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Are you making pancakes? Don’t have any flour, or are you trying to reduce your intake of plain or all-purpose flour? If so, check out this list of ways to substitute for flour in pancakes here.
Typically most pancake recipes you will find often call for flour which usually means all-purpose flour or plain flour. But you don’t always have to use plain flour to make your pancakes as there are other ways to get fluffy pancakes without flour.
We’ve shared the best substitutes for milk in pancakes and the best alternatives for flour in baking, but today, you will be glad to learn about the best substitutes for flour in any pancake recipe.
What can I substitute for flour in pancakes?
- Cake flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Oat flour
- Coconut flour
- Almond flour
- Cashew flour
- Cornmeal
- Cassava flour
- Chickpea flour
- Quinoa flour
- Rice flour
- Sorghum flour
- Lupin flour
- Rolled oats
- Whey protein powder
Each flour alternative will be discussed below. This will also include conversion ratios, which is very handy.
Best substitutes for flour in pancakes
Cake flour
Cake flour is a perfect substitute for flour in pancakes. Cake flour is pure soft flour that does not contain a leavening agent or salt. It also has less protein than all purpose flour and makes baked goods and pancakes that are lighter, fluffier, and moister than regular all purpose flour.
A good flour to cake flour conversion is 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of cake flour for 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
Whole wheat flour
Another good replacement for plain flour in pancakes is whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour pancakes make for a healthy and delicious batch of pancakes that are denser, have more fiber, and are a bit more textured than pancakes made with plain flour.
If you’re looking to make the swap, a good flour to whole wheat flour conversion is 1:¾. This means you will swap out 1 cup of plain flour for ¾ cup of whole wheat flour in a pancake recipe.
Oat flour
Oat flour is a common substitute for flour in pancakes. Oat flour is a type of gluten-free flour made by grinding oats into a fine powder. Oat flour has a neutral, mild flavor which is great for pancakes, but it lacks the gluten found in wheat flour so those pancakes need eggs to bind them and prevent them from crumbling.
Also, oat flour is significantly lighter than regular white flour. Otherwise, oat flour makes some healthy, delicious, and fluffy pancakes.
Coconut flour
Another type of flour that is a common alternative to flour is coconut flour. Coconut flour is a keto, gluten free flour made from drying and grinding coconut meat into a fine powder.
A good flour to coconut flour conversion is 1:¼ since coconut flour is drier and soaks up a lot more water than regular flour. As such, for every cup of all purpose flour, use ¼ cup of coconut flour.
Also, coconut flour has no gluten so pancakes made with coconut flour tend to crumble if they do not have something to bind the pancakes together.
As such for every ¼ cup of flour used to make pancakes, add one egg for moisture and to help the pancakes keep their structure once cooked.
Almond flour
Almond flour is another amazing gluten-free, low carb flour that is the perfect substitute for flour. Almond flour is a type of flour that has been blanched and ground into a fine powder great for making gluten-free, low carb, and keto pancakes.
Almond flour has a mildly sweet and nutty flavor compared to the bland, flavorless taste of all purpose. However, almond flour does make some fluffy, high-protein pancakes that taste amazing once done right.
An ideal flour-to-almond flour conversion ratio is 1:1. It is also important to note that you may need to add an extra egg for every cup of almond flour that is swapped for all-purpose flour. This will help those almond flour pancakes bind together and keep their structure. Wanna see how to use almond flour in pancakes? Then check out these fluffy almond flour pancakes or these almond flour coconut milk pancakes here.
Cashew flour
Cashew flour is a gluten-free, low carb flour that can be swapped with regular flour. Cashew flour is made from ground cashews and it is known for being rich, creamy, and great for all-purpose baking.
Therefore, if you have no all-purpose flour or you’re thinking of changing your flour to a more nutritious kind, then you can definitely use cashew flour instead.
Cashew flour is somewhat similar to almond flour although it is less dense and more sweet and creamy. It makes some delicious pancakes. Cashew flour is more absorbant and will make for a less grainy, low carb or keto pancake recipe.
Thinking of substituting cashew flour for regular flour? If so, an ideal flour to cashew flour conversion ratio is 1:1, i.e, for every cup of all purpose flour, replace with 1 cup of cashew flour.
Cornmeal
Cornmeal can be used to make pancakes. When being used to make pancakes, cornmeal is usually used in conjunction with other types of flour like oat flour or even some all-purpose flour. You can see how to make cornmeal pancakes here.
Cassava flour
Yes, you can make pancakes with cassava flour instead of regular flour. Cassava flour is made from Yuca roots that have been grated and dried to make a gluten-free flour.
Cassava flour is a great substitute for plain flour. A great flour to cassava flour conversion ratio is 1 to ¾. That is, for every cup of all-purpose, replace with ¾ cup of cassava flour. Cassava flour has a neutral, slightly nutty taste and can be used to make some really fluffy pancakes.
Another great thing about cassava flour is that while it is gluten-free, it has some natural elasticity to it so your pancakes will keep their structure with no additional help!
Chickpea flour
Chickpea flour is a type of flour made from milling dried garbanzo beans. Chickpea flour, also called gram flour, garbanzo bean flour, or Cici bean flour has a neutral, slightly nutty, slightly beany flavor that makes earthy-tasting pancakes.
An ideal flour-to-chickpea flour conversion ratio is 1:¾. This means you will use ¾ cup of chickpea flour as a substitute for 1 cup of AP flour.
Quinoa flour
Quinoa flour is another easy substitute for flour in pancakes. Quinoa flour is made by grinding quinoa grains into a fine powder.
Quinoa flour is usually used mixed with another type of flour to cut down on its bold flavor. Use quinoa flour in place of flour to make gluten free pancakes.
A great flour to quinoa flour conversion is 1:½. This means for every cup of AP flour, replace with ½ cup of quinoa flour. Also, feel free to check out a recipe for quinoa flour pancakes here.
Rice flour
If you have it, rice flour can also be a good alternative for flour in pancakes. Rice flour is made by grinding the inner kernels of brown or white long-grain rice until it becomes a fine powder that can be used as a replacement for flour in pancakes. Check out this recipe for rice flour pancakes here.
Sorghum flour
If you’re looking for a way to make tasty pancakes that are comparable to traditional pancakes made with plain flour, then sorghum flour is a great choice. Sorghum flour is a fine powder made from finely grinding the whole grain kernel of sorghum.
Sorghum flour makes a great alternative for flour in pancakes because it has a neutral flavor and the flour has a light color. A good flour to sorghum flour conversion is 1:1.
Lupin flour
Lupin flour is a great substitute for all purpose flour in pancakes. Lupin flour is a keto and gluten free flour made from the lupin bean. Lupin flour has a neutral, almost starchy flavor, but, it has a texture that is very similar to wheat flour. Therefore, it is easy to make pancakes with lupin flour if you have no plain flour – or just don’t want to use it.
Lupin flour is usually used together with almond flour to make yummy baked goods. Also, an ideal flour to lupin flour ratio is 1:1.
How to make pancakes without flour…of any kind
Don’t have any flour listed above? Or maybe you just don’t want to use any flour in your pancakes. Well, here are 2 ways you can make pancakes without any flour!
Rolled oats
You can make pancakes with rolled oats. To make a stack of flourless pancakes made with rolled oats, simply combine 1 cup of rolled oats, 1/4 cup of milk, 1 banana, baking powder, cinnamon, some butter, salt and vanilla extract in a blender until a batter is made. Then cook the pancakes like you would cook regular pancakes.
Whey protein powder
If you want to make pancakes without flour, then one of the easiest ways to do so is with some unflavored whey protein powder. Most times when pancakes are made with whey protein instead of plain flour, the ingredients used are protein powder, eggs, milk, and baking powder. The best whey protein powder for making pancakes and other low carb recipes is this unflavored, unsweetened whey protein from Isopure. Also, feel free to see how to make protein powder pancakes here.
FAQs about replacing flour in pancakes
Can I make pancakes without flour?
Yes you can. To make pancakes without flour you can use ingredients like whey protein, cornmeal or rolled oats in place of flour.
Can you substitute oats for flour in pancakes?
Yes, you can substitute oats for flour in pancakes. The best options to use are rolled oats (or old fashioned oats). To use oats in pancakes, pulverize the oats in a food processor or blender and substitute at a 1:1 ratio with flour.
Can you substitute cornstarch for flour in pancakes?
Cornstarch is not a good substitute for flour in pancakes. Use corn flour, rice flour, almond flour or even coconut flour instead.
There you have it, over 15 easy ways to substitute for plain flour in pancakes. You can have so much fun with these!
More flour substitutes…
- Substitutes for flour in cookies
- Substitute for flour in gravy
- Alternatives for flour in mac and cheese
