Buckwheat Protein Pancakes make a delicious healthy breakfast to start the day. Made with protein-rich buckwheat flour and protein powder to make you one satisfying breakfast! This recipe is gluten free and dairy free.
*Note: this is a blog post originally published in August 2017 that has been refreshed and updated as of September 2020.
Not only is this protein pancake recipe super easy and delicious, it’s also a very convenient SINGLE SERVE recipe. Don’t get me wrong, I love having a pancake morning with the family; but sometimes I just want to have a random plate of pancakes all to myself.
This is possibly my favourite pancakes-for-one recipe because it is nutritious and so satisfying to eat! Buckwheat flour, protein powder and an egg make for a protein-rich, filling meal.
Now when it comes to pancake ingredients, buckwheat flour and protein powder are definitely both ingredients that can produce quite dense, heavy or kinda gummy pancakes if you overdo it. To give these pancakes a bit of a lighter texture, I’ve used:
- half a tablespoon of coconut flour, which is kind of the opposite to buckwheat flour and protein powder, it’s all dry and crumbly so it helps to lighten them up a bit (it’s also naturally quite sweet tasting which is a bonus)
- an egg, for fluffiness and moisture, and
- half a teaspoon of baking powder, to give the pancakes a little bit of rise.
I haven’t tried making this exact recipe egg-free, however if that’s something you want to experiment with I would probably try using maybe half a mashed banana or a “flax egg” instead of the egg. Please leave a comment below if you try making these egg-free, so others know how it works!
On the topic of allergens, if you need these pancakes to be dairy-free please make sure you use a dairy-free protein powder! Don’t use whey protein. Use pea protein, brown rice protein, hemp protein etc.
Although this recipe is intended to be a single-serve, flip it and eat it kind of thing, you can keep these in the fridge for a few days and reheat them. If you want to be super organised, you could also make a larger batch and freeze some.
Freezing pancakes is actually one of my favourite breakfast hacks, especially with my twin toddlers. They love my Green Smoothie Pancakes (nice way to sneak some spinach into them, right) which are also totally freezable. You can reheat in the microwave in less than a minute. We keep a big zip lock bag in the freezer and I add pancakes to it whenever I make a batch and there are leftovers.
Serving suggestions for these buckwheat protein pancakes? Try some of these:
- maple syrup
- ricotta cheese
- Greek yoghurt
- fresh or thawed frozen berries
- coconut yoghurt
- my Easy Mixed Berry Chia Jam
- pan fried apple with cinnamon
- sliced banana
- peanut butter
Yum so many good topping combinations to choose from! And because they are so quick to make you can try them all out 🙂
If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment below and/or take a snap and tag me on Instagram, you can find me over at @moniquecormacknutrition
Buckwheat Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp buckwheat flour
- 2 tbsp flavoured protein powder – I prefer simple flavours like vanilla, chocolate or salted caramel in these pancakes but use whatever you like!
- 1/2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon –
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup carton (drinking) coconut milk – or any other milk of choice e.g. almond milk
- olive oil, butter or coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Place buckwheat flour, protein powder, coconut flour and baking powder (and cinnamon, if using) in a mixing bowl and lightly whisk them together.
- Add the egg and coconut milk to the same mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until they start to form a smooth batter, which should be the consistency of a thick custard.
- Heat a small nonstick pan up to a low heat on the stove. Add a teaspoon of olive oil/coconut oil/butter. Scoop in about two heaped tablespoons of the batter, gently smoothing it out a little to form a pancake shape.
- Cook for approximately 1.5 – 2 minutes, or until a few bubbles poke through the surface, then flip and cook for another minute. (You want to flip them as soon as you are able to, to avoid burning).
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter; you should make 4-5 small pancakes. Add a little extra oil to the pan as needed as you cook as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
I don’t mean to be rude, but when I made this recipe and followed it to a tea, the batter came out so liquidy it was like a crepe. And when I halfed the amount of milk and tried again, it came out much better, but tasted so damn dry. Would not recommend anyone follow this recipe if you’re looking for a real gluten free alternative to a pancake. I won’t be making this again :/
Definitely recommend making one large pancake with this batter to keep the best texture and shape.
saving this recipe! Love it and love that it’s 30g of protein!!
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! How would it change it if I skipped the coconut flour? I don’t want to buy an expensive bag just for occasional pancakes unless it’s really essential. Also can I use regular milk? Thanks!
Hi Skye, you can definitely use regular milk. Coconut flour is quite absorbent so depending on what flour you would like to substitute you may need to increase the quantity. You could try using 1 tablespoon of oat flour as a substitute if that would work for you? Or for gluten free, 1 tablespoon of gluten free plain flour.
Your pictures are gorgeous! I’ve never thought of making buckwheat pancakes so thank you for this recipe!
Thanks so much Britt! Buckwheat is my favourite flour for making pancakes, you’ll definitely have to give it a go!
Sometimes, unplanned and spontaneous recipes are the best kind. These look absolutely gorgeous and so yummy!
You are totally right – sometimes when you make something you need right then, you just get the best results 🙂 Thank you so much Jean!
I just love buckwheat! What a great idea for pancake. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Yang 🙂 I’m a huge buckwheat fan too!
What gorgeous photos! This would be a fantastic weekend brunch and a beautiful way to feed guests!!
Thank you so much Christina! Yes these would be great for a pancake brunch, I love laying all the toppings out for everyone to choose 🙂
These pictures are stunning! I need to remember to use up my buckwheat flour to make these!
Aw, thanks so much Joni! Hope you do give these pancakes a try 🙂
My family just loves the nutty flavor of buckwheat! The texture on these pancakes look fantastic! Can’t wait to try them!
Thanks so much Renee! These pancakes really do come out nice and soft with a good level of “fluffy” to them, I’m loving them so much at the moment. 🙂
I love all the buckwheat flour things! These pancakes look delicious!
Me too Raia 🙂 It’s one of my core flours and perfect for brekky. Thanks so much!
What a beautiful tack of pancakes! I need to climb on the buckwheat train!
You definitely need to climb onto that buckwheat train Linda 🙂 So so good!
We are trying to eat less meat so buckwheat protein is great! I used brown rice flour for the protein powder and plain coconut yogurt for the milk. It needed a little salt. I 4 times the recipe . Turned out really good! I put a little maple syrup into the plain yogurt for the topping.
I love buckwheat pancakes! These look delicious especially topped with that fresh fruit. Love the added protein too.
Buckwheat is the best in pancakes isn’t it?! Such a great flour 🙂 Thanks so much Emily!
Lovely! And I love that extra added protein!
Thanks Lindsey! I love a protein boost in my morning pancakes 🙂