Toasted quinoa flour is used to make these low-FODMAP, gluten-free (with a dairy-free option) Vanilla Cinnamon Quinoa Pancakes. A protein-rich start to the day!
In true Minnesota fashion, our holiday plans were cancelled today because of the weather. A rain/snow/ice mix is not conducive to travel, so my husband and I declared today a “snow day.” I love snow days just as much now as I did as a kid. Although we rarely get to enjoy them since we have this thing called “work” that we are expected to show up at, even when a storm dumps eleven inches of snow on us. Well, today is Saturday and neither one of us has to work. Since our holiday plans were cancelled, we are staying in.
Quinoa in the Morning
Is there a better way to spend a lazy morning than in my pajamas writing recipes and making up batches and batches of pancakes? I decided to finally give quinoa flour a try. While I had been balking at the price, I realized it costs about the same as almond flour, so why not? I use Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa Flour (Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases). Quinoa is a great way to start the day with its excellent combination of protein, carbohydrates and fiber. It’s also gluten-free and low-FODMAP. So it was decided: Pancakes! I was surprised at the lack of quinoa flour pancake recipes out there. It was apparent I would have to come up with my own recipe.
Although my husband isn’t sure he likes the taste of quinoa in the morning, I really like these pancakes. They are soft and fluffy and hold together surprisingly well, but you do have to like quinoa to like these pancakes. I did my best to mask the distinctive quinoa flavor by adding vanilla and cinnamon, but my husband still isn’t a fan. Hrmph. Well, I guess I will just eat these myself. I’m used to eating quinoa in the morning, being a fan of quinoa porridge and quinoa flakes cooked up like oatmeal.
Toasting Quinoa Flour to Remove Bitterness
I’ve updated this recipe after discovering how toasting quinoa flour takes away the bitterness. My husband likes this updated version much better! Give these Vanilla Cinnamon Quinoa Pancakes a whirl and let me know what you think. Are you a fan of quinoa in the morning?
Time needed: 35 minutes
How to Make Quinoa Flour Pancakes
- Toast quinoa flour
Place a medium, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add quinoa flour and stir and cook until flour starts to brown and smoke a little. Remove from heat and transfer flour to a plate to cool.
- Combine dry ingredients
Stir together the cooled, toasted quinoa flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients
Whisk together the milk, egg, butter or oil and vanilla. I use a fork to whisk.
- Make batter
Add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir to form a batter.
- Heat Griddle
Heat a griddle to 375 degrees or a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. I make pancakes a lot, so a griddle is a great investment. Kinda looks like I need a new one! I’ve had this one for over 12 years. I do spray it with cooking spray since a lot of gluten-free pancakes have a tendency to be more delicate than regular pancakes. This makes flipping much easier.
- Pour onto griddle
Use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to pour out the batter onto the griddle.
- Cook until bubbles break
The pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles on the surface start to break. These pancakes don’t make too many bubbles, but they do brown pretty quick, so keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
- Flip
This is the tricky part! Flipping the pancakes. I try to get as much of the pancake on the spatula as possible. (This is my favorite pancake spatula because it’s huge!) Then in one swift, but gentle movement, flip it. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first try. It takes a lot of practice!
- Cook on other side
Let the pancakes cook on the other side. This usually doesn’t take as long as the first side. I usually just take a quick peek underneath to see if they are done.
- Plate
Plate ’em and eat ’em! I can usually tolerate a little bit of pure maple syrup or Log Cabin pancake syrup. They’re both pretty close to being 50:50 glucose:fructose and Log Cabin has no HFCS.
You may enjoy these other gluten-free, low-FODMAP pancakes from my collection:
Vanilla Cinnamon Quinoa Flour Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup lactose-free milk (almond milk for dairy-free)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon melted butter (neutral-tasting oil for dairy-free)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or flavoring
Instructions
- To toast the quinoa flour: Place a medium, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add quinoa flour and stir and cook until flour starts to brown and smoke a little. Remove from heat and transfer flour to a plate to cool.
- In a large bowl, stir together the toasted quinoa flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir well. Batter should be creamy and smooth (not thick and puffy). If not, add a little bit more milk.
- Heat a griddle to 375 degrees F or a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray if needed. For each pancake pour a 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when bubbles break on the surface. Cook until golden brown on the other side. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed. Makes about 7 to 8 pancakes.
- Serve with maple syrup.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Affiliate Disclosure page for more information.
This sounds YUMMY!!! I will have to try this very soon. If my kids don't like it, well then, more for ME!
I hope you like them!
I just made these pancakes and they turned out fantastic! They had the requisite crispy edges and were super fluffy. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you like the pancakes! Thanks for the comment.
Great recipe! My husband like them better than the wheat pancakes, my 8 year old loved them. Thanks for sharing
Great! Glad they worked for you.
Would a flax egg work for this recipe? They look yummy but I need to first veganize this recipe!!
I haven’t tried it with an egg substitute, but I think it would work. Definitely worth a try!
love it
Thanks!
Made this morning- even my picky 5 year old gobbled them down. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Thanks for the comment.
Hello, can you please add a nutrition facts label?
Sorry, it's just little ol' me writing this blog and I don't have the time to write up nutrition facts for every recipe!
Should numbers 1 and 2 be switched?
No, they are in the correct order. Step number one is toasting the quinoa flour. Step two is making the batter and step three is making the pancakes. I updated the directions a little to make it more clear!
Why do you need to toast quinoa flour?
I find that toasting makes the quinoa flour taste better!
Hello!! Great recipe!! If you want to mask the taste add two pureed ripe banannas to it,one more egg and honey for the sweetener,add more liquid ad needed… Delicious!!
Hi, thanks for the idea. Sounds delicious!
These are the best pancakes I have ever had.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these this morning, missed the instruction on toasting the flour. They were dry, would this have been because I missed that part? They had good taste, just not sure what to do to make them less dry.
I don't think not toasting the flour would make the pancakes drier. Maybe try using a little less flour next time. Another option would be to replace some of the milk with oil. Sorry they were dry for you!
I love them and make them regularly! I cook them in vegan butter.
Glad to hear!
This is a great recipe. I didn't have any milk so I used 1/4 cup whipping cream and 1/2 cup water in place of the 3/4 cup milk. I also added organic 1 teaspoon cocoa powder that has no sugar and one 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon instead of the the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Absolutely awesome. What's interesting is that I could not taste the quinoa only smell it. This quinoa is absolutely going to replace wheat flour for me.
Thanks for the comment. Glad you like it!
I love this simple and healthy recipe! I milled my own quinoa flour and it wasn't as fine as I usually do it. The pancakes did turn out a bit drier. Maybe that's what happened to some other peoples. Thank you for all the time you took to create and fine tune it!
Thanks for your comment and glad you love the recipe!