Fluffy vegan buckwheat and blueberry pancakes

While pancakes shouldn't just be eating on pancake day in my opinion, the imminent arrival of Shrove Tuesday on 16th February and the fact that it's lockdown and what else do we have to do, means now is the perfect time to perfect your pancake game.

I’ve been trying to find a good vegan, gluten-free fluffy pancake recipe for a while and think I’ve finally nailed it. I used a mix of gluten-free self-raising flour with buckwheat flour and some extra baking powder and it gave a lovely fluffy texture.  But this would work just as well with wheat-based self-raising flour too.

Buckwheat flour is a naturally gluten-free pseudo-grain - meaning it's technically a seed rather than a grain. This means it's naturally lower carb than wheat, so won't spike your blood sugars as much and is high in fibre and plant proteins. It gives the pancakes a slightly nutty flavour and makes them more nutritious without them tasty too healthy to taste good!

There is also no added sugar or sweetener in this pancake mix - just a drizzle of maple syrup on top!

I added some blueberries to the mix and topped with a blueberry compote, yoghurt and banana slices - and of course a drizzle of maple syrup! But this recipe would work topped with whatever you like really. I'll be sharing more pancake ideas over the next two weeks on my Instagram so make sure you follow me there for more inspiration.

Fluffy vegan buckwheat and blueberry pancakes

Gluten-free / Dairy-free / Vegan

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 15-20 mins

Makes about 10 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120g) buckwheat flour

• 1 cup (120g) gluten-free self-raising flour

• 2.5 tsp gluten-free baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1.5 cups (375ml) almond milk

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup (180g) of blueberries - I use frozen but I'm sure fresh would work too

• Coconut oil to cook pancakes

For compote

• 1 cup (180g) of blueberries - I use frozen but I'm sure fresh would work too

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Toppings of your choice, in addition to the blueberry compote I like plain yoghurt, banana slices and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Method

1. Warm oven to 150C to keep pancakes warm while you're cooking.

2. To make compote topping, add 1 cup of blueberries and 1 tbsp maple syrup to a small pan and gently heat until reduced down and warmed through.

3. Add all ingredients except the blueberries to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

4. Add about 1/4 cup of blueberries to the mixture and blend.

5. Add remaining blueberries to mixture and stir in to keep whole.

6. Add a small amount of oil to a small non-stick frying pan and heat in high until melted.

7. Reduce the heat and add the pancake mixture - I used about 2 tbsp per pancake, cook for about 1 min 20 secs and then try flipping, the pancake should come away easily from the pan and be golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook for a further 1 min 20 secs before removing from the pan.

8. Keep pancakes warm until ready to serve.

9. Serve top with compote, yoghurt, maple syrup and anything else you fancy!

Let me know if you try these and what you think - what's your favourite pancake topping?