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    Home » Recipes

    Oat Flour Pancakes

    Published: Mar 6, 2022 by Amber Asakura · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using an affiliate link, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These hearty oat flour pancakes are lightly-sweetened, spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, and oven-baked for a super easy oil-free vegan breakfast!

    Stack of five vegan oat flour pancakes topped with banana slices, toasted oats, and chopped pecans, drizzled with pure maple syrup, and served on a blue and white floral plate.

    I'm back again, with yet another oat-based recipe fo' yo' ass. I know, I know. I'm beginning to think I should have named this blog The Throbbing Oat, but it just doesn't give you the same visual as The Throbbing Eggplant.

    (Please pause and enjoy the visual. See, wasn't that nice? 😉)

    Anyway, I promise I'll share a recipe without oats at some point in the future, but today we're using oat flour to make these good-for-you whole grain baked pancakes.

    (If you love oat flour like I do, be sure to check out this oat flour carrot cake and these oil-free peanut butter oat cookies!)

    Easy Baked Pancakes

    I'm always slightly annoyed when I make pancakes on the stove because it's usually one at a time, and by the time you've used up all the batter, the first pancakes are soggy and barely warm.

    It's also a lot of active work, standing at the stove, scooping and pouring and flipping each pancake before doing it again, and again, and again until you're done.

    Baking them fixes all of that! Scoop the batter into pancake-sized blobs on your baking sheet and pop them into the oven. Take them out and flip them all over, then stick them back in the oven.

    Your pancakes will all finish at the same time! And you know what you can do with all that free time while the pancakes are baking? Pour yourself a mimosa and put your dang feet up. (Or, you know, sit down with a cup of tea if morning boozing isn't your thing.)

    Since they all come out of the oven at the same time, these pancakes are perfect for feeding a crowd. Arrange a vegan pancake bar with toppings like fresh berries, sliced bananas, toasted nuts and seeds, fruity jam, nut butters, and pure maple syrup for a fun, healthyish brunch get-together. And don't forget to invite, me, please!

    Let's talk about the pancake recipe!

    Jump to:

    • Recipe Highlights
    • Ingredients
    • Recipe Steps
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Helpful Tips
    • FAQs
    • Take me to the recipe!

    Recipe Highlights

    • This baked oat flour pancake recipe has no eggs, no dairy, and no oil. It's also wheat-free and gluten-free (just make sure you use certified gluten-free oats, if necessary).
    • Oat flour makes the pancakes whole grain.
    • As written, they're baked on a baking sheet and don't require any oil for cooking, but I have included the option to pan fry them in the recipe notes.

    Ingredients

    The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here's a quick look at the ingredients you'll need to make these oat flour pancakes.

    Overhead view of individual oil-free vegan oat flour pancake ingredients labeled and separated into bowls on a white hexagon tile backdrop.
    • oat flour
    • baking powder
    • salt
    • cinnamon
    • cardamom
    • ground flax + water
    • non-dairy milk (I've used both soy and almond milk)
    • canned coconut milk
    • applesauce
    • maple syrup
    • vanilla extract

    Recipe Steps

    First, combine the warm water and flax in a small bowl. Give it a stir and set it aside to thicken.

    Overhead view of a hand pouring water into a small bowl of ground flax seeds.

    Next, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set it aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

    Bowl of oat flour pancake dry ingredients before being mixed together.

    In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and the flax mixture. 

    Bowl of oat flour pancake wet ingredients before being mixed together.
    Bowl of oat flour pancake wet ingredients after being mixed together.

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth.

    Bowl of oat flour pancake dry ingredients and wet ingredients before being mixed together.
    Overhead view of a bowl of oat flour pancake batter.

    It should be thick, yet pourable, without being too liquidy. If it's too thick, stir in more non-dairy milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

    Let the batter rest for 8-10 minutes while your oven preheats.

    Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

    When the batter is done resting, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop up some batter and gently drop it into the parchment-lined pan. Use the back of the measuring cup to spread the batter out to about ½” thick and 3½-4” in diameter. Repeat this process with more scoops of batter, leaving about 1” between pancakes in case they spread slightly. 

    Overhead view of oat flour pancakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet before baking.

    Bake the pancakes for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip each pancake over. Bake for another 3 minutes.

    The baked pancakes will not brown as much as pan-fried pancakes, but they’re still delicious. They will brown more if you use a darker baking sheet.

    Overhead view of freshly baked oat flour pancakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    One side will have a fun texture from the parchment paper getting wet from the batter. If you don't want your pancakes to have this texture, you can try using a silicone baking mat instead of parchment paper. I think it gives the pancakes character and I like to serve them with the textured side up!

    Close up overhead view of freshly baked oat flour pancakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    Close up overhead view of freshly baked oat flour pancakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    Serve immediately, topped with fresh fruit, pure maple syrup, peanut butter, or your favorite pancake toppings.

    Fork holding three pieces of vegan oat flour pancakes with a stack of pancakes in the background, drizzled with pure maple syrup and sprinkled with toasted oats, and served on a blue and white floral plate.

    Substitutions and Variations

    The only substitution I've tried in this pancake recipe is using almond butter in place of the applesauce. Sometimes I don't want to open a new container of applesauce when I'm only going use a few tablespoons. Nut butter totally works as a replacement in this recipe. Because it contains less moisture than applesauce, you might need to add another tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk to get your batter to the desired smoothness.

    I haven't tried these variations, but they sound delicious.

    • Banana pancakes - for a hint of banana flavor, use half a banana, mashed, in place of the appleasauce
    • Cinnamon raisin pancakes - increase the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon and stir ⅓ cup raisins into the batter

    Helpful Tips

    • You want the batter to be just the right consistency for these pancakes - thick, yet pourable. Too thin and it will all run together to make one big pancake. Too thick and dry and your batter will be hard to spread and your pancakes could crack and crumble. Take a look at the photos above to see what I mean.
    • These pancakes are pale compared to their pan-fried friends because they don't use oil to help them brown, but using a darker colored baking sheet helps them turn a little more golden.
    • Don't skip the cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla. Oat flour can be a bit... cardboard-tasting by itself. The flavors I've added are subtle and give these pancakes a very balanced flavor.
    Overhead view of a stack of oat flour pancakes surrounded by more pancakes.

    FAQs

    Are oat flour pancakes good for you?

    It all depends on what you top them with, but in general, these oat flour pancakes are more nutritious and less calorie-dense than traditional American pancakes. The oat flour adds fiber, and they're lower in fat than pancakes made with oil or butter.


    Are oat flour pancakes gluten-free?

    Yep, just make sure you use certified gluten-free oat flour, if necessary. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but can come into contact with wheat/gluten during processing.

    Overhead view of a stack of vegan oat flour pancakes topped with banana slices, toasted oats, and chopped pecans, drizzled with pure maple syrup. To the left, there is a fork holding three pieces of pancakes. The meal is served on a blue and white floral plate.

    So tell me, what's your favorite pancake topping? I gotta be honest, I'm mostly just here for the maple syrup. Anything else is just a bonus!

    Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a rating and comment below, and share a picture on Instagram and tag me @thethrobbingeggplant.

    Stack of five vegan oat flour pancakes topped with banana slices, toasted oats, and chopped pecans, drizzled with pure maple syrup, and served on a blue and white floral plate.

    Vegan Oat Flour Pancakes (Oil-Free and Oven-Baked)

    Amber Asakura
    These hearty oat flour pancakes are lightly-sweetened, spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, and oven-baked for a super easy oil-free vegan breakfast!
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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    Prep Time 22 mins
    Cook Time 13 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Breakfast, Brunch
    Cuisine American
    Diet gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, vegan, wfpb
    Makes 12 pancakes

    Ingredients
     

    For the Flax Egg

    • 6 Tablespoons (90 g) warm water
    • 2 Tablespoons (14 g) ground flax

    Dry Ingredients

    • 2 cups (240 g) oat flour
    • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon cardamom

    Wet Ingredients

    • ¾ cup (185 g) canned coconut milk, (give the can a good shake before opening it)
    • ¾ cup (180 g) soy milk or other non-dairy milk, plus more if your batter is thick
    • 3 Tablespoons (40 g) pure maple syrup
    • 2 Tablespoons (30 g) applesauce, (or you can sub your favorite nut/seed butter, see notes)
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    For serving:

    • fresh fruit, pure maple syrup, peanut butter, or any of your favorite pancake toppings

    Instructions
     

    • In a small bowl, combine the warm water and flax. Give it a stir and set it aside to gel.
    • Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set it aside.
    • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and flax mixture.
    • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth. It should be thick, yet pourable without being too liquidy. If it's too thick, stir in more non-dairy milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
    • Let the batter rest for 8-10 minutes while your oven preheats.
    • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • When the batter is done resting, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop up some batter and gently drop it into the parchment-lined pan. Use the back of the measuring cup to spread the batter out to about ½” thick and 3½-4” in diameter. Repeat this process with more scoops of batter, leaving about 1” between pancakes in case they spread slightly.
    • Bake the pancakes for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip each pancake over. Bake for another 3 minutes. The baked pancakes will not brown as much as pan-fried pancakes, but they’re still delicious.
    • Serve immediately, topped with fresh fruit, pure maple syrup, peanut butter, or your favorite pancake toppings.

    Notes

    To use nut butter in place of the applesauce, use an equal amount and add 1-2 additional tablespoons of non-dairy milk to thin the batter to the correct consistency.
    Storage: Refrigerate leftover pancakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze pancakes, let them cool completely and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze the pancakes until solid before transferring them to an airtight container or ziplock bag (or use a vacuum sealer for longer storage). Remove and reheat pancakes from frozen as desired. Frozen pancakes will stay fresh for up to 2 months.
    Reheating: To reheat pancakes, place them on a baking sheet and heat them in a 350°F oven until they’re warmed through. You can also reheat pancakes in the microwave by placing them on a microwave safe plate and heating on high in 30 second increments until hot.
    Option for stove-top cooking (not oil-free):
    Let the batter sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, lightly oil a large nonstick pan or griddle and place it over medium-low heat. Let the pan preheat for 3 minutes.
    Once the pan is hot, use a measuring cup to scoop up ¼ cup batter and drop it into the pan. Use the back of the measuring cup to gently spread the batter out to about 4” in diameter.
    Repeat this process with more scoops of batter, leaving about 1” between pancakes so they can spread slightly.
    Let the pancakes cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until small bubbles form on top and the edges look dry. Use a spatula to gently lift one pancake and take a look at the cooked side to make sure it’s nice and golden. If it’s still pale, cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
    When the pancakes are golden on the bottom, flip each one over. Cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the other side is golden.
    Repeat with the remaining batter.
    If you’d like to keep the pancakes warm between batches, transfer them to a baking sheet and place them in the oven at 200°F. Serve hot, with your favorite toppings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 313mgPotassium: 156mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 32IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 101mgIron: 1mg

    *Nutrition Disclaimer*

    Nutrition information is an estimate. If you are concerned about the accuracy of nutrition information, I encourage you to weigh your ingredients and use a tracking app like Cronometer for more accurate nutritional data.

    Keywords breakfast, brunch, dairy-free, gluten free, nut-free, oat flour, oil free, vegan, whole grain
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating to let me know what you think!
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    Hi, I'm Amber!

    I'm here to show you that making delicious, nutrient-dense vegan recipes at home can be super easy, inexpensive, and pretty damn fun. Whether you're strictly whole food plant based or just looking to add a little nutrition to your life, I got you covered!

    Oh, and I hope you have a good sense of humor. If the name of this blog tells you anything, you might know I like to keep things interesting. :)

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