Cornmeal Pancakes

Name: Cornmeal Pancakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup milk (at room temperature); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled, plus more for greasing); 2 eggs (at room temperature); 3/4 cup medium ground yellow cornmeal (gluten free if necessary); 1/4 cup cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum ((optional; helps thicken the pancakes)); 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4.80 from 20 votes

Prep Time : 15

Cook Time : 10

These hearty cornmeal pancakes have that distinct corn taste and satisfying texture, with just a touch of gentle sweetness!

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These hearty cornmeal pancakes, made with medium-ground yellow cornmeal and cornstarch instead of flour, have a satisfying texture and tons of flavor. The simple batter is made smooth in a blender, quickly and easily!

hand pouring syrup on stack of 6 cornmeal pancakes with pat of butter on white plate and blue cloth

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Why you'll love these cornmeal pancakes

There's nothing like a traditional light and fluffy gluten free pancake, and there are so many ways to make them. But these cornmeal pancakes are a little different.

The recipe is made mostly with medium-ground yellow cornmeal and a touch of cornstarch to lighten things up a bit, but you blend the batter so there's only the slightest chew in each sweet-and-savory bite.

Making the batter in a blender has the added benefit of making these pancakes incredibly easy to make. I've spelled it all out in the recipe below (and the how-to video, too!), but really? I could have just written the instructions like this:

Put all of the ingredients in the order listed in a blender, blend, then pour on a hot buttered skillet, cook, flip, cook and eat. Of course, there's a bit more to it than that. But not a whole lot!

Cornmeal pancakes ingredient notes

There are only 9 total ingredients in these cornmeal pancakes, but that's including salt and an optional ingredient. Here are a few things to know about each of them:

Medium ground yellow cornmeal – Blending the cornmeal with other ingredients helps it combine fully and make for pancakes with just the right amount of texture
Cornstarch – Adding some cornstarch to the mix lightens the weight of the pancakes a bit
Xanthan gum – Because we aren't using any flour, a touch of xanthan gum helps thicken the batter and makes it hold together a bit better, but it's optional. Without xanthan gum, you'll have thinner pancakes, so cook them further apart on the griddle
Granulated sugar – For sweetness and some extra tenderness; you can use an equal amount, by weight, of honey if you prefer
Baking powder & baking soda– Help the pancakes rise and brown
Kosher salt – Commonly used in baking, kosher salt is easier to measure accurately than table salt, and brightens all the other flavors
Milk – Adds moisture and richness; avoid using fat free milk because fat is a tenderizer
Butter – Some melted butter adds richness and buttery flavor to your pancakes
Eggs – The eggs help bind the pancakes together and add some lift

How to make cornmeal pancakes

Assemble ingredients and blend the batter

All of the pancake ingredients go into the blender! I have a blender with the blades on the bottom, so I put everything in the canister and give it a shake before blending for a full minute.

Cook the pancakes on a hot griddle

Grease a griddle and heat it to about 350°F, then pour 1/4 cup of batter on the hot surface in rounds. Let the pancakes cook until they're covered in bubbles, flip to cook the bottom, & flip again to make sure they're cooked through.

Serve & enjoy!

I like to stack the pancakes together, and let everyone serve themselves. The pancakes keep themselves warm that way. Or you can put the pancakes on a baking tray and keep them warm in a 200°F oven for a few minutes until ready to serve!

stack of 6 yellow pancakes on white plate on blue cloth

Tips to make the perfect cornmeal pancakes

Know when to flip the pancakes to cook the other side

You'll know when the pancakes are ready to flip when the underside has set and begun to brown, and the edges on top are set. You should see lots of bubbles forming on the top when the first side is cooking. When you slide your spatula underneath the pancake, the batter shouldn't leak off the edges back onto the cooking surface.

A quick tip for testing whether a pancake (really any pancake) is ready to flip is to slide your spatula only a couple of centimeters under the very edge of the pancake. If the batter on the top of the pancake starts to run at all, it's not ready to flip. If you flip it then, you'll end up with “feet” on your pancakes as the batter will slide around during transit.

Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature

If your wet ingredients, especially, are cold, your pancake batter won't blend fully and it will have lumps. Make sure everything is at room temperature before you blend.

If your milk is cold, try microwaving it for about 20 seconds. If your eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of very warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes and they should become close to room temperature.

Maple syrup beginning to pour on stack of yellow cornmeal pancakes on white plate

Cornmeal pancakes ingredients & substitution suggestions

Dairy free cornmeal pancakes

These pancakes are super easy to make dairy-free. Just use non-dairy milk (I like unsweetened almond milk best), and you can even use extra virgin olive oil in place of melted butter. Any nondairy butter, even Earth Balance buttery sticks, should work if you melt it, too.

Egg free cornmeal pancakes

Eggs are almost always a bit trickier than dairy to replace. Here, since the recipe is right at my 2-egg threshold for successful egg replacement.

Two “chia eggs” (a chia egg is simply 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds mixed with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and allowed to gel) should work, but you'll have to experiment.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make these pancakes without a blender?

Yes, you can make the pancake batter with a food processor or a stick blender. If you don't have any of those, you can make the batter by whisking together the dry ingredients, then adding in the wet ingredients and whisking until smooth. The batter won't be as smooth, and the pancakes will be lumpier and have more chew from the cornmeal, but they'll still taste great.

Are cornmeal pancakes gluten free?

Yes, these cornmeal pancakes are naturally gluten free when they're made with gluten free cornmeal and cornstarch.

Can I make these cornmeal pancakes sweeter?

Yes. For sweeter pancakes, try increasing the granulated sugar to anything up to 100 grams or one half cup. You can also just add an additional 3 tablespoons (63 g) of honey to the batter.

Can I make the pancake batter ahead of time?

Yes. You can blend the batter ahead of time and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just let it warm to close to room temperature before cooking the pancakes. If you've chosen to omit the xanthan gum, the cornmeal may settle out of the batter. If that happens, just blend the batter again before using it.

Do I have to use xanthan gum to make these pancakes?

No. If you don't want to use xanthan gum and you aren't gluten free, try replacing half of the cornstarch (by weight) with conventional all purpose wheat flour. The wheat gluten in the flour should help bind the pancakes together.

How can I store any leftover pancakes?

Once cool, wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap (I really like Glad Press ‘n' Seal) in stacks of 2 or 3 and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 weeks. To refresh refrigerated or frozen pancakes, sprinkle with warm water and microwave for 30 or 40 seconds for refrigerated or about 1 minute for frozen. You can also refresh them in a warm toaster oven.

Stack of cornmeal pancakes with forkful of cut pancakes

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Cornmeal Pancakes

These hearty cornmeal pancakes have that distinct corn taste and satisfying texture, with just a touch of gentle sweetness!

Course: Pancakes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Yield: 8 4-inch pancakes

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled, plus more for greasing
2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
¾ cup (99 g) medium ground yellow cornmeal gluten free if necessary
¼ cup (36 g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional; helps thicken the pancakes)
3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, or heat a griddle according to the manufacturer’s directions to 350°F.
In a blender, place the milk, melted butter, eggs, cornmeal, cornstarch, xanthan gum, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Close the blender canister and give it a quick shake to begin to mix the ingredients so there is liquid and dry ingredients next to the blades.
Blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
The batter should be thickly pourable. If you omitted the xanthan gum, it will be relatively thin. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes to thicken, and whisk until smooth.
Grease the hot skillet or pan with a light brushing of unsalted butter.
Pour or ladle the pancake batter on the hot skillet surface in 1/4-cup portions, taking care not to crowd the skillet or pan.
Allow the pancakes to cook until lots of bubbles appear and the surface appears dry around the edges (about 3 minutes).
Flip the pancakes and continue cooking for another minute, or until the underside is lightly browned. Flip the pancakes again to make sure the underside is cooked and the pancakes are cooked all the way through.
Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet or serving plate (in a stack to keep them warm), and repeat with the remaining batter.
If you’d like, while you finish the batch, you can keep the cooked pancakes warm in a 200°F oven on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Serve immediately with your favorite pancake toppings.

Notes

Nutritional information.

Nutrition information is an estimate, per pancake, from online calculators, provided as a courtesy, and should not be relied on under any circumstances.