Oat Flour Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup and Fried Apples

There is nothing better than fresh, fluffy pancakes on a Saturday morning. With these delicious oat flour pancakes, everyone will be able to join in on the fun.

This gluten-free oat flour pancakes recipe with buttermilk syrup has been one of our most requested recipes over the years. Everyone who makes it loves how delicious they turn out. We use rolled oats rather than gluten-free flour, making them extra nutritious!

Gluten-free oatmeal pancakes on a plate with buttermilk syrup

Whenever family or friends come to visit, they ask me to make them gluten-free oat flour pancakes with buttermilk syrup for breakfast. Heck, our friends and family will even take it for dinner. Just as long as they get their easy oat flour pancakes with buttermilk syrup fix, they are happy.

Most of the time the requests come from people who don't even have a gluten allergy or prefer regular flour. These gluten-free oat flour pancakes with buttermilk syrup are a hit for everyone, especially a pancake lover. The best part though is that they make a healthy breakfast and look so cute on our pancake charcuterie board.

I do have to give credit to the our friends, the Allen family for the buttermilk syrup recipe and the Malaela family for the oat flour pancake recipe. We loved both so combined them and BOOM, they were even more magical!

I love serving them with gluten-free breakfast casserole or gluten-free eggs Benedict casserole. This makes for a great sweet and salty combo to start the day.

What makes this one of my favorite healthy recipes is that it uses simple ingredients. You can make your own oat flour or use store bought, but what makes it healthy is that oat flour is a lot healthier than white flour. Although traditional pancakes are delicious, you can't beat delicious food that is also healthy.

What you need

Here are just a few of the ingredients you will need to make these healthy pancakes. But remember, just because they're healthy does not mean they aren't tasty.

Buttermilk Syrup

Although the buttermilk syrup part of this recipe is definitely not the healthiest, it sure does make the recipe. You can feel good knowing that you are getting lots of fiber with the gluten-free oat flour pancakes, so don't worry one bit about the syrup.

My personal advice? Make them occasionally and when you do, enjoy every single bite of those gluten-free oat flour pancakes drenched in buttermilk syrup. Life is too short not to enjoy it!

You could also use pure maple syrup, but nothing beats homemade buttermilk syrup. Also, here is a substitute for maple syrup list of 10 options.

Gluten-Free Oats

Some people with celiac disease are not able to tolerate oats. The best thing to ensure your oats are truly gluten-free is to buy them certified gluten-free. We like and trust Gluten-Free Prairie oats because they are grown in dedicated gluten-free fields in gorgeous Big Sky, Montana.

I love how much Gluten-Free Prairie brand cares about the celiac and gluten-free community. In addition to their certified GF oats, they also offer oat flour, oat groats, sugar cookie mix, pizza crust, chocolate brownie mix, gluten-free granola, Hunger Buster cookie and pancake mix. Get all of their products HERE.

Their oats are amazing in so many recipes including our chocolate orange cake, gluten-free meatloaf, gluten-free oatmeal cream pies and gluten-free rhubarb crisp.

If you struggle to find gluten-free oats at the grocery store, you can always make your own homemade oat flour. It can be a great option if you are wanting to try something new or even if you don't want to go to the store (I don't blame you).

A trick I use for this recipe is to grind up some of the oats in a food processor to make an oat flour to give it great consistency while leaving some oats whole. This is a great way to add some more texture to your homemade pancakes.

Gluten-free oatmeal pancakes on a plate with a bag of oats

How to make gluten-free oat flour pancakes

Start by grinding one cup of oats into oat flour (this can easily be done in the blender, or you can use store bought oat flour)
For the pancake batter, mix oat flour, oats and buttermilk in a large bowl and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours
The following morning add the rest of the dry ingredients (like the baking soda and baking powder) and wet ingredients (eggs)
Mix well
Take a cup of the batter and fry on a non-stick hot griddle or well-greased pan on medium heat

How to make the buttermilk syrup

Bring the first three ingredients to a boil
Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and baking soda

Top the pancakes with your favorite toppings (we love fried apples) and homemade syrup.

Step by step photos of gluten-free oatmeal pancakes

How to make fried apples

To make fried apples, simply slice and fry one apple with 1 tablespoon of butter and a pinch of cinnamon. You can also make our peach simple syrup and serve these pancakes with it drizzled over top with leftover sugared peaches from making it.

Are oat flour pancakes healthy?

Really this depends on what you view as healthy. I love that they are full of fiber. For me, fat isn't unhealthy either but buttermilk does have a good amount of fat so if that is what you are wanting to avoid, then this recipe may not be your version of healthy. They are great for fiber as well as whole grain carbohydrates as well.

How do you store leftovers?

Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. Warm in the microwave and serve.

What is the ratio for oat flour to all purpose flour?

While not all flour works 1:1, oat flour is a great substitute. You can use oat flour as 1:1 for all purpose flour in this recipe. This makes is really easy to substitute flour.

What toppings can I add to oat flour pancakes?

The sky is the limit when it comes to fluffy oat flour pancakes. I like to use chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, lemon juice, and tons of other fresh fruits.

Find this and 99+ other delicious recipes with photos in our cookbook, Gluten-Free on a Budget.