We love this simple, quick, delicious breakfast that is gluten free and dairy free without any funny or uncommon ingredients.
“A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet”
I think there is some controversy over the name “German Pancakes”. We called them german pancakes growing up but I think they are often called puff pancakes or even dutch baby pancakes as well.
All the things I read online pointed to the origin being German and so I’m going to stick with the name German Pancakes but you can call them whatever name you like best at your house!
How to Make them Gluten Free
Whatever they are called, this is a yummy, fun breakfast that my kids love. I have been making them gluten free and dairy free for years and have discovered the best combination of ingredients.
Gluten free flours are often heavier and so they don’t yield the puffiest of results but with this recipe, using the oat flour, I have had my german pancakes puff up beautifully.
To make oat flour for this recipe you can either grind oats groats in a grain mill or you can run rolled or quick oats in a blender. I have made oat flour both ways and both ways work great in this recipe. I have also run sprouted oats in the blender and used that flour. That also works well.
How to Make them Dairy Free
I use coconut oil and almond milk to keep the recipe dairy free as well. If you don’t need to be dairy free, dairy butter and milk can be used.
Unfortunately, I have tried making egg free german pancakes from lots of different recipes but I haven’t found one that is great or even one that works! I cooked one recipe for almost an hour but it never actually baked! It stayed the same runny, gooey texture the whole time. Bleh!
German pancakes just rely so heavily on eggs for their structure and texture that it is difficult to replicate without eggs. If I ever find a good alternative that is egg free, I will update this post!
German Pancakes
8 eggs
¾ cup oat flour
¾ cup almond milk (or other favorite milk)
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Add 8 eggs, 3/4 cup oat flour, 3/4 cup almond milk, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a medium sized bowl. Whisk until everything is well incorporated and no clumps of flour remain.
Pour the melted coconut oil into a 9×13 pan. Pour the batter over the top of the melted oil. Do not mix. Carefully, place the pan in the oven.
Alternatively, you can melt the coconut oil directly in the 9×13 pan in the heating oven while you mix up the batter. Pull out the rack once it is melted and pour the batter directly into the warm melted oil. Do not stir. Push in the rack and close the oven.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center of the pancake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Remove from oven. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon) if desired. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings. We love diced fresh peaches and pure maple syrup!
TWEAK IT NOTES
- OAT FLOUR – Blend rolled or quick oats in a blender until a fine texture is reached. Sprouted rolled oats work as well. I buy these ones from Costco. Alternatively, you can run oat groats (I buy mine from Azure Standard) through a grain grinder.
- COCONUT FREE – Mild olive oil, avocado oil or dairy free butter will work well in place of coconut oil.
- CORN FREE – Check that baking powder to make sure it is corn free.
