My family loves these easy whole wheat pancakes! They are delicious and so incredibly fluffy. I bet you already have everything you need to make these amazing pancakes with whole wheat flour in your kitchen!
I make a batch of these homemade whole wheat pancakes most weeks (my son loves them!). I love that they are easy, call for a short list of simple ingredients, and taste incredible.
This recipe is inspired by our most popular pancake recipe. For pancakes using buckwheat flour, see our recipe for buckwheat pancakes.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: You can make these pancakes with 100% whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. If you’re not used to whole wheat flour, I recommend using 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose flour. I love this combination because it keeps the pancakes light and fluffy while adding a great nutty flavor.
- Sugar: A bit of sugar makes the pancakes taste great and helps them brown. You can use plain sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup.
- Baking powder: I use baking powder for most of my pancake recipes since it helps to make them light and extra fluffy. Use recently purchased double-acting baking powder (it lasts about 3 months). If you are sensitive to the flavor of baking powder, make sure that yours is aluminum-free.
- Milk: I often use whole milk to make these pancakes, but you can substitute non-dairy milk or buttermilk.
- Egg: An egg adds structure and flavor, but you can make whole grain pancakes without it (use a flax egg or see these vegan pancakes instead).
- Butter: I love using butter to make pancakes. It makes them taste delicious. I add melted butter to the pancake batter and cook them in a skillet for buttery, crispy edges. Plant-based butter or coconut oil are also good options.
- Vanilla, cinnamon, and salt: Add some extra flavor. I love the warm cinnamon with the nutty flavor of whole wheat flour.
How to Make the Best Whole Wheat Pancakes
After we shared our favorite fluffy pancakes, many of you asked for a version using whole wheat flour. We decided to experiment and were pleasantly surprised by the results. These whole wheat pancakes are easy to make and come together quickly!
To make our whole wheat pancakes, you’ll whisk the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour (if you are using it), baking powder, cinnamon, and a bit of salt in a large bowl. Then, whisk melted butter, milk, egg, and vanilla in another.
Stir the wet ingredients into the flour. As you stir, the batter will start to thicken and get bubbly (that’s the baking powder beginning to work its magic!). Be careful not to mix too much, or your pancakes won’t be as fluffy. We want to keep those bubbles.
To cook your pancakes, heat a skillet or flat griddle to medium heat, melt some butter, and add your batter. You can use a 1/4 cup measure or a large cookie scoop to scoop the batter into your skillet.
Flip whole wheat pancakes when the edges look dry, and bubbles appear and pop on the top surfaces. They’ll need 1 to 2 minutes on each side. If you notice them browning too quickly, reduce the heat a little (I stay around medium heat).
To prove how light and fluffy these become, here’s a photo! They turn out beautifully. Just look at how fluffy they are!
Storing Whole Wheat Pancakes
Whole wheat pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 2 months. If freezing, line the pancakes on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking.
What to Serve with Whole Wheat Pancakes
There are so many amazing pancake toppings. Our family’s favorites with whole wheat pancakes are sliced bananas, berries, quickly sautéed apples, pumpkin butter, maple syrup, honey, and a dollop of whipped cream.
Add scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, or poached eggs to round out breakfast.
More Easy Pancake Recipes
Easy Whole Wheat Pancakes
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Whole wheat flour makes pancakes taste nutty and delicious. Our recipe for whole wheat pancakes is flexible. You can use 100% whole wheat flour (tips below the recipe) or do what I do and combine the whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour. This combination makes our pancakes more light and fluffy.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
3/4 cup (100g) whole wheat flour
3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups (295ml to 350ml) milk, dairy or non-dairy
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the skillet
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Make Batter
1Melt the butter and set it aside.
2In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. (Don’t worry if the butter solidifies slightly).
4Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture and stir gently with a fork until the flour is just incorporated. A few small lumps are okay. As the batter sits, it should start to bubble. The batter will be pretty thick. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons more milk to thin it out if it is unreasonably thick.
5Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle in a few drops of water to test if it’s ready. You want them to dance around a bit and evaporate.
6Brush the skillet with melted butter (this creates crispy edges, but you can skip it if using a quality nonstick pan).
7Scoop the batter onto the skillet using a 1/4 cup measure or large cookie scoop, and spread each pancake into a 4-inch circle.
8After 1 to 2 minutes, the edges will look dry, and bubbles will form and pop on the surface. Flip the pancakes and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned and cooked in the middle.
9Serve immediately with warm syrup, butter, and berries.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Using 100% whole wheat flour: Use 1 ½ cups (195g) whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour absorbs liquid more than all-purpose flour, so you may need to add a bit of extra milk to the pancake batter before cooking your pancakes.
- Measuring flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring. For even more accuracy, use a scale and measure the flour by weight (in grams).
- Best baking powder: Use aluminum-free baking powder (Rumford and Bob’s Red Mill are examples), as they prevent the tinny flavor that can appear when baking powder is used in higher quantities (like in this recipe). I use Bob’s Red Mill baking powder in this recipe with great results.
- Recipe changes: On 5/18/2024, I no longer warm the milk before mixing it with the butter and egg for better texture. Feel free to use the older method of heating the milk, but I no longer find it necessary. This change is reflected in the recipe above.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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These are delicious! And my toddler loves them. I made them with melted coconut oil instead. And added choc chips. Very tasty even when reheated! Will definitely make again. Thanks so much
Pretty good
Very yummy fluffy pancakes! I used baking soda and milk with lemon (to make sour milk) as alternative to baking powder and complete whole wheat flour instead of mixing flours. Was scared of the outcome while preparing, but turned out perfect and yumm. Thank you!!
You are very welcome. We are so glad you loved it and came back to leave a review. Happy Cooking! 🙂
I cut the recipe in half and used buttermilk and in place of sugar I used 2drops of liquid stevia. I also used Bob’s Red Mill 100% stone ground whole wheat flour. Pancakes were not only beautiful but delicious!
This is my new recipe for pancakes and waffles. My son said they tasted like Snickerdoodles! Great job.