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Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pancakes

  • Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes eight 4-inch pancakes
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These gluten-free pancakes combine nutty buckwheat flour with coconut flakes and vegan chocolate chips to create a good-for-you breakfast feast. Topped with fresh banana slices and extra maple syrup, these vegan pancakes pair perfectly with a cauliflower scramble or a roasted veggie hash. 

Tip: For chocolate chips that are both vegan and gluten-free, look for the Enjoy Life brand, which specializes in allergy-free products.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
  • 1¼ cups buckwheat flour
  • ¼ cup certified gluten-free rolled oats
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 tablespoon regular or sodium-free baking powder
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup gluten-free vegan mini chocolate chips
  • 1 large banana, sliced

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan combine flaxseed meal and ½ cup water. Heat over medium 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture appears stringy when it drips off a spoon. Immediately strain mixture into a glass measuring cup. Discard solids.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the next five ingredients (through salt). In a medium bowl whisk together milk, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of the flaxseed liquid. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine. (Batter will be thick.) Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Heat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-low. Spoon ⅓ cup batter per pancake onto griddle and spread gently. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until pancakes look slightly dry on top, are lightly browned on the bottom, and release easily from griddle. Flip pancakes; cook 5 minutes more. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.
  • Repeat with remaining batter, wiping off griddle between batches. Serve pancakes hot with banana slices. If desired, drizzle with additional maple syrup.

Comments (16)

(5 from 13 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Anne

It would be ever so helpful to know either the weight of the buckwheat or the scooping method (dip + level or fluff, spoon + level). Thanks

Nessy

Delicious, served with homemade wfpb nutella.

Anna

Why the extra step of cooking the flax seed? Is there a health or cooking benefit? My pancakes turned out tasting good but the dough just stuck to the skillet and the pancakes looked messy. I cooked them with an iron skillet and then tried with a stainless steel pan. I spray with avocado oil. I have never had issues proceeding like this with other pancake recipes.

Tracy

These are very good! I used spelt flour and Bobs Mill egg replacement instead of flax and buckwheat flour and they turned out perfect.

Karolina

They turned out very yummy. I used spelt flour instead of buckwheat flour and cooked them about 3-4 min per side.

Karolina

Forgot to include star rating in my original review post

Hannah

Really enjoyed these pancakes, my family loved as well. Would highly recommend giving it a try

Courtney Stewart

Made this today with whole wheat (as I only had full grain buckwheat for cereal ) and I doubled recipe to then freeze the extra for later use. These are delicious! Topped them with berries and pure maple syrup….divine!…Oh and absolutely no need for the extra steps of heating flax meal on the stove…just 1Tbs flax meal to 3 Tbs water is PERFECT! Why the extra step?,,,,bizarre.

Courtney

I forgot to add….I made these as waffles vs pancakes…and they’re PERFECT! No oil needed on the plates either!

Krista McNamee

Thank you, Courtney. The flax prep had me perplexed. Now I can make them with confidence that they will be delicious.

Donna

These turned out great ! Only thing I did different was I didn't strain the flaxseed meal mixture. After letting it set for a few mins I added it all into the other liquid.

sholom fine

used almond milk, and a glass pan. they were gummy inside burnt outside done a low heat used oil for the pan.

Dan

Excellent. Just watch the pan - the pancakes cook much more quickly than 8 minutes per side - or else you just have to turn the heat down to the lowest setting. I made mine with walnut pieces instead of coconut, and I also put some blueberries in the batter, and I skipped the chocolate chips.

Courtney Stewart

You Shouldn’t have used oil….these turned out PERFECT in the waffle maker!

Rebecca

Best pancakes I’ve ever had. And I’ve made a lot of pancakes.

Al

Curious if these freeze well.

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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