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
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.
Turned out yummy. Great with blueberries in them!
Glad to hear it! Now I want to try blueberry buckwheat pancakes.
Hi, I want to make these, but I can’t eat buttermilk. How could I use rice milk to become like buttermilk??
Advice much appreciated!
Brandi
Hey Brandi, that’s no problem. You can make your own buttermilk substitute by combining 1¼ cups rice milk with 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using it in the recipe as directed.
I adapted the recipe by using soy milk and 1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar, let set 5 minutes and 2 tablespoons chia seeds ground in coffee grinder and 2 tablespoons of hot water mix until spongy. As my husband is gluten, dairy and and egg intolerant. They turned out very good. Will make again.
Dianne, thank you so much for sharing your substitutions! I’m sure they will come in handy for other visitors.
I am just finding your blog. I tried these pancakes this morning. We eat buckwheat for health reasons and because we eat gluten free. Despite it’s name, buckwheat is gluten free! I used a half a cup of a gluten free flour blend. They were amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
Mary, I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes! If you eat gluten-free oats, I think you would also enjoy my banana oat pancakes!
Regarding fluffiness: I made the batter before I took a shower. So it sat for about 20 minutes on the counter. I could tell the batter was a little bubbly when I came back. I’m guessing the buttermilk/soda/powder started doing its thing. Even with all buckwheat flour, these were so fluffy and thick!
Interesting! Thank you for the feedback, Trevor. My pancakes never ended up thick, but I’m going to try letting the batter rest before I cook up my next batch and see if that does the trick.
Completely delicious and satisfying . . . I used plain greek yogurt, a bit thinned (1 c yogurt, 1/4 c water). All I can say is, they were fluffy, huge and wonderful. Thank you. :-)
Hooray! Glad you loved the buckwheat pancakes, Sarah. Thanks for commenting!
Please could you tell me what kind of buckwheat flour you used? My pancakes looked very pale in comparison and I was so excited to achieve the dark pancakes you made… Im based in the UK so not sure if we have the same brands. any pointers would be great. LOVE love love your blog!
Hi Tamsin! That’s interesting that your pancakes were lighter in color. I’m not sure why that happened. I either used Arrowhead Mills or Bob’s Red Mill brand flour. I can’t remember which, I’m sorry!
Hi, I noted your comment on the extra height – I seem to have a lot of fluffy height! I didn’t have buttermilk so I used natural yoghurt and almond milk – the batter was thick and the pancakes almost an inch thick! Fabulous!
Wow, I’m glad your pancakes got so fluffy, Jolene! Sounds like I should give them another try!
This is my go to recipe for buckwheat pancakes, delicious with sliced banana too! I never seem to have baking soda and mine come out a bit thicker and more fluffy so that may be what’s making yours thinner, just a thought
Thanks, Malita! I’m glad your pancakes turn out fluffy. I should try them again with my new buckwheat flour and see if I get different results.
I’ve tried so many buckwheat pancake recipes and they haven’t been great, these are GREAT!
My substitutions:
– I used vanilla stevia instead of sugar – 2 drops
– Added frozen blueberries
– I never have buttermilk around so I used a combo of plain yogurt and unsweetened almond milk… still worked GREAT!
Thank You!
Thank you for sharing your substitutions, Alexis! So glad you enjoyed the pancakes.
What a great recipe – with fresh blueberries dropped in the batter after spooning it in to skillet. Delicious.
Your blueberry version sounds so good! Thanks, Mike!
I am just sticking my toe into the gluten-free water (in preparation for doing a 3-month gluten free trial). I love to bake, so I’m in a little bit of mourning! Bought Arrowhead Mills organic buckwheat flour and today went in search of a pancake recipe and this was the first one I found. Just finished my pancakes – they were incredibly good. What a relief. Easy to make. No problem with the texture, light and flavorful, no off-putting flavors. In terms of height or fluffiness? – the batter was pretty thick, but after scoping into pan it is easy to shake the pan side to side a bit which nicely flattens out the thick dollop of batter (or I’m sure you could do with a spoon). They are a little lacy on the edges and a nice lightness but with substance too. Perfect. I’m so relieved! The only change I made to the recipe was to substitute coconut palm sugar for the 1 T sugar in the batter. I look forward to trying the roasted strawberries. Thanks for this recipe.
Gail, thank you for the glowing review! I’m glad you found these pancakes. I also have some oat flour-based banana pancakes that you might enjoy!
I just made these – instead of buttermilk I used homemade kefir and they turned out delicious!
Awesome! Thanks, Allison!
Just made this vegan with flax egg (2tbsp ground flaxseed + 5tbsp water) and it came out delicious, especially with vegan chocalate soy spread and agave nectar syrup :) Thank you!
Awesome! Glad to hear they turned out well with flax eggs. Thank you, Ariel!
Hi Kate, found your blog while searching for buckwheat pancake recipe. Tried your recipe for dinner tonight. They were delicious
Hi Rita! I’m glad the pancakes turned out well. Thank you for commenting!
These were delicious! Thanks for the recipe; we are trying to go gluten free for a while and this is a great addition to our menu. We added mini choloate chips for my son. Yum!
Thank you, Bee! Glad you all enjoyed the pancakes. You might also enjoy my oat-based pancakes! (Pumpkin, banana, yogurt, oh and oat waffles, too!)
The batter works well in the waffle iron! Great recipe!
That is great to know! Thank you, Michelle! Can’t wait to try buckwheat waffles.
Ho-ly. Mo-ly. WOW! I woke up feeling like buckwheat pancakes, didn’t feel like looking for the simple recipe I had somewhere in my cookbooks, so googled one, and found and made these. INCREDIBLE!!!! They totally made my day. Thanks for the note on making your own butttermilk. I had some half-and-half and coconut milk. Used about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of that with water to thin it out. Added some thawed blueberries to the batter. They were friggin’ delicious!
Thank you, Tiffany! That’s so great to hear!
WOW!! These pancakes are fantastic! I was worried at first because the batter was thin, but they got really crispy around the edges. I think they’re the best pancakes I’ve ever had. :-)
I used ghee to fry them and added a few dark chocolate chips in for a little extra yum. (No strawberries in the house this morning.)
Talk about a great way to start my day. I’ll be making these again and again! Thank you!
Thanks, Jenny! So glad you enjoyed the pancakes!
EXCELLENT! My autistic stepson pounded these, and picked up all the crumbs!! I was pleased that one recipe made just enough for 3 Will look over your other gluten-free recipes! I have already decided to give the ginger bread granola as Christmas gifts! I’m not vegetarian, but I am a veggie lover, and I will be sure to look over all your recipes. Love the web site!
Thank you, Christine! I’m glad you three enjoyed the pancakes. I have quite a few other gluten-free pancakes and waffles (just posted pumpkin waffles today)!
hello, we ground our own buckwheat and used it for this recipe, however, when we cooked it it came out cooked on the outside but not cooked inside. i noticed that other recipes use butter/oil in the batter whereas yours does not. any thoughts as to why our result was less than good? thanks
Hummm, that’s strange. I haven’t heard of that happening. Are you sure your baking soda and baking powder still work? I’m not sure why else that would happen. I don’t think it had to do with the lack of fat in the batter, though.
These are the best pancakes ever, thanks so much for sharing! I have used the bicarbonate of soda only – for a boy who can’t have baking powder – and they still taste wonderfully :)
Awesome, I’m so glad to hear it!
Though I make adjustments I absolutely looove this recipe! In place of buttermilk I use full fat coconut milk. For my 2 year old son I sub out the sugar for Maple syrup (A few tablespoons) and sometimes sprinkle in some brown sugar. For me I use the sugar but it can go without just fine. It’s also good without the vanilla. I leave out the baking powder entirely. (I’m a minimalist baker ;) )
Awesome! Thanks, Courtney!
Hi, I made these just now and found them quite good. This may have been the first time I used almond milk for my buckwheat pancakes ( which I have eaten for years). I have been cutting most dairy out for a few months and actually most grains,but decided since I was off the wagon thru the holidays I would do a gluten free pancake this am. I did the cider vinegar in the milk and used maple syrup for the sugar (not quite a tablespoon). They were quite fluffy as I think the vinegar reacted with the baking soda. They had a bit of a different taste but that might have been the almond milk ( the taste is never quite the same as cows milk). Some buckwheat flours taste a little different because I have not been able to reproduce the flavor of what I used to use. I think this batch is bobs red mill, but I have tried grinding some my self as well. I’m not sure what brand I used to use, but it was alittle more distinctive tasting than what I have had the past few years. I wish I knew what the difference was. I did not do the fruit but it did look lovely. Thanks.
Do you have the nutrition on these or any of your recipes? they look really good!
Hey Nikki, I’m sorry, I don’t provide nutrition details. They vary widely depending on serving size, actual ingredients used, etc. I would hate to provide inaccurate information to my readers.
You can look up the recipe on myfitnesspal.com if you’d like to see their estimates. If you do, please feel free to share your results in the comments section for the recipe!
Thanks Katie! no worries have a great day:)
I’m a pancake lover, and this recipe makes the best pancakes ever, and even better, gluen-free! Thank you!
Hooray! Thanks, Edward!
I just made these pancakes. They are far better than regular pancakes and turned out very fluffy. I used whole milk and made my own buttermilk with vinegar. I also used some Nutella and orange zest and they were delicious! I will make again and again! Thank you for this amazing recipe I can finally eat pancakes too
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the pancakes!
I have tried a lot of Buckwheat pancake recipes and this is one of my favorites! Instead of milk, though, I added 1 cup non-fat yogurt and 1/4 cup milk. The yogurt adds some fluff to these delicious pancakes!
Thanks, Tiffany! Your version sounds great.
Tried these today with almond milk/vinegar substituted for buttermilk. The batter stemmed awfully thin. I found it impossible to cook more than one at a time since the batter would spread out so much. I ended up adding additional buckwheat flour to thicken the batter. Relative to other pancake recipes I’ve tried, this seems to call for a greater volume of liquid. I don’t see other comments of a similar nature. They turned out fine but I remain bothered. Is the batter really supposed to be thin?
Hi Ed, I’m not sure what happened with your pancake batter, but it doesn’t sound like the batter I remember and the batter that the other commenters have made. I’m sorry, not sure what happened there. Sometimes it helps to let the batter sit for a few minutes so the flour can absorb some moisture.
At a cabin in the woods today with limited provisions and decided to bake. Googled buckwheat pancakes and found yours. They were wonderful! Sour cream and milk substituted for the buttermilk. Served them with butter and pure maple syrup. Perfect. Thank you.
Thank you, Nell!
Oh my goodness!!!!!! I can’t believe how good they taste! I’m a vegan, so I made the “buttermilk” the way you described it (with lemon juice) and I used egg replacer. Also, I used strawberry jam, since strawberries are out of season here.. Nevertheless these pancakes are absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much!!
Awesome! Thanks, Salome.
I have made these with whole milk and buttermilk, and both times they were wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!
That’s great to hear, thanks Ashley!
Oh.my.AMAZING!!!
I can’t believe how much I love these pancakes, thank you for sharing this recipe. Breakfast Perfection.
Thank you, Amanda!
Just tried this recipe and it was awesome with some maple syrup and peanut butter! Next time I’ll try it with half wholemeal flour and see how that turns out. Thank you!
Glad to hear it, thanks Amanda!
I made these buckwheat pancakes on Good Friday and they were delicious! The whole family loved them and they were so quick and easy. I served them with a syrup I made from homegrown quinces, strawberry guavas and rose hips. There’s a photo on my FB page (I don’t use Instagram, sorry): http://goo.gl/Ox3paF. Thanks for a great recipe! I think I’ll make some more today, actually!
Thanks, Anita! I’m so glad you all enjoyed the pancakes. They looked marvelous!
Hey Kate,My name is Gabi, I am from Poland. I woke up this morning and thought i need something Warming up for breakfast something hearty and delicious, I was looking for recipes in internet and I saw this one,decided to cook bucketwheat pancakes…. I LOVE them, they are on my plate right now waiting for me to eat them and enjoy them:)
I really like your recipes, I started being interested in bucketwheat,millet, corn flours month ago, and it is a hudge benefit to my health
Xo Gabi
Thank you for saying hello, Gabi! So glad you’re enjoying the buckwheat pancakes. I use lots of healthy, whole grain flours, so you might enjoy some of my other recipes, too!
So delicious, easy and versatile – thank you!
Glad you like the pancakes! Thanks, Marian!
My husband and I LOVE these pancakes. This is my go-to recipe for pancakes now. :-) Thank you, Kate!
Hooray, thanks Caroline!
Hi Kate
We tried these for the first time this morning and we’re so impressed. I used almond milk with a squeeze of lemon and added lemon zest and cinnamon to the batter. Perfection! I agree that they’re great the way they are – no extra fluffiness needed!Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Thanks, Jenny! So glad you enjoyed the pancakes!
I make two beautiful versions with no salt and no sugar.
1. Soury version: buckwheat flour, feta gout cheese, garlic and sparkling mineral water. All mixed well. Garlic and cheese to your taste. Use non stick pane with just a bit of organic coconut oil.
2. Sweet version: the pancake is not sweet but it is used with sweet feelings like honey and crashed nuts ( use your imagination ).
Ingredients are the same as for 1. but cheese and garlic replace with some full cream organic milk.
And if you are skillful enough they can look beautiful also.
Best regards.
Max.
Thanks for sharing, Max! I never would have thought to change up these pancakes like that. Great ideas.
Hi Kate,
Do you know if I can make my batter the night before and if the batter can be stored? :)
Thanks so much!
Jo
Hi Jo! I think you would be better off storing the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately until you’re ready to mix and serve. Baking soda starts bubbling right away, so I think the bubbles would be gone by the next day and you would probably end up with flat pancakes.
I just made these for my family this morning and they were a hit. I’ve been gluten free due to lyme disease for about 7 months now. I have tried other pancake recipes and they were a big fail. But not this one. My husband and I loved the roasted berries, and my 9 year old just ate them plain! I left the sugar out (since sugar is a no-no too) and hoped for the best, and it was all good. I plan on making these many times this summer rotating the roasted berries as they come into season!
Hi Stacy! I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes. If you eat oats, you might like my GF oat-based pancakes, too!
Hello Kate,
Thanks fro sharing this recipe. It’s been a while since I bought buckwheat flour and was resting there on the shelf. I did the pancakes this morning. They are great :)
Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi there,
I loved these pancakes! They were fluffy and tasty. I added blueberries :) Thank you for sharing such a great recipe. One question: do you know what the nutritional content is per serving?
Thanks!
Ahhhh! What did I do wrong?? I followed the recipe and subbed buttermilk with almond milk the way you explained. My pancakes are so thin and break apart when o flip them. So sad! Any thoughts?!
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that, Meg! I haven’t heard of any other reports of falling apart pancakes. I don’t think it had to do with the buttermilk. Are you sure you didn’t forget the egg? And you used 1 cup of buckwheat flour? I’m really not sure what happened. :(
Tried them in a non-stick pan and worked fine. Seems like my issue was making them in the skillet.
Glad that worked for you!
This recipe works great, but to make it a tad healthier and fruitier, I made the following modifications:
3/4 C buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp each baking soda and baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon power and/or 1 tbsp raw cacao powder (optional)
1 medium-sized ripe banana
1 small egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 C buttermilk (I use 1/2 C unsweetened soy milk with just over 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar)
1 tbsp honey (optional) – skip this if you are eating the pancakes with something sweet, like maple syrup or jam
Frozen blueberries
A small amount of coconut oil for cooking
1) Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2) Combine buttermilk with banana, egg, vanilla, and honey, and blitz in a blender.
3) Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
4) Grease non-stick frying pan with a little bit of oil and add tablespoon-full amounts of pancake batter. Sprinkle 3-4 frozen blueberries on top, evenly spaced. Cook on low-medium heat. Turn after a few minutes. Each side should be a nice, caramel brown colour. Be careful not to burn or undercook them! It might take a few tries to get it right.
Enjoy! :)
Thanks, Dee!
All the way across the other side of the world I just made this with agave sugar and had the pancakes with strawberries and cream. Yum! We don’t use buckwheat flour a lot in Australia but I now will be.
Thanks, Veronica! So neat to know you made them on the other side of the world. :)
They were brilliant! I bought some in a cafe yesterday and they were terrible so I wanted to try making them myself. Using your recipe was a dream. Thanks so much for sharing!
Well, I’m so glad these were better! Thanks, Hazel!
These pancakes were absolutely amazing! I just had one concern, the batter somehow managed to thicken in the time it took me to hear the skillet and by the third pancake I was practically scooping cookie dough, is it supposed to be like that? And if not, then a reason why that happened?
Hi Ann, good question! That’s just what happens when the baking soda reacts with the buttermilk, nothing to be concerned about! The reaction is responsible for all those little air bubbles that make your pancakes nice and fluffy.
I came across the recipe for Buckwheat pancakes when I was looking for a way to make them myself. I used all buckwheat that my husband had just ground for me and no flour. These were great! Had some left over so I thought I would give our dogs some and they even loved them too kept wanting more. This is a Keeper!
Thank you, Debby!