The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes Recipe

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Pancakes should not be the exclusive dominion of folks with wheat in their diet. This gluten-free vegan pancakes recipe flips that idea like... well, a golden stack of perfect flapjacks. With a perfectly fine-tuned gluten-free flour blend and ingredients you probably already have, these hotcakes are light, fluffy, and brunchworthy in a hyper-not-lame gluten-embarrassment kind of way.

A hand pours syrup from a glass pitcher over a tall stack of gluten-free vegan pancakes topped with butter, served with fresh raspberries and strawberries on a plate.

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Since my dear wife (who is lovable and quite adorable), Joey, has been avoiding gluten for ages, we have gone through a million wheat-free pancake recipes, mostly which sucked beyond belief. From semi-edible paperweights to weirdly gummy, stick-to-your-teeth nightmares made with xanthan gum (oh dear God, please erase my memory of those), we have tried just about everything. And after years of iterations, what you see before you is our family’s tried and true brunch banger.

Best part? You get options. I made it so that if you don’t have time for the few customized flours, you can also tap them out with your fave pre-made gluten-free flour blend. It’s all laid out and tested for you.

Let’s fire up your griddle and get cooking!

Jump to:

🥰Why you’ll adore this Gluten-free vegan pancakes recipe
🥞Gluten-free dairy-free pancake Ingredients
🤯Variations
📖How to make vegan gluten-free pancakes
💡 Other Gluten-Free Vegan Breakfast Ideas
👉Top tips
🤷‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
✌️You'll love these gluten-free breakfast recipes too
Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes

🥰Why you’ll adore this Gluten-free vegan pancakes recipe

✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all of my vegan breakfast recipes, this one avoids both dairy, eggs, and anything that would harm animals. And since you hate gluten with all of your heart and soul, and scream every time you have to see a majestic, golden field of wheat, you will be delighted to add this to your collection of vegan gluten-free recipes!

🛋 Lazy Sunday-Approved: No weird gums or binders, no aquafaba, flax egg, or kitchen gadget gymnastics.

🔥 No Compromises on Texture: Fluffy centers, golden edges, and no dry, crumbly sadcakes. Your judgmental dad (who smells) won’t know it’s gluten-free.

✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this one’s been pancake-flipped and brunch-tested by a massive team of hundreds of recipe testers. It stacks up.

Stack of pancakes being drizzled with syrup. Text overlays read, "Join the Free Vegan Breakfast Club." Background has paint splatter design.

👉 Steal my fave vegan breakfasts

This 5-day guide to the best plant-based breakfast bangers is 100% FREE, & you'll love it so much 🥰

🥞Gluten-free dairy-free pancake Ingredients

Various baking ingredients for a gluten-free vegan pancake recipe including oat flour, white rice flour, cassava flour, potato starch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, plant-based milk, canola oil, baking soda, maple syrup, and vegan butter, arranged on a wooden board.

The Flours

This dreamy gluten-free flour blend brings the best of each flour to your pancake party: oat flour adds sweet softness, cassava flour brings bounce and moisture retention, rice flour locks in structure without weighing things down, and potato starch fluffs it all up with a little steam magic.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (if using a pre-mix)

Don’t have oat or cassava flour in your pantry? Using an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix is your fast pass to fluffy success. I really like the Measure for Measure flour from King Arthur the best of all mixes I have tried, but the one from Arrowhead Mills is pretty good too. Steer clear of the nonsense-ass “Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour” blend, as it contains dairy products in it (FOR. NO. FRIGGIN. REASON).

Cinnamon

Ground cinnamon, which is optional in this recipe, adds a subtle sweet aroma to these pancakes that I think helps them slap pretty hard. You can rock it out with Vietnamese cinnamon, which is what I keep on hand for making my banh flan with.

Plant Milk

Soy milk works best in this recipe for its slightly higher protein content, which helps with browning and texture. Oat milk and almond milk are solid alternatives, too, just make sure they’re unsweetened and unflavored to keep the pancakes balanced.

Oil

Use any neutral-tasting oil like canola, refined coconut oil, sunflower oil, or vegetable oil in the batter to keep things moist without overwhelming the flavor.

Vegan Butter

My top choice for cooking these pancakes is Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, they deliver that classic buttery flavor that pancakes really need. Trader Joe's vegan butter is a decent, more affordable backup. If you avoid butter alternatives entirely, you can stick with a neutral oil for the skillet instead.

*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.

🤯Variations

Gluten-free Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

Mix fresh or frozen blueberries directly into the batter, and also press a few extra onto each pancake after pouring the batter into the skillet. Using this GF batter, follow the cooking method in my vegan blueberry pancakes recipe to get juicy bursts inside and caramelized berry tops.

Gluten-free Vegan Banana Pancakes

My vegan banana pancakes recipe swaps out half the plant milk with mashed ripe banana to infuse the batter with natural sweetness and moisture. You can do the same thing using this gluten-free recipe! As the pancakes cook on the first side, press a few fresh banana slices right on top of the batter for golden, caramelized bananas dotting the surface of the second side.

📖How to make vegan gluten-free pancakes

If you’re just here for pancakes, scroll to the easy-to-print recipe card and skip the full step-by-step (complete with photos) below.

A hand holds a yellow measuring sifter, sifting white granules into a striped bowl on a wooden surface.

Step One

Live and Let Dry Ingredients:

In a large bowl, whisk or sift the flour blend with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon (if using), and salt.

Milk being poured into a bowl of oil, vanilla extract, and sugar, causing swirling patterns in the liquid.

Step Two

Liquid Assets:

In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk the plant-based milk, oil, vanilla, and maple syrup until fully combined.

A hand pours liquid ingredients from a white pitcher into a ceramic mixing bowl with orange, yellow, and blue stripes.

Step Three

Batter Call Saul:

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir until no dry flour remains. Don’t overmix.

Three gluten-free vegan pancakes cooking in a cast iron skillet with melted butter visible around the edges.

Step Four

I Wanna Be Pour-ever Young:

Place a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. After 2 minutes, grease lightly with vegan butter or oil. Pour ¼ cup (60 mL) of batter per pancake into the skillet. Leave room between each to spread.

Three golden-brown gluten-free vegan pancakes cooking in a black cast iron skillet.

Step Five

Flip Out:

Cook for 2–3 minutes until bubbles appear and edges are set. Flip and cook 2 more minutes.

A white plate with a stack of evenly cooked, golden-brown gluten-free vegan pancakes on a wooden surface, with a bowl of raspberries partially visible on the side.

Step Six

Pancake Me Up Before You Go-Go:

Transfer to a warm plate and repeat, re-greasing the pan as needed before adding batter for additional batches.

A stack of gluten-free vegan pancakes topped with butter and syrup, with syrup being poured over them; fresh raspberries are on the plate beside the pancakes.

Step Seven

Stack-uille O'neal:

Serve hot with maple syrup, vegan butter, whipped cream, or fresh fruit.

💡 Other Gluten-Free Vegan Breakfast Ideas

GF pancakes are a solid go-to for breakfast, no doubt. But they’re even better alongside some impossibly soft scrambled tofu, a vegan omelette, a vegan frittata, some homemade scrambled Just Egg, or a dairy-free quiche. Stack it up, mix it up—make the whole spread something worth sitting down for.

👉Top tips

Don’t skip the resting time: If your batter feels too thin, let it sit for 5–6 minutes before frying. Oat flour and potato starch absorb moisture slowly, and resting helps the flour hydrate and the batter stabilize.
Medium heat is your friend: Too hot and your pancakes will brown before they cook through. Too low and they’ll dry out. Medium keeps things golden and fluffy with just the right crisp on the edge.
Grease between batches: Even with a good skillet, a fresh swipe of vegan butter or oil keeps each pancake flipping clean and tasting like brunch dreams.
Adjust your pour based on thickness: If your batter thickens as it sits (and it will), add a splash of plant milk to bring it back to pourable. Don’t force a thick batter onto the skillet—it won’t spread evenly.

Four plates of pancakes with butter and syrup, one plate with fresh berries, are arranged on a gray surface beside a knife. — **Rolling up in full pancake regalia:** Flapjacks aren't just for people who hate gluten. You can serve a whole dang army regular vegan pancakes, ube pancakes, vegan banana pancakes, and vegan blueberry pancakes!

🤷‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Can I turn these into waffles?

Absolutely. Just increase the oil by 1 tablespoon and cook in a preheated waffle iron until the first side is golden and crisp. Bonus: those crispy edges are even better in waffle form. Want to push it further? Fold in chocolate chips or use flax egg for extra fluff. And for the love of brunch, reheat leftovers in a toaster oven—it’s the best way to keep that crunch.

Why does gluten-free vegan pancake batter keep thickening as it sits?

Blame the dry ingredients like oat flour and potato starch. These flours are moisture magnets. As the particles of ground up grain absorb liquid, the batter thickens. If it gets too thick, stir in a splash of non-dairy milk to loosen things up. This is why giving your batter a proper rest is key to nailing the texture.

Can I make mini pancakes or silver dollars?

Heck yeah. Use 1–2 tablespoon of batter per pancake for tiny brunch cuties. These cook fast, so keep an eye out—especially if you’re using a smaller non-stick pan or experimenting with different ingredients like almond flour or chia seeds. Great for kids, brunch boards, or serving with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

How should I store and reheat gluten-free vegan pancakes?

🧊 Refrigeration:
Allow the pancakes to cool, then stack them with parchment or wax paper between each one. Store them in a sealed, container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Gluten-free pancakes tend to dry out faster than wheat-based ones, so reheating properly is key.

❄️ Freezing and Thawing:
To freeze, arrange cooled pancakes in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray. Once frozen, transfer them to a reusable, freezer-safe container. They’ll keep for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat straight from frozen when you're in a rush.

🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Place the pancakes in the skillet and cover loosely to trap steam. Reheat for 2–3 minutes per side until warmed through and slightly crisp on the outside.

⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Wrap 1 or 2 pancakes in a clean, damp kitchen towel and microwave on a plate for 20–30 seconds. This method works best if you're after soft and steamy pancakes fast—though the skillet still wins for texture.