Quinoa Pancakes (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

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These Quinoa Pancakes are thick, fluffy, perfectly chewy and super easy to make. They have a nutty flavour, are made without flax eggs or aquafaba and make the best healthy and satisfying breakfast! They're vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and refined sugar free (or can be made with no added sugar), and are a great source of protein and fibre.

A stack of five quinoa pancakes topped with wild strawberries on a plate

These Quinoa Pancakes are made using quinoa flour, which you can easily make yourself at home (instructions below).

I tested these pancakes with different combinations of flours in different ratios. Using quinoa flour alone meant the pancakes turned out dry and crumbly. I found that a half-half mixture of quinoa and oat flour was the best. This is because quinoa flour can be quite crumbly, but oat flour tends to be sticky. So, oat flour works as the perfect binding agent to make soft and fluffy quinoa flour pancakes that hold together.

What type of quinoa should you use for quinoa pancakes?

I recommend white quinoa over tricolour quinoa, as the grains have a thinner skin meaning they're much easier to whizz into a flour. Plus, the white quinoa gives these pancakes a better colour.

Should you wash quinoa?

Although I usually recommend washing quinoa first before cooking it, I find it is better not to wash it when using it to make quinoa flour because it doesn't blend as well when it's wet.

How do you make quinoa flour?

Although you can buy quinoa flour, I much prefer to make my own as it's much cheaper and it's so easy to make.

1. Place the quinoa in a blender or food processor.

Tip: I recommend using a blender not a food processor if possible, as it takes much longer in a food processor. Plus my food processor isn't completely well-sealed so the process ended up spraying quinoa flour all over my kitchen. However, if you don't have a high-speed blender, a food processor will work too.

White quinoa in a blender

2. Whizz until you get a fine powder.

Quinoa flour in a blender

How do you make oat flour?

Although you can buy oat flour, I much prefer to make my own as it's much cheaper and it's so easy to make.

1. Place the oats in a blender or food processor.

Oats in a blender

2. Whizz until you get a fine powder.

Oat flour in a blender

Why do the flours need to be blended separately?

Quinoa takes longer to blend into a powder than oats, so I recommend blending the flours separately for this reason. Otherwise, if you blend them together, the quinoa will be under-blended while the oats will be over-blended.

How to make this recipe

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

Transfer the quinoa flour and oat flour into a glass mixing bowl and mix together with all the other ingredients.

Tip: Use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.

Tip: Cook the pancakes as soon as possible after making the batter, otherwise the oat flour will soak up liquid and the batter will become too thick!

Heat up a tiny bit of oil in a frying pan (non-stick is best) and add a few tablespoons of the pancake batter.

Tip: Control the amount of oil you use by using a spray-on oil or rubbing a piece of greased kitchen paper over the bottom of the frying pan - too much oil will make the pancakes ragged at the edges, and too little will make them hard to flip over.

Cook on a low-medium heat for a few minutes until you see little bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom of the pancake comes away easily from the pan.

Tip: Use a non-stick frying pan so that the pancakes don't stick to the bottom of the frying pan!

A quinoa pancake with bubbles on the surface being cooked in a black frying pan

Flip over and cook for another few minutes, until golden brown on both sides.

Tip: Use a spatula to flip over the pancakes.

A golden brown quinoa pancake in a black frying pan

Repeat for the rest of the batter - makes around 6 pancakes.

Substitutions you can make

If you want to use quinoa flour instead of making your own, you can use 75 g (⅔ cup) quinoa flour.
If you want to use oat flour instead of making your own, you can use 75 g (⅔ cup) oat flour.
You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
You can omit the maple syrup to make these free from sugar.
You can replace the apple cider vinegar with lemon juice.
You can use any type of oil to fry the pancakes: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
To make them nut-free, use a nut-free plant-based milk.

Ingredients you can add to the pancake batter

Desiccated coconut.
Chocolate chips.
Ground cinnamon.
Fresh or frozen berries: blueberries, raspberries etc.

How long do these keep for?

These Quinoa Pancakes taste best when fresh, but leftovers do keep covered in the fridge for a few days - just reheat in the toaster or a dry frying pan.

Can they be frozen?

They can be frozen and last for about a month in the freezer.
I would suggest keeping a sheet of baking paper in between each pancake if you want to take them out of the freezer one at a time, otherwise you'll end up with a solid block of frozen pancakes!
Either reheat in a toaster straight from frozen or leave to thaw at room temperature for about half an hour then reheat in a dry frying pan.

A sliced stack of five quinoa pancakes on a plate

More gluten-free vegan pancake recipes

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Watch how to make this recipe

Quinoa Pancakes (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

These Quinoa Pancakes are thick, fluffy, perfectly chewy and super easy to make. They have a nutty flavour, are made without flax eggs or aquafaba and make the best healthy and satisfying breakfast!

4.40 from 23 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free pancakes, gluten-free vegan pancakes, quinoa flour pancakes, quinoa pancakes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Servings: pancakes

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

▢ 75 g (⅓ cup) quinoa *
▢ 75 g (¾ cups) oats ** (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
▢ 2 tablespoons maple syrup *** (or sub any other sweetener)
▢ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar **** (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
▢ 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
▢ ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
▢ 185 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)

For frying:

▢ Coconut oil (or sub vegetable oil)

Instructions

Place the quinoa in a blender or food processor and whizz until you get a fine powder.
Transfer into a bowl.
Place the oats in the blender or food processor and whizz until you get a fine powder.
Add to the bowl.
Add all the other ingredients for the pancake batter to the bowl, and mix well.
Cook the pancakes as soon as possible after making the batter, otherwise the oat flour will soak up liquid and the batter will become too thick!
Heat up a tiny bit of oil in a frying pan (non-stick is best) and spoon or ladle in a small amount of the pancake batter.
Cook on a low heat for a few minutes until you see little bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom of the pancake comes away easily from the pan.
Use a spatula to flip it over and cook for another few minutes, until golden brown on both sides.
Repeat for the rest of the batter - makes around 6 pancakes.
Best enjoyed immediately, but they do keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Video

Notes

*If you want to use quinoa flour instead of making your own, you can use 75 g (⅔ cup) quinoa flour.

**If you want to use oat flour instead of making your own, you can use 75 g (⅔ cup) oat flour.

***You can omit the maple syrup to make these free from sugar.

****The vinegar is crucial as its acidity needs to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the pancakes fluffy. Can be replaced with lemon juice.

Top tips

I tested these pancakes with different combinations of flours in different ratios. Using quinoa flour alone meant the pancakes turned out dry and crumbly. I found that a half-half mixture of quinoa and oat flour was the best. This is because quinoa flour can be quite crumbly, but oat flour tends to be sticky. So, oat flour works as the perfect binding agent to make soft and fluffy quinoa flour pancakes that stick together.
I recommend white quinoa over tricolour quinoa, as the grains have a thinner skin meaning they're much easier to whizz into a flour. Plus, the white quinoa gives these pancakes a better colour.
Although I usually recommend washing quinoa first before cooking it, I find it is better not to wash it when making flour because it doesn't blend as well when it's wet.
I recommend using a blender not a food processor if possible, as it takes much longer in a food processor. Plus my food processor isn't completely well-sealed so the process ended up spraying quinoa flour all over my kitchen. However, if you don't have a high-speed blender, a food processor will work too.
Quinoa takes longer to blend into a powder than oats, so I recommend blending them separately for this reason. Otherwise, if you blend them together, the quinoa will be under-blended while the oats will be over-blended.

Can you freeze these?

Yes they can be frozen – just make sure to freeze them with a sheet of baking paper in between each pancake if you want to take them out one at a time! Reheat in a dry frying pan or pop in the toaster.

Nutrition Facts

Quinoa Pancakes (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 117 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 88mg4%

Potassium 164mg5%

Carbohydrates 21g7%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 4g8%

Calcium 71mg7%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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