An easy from-scratch recipe for the fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes you’ve ever had. These healthy make-ahead pancakes are made with 100% whole wheat flour and buttermilk.
Whole wheat pancakes are an almost weekly staple in my house, especially for the kiddos.
Thanks to the whole grains, these pancakes are filling. And thanks to the magic of the perfect combo of ingredients, these pancakes are fluffy, without being dense.
If you love pancakes, make sure you check out these oat milk pancakes, sour cream pancakes, apple pie pancakes, spelt flour pancakes, and gluten-free banana chocolate chip pancakes.
If you’d like a waffle version of this recipe, check out our whole wheat waffles.
If you are new to working with whole wheat flour, don’t feel intimidated! But, if you’d like to ease into it, start by using 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of all-purpose flour. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
Then the next time you make this whole wheat pancake recipe, try 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of all-purpose. And then finally, go 100% whole wheat.
Ingredients
This recipe uses:
- Whole wheat flour – look for bags labeled “whole wheat pastry flour” or “white whole wheat flour”
- Baking powder – aluminum free, please, and thank you
- Vital wheat gluten – more on this in a second
- A bit of sugar
- Kosher salt
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla extract
- Butter – salted or unsalted (chef’s choice)
I love using buttermilk because it gives the pancakes a great tangy taste. Save any extra buttermilk for future batches. Learn more about it in this post on freezing buttermilk.
No buttermilk? No problem! Add 2 tsp of white vinegar to your favorite milk, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes. Boom! Buttermilk. This trick also works with non-dairy milk.
How to Make Whole Wheat Pancakes
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Start by combining your dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Next up, combine your wet ingredients in a small bowl or large measuring cup.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and stir just a few times. There may still be some lumps. That’s ok.
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat your pan or griddle. You need to let the batter sit for at least 5-10 minutes so all the ingredients can do their cool science stuff and get nice and fluffy.
Pro tip: I set my electric griddle to 375˚F degrees to heat up for 10 minutes, and then drop it down to 350˚F degrees for the actual cooking. If you’re using a skillet on the stove, set it to medium-heat for a few minutes, and then dial down the temp to medium-low.
Pour your preferred amount of batter onto the hot griddle or pan. Flip when the edges look dry, and you are seeing bubbles on top. Remove from the pan/griddle when the bottom is golden brown.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Allow the whole grain pancakes to fully cool before storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat the pancakes for 20-30 seconds in the microwave.
Freezing Pancakes: Freezing pancakes is the best! Place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Transfer to freezer-safe bags for up to 3-6 months.
I love to meal prep them and make a double or triple batch at once, and then freeze them. After 30-45 seconds in the microwave, boom, hot breakfast in the same amount of time it takes you to pour a bowl of cereal.
Pancake Toppings
Top your pancakes with homemade peach syrup, strawberry syrup, blackberry syrup, or sugared strawberries for a fun and fruity twist.
I also love to top mine with maple syrup, cinnamon apples, strawberry puree, or peach preserves.
How to Make Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
Want to add in some delicious blueberries? Heck yes, you do!
Toss 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries (related: how to freeze blueberries) with 1 tsp of flour and then add to the batter during step 3 in the recipe card.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:
- No whole wheat flour? Feel free to use all-purpose and leave out the vital wheat gluten as well.
- This recipe uses a big serving of baking powder. Make sure yours says aluminum-free, or else there may be a metallic “tinny” taste to your pancakes.
- Sneak a few cubes of (thawed) frozen pumpkin into the batter to up the nutrition factor.
- Do not overmix the batter. Some lumps are ok!
- Do not skip the step of letting the batter rest before cooking the pancakes. The baking powder and vital wheat gluten need time to create lots of air bubbles in the batter.
More Breakfasts Recipes You’ll Love
The Fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes Recipe
An easy from-scratch recipe for the fluffiest whole wheat pancakes you’ve ever had. These healthy make-ahead pancakes are made with 100% whole wheat flour and buttermilk.
In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
2 eggs, 1 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 4 tbsp butter
Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients, and stir just a few times – don’t overmix. There may be some lumps. That’s ok!
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat your pan or griddle.
Pour your preferred amount of batter on the hot griddle/pan, and flip when the edges look dry, and you are seeing bubbles on top.
Remove when the bottom is golden brown.
- No buttermilk? No problem! Add 2 tsp of white vinegar to regular milk, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes.
- No whole wheat flour? Feel free to use all-purpose and leave out the vital wheat gluten as well.
- This recipe uses a big serving of baking powder. Make sure yours says aluminum-free, or else there may be a metallic “tinny” taste to your pancakes.
- Do not skip the step of letting the batter rest before cooking the pancakes. The baking powder and vital wheat gluten need time to create lots of air bubbles in the batter.
Nutrition Facts
The Fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 pancake)
Calories 107 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 88mg4%
Potassium 227mg6%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 150IU3%
Vitamin C 0.8mg1%
Calcium 94mg9%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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