Low Carb, Gluten/Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Pancakes

We get a lot of B.S. for labeling things like what we’ve got pictured above as ‘paleo’. All I can say is…I don’t want to type this lonnnnnng title out every single flippin’ time we have a recipe that’s grain/gluten free, dairy free and low carb. It’s just easier to type the word ‘paleo.’ It’s all encompassing–you know what we mean when we type it. Did they use almond flour in paleolithic times? No. But they also didn’t drizzle olive oil, drink coffee or chow down on the modern day bovine cow. We’re not re-enacting paleolithic times! Then there’s the other side of the coin, reproducing a ‘bad’ neolithic food into a ‘paleo’ food. Pancakes, pizza and pie exist and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. So our whole view on this is, why not have something that really isn’t detrimental to your well-being. It’s a treat. Treat your treats like a treat–eat them every once in a while. We solemnly believe treats like these help you NOT de-rail from the Paleo track. So, with all due respect to our readers, if you don’t like it, don’t make it. We’re not going to stop posting things like this. The end.

Yield: 10-12 big ol’ fatties

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ c almond flour
  • ½ c coconut milk (we used the refrigerated carton kind)
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 5 eggs
  • F.O.C. (fat of choice), we used bacon fat—mmm, bacon flavored pancakes.

Method

Blend all the ingredients in your blender. Set your cast iron pan or griddle on medium heat and melt some of your F.O.C. Ladle the batter into whatever size you’d like–coin, silver dollar, big ol’ fatties. Once tiny, little bubbles form around the edges of the pancake, it’s ready to flip.


Comments

41 responses to “Low Carb, Gluten/Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Pancakes”

  1. Yummmm! They look awesome and delicious. I haven’t had a lot of luck with the coconut flour pancakes I keep finding so I’m gonna have to give these a try for my upcoming birthday treat! Bummer about having to post the disclaimer…but you gotta do what you gotta do.

  2. can’t wait to try these!! Thank you so much for posting this – we have been craving pancakes for such a long time :o)

  3. Lol i just love you guys. Thanks for taking the time to write these sort of things…i don’t think you should have to explain yourselves, but i’m sure some people like hearing it.

    Keep up the good work! I actually made pancakes almost like this last night but used honey and fewer eggs, plus some coconut flour (which worked really well), but i didn’t use bakind powder…does that make a huge difference?

    1. How much did you use of each substitute? I tried making some but totally bombed the recipe LOL

  4. These look wonderful! So far, I’ve just used coconut flour in any recipes because its all I have, but I’m hoping to get some almond flour soon! This one will certainly be on my list to try!

  5. Whatever – I make what I make and I figure people can make it complaint to their own level. Labels are hard. I’d call it Primal because there’s more wiggle room there.
    I make substitutions because we grew up with this stuff, and it’s natural to crave it – I prefer having a healthier option. I’m one of those people who can go off the rails, and those substitutions keep me from doing that.
    Thanks for this recipe. I’ll sub out for coconut flour and stevia. These piled high with fresh strawberries & coconut flakes. Sounds divine!
    Keep up the fabulous work! I <3 your site!!!

  6. This looks like a great treat when I get my pancake craving! Thanks for posting. I feel sorry that you even had to post an explanation about why you post these “treats” or similar recipes. The paleo community is fantastic but sometimes I am very disappointed that it seems people are trying to win some “World’s best caveman” contest. I’m just trying to live a healthier and happier life and when I can sharing that with other people. Being the “most paleoist” is not a goal, nor should it be. Keep doing your thing!

  7. Thanks! Recipes like these keep my kids engaged as we clean up our diets. The hardest transition for them has been removing the grains and refined sugars, since I used to bake weekly, stocking all sorts of whole-grain snacks for the week.

  8. Thanks everybody! Brian…your comments are AWESOME.

    Next Health-Bent t-shirt: “Worlds Best Caveman” on the front AND “Most Paleoist” on the back.

    Either that or something a friend of ours coined…”more paleo than you”.

  9. That rant was timely. I was just perusing the almond flour/ coconut flour at the local health food store and thinking wow! this is expensive. Isn’t the point to not be eating these baked goods? But I like the different tastes/ textures of grain products. I already grind my own wheat for bread so feel like it’s a decently healthy product I’m making. And if it helps my family get on board, I’m going with it.

  10. And to add… love the “more paleo than you” shirt.

  11. Kelli F.

    YUMMY!! I will be making these. Maybe this weekend. Can’t wait!!

  12. I cannot wait to make these tomorrow! And for the record, I like ya’ll idea of Paleo better than anything else I’ve read. Keep up the good work. 🙂

  13. a few other ideas we meant to mention…we’ve done this same base recipe with blueberries added annnnd…with chocolate chips.

    just add 1 cup frozen blueberries and fold into the batter last for blueberry.

    for chocolate chip…once you have the batter on the griddle/pan…just sprinkle a few on top before you flip. don’t add them to the batter before because they’ll all sink to the bottom. wonder how we figured that out?

  14. Thank you so much for this recipe. These are the best grain free pancakes we’ve ever had, and we have tried many over the years. I personally think all of the paleo rules about this and that are a silly distraction from living well. We all need some tasty treats once in a while. Keep the excellent recipes coming!

  15. Hey Megan and Brandon! Thanks a ton for these. just wanted to let you know i ran a ironman 70.3 this past weekend and this is what i had for breakfast. they really powered me through the morning waiting period and the swim before i could get more food in my stomach. great job!

    Also as per all the other comments, paleo is pretty fluid. i enjoy all of your content. don’t let the detractors get you down = )

    1. first and foremost, congratulations garrett! unbelievable accomplishment!

      thank you all for your kind words and for your support. very happy to hear they’re turning out well for everyone.

  16. Just made these for breakfast this morning – definitely the best pancake recipe I’ve tried so far (and I didn’t even have enough eggs – if they were this light and fluffy with four eggs I can only imagine how good they’ll be with five!).

  17. Bake on!!!! Your creations are appreciated.

  18. […] gym is doing! CrossFit New England! Home to some of the world’s best CrossFit Athletes! Make some pancakes today! Are you scared of eating red meat? Don’t be stupid! Think about that public toilet before you […]

  19. Shawn – CCF

    A few minutes ago I said to my wife, “I am craving pancakes! I wonder if there are Paleo pancakes, that would be awesome!” So I go to the Health-Bent site and what do I see on the home page…PANCAKES! Sunday morning breakfast will be soooooo good!

  20. heck yeah!! and you tell ’em!! YUM YUM!!!

  21. I’m trying these as bacon waffles tonight! Sounds delicious!

  22. Tried this and my husband and I loved it! I added some cinnamon and I think some nutmeg, too. For a more decently priced almond meal I have been using Trader Joe’s which is $3.99 for 1 pound. It isn’t organic and may be from pasteurized almonds, though. Still, for occasional pancakes I’m all for it.

  23. Shanahmichele

    I love what you wrote above! Great recipe also. I know we set like cave men but we are not cave men and we are not stupid. I don’t understand why people get so uptight about using the wisdom we have gained over the years to help ourselves est paleo. So many “paleo” people have massive cheat days because they eat boring food due to not using there brains. I think if you can substitute what your missing and make a paleo version your better off! Good on you I say. I’d just keep calling it paleo. It’s good to ruffle feathers every once in awhile. Keep up the epic work!

  24. Coconuts are totally Paleo, and almonds would be Paleo had they not started out poisonous. Seriously, the almonds we eat now are mutants. Some random almond tree just happened to turn up a looooong time ago that wasn’t loaded down with cyanide, and it was all downhill from there.

    Or, maybe we figured out there were safe mutants in the Paleolithic era. I’m fuzzy on the timeline. So they might be Paleo anyway, so NYEH.

    There’s a certain subsect of the Paleo movement that has a very narrow interpretation of what foods are Paleo and clearly doesn’t realize that (1) Paleo is by definition an *ancestral* diet and (2) the Paleolithic era did not end at the same time for everybody, and in fact is still going on today for some people and (3) different foods are available in different parts of the world, so everybody is NOT going to eat steaks and bacon and salads, sorry.

    I like what I think was Chris Kessler’s take on it–that Paleo is a template, not a specific list of foods. Also Dr. Harris’s take on it that you want to recreate your evolutionary milieu rather than be a Paleo re-enactor. (So, dairy fat’s perfectly acceptable since the point is that you should be eating fat–even the Kitavans eat fat!–and if dairy’s how you’ve got to get there, so be it.)

    And hey–if they really want to re-enact then what the heck are they doing on a computer fussing at someone on a blog? That’s not Paleo either!

  25. Dana (the other Dana)

    Going to give these a try-

    Also, love that you use real language like “big ol’ fatties” and say things like “every single flippin’ time”……maybe throw in a few curse words, I would love that.

    Keep the recipes coming.

  26. megan keatley

    “real language” makes up for my small vocab. 😉

  27. Question: Let’s say I just sold my blender last month. Let’s also say I have a brand-new KitchenAid mixer new-in-box in my living room. Would it be do-able to put this concoction together using aforementioned mixer in lieu of the blender? Or are there special blender-powers that make these pancakes extra-awesome ONLY when made using a magic blender?

    My mixer is lonely. It thirsts for batter. It’s also tempted to try this recipe with pumpkin.

    Thoughts? O_o

  28. I love your intro to this recipe. Truly—if people don’t like what you consider “paleo” they should just go live in a cave & eat raw meat. On another note, I love your website. It’s helped me love the paleo diet, literally more and more everyday. I’m losin’ wright & feelin’ great!

    Now on to a comment on this recipe. Can I just say Thank You! I’m a college student who lives at home with two younger siblings and a mom who literally makes pancakes every morning. I’ve tried other recipes for almond pancakes and they’ve been very dense with an almost dry taste. Did not have that problem with yours! Thanks so much! To wash down the other ones I would make a coconut milk & strawberry topping. Once I get some strawberries I’m gonna try it out on these! Not to wash them down of course (0:

    Thanks again!

  29. Don’t worry about it, you will always get those comments. I agree with you though, we don’t live in paleolithic times and the point is not to re-create them! As for the replication of neolithic foods in a paleo context, there are purists who frown upon it, but from what I’ve seen in the blogosphere, whenever a tasty-looking bread/pizza/pancake is posted, everyone is ALL OVER IT! People want, miss and love this kind of stuff. So why not make healthy versions versions of it? I think it’s wonderful. Thank you for sharing your recipes.

  30. Best pancakes ever!!!

    1. oh goodness, thank you soooo much gerard!

  31. Oh my goddness, i cannot wait to make these!!!!!

  32. Do you know what the calorie and carb count mat be for the pancakes?I have a child who has just diagnosed with gluten,dairy, soy allergies and diabetes.

  33. Perfect timing! I started reading your blog from the very beginning after reading some rave reviews of your book (and I think I’ve pinned half your recipes along the way). Today is a public holiday and I was bemoaning the fact that I was out of banana bread to make into French toast for breakfast when voila! Paleo pancakes! I’ve just demolished a huge stack of them and while I’m very pleased to have a low-carb grain free version of my favourite long weekend breakfast, I found the batter very runny and the pancakes more crepe-like than thick pancake-like. Am I just not going to be able to replicate the rise of the batter without the gluten? Will increasing the baking soda/powder help?

  34. Your attitude toward Paleo is the reason I’m such a fan. Don’t bow to the purist pressure, the idea is to learn from the past, not apply it literally and strictly.

  35. I made some paleo pancakes the other day without almond flour, and I must say I prefer the taste that way, but I still like trying new recipes like this with it. I’m really liking the looks of a lot of the recipes here and plan on trying some out, but I was a little disappointed with this one having sugar in it…why sugar? I’ve found on my Paleo cooking journey that honey (especially raw honey) is a perfect substitute and the body tends to appreciate it too. I was actually surprised to see sugar on a site that’s supposed to be for paleo-friendly foods. Don’t get me wrong, I know a LOT of the recipes are truly paleo-friendly but table sugar, plain and simple, is not. Really, honey is a very simple and healthful substitute. That’s all, thanks for posting so many great recipes!

  36. There is no indication of what low carb means. I have a saying (through experience) that if it doesn’t show how many carbs in the whole recipe or a single serving, it isn’t low carb and I don’t use the recipe or buy the product if in a store. I would like to sign up here but if recipes don’t indicate this information I could not use them, as wonderful as they look.

  37. […] Health-Bent | Recipes | Low Carb, Gluten/Grain-Free, Dairy … – 39 thoughts on “ Low Carb, Gluten/Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Pancakes ” Heather 4 Apr 2011 Reply. Yummmm! They look awesome and delicious. I haven’t had a lot of …… […]

  38. Thanks for this recipe. My girlfriend is coming to town and she is gluten/dairy/grain free, so I wanted to make something she can eat… I hope they taste good.

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