Paleo Pancakes
480 Comments
Updated Sep 04, 2023
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These paleo pancakes are a perennial breakfast winner. Made from a combination of coconut flour, tapioca flour and almond flour, they’re light, fluffy and delicious. They’re the best paleo pancakes and could easily be mistaken for traditional pancakes.
The Best Paleo Pancakes
This paleo pancake recipe was one of the first recipes ever posted to Downshiftology. Can you believe it? And while I’ve since updated it with new photos and a video, the recipe itself remains the same. Why? Because it’s the best paleo pancakes recipe and needs no tweaking. None.
Several years ago I tried every possible gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free pancake recipe I could find. But most came out too dense, too gritty, too almond-y or too coconut-y. So after many failed attempts, I was ecstatic to finally crown this paleo pancake recipe the winner.
Paleo Pancakes Ingredients
So what’s in these delicious pancakes? Just some pantry and fridge staples, including:
- Dry Ingredients: My favorite 3-flour blend of almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour, plus baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Eggs, almond milk, honey, vinegar and vanilla extract.
How to Make Paleo Pancakes
The recipe uses three different flours to get that perfect, light, fluffy consistency, most similar to regular pancakes – almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour. And while it may seem like more effort to use three different flours, trust me, the end result is worth it.
So you’ll whisk those flours together in a bowl along with baking soda and salt. Then, in a separate bowl you’ll mix the wet ingredients together which includes eggs, almond milk (or any dairy-free milk), honey, white wine vinegar and vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk everything together until you’ve got a pancake batter. Now, at this stage I pour the pancake batter into my pancake pen as I find it makes the most perfect, consistently sized pancakes. And, it’s kind of fun.
But you could of course just use a ladle or large spoon to pour the the pancakes onto a hot and greased pan or griddle. Then, all that’s left to do is to cook the pancakes a few minutes each side and serve them up!
Paleo Pancakes Everyone Will Love
I believe the ultimate test of a recipe is whether those who don’t have dietary restrictions love the recipe just as much as those that do have dietary restrictions. Meaning, would my non gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo friends find this recipe to be just as delicious as I find it to be?
Well, after making this paleo pancake recipe dozens and dozens of times for large gatherings of folks with no dietary restrictions, I’m happy to report that all of these pancakes were devoured and loved. Hence, it’s “classic” status.
Tasty Variations
Feel free to add in your favorite bonus ingredients like blueberries, chocolate chips or chopped bananas. Today, I decided to go simple with chopped bananas on top and a little maple syrup.
For More Pancake and Waffle Recipes
Did you know you can easily make waffles with this pancake recipe? Yep, you can! No changes are needed. But here’s a few more flavors and variations you’ll love…
- Nut-Free Paleo Pancakes
- Paleo Chocolate Waffles
- Green Smoothie Pancakes
- Paleo Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
Best Paleo Pancakes
Description
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ghee, butter or coconut oil to coat skillet
Instructions
- Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk all of the wet ingredients. Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until well combined.
- Heat a skillet or griddle on medium-high heat and coat with ghee, butter or coconut oil.
- Spoon the batter onto the skillet, keeping your pancakes approximately 3-4 inches in diameter. They’re much easier to flip smaller. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup, bananas and other toppings.
Lisa’s Tips
- I’m obsessed with my pancake pen for making perfectly round pancakes every time.
- I always recommend using super fine almond flour from blanched almonds for any paleo baking.
- The vinegar is important to this recipe as it helps to make the pancakes fluffy, but you can use any type of vinegar.
- You can easily double this recipe and freeze the leftover pancakes. It makes for great meal prep! Then, just pop them in the toaster or warm them up in the microwave when desired.
Nutrition
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Made these pancakes and they were amazing!! Just a little real maple syrup, yummy!!
Wonderful! I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe Kathy!
I recently went Paleo. Dinners are easy, but I struggle with breakfast. I graved a fluffy, lite pancake that does not taste like sand . I was pleasantly surprised with these pancakes. This is the closest I’ve come to normal pancakes.
Thanks so much for sharing
LaVida
You’re welcome LaVeda! I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe and now have a new breakfast option. :)
You get a 5 star for this recipe! I have tried several pancakes throughout the past few weeks and none have came close to tasting like a true pancake like this recipe! It is on point! For anyone looking for a traditional tasting pancake without the worry of gluten or dairy this is perfection!
Thanks so much Bethany! I appreciate the positive feedback on the recipe. :)
I’ve made this recipe several times now, and I have to say it is my new go-to! It’s so easy, and it’s honestly better than any non-paleo pancake recipes I’ve made! Awesome work, it’s definitely a classic!
Yay! I’m so happy you love the recipe Krista! It’s definitely a recipe loved by both grain-free and non-grain-free folks – which is always a good thing! :)
I’m going to save this recipe. The pancakes came out great. I used apple cider
vinegar and only 3 eggs because that’s all I had. I added a splash more liquid
for the second batch to thin the batter a little. Finally a tasty pancake recipe!!
Wonderful! I’m happy you loved the pancakes. :)
These pancakes are quick, easy, fluffy, and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Bella!
i make these all the time and they are awesome. I usually put fresh blueberries in them. Could i please get the measurements for using only 3 eggs?
Very good! Thanks so much :)
You’re more than welcome Emily! I’m happy you enjoyed the pancakes. :)
These are excellent!~ Perfect for Christmas breakfast. Thanks so much!
Thanks Lindsay! I’m happy you enjoyed the pancakes. Merry Christmas!
This recipe sounds yummy. We have done whole 30 here and done very well on it. I am able to add some things back into our diet but I am trying to stay away from gluten. Christmas is coming and we have a very favorite recipe called lemon ricotta pancakes . if I was to put about a third of a cup of ricotta cheese in the batter, can you suggest how I would would alter the other wet ingredients? I saw in another comment that it was fine to use lemon juice instead of the vinegar, so I would plan on doing that . Any suggestions? I don’t want to mess up Christmas breakfast!
Hi Debera – it’s hard to gauge as I haven’t done that yet myself. I’d recommend adding the ricotta and then just adding more dry ingredients to get it back to the same texture and consistency. :)
Hi Lisa!
I have coarse almond flour that I use to make frangipani, and I recently purchased ‘gluten free’ ‘flour’ that based on the ingredients is comprised of almond, coconut and tapioca flour. Can I use these, if so, should I use the gluten free flour for all three flours? Or can I use my coarse almond flour and then just sub the other two? Can’t wait to try these! I was also wondering if you use white sugar or cane sugar at all in any food or beverage prep? Many thanks – Kayla B
Hi Kayla – unfortunately, I don’t know the exact ratio of the blend you have, but it sounds like you could sub it for the other two. Give it a try! And no, I don’t really ever use cane sugar.
Best paleo pancake recipe I have made thank you!
Wonderful! So happy you loved the recipe Diana!
these pancakes are incredible. ive tried so many paleo recipes and this is by far the best. thanks for the tasty brunch <3
I’m so thrilled you love my pancake recipe meg! :) x
I loved these so much! Perfect for homemade breakfast that is delicious and kind to your body!
I knew it was possible, but thank you Lisa for giving me an easy recipe to follow to make it happen!
You’re more than welcome! So happy you enjoyed the pancakes! :) x
Oh my goodness! I just made & ate the paleo pancakes – they were the bomb! Lol. I used fresh squeezed lemon juice in place of the wine vinegar & a little more almond-coconut milk for a thinner batter. Pancakes were light/fluffy & absolutely delicious! They are also filling. I should have stopped eating at the 1 medium-size pancake but ate 2 b/c they were so good! I am so glad I stumbled upon your youtube video/website. I plan to try some of your other recipes. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the pancakes Sheila! And they are filling. ;)
Awesome recipe my daughter loved them!
Happy to hear that! :)
Tried these pancakes this morning. Omg! Pancake perfection! These taste just like restaurant pancakes without all the gluten ick feeling afterwards. We added cinnamon to our batter just before cooking. Totally toddler approved. My hubby who is always super leery about trying Paleo baked goods said they tasted great.
I’m so happy to hear that! Glad you all enjoyed the recipe. :)
OK…these are awesome!! They are WAY better than the Paleo mixes I’ve bought…and less expensive to make! Thanks for sharing!
Happy you enjoyed the recipe Karen!
I have to say, after a few months of trying different paleo pancake recipes, I have found the best one. Your recipe is soft and crunchy, and eventhough I used maple syrup instead, still has a bit of sweetness. Thank you ver much.
Yay! I’m so happy you love them Ana! :) x
Do you think I could sub Casava flour instead of almond flour and a different milk to make it nut free? I haven’t done a lot with casava flour but I work in a nut free environment and so many paleo recipes I can’t bring with me! I will try your nut free recipe for now but wanted to know your thoughts! :) I made this recipe as it calls for and it’s amazing! Just want one I can bring to work haha!
I’m sure you could make cassava flour pancakes but they’ll likely be a different texture to these. You’ll probably have to play around with the liquid ratio as well as all GF flours absorb differently. But might as well give it a go! Definitely try my nut free paleo pancakes recipe as well. That’s always a reader favorite! :) x
I’ve been paleo for 4.5 years and have tried many pancake recipes. This was by far the best! So delicious – thanks for the recipe!
Yay – happy you enjoyed my version of paleo pancakes Dani! :)
Great pancakes, taste like traditional ones! My batter was too thick so I ended up doubling the almond milk to a full half cup. Added blueberries and they were delicious!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this paleo pancake recipe. My toddler’s diet had to be altered for health reasons and pancakes are one of her favourite breakfast items. I’ve been so stressed out trying to find recipes that she loves and this one is a keeper. She and I included absolutely love these pancakes! She’s at a picky toddler age… and I eat them because they’re so delicious!
That’s so wonderful to hear! Happy you all enjoy the recipe! :) x
These were really really good. I made a few changes though. I used coconut sugar instead of honey/maple syrup and I added 2Tbsp of butter to the batter.
Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Lisa, could this batter be prepared the night before and refrigerated so that it’s ready to use in the morning?
Unfortunately no, as the coconut flour is highly absorbent.
Thanks for this recipe! Pancakes were perfect! I used apple cider vinegar as I didn’t have the white. Delicious!
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed the recipe Colleen! :)
Wonderful, very delicious. I used a little more almond milk to make them thinner. These are truly our favorite.
That’s wonderful to hear Mary! So glad you enjoy them. :) x
These were fluffy and delicious. BEST I’ve tried so far!
Yay – happy to hear that. Thanks Ashley!!
DELISH!!! Best paleo pancake recipe we’ve found! So fluffy! Thank you ❤️
Wonderful! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Shannon! :) x
Is there any way we could get the measurements of the ingredients in metric? Pretty Please!
Hi Kristyna – I’ll be switching recipe plugins for my website in the future and the new one should have metric. Stay tuned! :)
These are fantastic – we’ve made them three times already! I use arrowroot instead of tapioca and apple cider vinegar instead of white wine just because that’s what we have on-hand. I also stir one tablespoon of ghee into the batter before cooking and don’t grease the skillet – that works great for us. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!!!
Those sound like perfect subs and alterations. Glad you enjoy the recipe!!
I can not stop. Already 2 times cooked pancakes for this recipe. All relatives ask for more. )
Yay! So happy you loved these pancakes Elena! :) x
These pancakes are superb! Best Paleo pancake I’ve had, even my fussy teenagers enjoyed them.
Awesome! That’s wonderful to hear Susie. A seal of approval from fussy teenagers is always a good thing. ;) x
Can I use this recipe for waffles?
Yes – absolutely!
Is tapioca flour keto friendly?
I don’t believe so. But almond flour and coconut flour are.
I’ve tried a few paleo p cake recipes and this is by far the best! I didn’t have tapioca flour so I used Arrow Root flour. They are fluffy and delicious!
So happy you loved them! And yes, many times you can swap arrowroot for tapioca flour. But glad to hear they still turned out fluff and delicious in this recipe. :)
Thanks Lisa, made it today. Great recipe, so light and fluffy. Absolutely delicious and healthy. Definitely my go to recipe when we want so pancakes. ?
Wonderful! That makes me happy to hear Ivy! :) x
Wonderful! That makes me so happy to hear Ivy! :) x
“needs no tweeking” this statement couldn’t be more true. I am known in my family for never following a recipe. But this, this I follow EXACTLY every time and LOVE it. It’s absolutely perfect. My dear husband says they are so good they only require fresh maple syrup from the farm and maybe some homemade jam :) thank you for this recipe, Lisa!!
Yay, that makes me so happy to hear (and I’m right there with you on wanting to tweak recipes). ;) I agree, just a little fruit or maple syrup and you’re good to go. Thanks so much Simone! :) x
Perfect paleo pancake post on my birthday (turned 30 on April 6th :) ).
Happy belated birthday Liz! Hope your 30’s are a wonderful decade of health and happiness! (they were my favorite thus far). ;) x
I love this! I am going to try this recipe at the weekend and let you know what I think… Thank you for sharing!!
Wonderful! Please do let me know how it turns out!
What a great Paleo recipe! Never seen tapioca flour around here though. Do you think I can substitute with almond or coconut flour?
You could sub it with more almond flour or arrowroot flour. But coconut flour would be too absorbent. Hope you enjoy them!
these look delicous a must try!
Hope you enjoy the recipe Claudia!
Beautiful photos, these pancakes look so fluffy and perfect!
They’re light and fluffy for sure (which is usually not the case with paleo pancakes). Thanks Emily!
Oh my gosh I need to try ASAP! This is very very delicious!. I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its fantastic! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Haha. Thanks Veena! These are definitely a worthwhile “brinner” option as well. ;) x
I never thought of using tapioca flour for pancakes!!
Sounds amazing! those pictures are so beautiful! The most perfect pour shots!
Thanks so much Camila! And yes, you’ve gotta have a good maple syrup pour shot. Ha! ;) x
Best pancakes ever! Thank you so much! :-)
Glad you liked them! :)
Hi Lisa !! I’m Deborah Portugal .
Thank you for your work … It is normal coconut flour absorb all the ingredients and make The mixture almost solid ?
Hi Deborah – did you use all coconut flour…or the blend of 3 flours listed above?
Hi Lisa ;)
I used the 3 flours…
Hi Lisa!
I used the 3 flours.
Coconut flour is definitely absorbent, but there’s so little used in this recipe that it should still be a very pourable batter. I’m wondering if maybe you accidentally forgot one of the wet ingredients (like the almond milk)? You could also try adding more almond milk to thin it out. :)
Awesome – so happy to hear that! :) x
These look delicious! So happy I found your blog – such gorgeous recipes.
One question though – could I leave out the vinegar or substitute with lemon juice? Or would it affect the texture? Thanks!
xxx
Thanks so much! Yes, you could sub lemon juice for the vinegar. The little bit of acid works with the baking soda to help keep them fluffy. Hope you enjoy! :)
I absolutely love this! Finally, a pancake that is wholesome and not refined, bleach or processed! Thank you!
Glad you like them Lisa! Healthy and yummy is a great combination. ;)