The Best Paleo Pancakes Recipe | Dairy and Gluten Free Too! (2024)

These lightly sweet Paleo pancakes are made with almond flour, so they're naturally low carb and actually taste like “real” pancakes. Enjoy them with maple syrup, or plain. And make your own Paleo baking powder easily for fluffy pancakes!

What’s with the Paleo recipe?

Ever since I tried out the Wheat Belly Cookbook (no thanks) back in January 2013, I have been what I affectionately call Paleo-curious. I believe that all of these diets and lifestyles (low carb! keto! Paleo!) have something to teach.

So this is a recipe for delicious and simple Paleo Pancakes because they freeze really well, are high protein, are low carb, and keep my kids going all school-morning long.

And a note about cost: I am mindful of the price of blanched almond flour, which is why I order it from nuts.com, and I skip the organic kind(the horror!)since it’s definitely more expensive. If you’re willing to try something new-ish, give these Paleo almond flour pancakes a try. You might just fall in love.

I’ve always loved silver dollar pancakes, for some reason. Anything in miniature tends to capture my heart.

Why this is the best gluten free, paleo pancake recipe

These pancakes get cheers in my house, and I feel good about giving them to my kids on a school morning. As far as Paleo recipes go, they’re super kid-friendly and a close second only to the Paleo Donuts, since, well, they’re donuts. And let’s be serious.

When I first developed this recipe for Paleo pancakes, I used a tiny bit of coconut flour rather than tapioca starch/flour for structure. The batter was thicker, especially as it rested, as coconut flour has that tendency, and it was almost impossible to make smaller pancakes.

By replacing the coconut flour with a Paleo-friendly starch, the pancakes still have structure, but the batter is more flexible. And the pancakes are more moist and tender (coconut flour just drinks up moisture).

Even with a bit of tapioca starch, they're still Paleo-friendly since tapioca is a grain-free starch. Many recipes made with almond flour tend to taste like almonds, if even just faintly, but this recipe just tastes like, well, “regular” pancakes!

Paleo pancake ingredients

• Almond flour – You must use finely ground blanched almond flour to make this recipe a success. I like to buy it from nuts.com or Honeyville brand, as they're reliably good quality and a fine grind. “Blanched” almonds are just almonds that have had their dark brown skins removed; the fine grind of the flour allows all the ingredients to fully combine without any grittiness. I like Do not use almond meal, which is coarsely ground almonds with their skins still on.
• Tapioca flour – Tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing; this Paleo-friendly starch helps bind the pancakes together and adds flexibility and lightness. It has no equal, but if you must replace it, try arrowroot.
• Paleo baking powder – “Regular” baking powder contains cornstarch, which is not Paleo legal. If you're not concerned with a little cornstarch, feel free to use your regular baking powder. Otherwise, follow the instructions below on combining cream of tartar, baking soda, and a Paleo-friendly starch to make your own Paleo-friendly baking powder
• Almond milk – I like to bake with unsweetened almond milk if I can't use dairy, since almond milk has some fat which provides richness. You need something that is dairy-free and is approximately the same thickness of lowfat cow's milk (canned coconut milk is way too thick).
• Coconut oil – Virgin coconut oil is the type that is solid at cool room temperature. To avoid all coconut flavor, use triple-filtered coconut oil.
• Eggs – The eggs in these pancakes provide them with that characteristic fluffiness. They also help bind the pancake batter together.
• Honey – Honey adds sweetness without adding refined sugar, which is not allowed on a Paleo diet.

Tips for making the best paleo pancakes

Save time by making your own Paleo pancake mix

To get a head start on making Paleo pancakes, try mixing the dry ingredients ahead of time and storing the mixture until needed. Since almond flour has so much fat, it can go rancid much more quickly than an all purpose gf flour, so you should store the mix in the freezer or refrigerator. Just allow it to come to room temperature before completing the recipe as cold almond flour forms clumps.

Weigh your dry ingredients for best results

Like all baking, pancakes require precision in measurement. And like all flour, almond flour and tapioca starch are easy to measure incorrectly unless you weigh your ingredients on a simple digital kitchen scale.

Make sure your almond flour is finely ground

Not all almond flour is finely ground, which is why I try to purchase only a few brands (nuts.com and Honeyville are favorites). Finely ground almond flour combines effectively with the other ingredients called for, rather than clumping and adding unwelcome texture to your cooked pancakes.

How to store paleo pancakes for later

If you have leftover pancakes, or you would just like to make them ahead of time, you can! Just allow them to cool completely before wrapping them tightly in small, single-portion stacks in freezer-safe wrap and placing them in the freezer.

Making simple Paleo pancakes in advance

When you are ready to serve pancakes that have been made and frozen in advance, unwrap the stacks, separate the pancakes from each other and place them, still frozen, in a toaster oven. Cook at about 300°F until warm, 1 to 2 minutes.

Paleo pancakes: substitutions and variations

I haven’t tested this recipe with any substitutions. These are just my best-educated guesses!

Nut free, paleo pancakes

Paleo baking recipes so often rely on almond flour, and if you can’t have nuts that can be a big hurdle. I’d really recommend that you try my coconut flour pancakes, which are naturally nut-free.

But if you’d still like to try making these Paleo pancakes, the only substitute I know of for almond flour in Paleo baking is sunflower seed flour. However, I know that there can be some issues with the finished product turning green (!) due to a chemical reaction with the baking soda, so proceed with caution!

Egg free, paleo pancakes

Since there are only two eggs in this recipe, you can replacing them with one “chia egg” each (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel per egg).

Paleo baking powder

You might wonder if baking powder and baking soda are available to you on a Paleo diet. Well, they are! Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate, and it doesn’t contain anything that isn’t “legal” when you’re Paleo.

Baking powder, on the other hand, typically contains cornstarch, which isn’t appropriate for a Paleo diet. If you can’t purchase Paleo baking powder, made with an appropriate starch, it’s so easy to make yourself with 1 part baking soda, 2 parts cream of tartar, and 1/2 part arrowroot or tapioca starch/flour. If you aren’t that strict, though, just use “regular” gluten free baking powder. I won’t tell.

Oh, and although maple syrup and honey are both allowed on the Paleo diet, don’t go too heavy on the pour. Sugar is still sugar, so you might want to go easy. :)

Tasty paleo pancake mix-ins and toppings

Just like “regular gluten free pancakes,” you can serve these almond flour pancakes with all the classic mix-ins and/or toppings.

Try adding a few fresh blueberries, chopped fresh strawberries, or chocolate chips to each portion of pancake batter right after pouring it on the griddle. Flip carefully when ready and finish cooking.

Any of those mix-ins could also be served on top of your cooked pancakes. Or try adding sliced ripe bananas, or drizzle warm nut butter on top of a stack of Paleo pancakes.

FAQs

Are pancakes Paleo?

No! Conventional pancakes are made with wheat flour, which is gluten-containing. This recipe for Paleo pancakes is grain free, dairy free, and naturally gluten free.

Is maple syrup Paleo?

Yes! Maple syrup is “legal” on a Paleo diet. Just like honey is, as both are unrefined, naturally occurring sugars.

What are Paleo pancakes exactly?

Paleo pancakes are light and fluffy, tender pancakes just like you know pancakes to be, but made with only Paleo-legal ingredients like almond flour, tapioca starch, and natural sweeteners.

Are Paleo pancakes healthy?

These Paleo pancakes are relatively healthy, since they are full of healthy fats from almond flour. I feel good serving them to my children for breakfast.

Can I use almond meal instead of almond flour in this Paleo pancake mix recipe?

No, this recipe cannot be made with almond meal, which is made of coarsely ground almonds that still have their dark brown skins intact. It won't combine fully enough with the other ingredients, and will add unpleasant texture to these pancakes.

Is it better to make these fluffy paleo pancakes on a pan or griddle?

I find it easier to make these pancakes on an electric griddle, since I can work quickly and easily to pour out at least 4 pancakes at a time and still have plenty of room to flip them without disturbing the batter.

How do I keep from burning my almond and tapioca flour pancakes?

If you're using an electric griddle to cook your pancakes, keep the temperature relatively low, at no more than 350°F. You want the pancakes to brown properly, but almond flour has so much fat that it tends to blacken if cooked at too high a temperature. The batter is also relatively thin, so it's best to let the pancakes set quite a bit before flipping them to cook on the other side.

Why aren't my Paleo pancakes thick like traditional ones?

Did you measure your flours by weight, and did you use finely ground almond flour? If you use almond meal, the batter won't be cohesive and can be lumpy and runny, which leads to uneven, unfluffy pancakes.