Gluten Free Pancake Recipe | Homemade Mix (2024)

This is the gluten free pancake recipe mix that's perfect for everything from pancakes and muffins to breakfast bakes. They're light and fluffy, just like a proper pancake should be.

Making them as a dry mix first means you can make sure you always have the mix available for weekend family time. The fact that they freeze so well is why you can make them ahead of time, wrap tightly, and freeze—then defrost in the toaster for busy weekday mornings.

It's time to ditch that box and D.I.Y. a better pancake!

The only gluten free pancake recipe you need

This is an all purpose gluten free pancake recipe that begins with the simplest, well-balanced gluten free pancake mix. It doesn't need to be modified to make anything and everything you might make with Bisquick, but better.

You may even be able to find packaged gluten free Bisquick, but unfortunately it's just not very good. It's gritty, which means that their rice flour must be less refined.

Many of us, before going gluten free, were used to using a packaged pancake mix to make all kinds of dishes. Now, with this recipe, we can do that again.

Plus, I have all the guidance to do it all right here! And of course, this mix makes the lightest, fluffiest, most tender gf pancakes. If you're hoping for a heartier, more filling pancake, try our gluten free oatmeal pancakes.

Which gluten free flour blend is best?

Gluten free pancakes are one of the few recipes that simply are better made with a super-simple 3-ingredient blend of gluten free flours (superfine white rice flour + potato starch + tapioca starch/flour). And even a wee bit of xanthan gum if you're willing.

Avoid using too much xanthan gum in your gluten free pancake recipe

You can make pancakes with one of my all purpose gluten free flour blends, but they all have way more xanthan gum than we need here. That leads to a less delicate result than you'd expect from good pancakes—and pancake batter that is difficult to pour or spread into a round pancake shape.

Plus, the process of making pancakes with a lot of xanthan gum becomes a race against the clock. Xanthan gum absorbs lots of moisture and will continually cause the pancake batter to thicken as it stands. You'll need to keep adding more milk.

A little added xanthan gum can help with “feathering”

You have two choices to make a lovely mix for gluten free pancakes. You can add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum for every 1 1/2 cups of the 3-ingredient flour blend (technically, 1/6 teaspoon per cup of flour blend), and have essentially the most perfect pancake mix ever that can be used anywhere you'd use a pancake mix like Bisquick.

Can you make gluten free pancake recipe without xanthan gum?

Yes! You can skip the xanthan gum altogether. Just use a bit less milk in general and have thinner, slightly more delicate pancakes.

I've made this recipe every which way. I believe that using the optional xanthan gum in the basic 3-ingredient flour blend is the way to go.

That bit of xanthan gum makes for the perfect, pourable pancake batter that isn't too thick and isn't too thin. The pancakes hold their shape with no “feathering” around the edges, and they're not too thick, not too thin.

If you prefer thinner pancakes, add more milk by the tablespoon until you get the batter just the way you like it.

How to use this gluten free pancake recipe mix

A pancake mix like Bisquick is generally considered quite versatile, for all sorts of gluten free breakfasts. And this mix works just like the store-bought kind. Bisquick does make a gluten free mix, actually, but it's gritty and really awful.

I've tried nearly all the available gluten free pancake mixes and come up with a list of my favorite store bought gluten free pancake mixes.

How to make gluten free pancake bites or muffins using this mix

Use it to make these little pancake bites, which are simple but delicious mini muffins. You can leave the pancake bites plain, or scatter each with some toppings.

I like a teaspoon of chopped fresh strawberries, sliced bananas, miniature chocolate chips (!) or a simple granola-type mix. They all bake at the same rate whether they have toppings or not, so you can alternate toppings—or even make them into larger muffins.

They all bake at the same rate whether they have toppings or not, so you can alternate toppings—or even make them into larger muffins. Or maybe you had a favorite recipe that you made with Bisquick before you went gluten free. Use this mix in that recipe.

How to make classic gluten free pancakes using this mix

Making pancakes from this mix is as easy as making pancakes using any mix. Just add milk and an egg to the dry ingredients, pour on a hot, greased griddle and wait to flip.

If you're adding a touch of xanthan gum to the recipe, as I prefer to do, you'll need a bit more milk as directed in the recipe instructions below. The recipe doesn't call for enough xanthan gum to thicken the batter so much that it's no longer pourable, but you'll still find that the batter thickens as it stands.

If you prefer slightly thicker pancakes, continue to whisk the batter and wait about 7 or 8 minutes before pouring the batter onto the griddle. For thinner pancakes like you see in the photo just above, have the hot, greased griddle waiting and begin to pour it soon after everything is fully combined.

Preparing the gluten free pancake recipe mix to store

Not only can you make this recipe in stages, beginning with the dry gluten free pancake mix, and store it in your pantry, it's designed to be used just like that.

You don't need a different gf pancake mix to make a gluten free breakfast bake, gluten free Bisquick-style apple coffee cake, classic light and fluffy gluten free pancakes, or miniature or standard sized gf pancake bites. This mix does it all!

Can I multiply the gluten free pancake dry mix recipe and store it for later use?

Yes! The dry mix makes a total of 1/2 cups + 3 tablespoons by volume, or 235 grams by weight. Multiply the recipe by 2, 3, or even 4 times, whisk it very well in a large mixing bowl, then transfer it to a sealed container stored in a cool, dry pantry.

When you're ready to make gluten free pancakes, measure out 235 grams of the dry mix, add the wet ingredients as directed, and voila! Perfect gluten free pancakes.

Looking for more gluten free baking mixes?

Did you know that my second book,GFOAS Quick & Easy, with awhole chapter on Make-Your-Own mixes for everything from gluten free cakes and cookies to muffins, scones,and brownies?

Here on the blog, we've made a Jiffy-style gluten free corn muffin mix that is super versatile, too. And the recipes for gluten free cupcake mixes, chocolate and vanilla, are also published here on the blog.

Since I believe in the power of easy breakfast ideas, not to mention a good breakfast-for-dinner night now and again, this recipe for a simple mix for gluten free pancakes comes in very, very handy. Make the easy dry mix ahead of time, add just two ingredients, and you'll have simple, classic pancakes in minutes.

Using the griddle or a pan to make pancakes

You can make these gluten free pancakes anywhere and any way you would have made conventional pancakes in the past. They don't behave any differently.

If you have a nonstick stovetop or electric griddle, by all means use that. A griddle is especially good for making big batches of pancakes at once.

If you don't have a griddle, any nonstick pan will work. But whether you use a pan or griddle, make sure it's nonstick or you'll end up having to use so much grease that you're basically frying the pancakes not just cooking them.

If your nonstick surface is new enough that it's still really nonstick, you don't have to grease it. You can just make lovely, fluffy pancakes with an even, golden brown color on both sides.

But if you'd like to make pancakes with the slightly darker edges, be sure to grease the nonstick pan. You can greasing it with some cooking oil spray, a pat of butter, vegan butter, or even coconut oil.

Freezing gluten free pancakes for hassle free mornings

If you have leftover pancakes, or you just want to make a big batch (or two!) ahead of time, this recipe is perfect! Just let the pancakes cool completely, and wrap them in stacks of 2 or 3.

If you use a freezer-safe wrap or container, and wrap them tightly or squeeze all the air out of the container, you can freeze them for at least 3 months. Defrost them at room temperature, overnight in the refrigerator, or in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Then, separate the pancakes in the stack, and place them in your toaster. Toast them on low until they're warm and ready for your syrup!

Yummy mix-ins and toppings for gluten free pancakes

Here's a list of my favorite toppings and mix-ins for the perfect, slightly fancier pancakes every child (and adult, let's be honest!) loves:

• Miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed in or sprinkled on top as the first side cooks
• Thinly sliced ripe bananas on top or chopped ripe bananas mixed in gently
• Chopped fresh strawberries on top or mixed in gently
• Granola on top or mixed in to the batter
• My favorite: place pure maple syrup in a squeeze bottle, and swirl some on top while the first side is cooking

Gluten free pancake recipe ingredients and substitutions

Luckily, this recipe only calls for a few ingredients: a 3-ingredient flour blend (white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch/flour), (optional) xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar (just a touch, but you can actually leave it out if you prefer), milk, eggs, and butter (if making pancake muffins/bites).

Here are my suggestions for how to replace some of those ingredients, if you have additional dietary restrictions:

How to make gluten free dairy free pancakes

In the pancake recipe, the only dairy is cow's milk. Simply replace the cow's milk with your favorite non-dairy milk from a carton (not a can). My favorite is unsweetened almond milk.

In the pancake bites, there is also some melted butter. That can easily be replaced with Earth Balance buttery sticks, Spectrum brand butter-flavored nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, or virgin coconut oil, each melted and cooled.

How to make gluten free egg free pancakes

If you're egg-free, I'd actually recommend that you use a different pancake recipe. You can of course still use the dry mix, as it's naturally egg-free.

For egg-free pancakes, I think you'll really love my vegan gluten free pancakes recipe. You could also use that vegan recipe to make pancake bites like we do here.

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