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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. And, of course, a big ol’ dollop of whipped butter.
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.
What is Vital Wheat Gluten?
Vital wheat gluten is a powdered form of gluten that is removed from flour during the manufacturing process. It helps produce amazingly fluffy baked goods when using 100% whole wheat flour.
To use vital wheat gluten, add 1 tbsp for every 1 cup of whole wheat flour that you use.
It’s my secret ingredient for whole wheat recipes like Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, Healthy Banana Chip Chocolate Muffins, Whole Wheat Applesauce Donuts, and Honey Wheat Bread.
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
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
- 2 eggs room temp, beaten
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp butter melted, and slightly cooled
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m having gallbladder issues and am trying to incorporate more fiber and protein in my diet in a semi-plant based way; mostly the fiber. I’ve looked at “healthy” pancake mixes and things like Kodiak brand. Holy cow! The price tags are ridiculous and the results aren’t impressive. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. These pancakes look so much better and have a way better price point. I may add flax seed meal in place of the eggs. We shall see.
I find the Kodiak cakes are not my favorite. I just don’t love the taste. I think adding flax seed meal would be great. You may also want to try chia seeds, but I assume you’d want to grind them (?) for gallbladder issues?
I’m in Australia and we generally serve pancakes with maple syrup and ice cream. I read your earlier post about Bennett getting his own breakfast and was wondering ow your boys eat theirs? Thanks!
Most of the time it’s just maple syrup or plain with a little butter!
Ice cream, huh? We’re doing it wrong!
Thanks for your response. I can wait to give them a try, I just bought a mill, haven’t even got it out of the box yet!
It’s so fun to grind your own wheat! Feel free to email me if you have any questions about it.
Being a person who’s never been a fan of pancakes, I gave these a try in hopes of feeding the rest of my family a heartier pancake. Because I am also not a fan of cooking more than one meal at a time, I gave these a try as well. I’m not kidding when I say these are in regular rotation of breakfast for dinner at our house, AND my teenage son requests them for breakfast! I actually prefer them with “fake buttermilk” (milk+vinegar) rather than actual buttermilk. That’s a great thing considering I very rarely have buttermilk on hand. I love making these pancakes “extra” by adding blueberries (frozen ones work great if you don’t have fresh!). These are definitely a fave at our house!
Nikki, I’m so glad these pancakes have converted you over to the fluffy side!! I agree with you – blueberries are the best in these pancakes.
I’ve never really done a taste test on fake buttermilk vs. real buttermilk, but now I’m intrigued.
Hi, Thank you for the post and the recipe. I love that you included the photo from the old post. Can’t wait to give these a try, really enjoyed your whole wheat waffles.
Thanks Jane!
Google has informed people that deleting all photos from old posts is bad, so I keep at least one old one in there to help people potentially recognize the post. They are pretty cringe-worthy most of the time though.
Love that you use a fish spatula! My daughter makes pancakes 3-4x a week and to make it easier for her we looked everywhere for a large, flat spatula. When I couldn’t find anything appropriate I ended up buying the fish spatula on Amazon and it is perfect. She only knows it as “her” spatula. Just wait until your boys can do this part on their own.
It’s the best isn’t it?! I love it!
Hahaha, I love that you included the photo from the old post. Can’t wait to give these a try, really enjoyed your whole wheat waffles.
So a few weeks ago I read an article saying google doesn’t want you to delete all images because some of them are linked through google images. So I have been keeping one per old post. It’s horrifying though because they’re so cringe-worthy!
But it’s also so cool to see how your photography skills have improved!
Awww shucks. Thanks friend.
Looks awesome!
I had a bunch of friends coming over for our regular craft day and I was so busy that I went out and bought some lovely pastries to serve up to them. On the morning however I felt a bit guilty and decided to make something…. pancakes!!! I made a double batch and served them up with strawberry jam, rhubarb jam, and thick dolloping cream. I was so surprised to see the pancakes disappear before anyone made a move on the pastries – just goes to show that childhood favourites stay favourites for life!
Thank you for the post and the recipe. Kindness ad respect in all things silly and serious?.
My family had pancakes and bacon for dinner last night. Comfort food at its best. I’ll have to check out the vital wheat gluten tip!