Whole Wheat Pancakes

Made with 100% whole wheat flour, these pancakes are everything a good pancake should be--light, fluffy, and delicious, thanks to a few trade secrets. These healthy pancakes make a perfect weekend breakfast and also freeze great for a quick weekday breakfast. 

I am sharing with you my secrets to creating the most delicious, fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes. While I love pancake recipes of all varieties, these are my go-to pancake recipe. They are truly the best and happen to be full of whole grains!

Secrets to Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes

• 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. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, I recommend white wheat flour (still 100% whole grain) or a combination of all-purpose and wheat flour.
• For the liquid, buttermilk is key to fluffy pancakes. The acid in the buttermilk helps to break down strands of gluten, leading more tender pancakes. No buttermilk? Check out how to make homemade buttermilk in recipe notes.
• DO NOT OVERMIX the batter. It is okay to have a few lumps, if you overwork your batter you will have tough pancakes.
• Grease your skillet with coconut oil. It is the perfect thing to grease your skillet with because it will not burn as easily as butter. Of course, you could use a nonstick spray, canola oil, or a bit of butter--just watch it closely so the pancakes won't burn.
• 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.

How to Make Whole Wheat Pancakes

• Sift dry ingredients together--this helps get out any clumps of baking powder which is unpleasant to bite into. In a pinch, you can also just whisk the dry ingredients really well with a wire whisk.

• Next, whisk wet ingredients together in another bowl.

• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a spoon or spatula to gently combine the whole wheat pancake batter.

• Preheat your skillet to medium-high and grease well.
• Once the pan is fully preheated, use ¼ cup measuring cup to pour the pancakes onto the skillet.
• Flip the pancakes once bubbles form on the top and the edges are cooked through. Cook for 1 minute on the other side and remove from skillet.

• As you cook your pancakes, place completed pancakes on a cookie sheet in a flat layer and keep warm in a 200-degree oven. This will ensure that the first whole wheat pancake you make is as tasty and warm as the last pancake you make.
• Serve with maple syrup and butter as desired.

Prep Ahead and Freezer Instructions

Save yourself time on busy mornings and make extra pancakes to use throughout the week or freeze for later use.

To Store Pancakes in Refrigerator:

• Once the pancakes have finished cooking, lay them out a cooking rack in a single layer until completely cool.
• Place in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Reheat by wrapping pancakes in a slightly damp paper towel for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave.

To Freeze Pancakes:

• Once the pancakes have finished cooking, lay them out a cooking rack in a single layer until completely cool.
• 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.
• Remove pancakes off the cookies sheet and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and store 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.

More Favorite Pancake Recipes

• Whole Wheat Dutch Baby Pancake
• Banana Oat Pancakes
• Sweet Potato Pancakes
• Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pancakes

An easy recipe for 100% whole grain, fluffy, healthy pancakes. 

4.8 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 141kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ▢ 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1-¼ cups buttermilk or homemade buttermilk
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons melted butter or canola oil
• ▢ coconut oil or butter for cooking

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place a cookie sheet in the oven. Also, preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat and grease with coconut oil or nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, sift together the baking powder, flour and salt ,and lightly whisk.
• In a separate small bowl, mix together eggs, melted butter, and milk together
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Ladle ¼ cup pancake batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles form and edges are dry. Flip pancakes and cook 1-2 minutes before removing from skillet.
• Once pancakes are prepared, transfer to the cookie sheet in the oven to hold warm until serving.
• Repeat with remaining batter. 

Equipment Needed

• Nonstick Griddle

Notes

• 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. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, I recommend white wheat flour (still 100% whole grain) or a combination of all-purpose and wheat flour. 
• To prepare homemade buttermilk, mix together 1-¼ cups milk (any variety) with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes. 
• If you need lower fat pancakes, replace the butter or oil with applesauce or an extra 2 tablespoons of milk--it will work perfectly. 
• If your batter appears too thick, add in another ¼ cup milk/buttermilk.
• Storing Pancakes
  • Once the pancakes have finished cooking, lay them out a cooking rack in a single layer until completely cool. Place in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat by wrapping pancakes in a slightly damp paper towel for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave
  • To Freeze Pancakes: Once the pancakes have finished cooking, lay them out a cooking rack in a single layer until completely cool. Place cooled pancakes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and place in freezer for 30 minutes, or until frozen solid. Remove pancakes off the cookies sheet and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and store 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 178mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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This post was originally published in 2015 but was updated in 2020 with new pictures and tips.