick batter. The pancakes were light and fluffy. When I let your batter sit on my counter for 20+ minutes, the batter did get thin and runny so the pancakes were thin. In my opinion, both pancake results tasted the same.
Great to hear, Tricia! I appreciate your review.
I always wanted to try a gluten free, high protein, low carb and nutritious pancake recipe but never have until I found this one. I love buckwheat. It has so much magnesium. I have made them this morning using Dove organic 100% buckwheat flour (UK) but added 1/2 ts of ACV, spooned the ingredients into cups instead of scooping and used only 1/2 TBSP sugar and they were amazing!!! Even my husband who hates anything “healthy” loved them and it speaks volume. Next time I will try adding grounded flaxseed and substituting the dairy. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Thank you for the recipe. These turned out very nice. I used half buckwheat flour and half almond flour, extra large eggs, and I added 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut.to the batter. (I love coconutty pancakes.)
You’re welcome, Mary! Thank you for your review.
Gorden Sorensen it is 1CUP plus 1 TBLSP. Go back and check it out. :)
Hi Kathryne,
Can I use kasha (lightly roasted buckwheat) instead of raw buckwheat?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out for you!
they turned out fine… but I’m not sure how in taste they differ from those made with raw buckwheat flour.
I’ve now tried with both kasha and raw buckwheat flour. The kasha pancakes were much stronger tasting and significantly darker. Quite different taste experiences but both really good.
Beautiful pancakes! I’m usually terrible at making pancakes, but these are easy and turn out perfect!
Great to hear, Sue! Thank you for your review.
Sorry to say but total failure! I followed the directions exactly with correct measurements using professional measuring tools. I used arrowhead mills buckwheat flour and elmhurst 2 ingredient walnut plant milk. MY baking soda and baking powder all fresh. So first of all batter very very thin so needed to add 7 more TBL of buckwheat flour and still seemed too thin but made them anyway. I have a large non stick frying pan and at first put on medium low heat but pancakes no where near ready to be flipped after 3 minutes, rather after 5 minutes. Next batch using my flat top stove I turned up heat to medium but still pancakes barely had 2 or three bubbles on top after 3 minutes so something wrong with this batter it seems. Pancakes barely would rise up. Taste not enjoyable at all. Very bland and dry. I have made buckwheat pancakes before that came out amazing but always like trying new ones. Sorry to not be able to sing the praises of this recipe.
:(
Hi Jen, I’m sorry to hear that. I appreciate your detailed feedback.
Hi Kate! LOVE your recipes! I made this recipe with the extra Tbsp of buckwheat flour and extra egg and it is good…but I’m used to a slightly sweeter pancake. I added a little more vanilla to the remaining batch and for me, it was perfect. I think you could add a note that if people want a sweeter pancake, they can use 1tsp of vanilla extract. Otherwise, I will be using this recipe again and again and again ♥️
These pancakes are yummy. I made mine with 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt plus 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk instead of buttermilk and the batter was a perfect consistency.
Thank you for sharing, Joan!
Really easy to make; I followed the directions using all buckwheat flour. Very light and lovely flavor and texture. I found them fluffy, especially towards the end of the batch when I really got the hang of it. Recommend setting a timer and following the cooking/flipping instructions exactly. Same with turning down the heat partway through as recommended.
Thank you for this recipe! I’m so glad I found it. We are eliminating wheat flour from our diet so I’m just starting to try new recipes. I used half oat flour and half buckwheat flour. I didn’t have buttermilk so I added a little vinegar to to whole milk just like my mom taught me.They turned out really yummy! They were a hit with my two toddlers and my husband! It’s a keeper!
You’re welcome, Cheryl!
When you say to add another egg in the edit is that in addition to the published recipe or has it been updated already with the change reflected? Just unsure if you mean 2 eggs or 3. Thanks! Looks like a great recipe!
Hi S, what is currently in the recipe is reflected of the update. I hope that helps!