Whole Wheat Pancakes
These Whole Wheat Pancakes are made with 100% whole wheat flour and taste absolutely delicious! They’re a healthier option to enjoy for breakfast or brunch.
Most of the times that I’ve opted for whole wheat breads over white, I would do it for health reasons but secretly preferred the taste of white. But I can honestly say that whole wheat tastes way better when it comes to pancakes.
It’s fun to make these for friends and family and see how surprised they are by how delicious, flavorful, and fluffy they are, because labeling something as whole wheat inevitably leads to some pre-judgements.
This is the general theme in the comments section below as well, as this has been one of the most popular recipes on this blog since I first posted it in 2013.
They are some darn good pancakes, and since they’re healthier than the usual pancake, it’s a happy surprise!
Many times when people substitute whole wheat flour in for white like for homemade sandwich bread, it can be tricky because whole wheat flour doesn’t have the same gluten-developing capabilities as white flour.
…but we don’t need to develop gluten with pancakes! And in fact, we don’t want to.
So these pancakes are able to be very fluffy and light in texture, but with more nutrients and flavor.
How to Make Whole Wheat Pancakes:
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, which are whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar:
Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients, which are made from buttermilk (or regular milk or almond milk), egg, and melted butter (or oil):
Whisk the two to combine, keeping in mind that you only want to whisk until the flour disappears.
Like most pancake recipes, you want to leave lots of lumps. This ensures you don’t overmix, and it keeps the pancakes fluffy and light.
This will be a pretty thick batter, unlike many of the super thin boxed pancake mixes that run like water. It’s part of what makes them so fluffy.
You can spoon scoops of it onto a hot griddle, but I actually love using a cookie scoop to portion so every pancake is the same size.
Cook the pancakes for a few minutes until bubbles start to form on the top:
Check that it’s golden underneath, then flip and cook for another couple minutes:
I know these pancakes don’t win any beauty contests without any toppings, but they really do taste incredible.
I like to slather them with butter and pure maple syrup, or add fruit like sliced strawberries and bananas:
Next time you’re in the mood for some really indulgent pancakes…try these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes or Carrot Cake Pancakes. Best to treat them as dessert though, heh.
I also love making super thin Crepes and filling them with fruits and spreads. Enjoy!
How to Freeze Pancakes:
First let the pancakes cool completely, then follow one of these two methods so the pancakes don’t stick to each other:
For the first method, place the pancakes on a sheet pan in a single layer, making sure they aren’t touching each other, and freeze for 30-60 minutes, until they are completely frozen. Then you can remove the pancakes and place them in a large plastic bag. This way they won’t stick to each other, and you can take out as many pancakes as you’d like.
For the second method, stack the pancakes between wax paper or parchment paper, and place those stacks in a resealable bag to freeze. This will keep them separated so they don’t freeze stuck together.
Freeze the pancakes for up to two months.
How to Reheat Pancakes:
Here are three methods for reheating, either by using the microwave, oven, or toaster:
Microwave Method (my favorite):
Place 1 to 5 frozen pancakes on a microwave-safe plate. Cook uncovered at 20 seconds for 1 pancake, 30 seconds for 2 pancakes, 40 seconds for 3 pancakes, 50 seconds for 4 pancakes, and 60 seconds for 5 pancakes. Exact timing will depend on the strength of your microwave, but this is a good guideline.
Oven Method:
This is great for a larger numbers of pancakes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the desired number of frozen pancakes into a foil packet. Or place pancakes in a flat layer on a sheet pan and cover the pan tightly with foil. Just make sure you seal tightly to prevent the pancakes from getting dry. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the pancakes are warm and soft.
Toaster Method:
This is my least favorite method, but it does work. You are limited to only one pancake per slot, and need to watch to make sure the pancakes don’t become crispy or overcook. Time varies depending on toaster settings.
Whole Wheat Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (5 ounces by weight)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk*
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp melted butter**
- butter for greasing the griddle
Instructions
- In a big bowl, whisk to combine the whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk to combine the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.
- Whisk the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir the two together until just barely mixed. You want any visible loose flour to be stirred in, but there should still be plenty of lumps. If you stir out the lumps, the pancakes will likely be tough.
- Preheat a nonstick griddle to 375 degrees F and grease the surface with butter.
- Add small scoops of pancake batter (the batter will be thick) and use a cookie scoop to gently smooth the scoop into a flatter circle.
- Cook for a few minutes, until you see little bubbles forming on the surface.
- Flip the pancakes and cook for a couple minutes on the other side. If you peek underneath, the bottom should be golden brown.
- Serve with butter, pure maple syrup, or sliced fruit. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated with new photos, writing, and tips in August 2018. Originally published in May 2013. This post contains an affiliate link.
555 Comments on “Whole Wheat Pancakes”
This is my go to pancake recipe. They come out great every time! I add frozen blueberries to the batter and they turn out amazingly delicious!
Thank you for the awesome recipe..I made few compromisations to the recipe as per my kids. Still it turned good!!
I usually prefer my English style thin pancakes but trying to eat more whole grain I decided to try these. I absolutely loved them!! I divided into 4 servings instead of 3 which was plenty for me. I will be making these again in the future. Freezing 3 servings to enjoy later. I used real buttermilk and only 1 teaspoon of sugar also. Thanks!!
Oh my goodness, these are delicious. I used buttermilk powder and added Maple and orange flavorings. The real Secret is not to overmix these, as many others have said. I love that they can be frozen.
Fool proof recipe
delicious fluffy w/ slight crisp pancakes!
Thank you for your recipe. I made the whole wheat pancakes this morning with blue berries and real maple syrup. They were delicious!!
Your pancakes look fabulous!
How can I replace the egg in this recipe?
Can you please reply to this comment as in the other one I forgot to tick the notify me option
I usually do a chia or flax egg if you have either of those seeds. It’s just chia/flax seed and water. You can look up the ratios online. You could probably also do a tablespoon or two of applesauce or banana or pumpkin purée.
Your pancakes look fabulous!
How can I replace the egg in this recipe?
Aquafina, the liquid in canned chickpeas, works really well in almost all recipes that call for eggs. These were fabulous, by the way!!
Ugh…..spellcheck! Aquafaba!
I substituted canola oil for the butter and they turned out fabulous.
They came out well even with the substitutions I made: unsweetened almond milk instead of buttermilk, and light margarine instead of butter. I think some people who eat pancakes to indulge might prefer a different recipe that’s tuned with a mix of 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose white flour.
Excellent recipe. The texture was exactly what you expect from a buttermilk pancake. Light and airy. If not for the whole wheat flavor, you would never know the difference, and we love the taste. Thank you!
Broooo… These were awesome! I had some whole wheat flour I needed to use and boy am I glad I tried this recipe. I subbed buttermilk with 2% and apple cider vinegar, then left together for a few minutes before mixing with other wet ingredients. After mixing wet and dry together, I got distracted and left the mix for about an hour, but when I cooked them up, dude, the pancakes were so dang thick and fluffy. Like, true to it’s name, legit pan-cake. I was thoroughly impressed by their size and flavor.
This was euphoric!
These are simple and terrific. Consistency was spot on. Light and fluffy. Added some sauteed apples to the pancaked while cooking and the batter handled them perfectly. This is now our GoTo WW pancake recipe.
These are delicious! Even though the batter looked really lumpy, I followed the directions not to over mix. So glad I did. Thank you for a great recipe☺️
Wonderful recipe ! I added yoli protein to get a boost in that. I also added some grassfed buttermilk to throw some natural cla in there. So yummy, ty!
BEST. PANCAKES. EVER. I have been searching for a whole wheat pancake recipe for so long and wow this is the one!! I use BoB’s Red Mill Egg replacer because my son has an egg allergy and it worked perfect. Love this recipe!