Friends, these pancakes are a TRIUMPH. They are fluffy. They are soft. They are sweet. And they are 100% grain-free and gluten-free. These babies are made with almonds. Not almond flour. Not almond meal. Just almonds that you toss into the blender and—before you know it—you have grain-free pancakes that could fool even the most staunch gluten-lover. It feels like it shouldn’t work, but it does. Every. Single. Time.
I brought nuts and seeds back into my therapeutic diet about two months ago, and I knew one of the first things I wanted to try to do was come up with a nut-based pancake recipe. I did some Googling, and my first attempt at them was using someone else’s recipe: this Almond Flour Pancake recipe from Comfy Belly.
I really loved this recipe, but I never managed to have blanched almond flour kicking around when my daughter asked for pancakes. For a while, I would make my own flour, but then I thought, “Huh, what if I just put the almonds into the blender whole?” A little more tweaking and testing (and eating), and BOOM– a weekday morning worthy grain-free pancake recipe was born!
Thanks to the power of my Vitamix (this is the one I have), in goes boiling water and blanched almonds (among other things), and out comes this pancake batter in just a few minutes. The only dishes that get dirty are the blender carafe and the skillet you cook the pancakes on.
You can do this with other nuts (cashews work especially well) and even unblanched “regular” almonds, but the results will vary slightly. Blanched almonds are my favorite because they add a slightly nutty flavor, but keep the texture light and fluffy like “real” pancakes.
I like to serve these up with a big dollop of yogurt, some berries, and a drizzle of honey. My husband eats them with peanut butter and banana, and my chocoholic of a daughter askes me to drizzle chocolate hazelnut butter on hers.
I’ve used these as “bread” in an almond butter and jelly sandwich. I’ve put a fried egg and sausage patty on them to make Cass’s version of a McGriddles. Sometimes I just eat them straight out of the fridge as a snack. These almond pancakes freeze beautifully (and heat up well in our toaster oven).
Guys, I am just in love with these pancakes. Is that weird?
When my health care professionals urged me to go grain-free to give my immune system a break while I healed from Lyme, I thought, “but I won’t be able to eat ANYTHING!” I’m not going to lie, the transition for the first few weeks wasn’t easy, but soon my mind was opened up to this incredible world of grain-free cooking. It’s been so much fun to experiment and explore different ways of making my old favorites. First almond pancakes, next up, some grain-free sandwich bread! Enjoy.
Grain-Free Blender Almond Pancakes
Soft, fluffy, and sweet, these Grain-Free Blender Almond Pancakes will fool even the most staunch gluten-lover.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup (155g) blanched almonds (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (100g) boiling water
- 1/3 cup (70g) melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons (45g) honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon (10g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- Butter, ghee, cooking oil, or lard, for cooking pancakes
Instructions
- Combine the almonds and boiling water in the carafe of a high-powered blender. Let the almonds soak in the boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Add in the coconut oil, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Turn the blender on high, and let blend for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is very smooth and creamy—no lumps or pieces of almond should be seen.
- Add in the baking soda and sea salt, and turn the blender on low to mix. While the blender is mixing, break in the eggs, one at a time. Blend until just combined, about 30 seconds. If your blender doesn’t allow you to open the lid while blending, break all the eggs into a bowl, pour all the eggs into the blender and immediately turn it on low (this is to prevent the heat from the almond mixture from cooking/scrambling the eggs).
- Preheat a skillet or griddle to medium-low heat (see notes), and pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles begin to show and the top of the pancake begins to look matte, about 4 minutes. Then flip and cook an additional minute.
- Keep warm in a low oven, or serve immediately with your favorite pancake toppings.
Notes
- The volume measurement (1 1/3 cups) for the blanched almonds was done with slivered blanched almonds. If you’re using whole blanched almonds, please refer to the weight measurement (155 grams).
- Yes, this recipe can be done with unblanched almonds—AKA: “normal” almonds. However, the end result is drier, crumblier, and has a stronger nut flavor. You might need to add more water and/or coconut oil to the batter to get the correct texture. I highly recommend blanched almonds!
- These pancakes will tend to burn if cooked at the temperature you use for normal wheat pancakes. Set your stove or griddle to a lower setting—low and slow is the key with these guys.
- The batter will thicken up as it sits—this works in our family because my husband likes thinner pancakes (weirdo) and I like big, fluffy pancakes. He eats the early pancakes, and I eat the later ones! If you prefer all fluffies, just let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes before cooking. Or, if you like all thinner pancakes (weirdo), just thin out the batter with a teaspoon or so of warm water when it seems too thick.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 pancakesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 241Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 336mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 5g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
