I’ve got just the thing for your next weekend brunch.
Grain-free, almond butter pancakes!
These pancakes are similar to my original Paleo Pancakes, but this variation results in a more authentic stack of pancakes, both in texture and flavor. They are the perfect transition food for anyone looking to upgrade their traditional pancake breakfasts, and will fool even the pickiest of eaters.
No one will believe they’re flourless!
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Almond Butter Pancakes (Grain-free)
serves 2
Inspired by this recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, if you plan on baking these. (My preferred method!)
In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until a smooth, uniform batter is created.
Scoop the batter using a 1/4 cup onto the lined baking sheet, to form 7-8 pancakes. You will probably need two lined baking sheets, if you’d like to bake these all at once.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the pancakes are fluffy and golden. This is my preferred method, since you don’t need to use any extra oil for frying, and you can cook all the pancakes at once without even flipping them!
Note: Parchment paper is key for baking these. Even a Silpat doesn’t yield the same results as using parchment paper.
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Alternatively, you can pan-fry these pancakes in a skillet, greased with grass-fed butter or coconut oil, over medium-high heat.
Flip when the edges are firm and golden, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Ideally, with a larger griddle, you could cook more than one at a time!
Pan-frying does give these pancakes nice and crispy edges, like the traditional version!
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Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Serve piping hot, with fresh fruit and/or pure maple syrup, if you like.
- ½ cup almond butter
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 whole eggs
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, if you plan on baking these. (My preferred method.)
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until a smooth, uniform batter is created.
- Scoop the batter using a ¼ cup onto the lined baking sheet, to form 7-8 pancakes. You will probably need two lined baking sheets, if you’d like to bake these all at once.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the pancakes are fluffy and golden. This is my preferred method, since you don’t need to use any extra oil for frying, and you can cook all the pancakes at once without even flipping them!
- Alternatively, you can pan-fry these pancakes in a greased skillet over medium-high heat. Flip when the edges are firm and golden, about 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Serve piping hot, with fresh fruit and/or pure maple syrup, if you like.
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: Are you a pancake fan? Have you tried any grain-free versions? Austin and I used to go out for pancakes nearly every weekend, but now we’re hooked on preparing this grain-free variation at home! Thanks to my friend, Diane, for sharing this variation with me!
I’ve been loving your paleo pancakes, so pleased with the results of baking them rather than trying to pan fry. Can’t wait to try these!
These look so yummy!
Wow- I’m starting to create a list of all the recipes I need to try from your blog. You have so many great ideas!
Great recipe yet again and I love how simple they are! It’s also so neat that you bake them because I always burn them when I cook them on the stove!
Baking them is practically fool-proof! (Thanks to parchment paper)
Hope you enjoy them!
Most Paleo pancake recipes have bananas, which I am allergic to, so I am really excited about your version!
I’m glad you’ll be able to enjoy this banana-free version. Hope you enjoy them!
I agree with Keri above about the bananas. After adding them to smoothies and baked goods for sweetness, I get a bit overloaded on them, so it’s nice to see a recipe without them!
These look very good…but I really love the banana version you had! I’ll try them this weekend, the apple/maple syrup with crispy edges combo sounds awesome and my mouth is watering!
PS: I’m glad you didn’t call these paleo…anytime my husband the anthropology prof sees anything called paleo he has a conniption
Ha ha, glad I didn’t call them “Paleo” this time. I really love the banana version, too! However, I do think these are a little more authentic– like the kind you want to smother in syrup.
Can’t wait to try these Megan! Yum!
These just made me so happy!
These look incredible! I’ve been looking for ways to increase my protein at breakfast since I tried to go back to eating protein after being vegetarian for 5 years but I just couldn’t stomach it… this seems like the perfect answer! Thanks so much for this recipes… I look forward to making it this weekend.
*animal protein
i read this post at 5am, and by 6am i had a batch ready to eat on my way to work. these are the most amazing pancakes i’ve ever had, and they didn’t leave me with the heavy sleepy feeling i usually get after a big breakfast. these will be a staple in my house!
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
Can natural fresh ground peanut butter be used in lieu of almond butter? Thanks.
Yep, they’re delicious with natural peanut butter, too!
LOVED the Paleo pancakes – read the recipe yesterday – had them this morning – I did pan fry them in coconut oil – worked beautifully – and did not have apple sauce so I put about 1/2 cup apple (with skin but no core!) in the blender and it seemed to be a great substitute for actual apple sauce! Voila! Guiltless pancakes!
Meant to give the stars:
Thank you, Megan — for your insight, knowledge and recipes! You have been so instrumental in my health journey and now that I am down 60+ pounds I am going to stay down!!
Blessings to you!
As an FYI – I tweaked these to add 1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder and 3/4 c unsweetened applesauce along with a packet of Stevia White Powder (I have a bit of a sweet tooth) and they ROCKED!!! Thanks again, Megan!!
Just made these ! Awesome!!
Baked these in a mini muffin pan @ 350 for 10 minutes…making weekday breakfasts quick & delicious!
Yum! I love the mini-muffin idea.
Do you have a recommendation for an egg substitute? These look and sound amazing but want to make them vegan…
You might be able to use a flax or chia egg? http://detoxinista.com/recipes/how-to-make-flax-eggs-or-chia-eggs/
Otherwise, I’ve heard that Ener-G egg replacer works well. Let me know if you have any success!
Hi, i’m on this special diet so APPLESAUCE is not an option for me, what can i replace it with?
Thanks!
Perhaps pumpkin puree would work for you?
Pumpkins are not allowed either
neither bananas or any fruit 
maybe almond flour?
The thing is that i’m on a candida diet (trying to fight candida, it’s been bothering me for a year now) and realized that changing my diet is what will help control it.
Almond flour may turn them into cookies, rather than pancakes. You can use any other veggie puree, perhaps zucchini for a neutral flavor? Even an extra egg might be an option, though the texture might be weird from that… Let me know if you have any success!
I just made these and was amazed by the way they turned out in the oven, perfection! I can’t have Gluten or Dairy and these are so much better than any packaged mixes i’ve tried, delicious! Thank you!
I love your oven method! I also love that there’s no flour in these. they have a nice bulk to them that I haven’t been able to get with bananas or pumpkin. Mine turned out a little dry, but I also lost some of my ingredients in a spill. I will definitely try these again.
Spow fell overnight so I was looking for a warm breakfast..I just doubled the recipe and made them for my family of four.
Both my school age kids ate them with-out complaint. (which is saying something because they love traditional pancakes)
My husband and I thought they were very good and will make them again.
Thanks! These turned out really well and I don’t feel guilty like I do when I eat wheat ones. I thought the almond butter might be overpowering but it wasn’t! I pan fried them but want to try it next time in the oven when I have some parchment paper. =) Thanks again!
Let me begin by saying I am not a chef! Things have to be super simple for me. I pass up lots of recipes that claim to be “simple” because for my lack of kitchen skills, they are not simple! I saw yours though and though, “even I can do that!”. Keep in mind, I have never even cooked regular pancakes before!
I tried it today and, after the power came back on (lol) I was able to complete the cooking. They turned out great. I am trying almond butter for the first time and it tastes good. I could even taste the apple sauce which was very pleasant! I will be sharing this with others who are taking part in a healthy eating challenge I am participating in! Thanks!
Question: Can you refrigerate the batter or the pancakes? I cook for one, so have lots left over.
I’ve never had any leftover batter, but I’m sure it can be refrigerated!
Made these this weekend…yum! I did the pan fry thing, and topped mine with no sugar added applesauce and more cinnamon. So good! I did throw in a couple chocolate chips for my kids, and that got them to eat them all, no leftovers. A definite new pancake recipe in our house, thanks!
I love pancakes, and these were delightful. I read an earlier comment about using an apple instead of apple sauce – I tried this and it seemed to work just fine (one apple made about half a cup blended). For a smoother texture I would peel the apple next time, but with the skin it does add a fun a little “crunch.” I ended up making a second batch and have been putting them in the toaster oven for breakfast. With a bit of maple syrup this easily became my new favorite pancake!
I am looking forward to trying these as I could get tired of the banana ones after a while.
Do you think these batter will survive a waffle maker?
My sister-in-law made them in the waffle maker, and they definitely held up– but they don’t get as “crispy” as traditional waffles.
I tried these this morning and like most of your recipes they are so simple. I yielded 7 so cooked them all at once. I love that they have a hint of almond butter and its not overpowering. I have always eaten my pancakes the traditional way so I topped them off with a little grass fed butter and maple syrup.
My kids gobbled these up but my husband turned his nose up. He recommended more flavor so next time I’ll try them with more cinnamon and apple pieces. It up really small. Great idea, though! I’ll make these for the kids when Dad’s not around.
These are the best grain-free pancakes I’ve tried! They are SO good and the texture is perfect. I made them this morning since Colorado is getting another round of wintry weather (despite the fact that it’s April!)
I made these this morning & they were very good. My 10 year old even said they were good (& he’s very picky). I served them with butter & pure maple syrup. Nice grain-free recipe!! Thanks!
Can you freeze these after cooking? How do they reheat?
I’ve never tried freezing them, but I assume they’d reheat on a skillet pretty well!
Hi. I love your website. You have the BEST desserts!
I wanted to know if the grain free pancakes can be dehydrated. I like to dehydrate versus cooking my food so I can preserve as much of the food’s nutrients as possible.
Thank You!
I wouldn’t dehydrate a raw egg, but you could maybe substitute a flax egg, instead? Please let us know if you have any success!
I love your recipes! I was wondering if you have a source for buying organic almond butter or organic cold pressed olive oil. They are so expensive at the health food store.
You are the best!!! Now we can all eat our pancakes together, so simple and yet why has no one else thought of this. Now off to read the rest of this new treasure
These were delicious! What a wonderful idea to bake them using parchment paper! I also loved that the measurements for each ingredient are easy to remember. I used pumpkin seed butter instead of almond butter and baked them using my George Foreman specialty grill (with baking attachment) and the results were delicious green pancakes
These are so good (as are all of your recipes I’ve tried so far)! Thank you so much for making healthier eating more accessible for people like me who are just starting out. I did want to suggest one small addition. Because I normally add a pinch of sugar to traditional pancake batter, I put about a 1/2 a tsp of maple syrup in the batter, as well. The pancakes were lightly sweet and delicious!
[...] these almond butter pancakes with sliced [...]
[...] buy the whole wheat pancake mix, and I like it well enough. But when I ran across this recipe for almond butter pancakes, I decided to whip up a batch to test out the tastiness of this grain-free [...]
My boyfriend and I stumbled on your site when we looked up how to make almond butter during a 3 week detox in early April. Since, I’m hooked! These almond butter pancakes are ridiculous! We used our panini press griddle and made them with crispy edges usong Earth Balance butter. They not only have the same consistency as regular pancakes but if you also add EB butter and good organic Grade A syrup they are just like eating regular ol pancakes! Minus the guilt and gut bloat! This is now the only pncakes I will ever make again. Thanks for your site and I’ve also tried making other recipes of yours already and will post comments and my success stories another time!
I want to make this recipe, but cannot eat applesauce, what would be a good replacement for it?
Mashed banana or another puree would work.
[...] made apple almond butter pancakes from Detoxinista, cut up fresh pineapple & strawberries (you better bet I’m having some PB & [...]
[...] I got this recipe from another food blog that I found on Pinterest, and it was delicious (and had no flour)! To get the full recipe, here is the link to the website: http://detoxinista.com/2012/09/almond-butter-pancakes-grain-free/ [...]
Can I replace the Almond Butter with anything? I cannot have almond….
Sunflower seed butter or peanut butter will work, too!
The almond butter pancakes look amazing but do you have any suggestions for grain free pancakes that don’t require eggs, OR a substitute for them?
Thanks!
Lelsie
Very tasty but watch out it is an awful lot of almond butter. Just on almond butter alone 1 serving (1/2 this recipe) is about 600 calories. Though not calorie counting as such, this will definitely be an occasional treat breakfast for me.
These are definitely intended to be a treat, and not an everyday indulgence. But, the calories in 1/4 cup, or 4 tablespoons, of almond butter (half this recipe) is closer to 400, not 600.
I made these this morning for me and my hubby. I can’t have eggs so I tried using chia seed. I had never made a chia seed egg before and didn’t see the instructions so I guessed…..wrong though. I didn’t grind the seed first and I only let it sit for 5 minutes or so on the counter. I’m wondering if this is why they didn’t firm up. I couldn’t get them in one piece on the plate (mushy) and they took a really long time to cook. But “wow” they were great anyway and my hubby loved them. I ate them with berries and I easily could have eaten another plate as they were super yummy. So if i make them again with chia seeds, would grinding the seeds and letting them sit in the refrigerator like the instructions say, make the difference in texture??
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!!
Holly