The best almond flour pancakes recipe that turns out light, moist, and fluffy, similar to regular pancakes! This easy and delicious paleo pancake recipe is sure to please the whole family for a healthy breakfast! Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free.
These almond flour pancakes have been a staple in my household since 2011.
When I first tried the paleo diet, I needed a fun weekend breakfast. I tested this almond flour pancakes recipe over and over until I landed on a recipe I thought was just right.
They’re light, fluffy, and moist with amazing texture. While you can tell they aren’t pancakes made with all-purpose flour, these paleo pancakes are a great grain-free alternative. You’ll just have to taste them to believe it!
Hundreds (if not thousands) of individuals have made this their go-to pancake recipe.
Be sure to check out my Banana Bread Almond Flour Pancakes if you love banana pancakes!
Why This Recipe Works:
After years of cooking and baking grain-free, I’ve found the combination of almond flour and tapioca flour yields an incredible texture that very closely mimics wheat flour.
Because almond flour is so versatile and has a great nutrient, it is one my kitchen staples for grain-free baking.
I like to make the pancake batter in my blender but you can also mix it together in a large mixing bowl.
The blender approach is simply a low-fuss and minimal cleanup method, but it’s certainly not required!
This almond flour pancake recipe is a weekly event in my household. Grain-Free and paleo friendly, these fluffy pancakes only require a few basic ingredients and they’re low carb.
They’re perfect for sharing with friends and family who have dietary restrictions and are a safe bet for entertaining for brunch.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this easy almond flour pancakes recipe.
Ingredients for Almond Flour Pancakes:
Almond Flour: When combined with the proper amount of eggs and liquid, almond flour or (almond meal) makes for incredibly lovely pancakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and more! It yields a light and fluffy texture that closely mimics regular flour.
Almond flour is a good source of fiber, and contains healthy fats and some protein. It is naturally sweet, which makes it a great ingredient for those who have a sweet tooth but don’t want to use a lot of added sweetener.
Tapioca Flour (optional): A starchy ingredient, tapioca flour helps bind recipes together, generate some fluff and further aids in making a recipe seem like it’s made with regular all-purpose flour.
While the tapioca flour in this recipe isn’t mandatory, I certainly recommend it, as it results in the best, fluffiest pancakes!
You can replace tapioca flour with arrowroot flour in a 1:1 replacement in most cases (including this one).
Eggs: Eggs help fluff up the pancakes to blissful texture and allows them to stay nicely held together. If you can’t do eggs, try my Paleo Vegan Pancakes, which use flax eggs.
They require some patience, but they are your best bet for making grain-free and egg-free pancakes.
Unsweetened Almond Milk: In order to combine everything together, we need some liquid. I use unsweetened almond milk for a dairy-free version but you can use whole milk if you do dairy.
I also love using canned full-fat coconut milk because it makes the pancakes taste so incredibly rich and luscious.
For those who are looking for a less calorie-dense approach, any non-dairy milk from a carton will work!
Baking Powder & Sea Salt: In order to leaven the pancakes, we use baking powder, and sea salt helps enhance the flavor.
Vanilla Extract & Pure Maple Syrup (optional): You can add vanilla extract and some pure maple syrup to the batter to level up the flavor, but neither are mandatory. They will add subtle sweetness, richness and warmth.
Avocado Oil or Coconut Oil for Cooking: Use your choice of cooking oil for making the pancakes in a skillet or on the griddle. I like avocado oil or coconut oil because both have a high smoke point.
Now that we’ve covered the main ingredients for paleo pancakes, let’s make them.
How to Make Pancakes with Almond Flour:
Mix the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms. The batter will appear thicker than regular pancake batter. This is normal.
As an alternative to preparing the pancake batter in a mixing bowl, you can add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until a smooth batter forms.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add a generous amount of coconut oil to fully coat the surface.
Measure out a scant ¼ cup of batter and pour it on the hot skillet. Allow the batter to cook a couple of minutes, until you can tell the pancakes are setting up.
Carefully flip the pancakes and cook them on the other side for another minute or two, until they’re cooked through. Repeat this process for the remaining batter.
Serve pancakes with your choice of toppings, like fresh fruit, pure maple syrup, honey, almond butter, or peanut butter.
How to Store Pancakes:
Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
You can freeze almond flour pancakes in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Reheat pancakes in a toaster oven when you’re ready to enjoy them.
This recipe turns out with such amazing texture, even pancake aficionados won’t be able to tell they’re grain-free.
Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips for Preparing Paleo Pancakes:
The batter shouldn’t sizzle a lot once it hits the skillet but it should make a little noise. If need be, increase to medium heat. It is unlikely that you will need medium-high heat.
I am often asked if this recipe can be made without the tapioca flour. I thought I would explain why I use tapioca flour, because I find it is a key ingredient to great texture.
Because these pancakes are grain-free and are made from a nut meal, the flavor and texture are both slightly nutty. They aren’t quite as soft as regular pancakes made with all-purpose flour.
While the tapioca flour is not mandatory, it is very helpful especially when you are having trouble getting the pancakes to flip without breaking, I’d recommend adding tapioca flour because it helps in keeping the pancakes held together nicely.
Tapioca flour is still considered paleo-friendly, so if you follow a grain-free, paleo or primal diet, it doesn’t pose a problem. You can use arrowroot flour as a replacement.
All of that said, you can make this recipe without the tapioca flour and simply add more almond flour.
For a keto almond flour pancakes, stick with all almond flour only, as tapioca flour has a decent amount of carbohydrate.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Stir chocolate chips into the batter to make chocolate chip pancakes.
- Replace the unsweetened almond milk with cashew milk, walnut milk, coconut milk, or any of your favorite non-dairy milks.
- You can substitute the almond flour for hazelnut flour with a 1:1 ratio if you’d like.
- If your pancake batter is very watery, add more almond flour or tapioca flour until it thickens. Various brands have different grinds of almond meals/flours, which may result in various consistencies. If you make this recipe using a meal/flour that is not this exact brand, you may end up with varied results. You can also use a small amount (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon) of coconut flour to help thicken the batter as well.
- I love topping the pancakes with fresh fruit like sliced banana, blueberries, chopped roasted almonds, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, but you can get creative with your toppings.
If you prefer using coconut flour over almond meal for your grain-free cooking and baking, make my Basic Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes! For a low-carb pancake recipe, make my Keto Pancakes.
The next time you’re craving traditional pancakes but want to infuse the experience with health benefits, whip up these fluffy almond flour pancakes!
We all know the best part is what we put on top of the pancakes, so choose some seasonal fruit and your favorite toppings.
Make a double batch to have delicious pancakes on hand for easy weekday breakfasts.
This easy recipe is a great option for those who follow a grain-free diet or for those who are doing a stint of paleo. It is by far my favorite recipe for healthy almond flour pancakes.
If you love grain-free pancake recipes, also try out these gems.
More Healthy Grain-Free Pancake Recipes:
- Paleo Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Coconut Flour Zucchini Pancakes
- Paleo Avocado Pancakes
- Paleo Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Crispy Cinnamon Swirl Paleo Pancakes
- Paleo Gingerbread Pancakes
- Lemon Coconut Flour Pancakes for Two
- Paleo Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes
- Dark Chocolate Paleo Pancakes
Enjoy!
xo
Almond Flour Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely ground almond flour*
- 3 Tbsp tapioca flour**
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or canned coconut milk***
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup optional
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend just until the batter is smooth. Start with just 1/2 cup of almond milk and if the batter seems too thick, add more. The batter should be thicker than regular pancake batter but not overly firm. Note: you can mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl if you don't trust your blender to get the job done 😉 To do so, first combine the wet ingredients then add in the dry ingredients and stir well until a thick batter forms.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat and add a generous amount of coconut oil to fully coat the surface.
- Measure out a scant ¼ cup of batter and pour it on the hot skillet. Allow the batter to cook a couple of minutes, until you can tell the pancakes are setting up around the edges. Bubbles won't rise to the top of the batter the way they do with regular pancakes. When the pancake batter hits the skillet, you want to hear it sizzle a little but not too assertively. Adjust the heat to medium heat if you don't hear the batter sizzle, and adjust the heat down if it sizzles and boils aggressively.
- Carefully flip the pancakes and cook them on the other side for another minute or two, until they’re cooked through. Repeat this process for the remaining batter.
- Top pancakes with your favorite toppings, and enjoy! I like to top mine with fresh fruit, chopped nuts, pure maple syrup and/or almond butter.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did this recipe change? Last time I made it did not have 4 eggs. Used almond milk not coconut milk, and had tapioca flour.
Hi Elaina!
I did change it a few years ago. I like this version better, but the previous version works great too 🙂
Can I use normal (skim) milk instead of coconut milk?
Hi Amy,
The coconut milk provides fat for the recipe so to offset the loss, I would recommend using part skim milk, part oil.
Really really good !! I used arrowroot starch instead of tapioca (just what I had on hand ) and turned out amazing !! Was super easy to flip never feel apart once.
I love it! So happy they worked out so well for you with the arrowroot. Thanks for sharing!! xoxo
Great recipe! Thanks for this. It’s become my go-to weekend pancake recipe. Today I decided to try adding a bit of psyllium powder to help with the crumbliness—only about 1/4 tsp. Worked great!
Oooh, I never thought to add psyllium powder – this is brilliant! Thanks for letting me know, Toby!! xoxo
This recipe is amazing! Coming out of AIP, I have tried so many kinds of pancakes, and all have fallen short… but now that I can finally have eggs and almonds again, I gave this a try and was amazed. The first time they were really good, but the second time they were amazing and indistinguishable from gluten-full pancakes! Also, I do think using a blender is key. I love my Vitamix!
Here are the changes I made: coconut milk (Aroy-D in the carton) subbed for almond; 2 tsp baking soda in place of the baking powder, plus a dash of lemon juice to make sure it activated well; 2.5 Tbsp tapioca flour; extra salt – maybe .5 tsp total. I also let the batter sit for a few minutes before cooking.
Thanks for such a great recipe!
I’m so happy you like them, Rebecca! Thanks so much for letting me know your changes! xoxo
I don’t know where I went wrong but I had to throw these away. I followed the recipe exactly except I hand mixed instead of using a blender. I found my batter to be extremely thick, I even added more milk to try & thin it out. The outside of the pancakes cooked up just fine but the inside was completely raw, even after cooking for 20 minutes. I used Bob’s superfine almond flour. Any ideas why this happened?
Hi Paula,
My guess is the additional liquid caused the pancakes to remain raw in the middle. The batter for the pancakes is supposed to be thick. Did you make any substitutions to the recipe other than adding more almond milk?
Apologies for the delay! But no, I made no other alterations. In your video your batter is much thinner than mine. Mine was clumpy and had the texture more of a spongey bread dough, if that makes sense. That’s why I added a touch more milk in an attempt to thin it out. When I poured my batter It did not pool out, it just sat there like a blob so I have no clue where I went wrong *shrugs* Maybe I should have used my blender?
These were easy and turned out great! Added a splash of maple syrup to the batter.
Love it! Thanks for letting me know, Lisa! xoxo
Great,that are so cool picture,thanks for sharing
I just want you to know that these are our favorite pancakes since I found them about 6 months ago! We are gluten and dairy free and love them! Thank you so much for the great recipe. My daughter loves them!
My pleasure, Gaby! I’m so happy you and your family likes the pancakes! Thank you for the sweet note 😀 xoxo
I was having a wild craving for almond flour pancakes this am (can’t find them in Nashville!)
so garnered up the energy to make them myself this Sunday morning 🙂 These are the best I’ve ever had!!! Thank you for sharing, Julia! I’ll be adding them to our family’s stable of recipes!
I’m so happy you like them, Julie! Thanks for the sweet note! xo
Just a tip, not mine but gleaned from other websites, to make almond flour or any dense flour light and fluffy, add baking powder and let the batter sit for an hour before cooking, it’s like adding whipped egg whites it makes it so fluffy and indistinguishable from wheat flour, IMO.
Oooh, that’s great advice! Thank you so much for sharing, Victoria! 😀 xo
Hi! Love this recipe. I used a blend of GF flour and almond flour and subbed out tapioca flour. Came out delish and like “regular” pancakes. This is my go to pancake recipe. Awesome ingredients, no junk. Thanks for sharing. ☺️
So happy you like them, Jami! Thanks for the feedback! xo
Added more almond and tapioca flour. They were delish! I actually like them better than “normal “ pancakes. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Me too! It’s funny how sometimes the cleaner version of a classic recipe can taste even better than the original. Thanks for the note, Linda! xo
These were awful. Much too watery – I had to throw the whole thing in he garbage. What a waste of expensive ingredients.
Hi Kate,
What substitutions did you make to the recipe? What type of almond flour did you use?
They were pretty good! I put a little bit of sugar free peanut butter and chopped banana on top. I enjoyed it, esp since i was getting tired of my usual oatmeal breakfast.
These are so good! I made them with almond flour and a little less salt and cooked them in coconut oil because that is what I usually use. Perfect! I’ll have to experiment with ricotta cheese, that sounds good. Oh, and the best thing about these is they didn’t suck up the coconut oil, I didn’t have to re grease the pan after each pancake.