I have been DYING for some oatmeal pancakes...
...but, since I'm going grain-free this month, I'm forced to find an alternative.
What's an oat-loving girl to do?
Employ my good ol' buddy...chickpeas.
I first came across chickpea flour when I read about socca in one of my favorite books, How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Socca is an unleavened, gluten-free pancake/crepe that is as common to Nice, France as hamburgers are to the United States. It is easy to make, high in protein, and dee-licious!
After reading David Lebovitz's recipe for socca, I thought, why not add milk and a bit of sweetener for actual pancakes? Topped with Peanut Butter Syrup (recipe below), these make a scrumptious, light, but filling breakfast that you'll want to make again and again. I know I do!
Grain-Free, Egg-Free Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- ½ c. chickpea flour
- ¼ t. salt
- ½ t. cinnamon
- ½ t. pie spice or 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/8 t. cloves, 1/8 t. nutmeg
- ¼ t. + 1/8 t. baking powder
- ½ c. + 1 T. dairy-free milk
- 6 drops stevia
- ½ t. maple syrup or 1-2 more drops of stevia
- Coconut oil or butter for frying
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, spices, baking powder).
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
- Whisk until the batter is smooth.
- Heat a non-stick pan and add the oil or butter.
- Once the fat is melted, add batter in ~1/4 cup increments for each cake.
- Fry about 2-3 minutes each side.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- Top with Peanut Butter Syrup or maple syrup, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
To make the Peanut Butter Syrup, just mix two tablespoons of peanut butter with a bit of maple syrup, stevia, a splash of vanilla, and 2-4 tablespoons of dairy-free milk or water. Mix it all until emulsified and pour it over the pancakes.
This recipe serves my husband and I easily, AND it boasts a whopping 10 grams of protein per serving (no powders needed)! That's almost as much as two eggs. 🙂
A note...do NOT judge these based on the batter. Chickpea goes through some sort of delicious evolution upon being heated and CAN NOT be judged beforehand.
This recipe rivals my usual Banana Protein Pancakes, and it is one that I'll be utilizing long after this grain-free month is over.
What's your favorite grain-free pancake recipe?
lauren
funny i was just going to ask about a pumpkin pancake recipe..but i see i already did!!! lol. Still workin on that?? I was thinkin of just putting some pumpkin in with pumpkin spice but i dont know! lol. but i like this recipe becuase it's egg free..i may have to just give it a shot 😉
Lauren
Do you have a pumpkin pancake recipe with chickpea flour??? I've been dying to try! Allergen free of course 🙂
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
Funny you should ask because I have one I'm working on, I just haven't posted it yet. 🙂
Leslie Ng
I've tried about 5 of your recipes, all with fabulous results! I'd like to surprise everyone with these pancakes this morning, but I'm realizing I hardly have enough almond milk left in my fridge, but I have about 3 cups of lite coconut milk. Can I sub that in?
Thanks for all the great information on your blog!!!
Lauren
Hi Leslie,
I'm so happy you're enjoying the recipes! Coconut milk would be great in these, I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Leslie Ng
It worked beautifully! I even made a few with chocolate chips and those were definitely a hit 😀 so good!!
Roxanne
I have made pancakes dozens of different ways since going GF 4 and 1/2 years ago. My kids are asking me for more of these. So delish... First time they've asked for seconds of a pancake that didn't have chocolate chips in it. Tastes. So. Good. Just sayin'
Marianne
These worked out wonderfully! My husband and I both loved them 😀
Beth
why were you eating grain free for a month? I know this is an old post, but curious to know. Thanks.
Lauren
Hi Beth,
I was having horrible eczema on my hands, so I went without grains for a month to see if it would help. It didn't, but it was an interesting experiment! 🙂
Sam
YOU ARE AMAZING! My family and I have tons of food allergies, and I have been trying to make pancakes for over a year. Just came across your recipe and was astonished that it worked! Thank you so much!
Lauren
Hahaha! Thanks Sam! I'm so happy they worked out for you! 😀
Leela
Thanks for this! I am breastfeeding and my baby seems to be allergic to eggs so I wanted a protein pancake recipe!
I subbed almond flour for some of the chickpea flour and it was even more delicious.
Lauren
Thanks Leela! I'm happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
Taylor
Hi there, this looks really good. Do you find you get gassy after eating foods made from chickpea flour though? I've had this problem when using it to make flatbread. 🙁
Lauren
Hi Taylor,
Chickpea flour agrees really well with me, as do beans in general, but I know it can be an issue for some people. Perhaps you could try a different brand to see if that helps?
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
Lauren, these protein pancakes look great! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
We have a Gluten Free gift basket giveaway this week! One lucky winner will score an awesome basket, just in time for Mothers Day!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Angela@mamarosemary.com
These look great! Can't wait to try them out.
Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday!
Mary @ Fit and Fed
I have got to try socca! I've had the recipe bookmarked for a while, first encountered it on the Purely Twins blog. I thought I would have to make it to the Indian grocery store for the chickpea flour, but if it's Bob's Red Mill I could just pick it up at my food co-op. Thanks for the reminder about this, I'll put it on my short list of recipes to try!
Sandra from candidadietplan.com
Mmm.. these look lovely!
I sooo know where you are coming from with the craving oat meal pancakes, because I've gone grain free, too, at the moment.
I have experimented with pancakes from rice flour mixed with gf free flour which was delicious and I think you'd like, too 🙂
Chickpea flour pancakes also work a treat spiced and served with Curry dishes btw...
P.S. Have pinned your lovely pancakes' pic and "like"d your FB page 🙂
I think there's some synergy between our two blogs - I experiment with sugar free recipes over at candidadietplan.com. I'm Sandra btw, hello 😉
GiGi Eats Celebrities
These look like perfection 🙂 Nicely done! How many batches did you have to make in order to get the perfect silver dollars? lol. I am sure that was a delicious experiment!
Lauren
Haha, the batter is fairly thick, so that makes its easier!...and I've had them like 3 times this last week. 😀
Gabby @ the veggie nook
great minds think alike! I just made me some chickpea flour pancakes too 🙂 yours look delicious!
Adrienne @ Whole New Mom
These look great! Have you ever had trouble w/ chickpea flour? I have always thought I should cook and dry them first (after de-gassing).
Lauren
Thanks so much Adrienne! I've not had any trouble with the Bob's Red Mill brand.
I need to re-read your post on de-gassing whole beans. I'm going to start incorporating more into my diet. I've been reading about histamine levels of foods, and I'm wondering if that's part of my problem...beans are a 'low histamine' food, so I'm interested to see if I feel better with more of them!
Pat
Oh I forgot my fav pancake is 2 eggs and 1 banana. Don't miss the grain at all. They are more like a crepe but who cares lol
Pat
The chickpea flour do you make it or buy it? Sounds like a keeper recipe...
Lauren
Hi Pat,
I buy the flour from a local health food store...I think it's Bob's Red Mill? I'll have to try the egg/banana combo again. The first time I did, they didn't turn out very well, so I kind of gave up. I hope you try and like these!! 😀
Pat
I make them a lot. They were hard to turn so now I use my mini waffle maker and they come out beautiful. Thanks for the chickpea info. Keep posting the great recipes.. Love them
Tia
I tried chickpea pancakes before and they tasted very bean-y even though they weren't meant to. How similar do your chickpea pancakes taste to conventional pancakes? Any bean taste to them?
Lauren
Hi Tia,
I'm sure there's some taste, as they're not made from white flour, but I really enjoy chickpeas, so they don't bother me.
Eva
I make these pancakes using half almond flour and half chickpea flour and they were delicious! I finally found grain free pancakes I love!
Lauren
Awesome, I'm so happy you liked them Eva!