Whole Wheat Pancakes

Made with 100% whole wheat flour, these whole wheat pancakes are everything a good pancake should be--light, fluffy, tender, and delicious.

Whole Wheat Pancakes have a reputation for being tough, flat, and flavorless.

But this recipe changes that!

These pancakes are not only fluffy and tender, but they also have incredible flavor and taste amazing.

Even though I love pancakes of all varieties, this recipe for whole wheat pancakes is my go-to pancake recipe. It is easy, wholesome, and delivers perfect, fluffy pancakes every time.

Secrets to Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes

These tips will help you create the most delicious, fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes ever!

• Use whole wheat pastry flour for the lightest wheat pancakes. Whole wheat pastry flour is more finely ground than whole wheat flour and has a bit less gluten, which helps keep these pancakes tender and light.
• Buttermilk is key to fluffy pancakes. The acidity of the buttermilk helps to break down strands of gluten, leading to more tender pancakes.
• DO NOT OVERMIX the batter. It is okay to have a few lumps, if you overwork your batter you will have tough pancakes.
• DO NOT press down on the spatula while cooking your pancakes--this will destroy the air bubbles and won't give you a fluffy pancake.

Notes on Ingredients

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: As I stated, whole wheat pastry flour is best for this recipe. However, if you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, I recommend using white wheat flour, which is still 100% whole grain, or a combination of all-purpose and regular whole wheat flour. This recipe will work using all-purpose flour as well, you will just sacrifice the benefit of the pancakes being made with whole grains.
• Buttermilk: The acidity in buttermilk is necessary to keep the pancakes fluffy, but you can easily prepare homemade buttermilk if you don't happen to keep buttermilk on hand. Simply mix together 1-¼ cups milk (any variety) with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes. 
• Butter: You can use either melted butter or melted coconut oil in the pancake batter.

Recipe Modifications

• Dairy-Free Pancakes: For dairy-free whole wheat pancakes, simply use your favorite non-dairy milk to make homemade buttermilk and replace the melted butter with canola oil.
• Egg-Free Pancakes: For egg-free pancakes, check out my recipe for Vegan Pancakes, which have the perfect consistency even without the eggs.

Step-By-Step Instructions

• Melt the butter or coconut oil over low heat on the stove or in the microwave. Set it aside while you prepare the dry ingredients, to let it cool slightly so it will not scramble the eggs when added to the batter.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together over a large mixing bowl. This will help to remove any clumps of baking powder that are unpleasant to bite into. In a pinch, you can also just whisk the dry ingredients really well with a wire whisk.

• Combine wet ingredients in a separate small mixing bowl.

• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a spoon or spatula to gently combine the batter. If your batter appears too thick, add in up to an additional ¼ cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time.  You want the batter to easily pour out of a measuring cup, but also thick enough that the batter is not runny. It should be slightly thicker than cake batter. 

• Preheat your skillet to medium heat and grease well with nonstick spray, butter, or coconut oil.
• Once the pan is fully preheated, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to pour the pancake batter onto the skillet. This will ensure each pancake is even in size.
• Once the edges of the pancakes are set and bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, flip the pancakes over.

• Cook for 1 minute, or until set--REMEMBER do not push down on the pancakes after flipping them.
• Remove the pancakes from the skillet and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet that has been fitted with a cooling rack. This will allow the heat to circulate around the pancakes, preventing the bottoms from becoming soggy.
• Continue to prepare the pancakes until the batter is gone.
• Serve with maple syrup and butter as desired.

Storage/Reheating Instructions

These whole wheat pancakes reheat well from frozen and from the refrigerator, making this a great recipe to double to enjoy pancakes for multiple breakfasts.

How to Store Pancakes

• Lay the cooked pancakes out on a cooling rack in a single layer and allow them to cool completely. This will help prevent them from getting soggy.
• Once cooled, place the pancakes into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Reheat the pancakes by wrapping pancakes in a slightly damp paper towel for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave.

How to Freeze Pancakes

• Once the pancakes have finished cooking, lay them out on a cooling rack in a single layer until completely cool. Again, this prevents the bottom of the pancakes from getting soggy.
• Place cooled pancakes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until frozen solid. By freezing the pancakes on a sheet pan first, they will not stick together when frozen.
• Remove pancakes off the cookies sheet, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Reheat by wrapping pancakes in a slightly damp paper towel for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.

Recipe FAQs

More Delicious Pancake Recipes

• Dutch Baby Pancake
• Banana Oat Pancakes
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes

If you tried these Whole Wheat Pancakes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

This post was originally published in 2015 but was updated in 2022 with new tips but the recipe remains the same.