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.
Pancakes are an almost weekly staple in my house, especially for the kiddos. I prefer to meal prep them and make a double or triple batch at once, and then freeze them. Thirty seconds in the microwave, and boom, hot breakfast in the same amount of time it takes you to pour a bowl of cereal.
Top your pancakes with homemade peach syrup, strawberry syrup, blackberry syrup, or sugared strawberries for a fun and fruity twist.
Can You Use Whole Wheat Flour For Pancakes?
Yes! These pancakes use 100% whole wheat flour, so they’re more filling than their “Bisquick” style cousin. With a few tips, tricks, and one very special ingredient, whole wheat baked goods can be just as fluffy as conventional products.
For full disclosure, I do have a grain mill that I use to make fresh whole wheat flour, but whole wheat pastry flour from a grocery store works great as well.
Are Whole Wheat Pancakes Healthier?
You betcha! The whole grains fill you up compared with white flour, and your body processes them more slowly so you stay fuller longer. For example, I can easily pack away three to four “normal” pancakes, but max out at two whole wheat pancakes. And I stay full until lunch.
I love to top mine with maple syrup, Strawberry Syrup, Strawberry Puree or Blackberry Syrup.
For the milk, I love using buttermilk because it gives the pancakes great tangy taste. Save any extra buttermilk for future batches. Learn more about it in this post on freezing buttermilk. You can also try our Oat Milk Pancakes which are delicious and dairy-free.
Here’s How You Make Healthy Whole Wheat Pancakes
*You’ll find a printable and detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Combine your dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine your wet ingredients in a large measuring cup.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients, and stir just a few times. There may still be some lumps. That’s ok.
Left: just mixed. Right: after 10 minutes. See all those air bubbles? Magic!
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat your pan or griddle. You need to let the batter sit so all the ingredients can do their thing and get nice and bouncy.
Pour your preferred amount of batter on the hot griddle, and flip when the edges look dry, and you are seeing bubbles on top. Remove when the bottom is a golden brown.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:
- No whole wheat flour? Feel free to use all-purpose and leave out the vital wheat gluten as well.
- No buttermilk? No problem! Add 2 tsp of white vinegar to regular milk, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes. Boom! Buttermilk.
- Want to add in blueberries? Toss 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries (related: how to freeze blueberries) with 1 tbsp of flour and then add to the batter during step 3 in the recipe card.
- To freeze: take a baking sheet and cover it with parchment and place the pancakes on there as they finish up on the griddle. Freeze for a few hours, and then remove individual pancakes and transfer to freezer-proof storage (we love these silicone freezer bags).
- I set my electric griddle to 375 degrees to heat up for 10 minutes, and then drop it down to 350 degrees for the actual cooking.
- Sneak in a few cubes of frozen pumpkin to up the nutrition factor.
More Awesome Healthy Breakfasts
- Sour Cream Pancakes
- Easy Instant Pot Yogurt
- Whole Wheat Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles
- Easy Make-Ahead Scrambled Eggs
- Homemade Honey Wheat Bread
- Healthy Apple Pie Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- How to Bake Bacon
The Fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving of The Fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes has 4 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
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 large 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. 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, and flip when the edges look dry, and you are seeing bubbles on top.
- Remove when the bottom is golden brown.
Notes
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Hey there! Trying this recipe now. Just a quick note: you mention you can make buttermilk by adding 2 tsp of white vinegar to milk – but you don’t indicate anywhere the ratio of milk to be used with those 2 tsp. I’m assuming it’s for the amount used in this recipe, but going to double check with google – just thought you might want to add in something short to clarify for new/clueless kitchen folks like myself! Really enjoying your site!
You’re a hit! We tried this recipe this morning and it has my flat, tasteless pancakes beat by a mile. My husband asked, “what did you do to the pancakes; they’re so good.” (He’ll be sleeping in the shed tonight.). They have just the right amount of sweetness and the idea of flax seed is a winner! By the way, I remember those old photos. The ‘little turd’ was my favorite.
Haha, I hope that shed is UNHEATED!!! 🙂
Ohhh boy, those old photos make me cringe!