Gluten-Free Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes have my heart. The first few weeks after adopting a gluten, sugar & dairy-free lifestyle were really, really hard. I missed a lot of things, but 2 things in particular stood out sharply: pancakes & ice cream. No, I don’t have them together (usually). That doesn’t mean I haven’t tried in the past. I used to make pancakes out of a box during my college years and more often than not, would top them with a dollop of vanilla ice cream & a mountain of sprinkles. Not exactly sure what I was trying to accomplish there… but hell, they were good!

As a student, I was often out of maple syrup, but I was never out of ice cream. Oh sweet ice cream was always present. Ice cream is like the holy grail of foods for my dad & I. He would take my sister & I for a short drive almost every night and said it was time to “put a little sugar in our blood”. And quite literally, that’s exactly what we did. I ate ice cream nearly every other day while growing up. True story. Mind you; dairy back home is hormone-free, rich & all-natural. But the ice cream habit lingered for many, many years.

But back to the pancakes… Even after I stopped eating them, I continued to feverishly make pancakes every Saturday because my home crew expects them. I just wasn’t able to partake in the fun for a while. But after trying multiple flours & lots of weird concoctions, I seem to have settled on this one. Let me begin by saying this: NOT all gluten-free flours are created equal. I’ve had many a pancake tasting like wet cardboard, but in the spirit of this blog, am not here to diss any particular brand. I will simply talk about the ones that have worked for me. This recipe uses Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. And no, this is not a sponsored post. But for the record- any post that is sponsored on this website will only recommend things that are tried, tested & trusted.

This recipe offers a “flaxseed meal egg” vegan option because I was pleasantly surprised by a few of you- (hopefully the e-mail senders are reading this right now) that asked me for a vegan recipe after I posted my thin, “French-Style” pancake recipes with good old eggs & grass-fed butter. So here it is, a vegan alternative. I have replaced the butter with coconut oil: some gets added to the batter & some gets added to the pan. This trick keep them from sticking & it also adds wonderful moisture to the batter itself. One thing you should know about gluten-free pancakes, is that they tend to stick to the pan a lot more. This right here solves it. And no, they don’t appear fried, oily or taste of coconut. I promise you.

Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
2 tsp of gluten-free baking powder
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp of melted coconut oil (1 for the batter & 1 for frying)
1.5 tbsp of coconut sugar (or sugar of your choice)
2 large eggs or 2 *flaxseed eggs for vegan options
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1 cup of blueberries. I prefer to use fresh over frozen. Taste-wise, they’re sweeter & less acidic and just cook better.

*1 flaxseed egg: stir 1 tbsp of flaxseed meal to 3 tbsp of warm water. Allow to sit for at least 10 mins before using.

Substitutions:

If not gluten-free, you could use regular, all-purpose flour.
If not refined-sugar free you could use granulated sugar or brown sugar.
If not dairy free, use regular milk instead of almond milk. Coconut or cashew milk also work. Ensure not to use the canned, thicker coconut milk variety. Use the one that resembles almond milk.
If not dairy-free you could swap out coconut oil for grass-fed butter.
Instead of blueberries, you could use the same measurement of chocolate chips, raspberries, chopped strawberries, or 1 grated pear or apple (peeled & cored).

Instructions

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, coconut sugar & sea salt. Whisk well in a large bowl.
Begin preheating a non-stick skillet or pan, start of at medium-high heat.If you use a griddle, the griddle should be at 350F.
Beat the eggs with the melted 1 tbsp of coconut oil, vanilla extract & almond milk.
Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl, whisking as you go to avoid clusters or lumps.
Have a feel for the batter, it should not be overly runny, as these are intended to be fluffy and a bit on the denser side. If too runny, slightly add more flour, start with 1 tbsp. If too dense, add 1 tbsp of almond milk & some more melted coconut oil. If you follow the measurements I provided, you should be OK.
Fold in the blueberries (don’t overmix or they won’t fluff).
I add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to the pan & allow it to melt. Then I use a kitchen paper towel to soak in the excess. When the pan is running dry after 2-3 pancakes, I use the same paper towel soaked in coconut oil to moisten it. Works like a charm!
I like to add about a little over 1 tbsp of batter to the pan and spread it out slightly forming a circle. Don’t spread these too thin.
Enjoy warm with pure maple syrup!

P.S. you don’t need a measuring cup, as long as you use the SAME cup to measure everything. 🙂

By: Aleyda/The Dish On Healthy