Oat Pancakes

The perfect change from your morning porridge or oatmeal. Try out these oat pancakes which are fluffy, soft and completely vegan.

Every morning I need to have something with oats in for breakfast. It’s the only thing that keeps me going and keeps me full until lunch time.

My go-to is always an oat shake or porridge/oatmeal, but sometimes I need to spruce it up a bit to give myself some variety. One of the ways I’ve been switching up my weekend breakfasts is by making these oat pancakes.

These have been a hit with my family and even with my 2 year old niece. They taste like regular fluffy pancakes with a subtle oatiness. Which I LOVE.

There’s an almost nutty flavour to these but they’re so insanely addictive. They’re perfect with a range of toppings and I’ll share some of my favourites in this blog post!

The best part of these is how quick and easy they are to throw together and you’re honestly doing yourself a favour by incorporating oats into your diet. And what better way to do that than by making pancakes?

Oats? For pancakes?

So oats themselves are a whole grain and in this recipe we’re using rolled oats.

Rolled oats are oats that have been dehusked and steamed before being rolled flat and toasted. This allows them to absorb moisture and cook more quickly.

If you want to use a different type of oats, e.g. jumbo or steel-cut, they’ll need longer to soak in the liquid before blending to ensure you don’t end up with a gritty pancake. Rolled oats are the most common and easiest to find so I’d definitely suggest those for these oat pancakes.

Do not turn these pancakes down just because they’re made from oats. They have a spongy, almost cakey texture and are so incredibly easy to make.

I’m a huge fan of oats and oat milk, the flavour profile is right up my street. They genuinely make for some of the best pancakes imaginable. Because we’re soaking the oats before blending them you end up with a toally smooth batter.

These won’t be gritty, doughy, or dense like a lot of other oat based products.

Are these oat pancakes gluten free?

Normally oats themselves are not gluten free unless specifically stated as such.

Oats contain avenin which is is a protein similar to gliadin in gluten. Both of these proteins can be coeliac triggers for those suffering with coeliacs disease.

Oats are very easily contaminated with gluten during harvesting and processing, and hence if you follow a gluten free diet just make sure you use oats that specifically state they are GF.

Why are there no eggs in these pancakes?

Simply, because it doesn’t need it.

All the recipes on my website are egg-free and you would never know otherwise. It’s a method of cooking and baking that I have followed throughout my entire life.

If you would like to add an egg to this recipe, I cannot say whether that would work or not. It’s not something I’ve tried so it will be a bit of an experiment on your part. But, it really doesn’t need it.

Topping ideas

I’m going to be honest, the list of pancake toppings are impossible. So it’s probably best to let your mind run wild and free.

You can go as simple as you like to as decadent and indulgent as you like. That’s the beauty of pancakes. These can go from breakfast to dessert within minutes.

Some of my personal favourite pancake toppings are:

• Salted butter and golden syrup
• Sliced banana, peanut butter and ground cinnamon
• Cinnamon and tahini drizzle, with toasted oats (mix tahini, syrup of choice and gradually add milk whilst whisking until a pourable consistency. Toast oats in butter until golden and crisp)
• Melted dark chocolate and strawberries
• Fresh berries and yoghurt
• Stewed spiced apples and toasted oats
• Blueberry compote (you could even place some blueberries into the pancakes as they cook, before flipping)

What you’ll need

You’ll require:

• Rolled oats
• Milk – you can use dairy milk or your favourite plant based milk. I feel like oat milk would be the obvious choice!
• Vanilla bean paste – or vanilla extract
• Sugar – alternatively half a banana works really well too!
• Baking powder – not bicarbonate of soda
• Cornflour – this is sold as cornflour in the UK and corn starch in the US
• Oil

That’s it, they’re all pantry friendly ingredients that most would have on hand. Which honestly makes this recipe even better. You can make these oat pancakes any time, and any where.

Can these Oat Pancakes be made vegan?

Absolutely, and it only requires a simple swap.

Substitute the milk for any plant based milk of preference – though I think the obvious choice here would be oat milk! If your oat milk is on the slightly thicker side, you will need to add an additional 1-2tbsps.

Pancake consistency makes a difference

You want the final pancake batter to be thick but pourable. The thicker the batter, the thicker the pancake but also the longer it will take to cook.

On the contrary the thinner the batter, the thinner the pancake and the quicker it will cook. So you can easily adapt this by adding/reducing the liquid based on your personal preference.

I’m all for thick fluffy pancakes so that’s always my go-to!

Troubleshooting

Why do my pancakes taste gritty?

Make sure you soak your oats for long enough and use a blender to make the batter. Don’t use a food processor as it won’t create a smooth batter.

Why are my oat pancakes doughy?

Cook your pancakes for longer, oat based pancakes always require a slightly longer cooking time in comparison to regular wheat pancakes. You want to see bubbles over the entire surface before flipping and this can take around 1 minute on a med-low heat.

Why is there cornflour in these pancakes?

Please note this is sold as cornflour in the UK but corn starch in the US. It’s quite important to use the right one here.

The small amount of cornflour helps with binding and also lightens the final texture of the pancakes. Often oats can make pancakes dense, so the small amount of cornflour helps to mimic the texture of a traditional fluffy pancake.

I would strongly recommend keeping the cornflour in the recipe. But if that’s tricky to find you can also substitute for an equal amount of rice flour.

If you enjoyed these or you’d like a wheat based pancake recipe, tap the image below to take you to my vegan fluffy pancake recipe!