Grain-free pancakes may sound like an oxymoron; after all, how can you make a decent pancake without flour or buckwheat or even old-fashioned corn meal?
I tend to shy away from pancakes in my cooking anyway. I rarely think ahead to soak the batter overnight in buttermilk to make them in the morning. Never mind that I tend to prefer lighter breakfasts that are rich in protein and fat: strained yogurt with fruit and nuts, eggs with sauteed greens.
For us, protein- and fat-rich breakfasts help to keep us satiated – bellies full until lunch time which is usually about 1:30 or 2:00 PM when I serve the large meal for a day.
Why I Love Grain-free Foods (Even though we’re not Grain-free)
While my family does not adhere to a grain-free diet (I love my einkorn breads, quinoa porridges and rustic sourdough noodles), I still enjoy adjusting the focus of my meals to include grain-free options. Of course, most foods are naturally grain-free – sauces, vegetables, meats, soups; yet, making grain-free versions of common baked goods has its appeal.
Traditionally, many pastries and confections were prepared with nuts and fruit and eggs and without refined white flours that would have been expensive for many people. For this reason, blanched almond meal features prominently in the sweets and confections of 16th and 18th centuries. In the 19th, refined flours – those more suitable to pastries and sweets – became more widely available (and much more affordable) and took the place of almonds and nuts.
For me, I enjoy grain-free alternatives, simply because they help to balance the macronutrient content of sweets and baked goods, and I find that a small amount satisfies very nicely.
Learn More about Grain-free Cooking
This recipe for Grain-free Cinnamon Apple pancakes comes from Go Grain-free, an online cooking class by Dr. Jill Tieman – a health care provider specializing in the use of grain-free diets for therapeutic purposes. Not only does Dr. Tieman provide the why’s of grain-free diets, but the how-to’s as well. Her online class features 80 instructional videos and 150 grain-free recipes that can help you to make the transition to a grain-free diet for therapeutic reasons (or, if you’re like me, you’ll just enjoy learning new techniques for cooking real food).
Grain-free Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
By Published: October 2, 2012
- Yield: 8 - 12 Silver Dollar Pancakes (4 Servings)
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Ready In: 35 mins
These grain-free apple cinnamon pancakes are simple to prepare, high in protein and offer a flavor and texture similar to old-fashioned corn griddle cakes. This recipe is reprinted with permission of Dr. Jill Tieman and you can find more recipes like it in her online cooking class Go Grain-free.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons applesauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 to 1/2 cups coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ghee or coconut oil (for frying pancakes)
- cinnamon (for sprinkling the pancakes)
Instructions
- Toss eggs, applesauce and honey into a food processor and pulse until slightly mixed. Add coconut flour, salt and baking soda slowly to the liquid ingredients and process until they form a firm batter that is still liquid enough to pour off a spoon.
- Melt ghee or coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium to medium-low heat. Pour a heaping tablespoon of the pancake batter into the hot fat, sprinkle with cinnamon. Gently fry the pancake for a few minutes, until browned on the bottom; flip the pancake and fry for a further one to two minutes. Continue working in batches, adding ghee or coconut oil as necessary, until your batter exhausted. Serve with honey, fruit or yogurt.
Do you have the nutrition information for these pancakes?
No. I don’t believe in counting calories, carbs, protein or fat. I believe in eating real food, from good quality ingredients and leading an active lifestyle. You can always plug them into fit day or nutritiondata to see what comes up.
There are important reasons for needing nutritional information- for instance, needing to know how many carbs are in a dish in order to plan the rest of the day’s meals and keep diabetes under control. I would have liked to know this information, also, since often, grain-free items are also diabetic friendly and safe for my family.
You may not “believe” in counting these things, but for some of us, it’s a requirement in order to stay healthy. You may want to consider such other perspectives and needs the next time you’re inclined to make such a touchy response to a reader of your blog- kinda puts me off all your writing, honestly.
If you need the information, then plug the recipe into your chosen tool calorie counting tool. No one’s stopping you. That is, quite simply, not something I will provide because it is counter-productive to the fundamental philosophy of the site and moves the focus from real food to macronutrients.
Jenny, thank you for standing your ground on this one. I’m slowly learning to NOT pay attention to calories, and instead am focusing on eating nutritional powerhouse foods. I’ve finally come to realize that if I focus on eating at least five servings of vegetables a day (with a focus on leafy greens and cruciferous veggies), it doesn’t leave much room for less healthy foods. I still treat myself to (real, pastured) cream in my coffee, occasional desserts, and cheese (about once a week) — yet I’ve still managed to slowly lose the weight that’s been hanging around for the past 5 years.
Calories may count, but micronutrients (from real food), self-awareness and physical activity count even more. If some readers don’t fully agree with the philosophy you are sharing with us, they need to take responsibility for their lifestyles and do the required homework instead of expecting you to cater to them in a way that contradicts what you’re trying to teach us. Imagine how confused new readers would be if you posted nutritional information for your recipes, but then turned around and talked about how you don’t believe in calorie counting!
I also applaud you for standing your ground on this issue. The majority of your readers–me included–aren’t interested in that info; we’re here for Real Food. So, I agree with Kira when she said, “Imagine how confused new readers would be if you posted nutritional information for your recipes, but then turned around and talked about how you don’t believe in calorie counting.” I think your veteran readers would be confused, as well!
As someone who was morbidly obese and on the verge of type 2 diabetes, there was a time where I felt this was critical to my health. As I learned about real food and made changes, the less I paid attention to calories and fat counting and started paying attention to what I was rating, my health improved and the pounds came off. Thank you for sticking your ground. Once people realize what really matters to their health, they’ll actually get healthy.
I’m hearing how some people believe that need to count calories. As a nutritionist, I try to get people away from counting calories even with conditions like diabetes. It is much more important to learn which foods will help control your diabetes, and how to eat well balanced meals. Not all Carbohydrates are the same so when you are reading a number it does not tell you the correct information. A diabetic should get carbohydrates primarily from vegetables and fruits (fruits limited to 2-3 servings per day), and the remaining diet should include meats, fish, eggs, raw dairy, nuts/seeds, and beans/legumes (prepared properly). Grains should only be included if you are not struggling with blood sugar issues, and if they are soaked before cooked. Eating this way reduces the chance of getting chronic disease, as well as, reduces symptoms associated with many diseases and health concerns. Learn to have a healthy relationship with food, reduce stress, eat the best quality food you can get, and stay away from grains/sugar/vegetable oils/refined or processed food. If you follow this advice, you will stay healthy without ever having to count calories again. To health!
I also agree with you standing by your philosophy (which I fully support and attempt to live by, with varying degrees of success). This is your site and you can never please everyone.
While the info requested may be important to some, they are free to find other ways to access it. I don’t think your response was at all touchy, I think you merely stated your beliefs in an honest manner.
Keep the amazing recipes coming!
would love to try this but we’re allergic to eggs. what would you recommend as a substitute?
Good question. I would like to know too.
Jenny, you are such a nice person to advertise someone else’s class on your site, even though you also
offer classes. You are very generous. God Bless you. I just had to say it…
Hi Felicia,
Some people can tolerate the yolks of eggs — just not the white. If that is the case with you just double the number of yolks and leave out the whites.
my 4 y.o. may be anaphylactic to eggs as we carry an epi-pen around. and we’re very sensitive to seeds too, although i think he may be outgrowing seed allergies. are there any other alternatives besides egg yolks and flax seed mixture? thanks!
What I use to substitute for eggs is tofu. Just use a tablespoon to replace an egg. Works great for most recipes. I don’t know about this one, it’s worth a try!
There is an egg substitute called Ener-g that works well or I am sure the tofu works well too. Also I have found that Quinoa flour (you can make it using quinoa and placing it in your blender) works fantastic. It has a low glycemic index and I haven’t heard of anyone being allergic. It’s also a super food that contains all of the amino acids.
I have made a successful egg substitute with ground flax seed meal and water. I Tbs of each mixed together for each egg needed. Let it sit and “gel” for a minute or 2.
oops. That is 1 Tbs flax seed meal to 3 Tbs water…some say use warm water, but it never mattered for me.
Gelatin. Can’t recall the ratio off the top of my head, because it’s been a while since I used it. But it works great, even in baked good. Just search for “gelatin as an egg substitute”. As long as your not opposed to gelatin. You can get Kosher gelatin, too; but it’s still made from beef. So, if you don’t eat meat, that might be a problem. Anyways, best wishes!
I use Agar Agar, a vegetable type gelatin as a thickener, my daughter uses the ground Flax seeds with water for a substitute for eggs. Works for mus. . .
You can use Chia seeds as an egg replacement. I don’t know how it will effect the recipe, but you can try it. To use Chia seeds, combine 2 Tbsp of Chia seeds to 1 cub of water. it will gel up. 1/2 cup of gel = 1 egg Hope this helps.
These are super yummy topped with apples diced and sauted in coconut oil and cinnamon
Can you tell me roughly how many pancakes this recipe makes? Thanks
Hi Julia,
This recipe yields about 8 – 10 silver dollar sized pancakes. I usually double it. They also freeze well.
I am appreciative of your willingness to share your recipes. I am on a Candida Yeast Free Diet and wanted to know what I could use as a substitue for applesauce and honey. Thank you with many hugs
Adrienne,
You might try yogurt instead of the applesauce. Just leave out the honey or use stevia if you can.
Adrienne, you could use coconut syrup in place of the honey. My family is also on candida diet and we use that all the time.
Amanda and Adrienne, what are you using as guidance on your candida diet (e.g., book, website, etc.)? I’m beginning to think that’s my next needed step to restore my body’s balance, but have no idea where to start.
Kira, I recommend the GAPS Diet for complete healing and restoration of the body’s imbalance. Get the book and do some research first so that it’s not so intimidating….It is working wonderfully for me!
Do you think the recipe would work if I substituted almond flour for the coconut flour? Thanks
Jan
Jan,
The almond flour is heavier than coconut flour and would make them very heavy.
I am slowly going grain free, little by little. I think these pancakes are an excellent place to start during breakfast time!
While you’re at it, what other flours would work besides coconut flour? What about potato flour?
Brian,
I have not tried this with other flours. They would be different than coconut flour and the proportions would change.
Thanks for the recipe.
I’m also interested to know, Jenny, if your “rustic sourdough noodles” are posted here somewhere that I’ve missed? And if not, can you share how you make them?
Here you go. I need to rework the post: http://nourishedkitchen.com/rustic-sourdough-noodles/
Thanks a lot!
65 yrs young here cooking all theses yrs the 2 moths i been trying all these new things on cooking grain glue-ton free stuff i have seen a change for the best my doc has seen a change to she likes it keep it up ty
Thank you for the great recipe! These sounds yummy.
I am on the GAPS diet. Can I omit the baking soda or will the recipe not work?
Nicole, I am on GAPS too – you don’t need the baking soda – I make coconut flour baked goods all the time leaving out the baking soda!
I made these this morning…..what did I do wrong because I could not eat them. Too salty? I can put my finger on it.
I know this is a really basic question, but is coconut flour gluten free? I am guessing yes but just wanted to make sure before I ran out to buy some to make pancakes for a friend who is gluten free. Thanks for helping me out!
It sure is!
Would it work to substitute wheat flour? I know it wouldn’t be grain free any more though
Thank you for this!! I will be making breakfast for dinner tonight and am going to try these.
In response to the egg substitute, flax seed has always worked well for me! Just make sure you let it sit in the water long enough. (The package of ground flax will give you instructions)!
Sonds great!! I’m guessing that I can whisk together the ingredients in a bowl, but wanted to ask… Is there a reason to use a food processor?
Just made these this morning and my boys loved them! Thanks for another great breakfast idea!
Very good pancakes! I prefer less coconut flour because it’s so dry, so I used a little less than a 1/4 cup and the batter was still thick and they puffed up nicely in the pan. I blended in my vitamix on high. I also added cinnamon to the batter and folded in some very chunky applesauce just before frying. Topped each pancake layer with butter and a dollop of applesauce. I couldn’t resist adding just a touch of maple syrup over it all. Delicious! 3rd try at coconut flour pancakes and this one is the winner. It fulfilled my cravings and I didn’t feel full and bloated afterwards. Thank you!
These look delicious and I love that they are so healthy. I do eat grains but it’s something I’d like to reduce more in my diet.
These look delicious! I clicked on these pancakes from the recipe index first and the instructions were for donuts instead of the pancakes so just wanted to let you know.
These are great, I have a daughter with autism on the SCD diet (grain and sugar free) and she’s very picky, but actually ate these tonight! I used 2 eggs, 3 tbsps apple sauce, a tablespoon of coconut flour, half teaspoon of honey and mixed in the cinnamon. I skipped the baking soda to keep it SCD. I just didn’t want such a big batch.
She is a big fan of pancakes made with half a banana, nut butter and an egg, so it was not a huge stretch of the palette, but a change none the less! Thanks!
HI ~ Just an FYI
When you go to the recipes section and click on this recipe, the instructions are for something else. haha I had to read the ingredients a couple times looking for sourdough in it before I realized the instructions were just misplaced. 
Just ordered your meal plans and can’t wait to try them!!!
Can you make the batter the night before and leave it in the refrigerator over night?
Somewhere i saw you mentioned buckwheat as being a grain, which it is not. It is a flower and contains no gluten. It does however contain some carbohydrate..i am going to try these coconut flour pancakes this morning they sound great.
May I suggest that we all realize that coconut oil, natural shredded coconut, etc – has muliple and so good for
us. I eat a couple tablespoons a day as it helps cleans up our “tubing’
Use in your hair, on your face/neck, heels/elbows…..wrap your face or hair or whatever other part with a warm moist
towel someetimes, sit back, relax, breath through your nose: inhale5, hold 7, exhale8 and feel the goodness of a
truly natural product.
Love you all and your information and thoughts and experiences…feel good all the time (no matter what)! blessings always….add good coconut to your lives!…you will reap the rewards.
xxoo