I have always, always, always wanted to try almond flour pancakes but have been a bit scared to do so afraid they would be nothing like the buttermilk pancakes that my mom made on weekends when I was growing up. As is, I’m always a bit leery of gluten-free recipes because any that I’ve tried (and I haven’t tried that many) just don’t seem to measure up to their gluten-full counterpart. But, alas, I decided to bite the bullet this weekend to use up some buttermilk I bought for the last few cakes I made to take to work.
What I didn’t want was flat, thin almond flour pancakes. I found a recipe at foodandwine.com that boasted crispy on the outside and “fluffy” on the inside pancakes. I figured “fluffy” is as good as thick is going to be when you’re using almond flour instead of regular flour.
ingredients.
- 2 c. almond flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- ½ to ¾ c. buttermilk
- 1 T. vegetable oil, melted vegetable shortening or melted butter
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ¼ to ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 T. granulated sugar
directions.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on low, gradually increasing the speed to medium. Beat until soft peaks form.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and salt. (Start with ½ cup buttermilk and add more buttermilk if you think necessary. My batter was extremely thick so I added at least ¼ cup, if not more.)
- Add to the almond flour mixture and stir to incorporate. Fold in the whipped egg whites.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter or shortening over moderate heat. You can also use vegetable oil or spray with a cooking spray. My last resort would be the cooking spray. When the butter/shortening has melted, pour batter into the pan using a 1/8-cup or 1/4-cup measuring cup, leaving space between the pancakes.
- Cook at least two minutes on the first side (or until the cakes start to bubble and the bottom is browned), then flip, and cook for one more minute (or until you deem the pancakes thoroughly cooked). Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve immediately or place in a preheated 200º oven for up to 10 minutes.
To me, the hardest part about making pancakes is figuring out what temperature works best on your stove. I started out at a medium-low heat and eventually increased the heat to medium but found that eventually my pancakes were starting to brown faster on the bottom and not cook so thoroughly on the top, which makes it a bit of a mess when you’re trying to flip the cakes. I ended up turning my stove down to medium-low heat. So play around with your stove and pans or pancake griddle, if you have one.
These pancakes are a good substitute if you are avoiding flour and/or gluten, but I will warn you that the consistency of them is different than a traditional pancake. It’s very egg-y (thanks to all the eggs and the whipped egg whites). It almost has the consistency of French toast, if you will. They are “fluffy” as promised in the original recipe, so I will give foodandwine.com credit for that! This recipe yielded eight pancakes for me. I used a ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the pan.
Also, the originally recipe did not have any sugar in it. I was a bit confused by this, wondering if almonds have a sugar flavor that would allow for you to not have to add any additional sugar to the recipe. (They don’t.) I added 1 ½ teaspoons of sugar to the recipe just to be on the safe side. It wasn’t enough. It needs the full amount of sugar you would find in a pancake recipe. I would recommend at least one tablespoon. When I was plating the pancakes for photos, I topped my pancakes with golden syrup. I’m not normally a syrup person for pancakes but honest to God the syrup was the only sweetness on the plate. If you do not add sugar to your pancakes you will most likely have to douse your pancakes in syrup. Maybe you do anyway!
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 