Paleo Pancakes

These lightly sweet Paleo pancakes are made with almond flour, so they’re naturally low carb and actually taste like “real” pancakes. Enjoy them with maple syrup, or plain. And make your own Paleo baking powder easily for fluffy pancakes!

What’s with the Paleo recipe?

Ever since I tried out the Wheat Belly Cookbook (no thanks) back in January 2013, I have been what I affectionately call Paleo-curious. I believe that all of these diets and lifestyles (low carb! keto! Paleo!) have something to teach.

So this is a recipe for delicious and simple Paleo Pancakes because they freeze really well, they’re high protein and low carb and they keep my kids going all school-morning long. 

And a note about cost: I am mindful of the price of blanched almond flour, which is why I order it from nuts.com, and I skip the organic kind (the horror!) since it’s definitely more expensive. If you’re game for trying something new-ish, give these Paleo almond flour pancakes a try. You might just fall in love.

These get cheers in my house, and I feel good about giving them to my kids on a school morning. They’re a close second only to the Paleo Donuts, since, well, they’re donuts. And let’s be serious.

I’ve always loved silver dollar pancakes, for some reason. Anything in miniature tends to capture my heart (which might explain Gluten Free Small Bites!).

When I first developed this recipe for Paleo pancakes, I used a tiny bit of coconut flour rather than tapioca starch/flour for structure. The batter was thicker, especially as it sat out, as coconut flour has that tendency, and it was almost impossible to make smaller pancakes. By replacing the coconut flour with a Paleo-friendly starch, the pancakes still have structure but the batter is more flexible.

Watch this short how-to video (<1 minute)

Push play ▶️ below and you’ll see just how easy this recipe is to make. You don’t need any fancy equipment at all, and the batter comes together quickly in one bowl.

Ingredients and substitutions

I haven’t tested this recipe with any substitutions. These are just my best-educated guesses!

Nut-free: Paleo baking recipes so often rely on almond flour, and if you can’t have nuts that can be a big hurdle. I’d really recommend that you try my coconut flour pancakes, which are naturally nut-free.

But if you’d still like to try making these Paleo pancakes, the only substitute I know of for almond flour in Paleo baking is sunflower seed flour. However, I know that there can be some issues with the finished product turning green (!) due to a chemical reaction with the baking soda, so proceed with caution!

Egg-free: Since there are only two eggs in this recipe, you can replacing each with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).

Paleo baking powder: You might wonder if baking powder and baking soda are available to you on a Paleo diet. Well, they are! Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate, and doesn’t contain anything that isn’t “legal” when you’re Paleo.

Baking powder, on the other hand, typically contains cornstarch, which isn’t appropriate for a Paleo diet. If you can’t purchase Paleo baking powder, made with an appropriate starch, it’s so easy to make yourself with 1 part baking soda, 2 parts cream of tartar and 1/2 part arrowroot or tapioca starch/flour. If you aren’t that strict, though, just use “regular” gluten free baking powder. I won’t tell.

Oh, and although maple syrup and honey are both allowed on the Paleo diet, don’t go too heavy on the pour. Sugar is still sugar, and at least for January, you might want to go easy. :)