Looking for a dairy free pancake recipe? Then you’ll definitely want to try these easy oat milk pancakes! They’re fluffy, cakey, and delicious but without the dairy and other common allergens like wheat/gluten, eggs, and soy.
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Making pancakes is a weekend ritual at our house. My kids never seem to get tired of them. Now that they've gotten older, they can even whip up a batch of these cakes on their own.
Why choose oat milk for pancakes?
The main reason we use oat milk for pancakes is my son is allergic to dairy. Whether you have a dairy allergy, lactose intolerance, follow a vegan diet, or just prefer not to consume cow’s milk, oat milk is a very good dairy-free milk substitute.
One of the reasons I love oat milk is that it has a nice, creamy texture. I also like that it has a fairly neutral flavor (as long as you use an unflavored variety). That means I can use it in sweet and savory dishes without throwing off the flavor.
Nutritionally speaking, oat milk has less protein than soy, pea, and cow's milk. It does have similar amounts of vitamin D and calcium as other milk substitutes. With that said, none of that makes much of a difference when using it to make pancakes.
In most recipes, you can substitute the same amount of oat milk for cow’s milk or any non-dairy milk substitute. That goes for pancake mixes, too! But why buy a mix when you can make your own oat milk pancakes from scratch?
Is oat milk gluten free?
Oats can be a source of gluten due to cross-contact in manufacturing. Most oat milk options that you see at the grocery store, however, are labeled as gluten-free. That means that the manufacturer is testing to make sure the product has less than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten.
Some brands that are labeled as gluten-free include:
- Good and Gather (Target)
- Oatly (in the US)
- Chobani
- Planet Oat
- Silk
Ingredients and equipment
These pancakes are non-dairy as well as gluten free, egg free, soy free, and nut free. You will only need a few ingredients outside of normal baking essentials to make them.
- All-purpose gluten free flour - I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free Baking Mix. If you can have wheat, feel free to substitute regular all-purpose flour.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cooking oil - I use canola oil but you could use grapeseed oil or even melted dairy free margarine instead.
- Oat milk - I used the Good and Gather brand from Target but any oat milk will work.
See the recipe card for quantities.
For equipment, you’ll just need a non-stick frying or griddle pan. I like to use our electric griddle because I can make a lot of pancakes fast!
If you're making pancakes for one, you might like this little Dash pancake maker.
How to make oat milk pancakes
Making these pancakes is quick and easy!
Step 1: Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Measure out the oat milk in a glass measuring cup. Add the cooking oil and whisk together.
Step 3: Add the milk and oil to the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is fully incorporated.
Step 4: Add a small amount of oil to the frying pan and preheat over medium heat. If using a griddle, set the temperature to 325° F.
Step 5: Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan or onto the griddle. If you're adding any mix-ins, add them now (see recipe tips below). Watch for the batter to bubble. When the bubbles have popped, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two. Do not flip too soon - this will lead to doughy pancakes.
Step 6: Serve with real maple syrup or other toppings of your choice (see below for ideas!)
Recipe tips and variations
Make the batter ahead of time
Sometimes, it’s handy to have the batter mixed up ahead of time. I have done this for camping trips and it works great! Just mix the batter up, pour it into a sealable bottle, and put it in the cooler until you’re ready to eat.
This also works great if you want to make pancakes for one! Just make as many pancakes as you want, then store the remaining batter in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Alternatively, you can mix just the dry ingredients, put them in a ziplock bag, and add the milk when you’re ready to make the pancakes.
Batter mix-ins
Plain pancakes are great but I like to add some extras once in a while to jazz them up. Here are a few ideas:
- Bananas
- Mini chocolate chips (my boys’ favorite)
- Sliced strawberries
- Berries
Feel free to mix them up and combine any of these. My favorite is banana and chocolate chip. So good!
Toppings
The absolute best topping for oat milk pancakes (or any pancake for that matter) is pure maple syrup! I really wouldn’t have pancakes without it.
Another topping that might be less common is applesauce. Have you tried it? It’s so good!
Berries, bananas, chocolate chips, and dairy free whipped cream make great toppings as well.
Storing the leftovers
These pancakes are best hot off the griddle but they will last in the fridge for a day or two. Just put them in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you want to keep them longer, the freezer is your best bet!
Breakfast sides
To make a balanced meal, pair these oat milk pancakes with some fruit and protein. Here are a few protein options to try:
- Fruit smoothie with protein powder
- Seeds or seed butter (I like this nut free chocolate spread on pancakes!)
- Breakfast sausage
- Nuts (if you can have them)
- Eggs (if you can have them)
Related recipes
📖 Recipe
Oat milk pancakes
Equipment
- Skillet, griddle pan, or electric griddle.
Ingredients
- 1-½ cups all purpose gluten free flour I use Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil I use canola
- 1 ¾ cups oat milk
Optional mix-ins
- banana slices
- strawberry slices
- blueberries
- chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Measure out the oat milk in a glass measuring cup. Add the oil and whisk together. Add the milk and oil to the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
- If using a skillet or griddle pan, add a small amount of oil (about a teaspoon) to the pan and preheat over medium heat. If using a griddle, set the temperature to 325° F. Pour batter onto the griddle. If adding mix-ins, add them now. Cook the pancake until bubbles stop forming and edges become firm. Flip the pancake and cook for a couple of minutes longer. Remove from griddle. Repeat until the batter is gone. Serve immediately with maple syrup and other toppings if desired.
Nutrition
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Jenny says
Love these pancakes! My son has egg, dairy, and wheat allergies and gobbled them up!
Kristi Winkels, RDN, LD says
Hi Manda!
I have also used a flax “egg” in this recipe. Mix 1 tablespoon flax seed meal with 3 tablespoons warm water and let it sit for a few minutes until it is thickened. Then add to the batter. The only downside is the flaxseed meal leaves little brown flecks in the batter but that’s really not a big deal!
I hope that helps!
Kristi
Robin says
My main issue with allergy free cooking is that every flour is so different & really determines the end result of each recipe. Everyone uses a different blend. So I now have 7 different blends of flours & none that seem to work. Which do you use? Do you blend your own? I wish there was one universal blend so that I could just pick any recipe & have it work. Most of my stuff turns out like glue.
Kristi says
Hi Robin!
I hear you! When I started out cooking and baking "allergy free", there weren't so many gluten-free all-purpose flour options so I just mixed up my own gluten free all-purpose flour blend. Most of the recipes here were developed using that blend. Since then, there has been a big increase in AP flour options. The blend I currently use is Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. I think it works really well and I can find it in my area for a good price ($10 for 4 lbs). I found it on Amazon for about the same price.
Another thing to consider is if a recipe on this site (or any other) calls for all-purpose flour AND xanthan gum, it is assuming that the all-purpose flour does not have xanthan gum added. The Bob's Red Mill flour I mentioned DOES have xanthan gum so you would not need to add additional. Too much xanthan gum can make things extra thick and gummy.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Gennie says
Can i use coconut milk in place of rice milk in this recipe?
Kristi says
Hi Gennie,
Yes, coconut milk should work just fine! We actually often use soy milk which also works.
Enjoy!
Kristi