Gluten-Free Pancakes (Crêpes)
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These Gluten-Free Pancakes are quick to make and ideal for Pancake Day. They are also dairy-free, without xanthan gum and are perfect to serve with lemon and sugar or any favourite topping or filling of your choice (my personal favourite is vanilla ice cream and maple syrup!).
With Pancake Day around the corner you are definitely going to want to have a quick and easy Gluten-Free Pancake recipe sorted.
Pancake Day (aka Shrove Tuesday) is synonymous with flipping these English style pancakes (akin to French crêpes but much more homespun) directly in the frying pan, using only the pan and a flick of the wrists. To use a kitchen utensil is considered sacrilege, which led in our childhood to most of our pancakes being consumed off the floor or being served from a crumpled heap in the pan. It was irrelevant though, as long as they were hot and drenched in tart lemon and copious amounts of sugar. Or if you were feeling extremely fancy then ice cream and maple syrup.
This gluten-free pancake recipe is so simple to whip up since there is no resting time needed. The crêpe batter is smooth and silky and whisks up like a dream with a few simple ingredients.
I usually make my pancakes dairy-free as well but that is just a suggestion and you can quite happily use dairy milk and butter in lieu of the coconut milk and oil I have listed below. I have made these pancakes both ways in the past and I love them equally. The dairy-free versions are slightly lighter and not as rich without the butter.
Watch the video to see how to make them
Why You’ll Love These Gluten-Free Pancakes
- Quick and easy to make. An easy batter with no resting time.
- They are soft and pliable so you can serve them with rolled up with your lemon and sugar.
- Incredibly moreish - like any good pancake recipe!
- Without xanthan gum. This recipe doesn't need any gums thanks to the careful choice of gluten-free flours. READ MORE >>> Why I don't use xanthan gum
What is Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove Tuesday originated as a day in the Christian calendar to mark the final day before Lent begins. Traditionally it was a feast day where pancakes were made to purge the household larder of all the fat and eggs before the commencement of the Lenten Fast. Hence, Pancake Day.
Ingredients Needed
- Rice flour. This delicate wholegrain flour is a great choice for your pancakes. It is light and airy with a beautifully neutral taste. It gives a thin sturdy pancake with beautiful lacy edges.
- Sweet rice flour. This starchy flour, also called glutinous rice flour (although it contains no gluten) is necessary for its excellent binding properties. Including this flour means your crepes won't fall apart in the pan, or forbid, in the pancake flip. The sweet rice flour also softens the batter slightly so the pancakes are pliable.
- Eggs. This recipe uses medium eggs, 60g each.
- Milk. This recipe uses plant based milk but it also works well with dairy milk if you prefer. You can use any milk. Coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk or oat milk are all good choices.
- Soda Water. It makes the pancakes super light.
- Coconut Oil. You can use butter if you prefer. The pancakes are cooked in a small frying pan, seasoned with a splash of coconut oil but not too much otherwise the pancakes get too greasy. I recommend a non-stick pan as you barely need any oil at all.
- Salt. Just a pinch for flavour.
How To Make Gluten-Free Pancakes
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Whisk the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, whisk in until the mixture is thick.
- Pour in the milk and soda water, whisking all the while until the batter has thinned out and smooth. Then whisk in the coconut oil.
- Pour a small ladle full of the pancake batter into the centre of the pan and swirl around so that it covers the base of the pan. The batter should be very thin so you can almost see through it. Don’t touch the pancake for a minute or two. Bubbles should form from the bottom of the pancake and the edges should just start to crisp and turn golden. At this point flip the pancake, either using a spatula or freehand. Cook on the other side for a further minute or two until it starts to turn golden.
- Remove the pancake from the pan onto kitchen paper to absorb the excess coconut oil.
Expert Tips
A small non-stick pancake or omelette pan is perfect for these gluten-free pancakes. The pan I recommend is 20cm.
Make sure the pan is hot before you begin, but not smoking.
Each pancakes requires about 2 tablespoons batter.
If your pancakes are crisping up too much and are too golden then your heat is too high.
Make sure you whisk your batter before ladling out each pancake.
How To Make Ahead
I have started to get into the habit of batch cooking my Gluten-Free English Style Pancakes a day or so in advance, usually part of my weekend meal prep. This is because cooking a whole batch of pancakes from scratch takes a while, about 3 minutes per pancake and I’ve found the wait can turn some three year olds (and 37 year olds) feral.
Make all the pancakes and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days, keeping a re-useable kitchen cloth between each pancake so they don’t stick together.
To re-heat the pancakes heat ½ teaspoon of coconut oil to a small frying pan, make sure the base of the pan is well covered then tip out the excess. Warm each pancake for about 20-30 seconds on each side.
You could also make the pancake batter ahead, up to 12 hours, but do keep in the fridge and give a thorough whisking before frying.
Serving Suggestions
The traditional British serving of a squeeze of lemon juice and a scattering of fine white sugar cannot be bettered but if you are in the mood to ring the changes then why not try:
- Ice cream
- Maple syrup
- Fresh fruit - berries and bananas with a drizzle of honey
- Savoury style - cheese and spinach or cheese and ham
- Crepe Suzette - Grand Marnier, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and butter
More Gluten-Free Pancake Recipes You'll Love
- Buckwheat Galettes with Ham and Cheese (gluten-free)
- Gluten-Free American Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Almond Maple Syrup
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Gluten-Free Pancakes (Crêpes)
Ingredients
- 90 g rice flour
- 20 g sweet rice flour - (glutinous rice flour)
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs - medium size, 60g
- 200 g milk - dairy or non dairy
- 75 g soda water
- 30 g coconut oil - melted* + ½ teaspoon extra for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Whisk together the rice flour, the sweet rice flour and the salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, whisk in until the batter is extremely thick and combined.
- Stir the milk together with the soda water in a jug then pour into the batter, whisking all the while until the batter has thinned out and smooth.
- Pour in the coconut oil and whisk in.
- Heat a small frying pan until hot but not smoking.
- Add ½ teaspoon of coconut oil into the pan, making sure it covers the base. Pour out any excess oil.
- Pour the pancake batter into the centre of the pan using a ladle and swirl around so that it covers the base of the pan. The batter should be very thin so you can almost see through it. Don’t touch the pancake for a minute or two. Bubbles should form from the bottom of the pancake and the edges should just start to crisp and turn golden. At this point flip the pancake, either using a spatula or freehand. Cook on the other side for a further minute or two until it starts to turn golden.
- Remove the pancake from the pan onto kitchen paper to absorb any excess coconut oil.
- Pour in your next ladle of pancake batter and continue until all the pancakes are made.
- To keep the pancakes warm whilst you are cooking the others you can rest them in the oven set to a very low temperature.
- Serve traditionally with lemon and sugar or with dairy-free ice cream, maple syrup and fresh fruit
Video
Notes
- You can use any plant based milk. Coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk or almond milk are all good choices.
- You can use whole milk with melted butter or ghee if you are happy to enjoy dairy.
- A small non-stick pancake or omelette pan is perfect for these gluten-free pancakes. The pan I recommend is 20cm.
- Make sure the pan is hot before you begin, but not smoking.
- Each pancakes requires about 2 tablespoons batter.
- If your pancakes are crisping up too much and are too golden then your heat is too high.
- Make sure you stir your batter before ladling out each pancake.
- Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
- US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups
Made these today, first class, recipe so easy to follow.
Thank you
That's great to hear! I'm so happy you enjoyed your pancakes.
Our favourite filling is honey and flaked coconut. You warm the honey and stir in the coconut then fill and roll. Messy, but oh so good.
I made these on pancake day and they were perfect. Thank you so much for a great recipe, i will certainly be making them again!
You are welcome - I'm so happy they worked out well for you!!
Ohhhhhhh.... they're _crepes_. I should have read the preamble. I was so confused mixing up the batter thinking, "it can't be this thin...." Note to self: try not to second-guess the recipe.
Absolutely brilliant....your recipes never fail me and keep a low fodmapper very happy! Thank you.
You are so welcome! Thank you for leaving your feedback!
Delicious and easy to make! Used almond milk. Dusted with fresh lemon juice and vanilla sugar.
They sound perfect - thank you so much for your feedback on the recipe!
I have just made these delicious pancakes.
The receipe is very east to follow and each pancake turned out perfectly.
Thank you Georgina x
Do you think Kefir would work instead of soda water?
Gosh I don't know on that one. If you do try it I'd love to know how it worked.
It isn't fizzy but as buttermilk is often used in pancakes I will try it and let you know!
They worked out fine with the kefir, no aftertaste and they look exactly like yours.
That's great - thank you so much for your feedback on the kefir!
I have not managed to get any sweet rice flour and alternative please
Hi Julia, you could try cassava flour or tapioca flour.
Hi Julie,
I too get a little exasperated trying to find all these different flours. Sometimes I ponder the square footage of Georgina's larder to contain all these flours :D. I managed to find sweet rice flour at a small, boutique Asian grocery. Only one of them had it; I had to visit them all! None of them had cassava flour (I had to ask Google what that was), but I found that another health-food grocery store had it - in 1 and 2 kilo bags (a bit big for my larder!)
On the upside, I'm finding that the flours at the Asian grocery stores are much cheaper than at the big-chain grocery stores. Not sure what it's like where you are, but Asian grocery stores and health stores seem to be the go here in Oz. Oh, and the Asian stores quite often use different names for teff, sorghum etc, so take your phone and ask google.
Hope that helps...
Made them per recipe with one exception. I didn’t have any soda water but used Ginger Beer from Australia. Seemed to work fine. Also don’t have correct size pan but used my large round cast iron griddle. Could cook two at a time and used spatula to flip. My Dad used to made a thin pancake, probably got it from his Mom who was from Bury St Edmunds. Sugar and lemon!!
That's great - I love that substitution of the ginger beer!!
Hi Georgina
I have noticed in the couple of times using this recipe that when I add the liquid the sweet flour goes lumpy
What am I doing wrong?
Thank you
Hi Helene, if you whisk the batter hard it should smooth it out.
Thank you will use my hand mixer next time
☺️☺️
These are very yummy
I have eaten far too many as I had to try all different fillings
Thank you Georgina
❤️
NB
In the Instruction I think there is missing the point of putting the soda water in
I just mixed it with the milk
Hi Helene, thank you for pointing out that error - it's now fixed. You were right to add the soda water when you did. I'm happy you like the recipe!