Gluten-free pancakes without xanthan gum are possible. In fact, they are better than pancakes with xanthan gum.
Fluffy gluten-free pancakes without the gums are totally possible. And they are delicious.
Pancakes are one of my family’s favorite gluten-free foods. You might be able to tell that by the number of gluten-free pancake recipes I have here on my site.
They are one of the first things I converted to gluten-free. And we eat them at least once a week. But pancakes have also been one of the things I have struggled to get just right gluten-free.
If you have read my site for a while you probably know that I am not a huge fan of pre-made gluten-free flour blends. I do use them some, but not a lot. My number one issue with pre-done blends has to do with the gums. Most blends contain gums already in them. But the number of gums that work in a muffin may not work in a cake or cookie. And what works for a waffle will not be the same as a gluten-free bread.
In my experience with gluten-free cooking gums are far from a one size fits all ingredient.
The issue with gums seems worse when it comes to foods like pancakes. Gums tend to really change the texture of pancakes. It makes them gummy for lack of a better word. It also tends to make them thick and sometimes more dense than a regular pancake would be.
All the gluten-free pancake recipes so far on my site have called for a small amount of xanthan gum and they are all good, but I have been experimenting recently with using no gums in my gluten-free pancakes. And you know what? It works fine. I actually think it works better. For the last two months or so I have totally been leaving the xanthan gum out of all my gluten-free pancakes and it works great.
In fact, my family likes them better. They are less gummy. They are more like a regular gluten-filled pancakes. And I have found that they cook faster without the gums. So gluten-free pancakes with no gums are a definite win at our house.
Now you can’t take the gums out of all gluten-free recipes, but in pancakes, I think it works fine.
I have not gone back and updated all the gluten-free pancake recipes on my site, but I plan to update them without the gums soon. Feel free to leave out the gums in any of them to see what you think.
Today I am sharing my favorite basic gluten-free pancake recipe without the gums. This is the recipe we use almost every Saturday morning for our Saturday morning breakfast tradition.
I would love to hear your thoughts on gums. Do you think gluten-free pancakes need the gums or not?
Fluffy Gluten Free Pancakes without Xanthan Gum
Fluffy gluten-free pancakes without xanthan gum. Yes, gluten-free pancakes can be light, fluffy, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup white rice flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the eggs, butter, and buttermilk.
- Whisk in the remaining ingredients and whisk just until combined. This batter will be a little lumpy.
- Let batter sit for 3- 5 minutes.
- Carefully scoop or ladle on to a hot griddle or skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 395Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 689mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 10g
Nutritional values are approxomite and aren't always accurate.
I completely agree with you, Lynn. I have not been putting gums in pancakes for years, and they always turn out better than with gums. Thanks for sharing this with all your readers.
Those look delicious, Lynn! Like you, I’m not a fan of ready-made mixes or gums. Many times, I’ve found I can just leave them out, not always, but more often than I would have suspected. I also like grain-free baking because it never requires gums. Can’t wait to share this recipe with everyone–thanks!
Shirley
I have cut back on my gluten free baking in the past few months, but just threw these together as an experiment. I thought that you always HAD to use xanthan gum and was pleasantly surprised by these pancakes. The texture was amazing! This is my pancake recipe from now on. I halved the ingredients because I live alone and can only eat a few at a time. By the way, added fresh blueberries–fantastic! Thank you very much, Lynn!
I am so glad that you enjoyed them and they worked so well for you. I thought the same thing the first time I tried pancakes without gums, but it seems to work just fine. Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed them!
I made dairy free buttermilk by substituting 1 cup almond milk with 1 tbsp vinegar and it worked well. Would it work it I mashed bananas in as well?
I am glad that it worked well with almond milk. I think it would work with bananas you might just have to cut back on the liquid.
Would these work with flax or chia eggs?
I have not tried it, so I am not sure. But I think if it works in other pancake recipes it should work fine here.
Made these this morning! The whole family, including the non-gluten free folks, loved them!
I am glad that you enjoyed them!
I tried these out tonight. Thank you so so so much. They truly are delicious! My first gluten free pancakes!
I am glad that you enjoyed them!
Hi Lynn,
Do you have a favorite brand of brown rice/rice flours? Also, would superfine flours work? Thanks.
Michelle
I usually use Bob’s Red Mill white and brown rice flours. They are the easiest to find and I like them. I have not tried superfine flours in this recipe, but I have used them in others. If think they would work fine in this. They are our favorite gf pancakes. I hope you enjoy them!
I made these pancakes today for my gluten-free pancake lover 15-year-old granddaughter, and she loved them!! She was afraid she would never get to enjoy pancakes again, but these made her quite happy!! Hubby loved them, too. Followed instructions exactly. Ty
Can we substitute for the buttermilk?
I prefer buttermilk, but yes you can do this instead. It works as well in place of the buttermilk. I hope that helps. https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2013/09/substitute-for-buttermilk-kitchen-tip.html
Can you use nut milks instead? I’m also dairy-free.
I have not tried it with nut milk because my daughter has a nut allergy, but we have made them with coconut milk with a little lemon juice added, that is how you make a dairy free buttermilk substitute. It works great for a dairy free version, so I would think nut milk would work well also.
This is such a great recipe! I always keep an eye out for gum free gluten free recipes and I’m very happy I stumbled across this one. I had to make a couple of substitutions but they still came out great – I substituted the brown rice flour with sorghum flour, replaced one egg with 2 oz applesauce, and instead of buttermilk i used almond milk with a splash of apple cider vinegar. Quite possibly the best gluten free pancakes I’ve ever eaten!
I am so glad that you enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing the changes you made. I have made these dairy-free and I agree they are great dairy-free as well. I am so glad my recipes helped make gluten free pancakes easy and delicious for you.