Only 3 ingredients are needed for these Buckwheat Pancakes. They are gluten free, freeze well, and taste great with all kinds of toppings from sweet to savory!
One of the biggest challenges to being a gluten-free family is having affordable bread alternatives around so you can easily throw together a quick meal or a snack. We regularly enjoy our Flax Bread, but it's a little boring to have the same thing over and over again. This recipe for buckwheat pancakes is another great option to add to your gluten-free recipe box.
This Buckwheat Galette Recipe (that's the real term for these flat cakes) is one recipe in our home that has become a staple. They make a great gluten free wrap that is so much less expensive than those "priced through the roof" wraps in health food stores.
They mix up quickly and simply, store well, travel well and are a super flexible background for meals and quick snacks. And they freeze well.
And my kids love them.
Hope you do too:-).
I found this recipe a number of years ago on Whole Approach, a super helpful site for anyone dealing with candida. Candida, if you aren't familiar with it, is a systemic overgrowth of candida yeast in one's body.
It is typically associated with the overuse of antibiotics and eating too much sugar and starches.
My oldest son and I figured out that we were dealing with severe candidiasis and as a result went off sugars, most fruits, and gluten and my hunt for recipes that would help us in our quest for health began.
Well, getting well and feeding a family whole foods can take time so I just loved it when I found out how easy these little French pancakes / crepe like breads are. Less time in the kitchen makes for a happier mama and a more peaceful family.
Side note - if you're struggling with finding easy recipes too, these are some of the more simple ones on my site.
More Quick and Easy Recipes:
- Quick Drop Biscuits
- Baked Oatmeal / Oatmeal Cake (Two Ways!)
- Super Savory Hummus
- Fast and Yummy Bean Dip
- Focaccia Flax Bread
- Super Fast Kid-Friendly Lentils
- 5-Minute Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls
- Whole-grain Buckwheat Blender Waffles
- No-Bake Coconut Delights
What is a Galette?
Traditionally, galettes are a round, freeform crusty cake. But this recipe is more of a crepe (Breton galette) that French bakeries serve with fillings (source). Galettes are famous in Brittany, France, and one of the most popular ways to eat them is formed around a center of cheese, ham, and egg. In the photos in this post, they are shown with coconut whipped cream. You could use that or this dairy-free coconut pudding as a delicious alternative.
Now, I know, a lot of you who follow this blog know that I have recently put my oldest son on a grain-free diet. That hasn't changed. (Update: we go on and off being grain free. Depends on the practitioner we are working with and how much we think a certain diet is helping or not.)
And I am on an almost grain-free diet. But there are still two others in my household and we haven't all gone grain free....so for now, at least, you will be seeing a mix of both grain-containing and grain-free recipes.
And technically, buckwheat isn't a grain - it's a seed. But it's still heavy in starch.
To reduce the starch and increase the protein content of the wraps, sprout the buckwheat first.
Serving Suggestions
1. Plain
Eat these buckwheat pancakes just as is!
2. Like a Sandwich
Spread with sandwich fixin's like nut butter, either plan or with jam or sweetener of choice. Top with another pancake and eat like a sandwich. Here's how to make Homemade Nut Butter.
3. Like a Wrap
Spread with a thin layer of your favorite filling and roll up and eat like a wrap. (The top photo is filled with scrambled eggs, tomatoes and peppers.) We've filled them with this Sesame-Free Hummus at times. Yum!
4. Ice Cream / Yogurt Filled Dessert
Fill your buckwheat pancakes with ice cream (like this Chocolate Almond Chip Ice Cream...our favorite!) and drizzle w/ chocolate sauce. Umm....I hear it calling my name now! What a simple, elegant dessert!
5. Traditional Method
Technically, you are supposed to make a fairly large galette and place filling in the middle and fold the outer edges up. I haven't tried making these pancakes in this way yet, but I hope to! I think it would work best if you use egg for this method.
These buckwheat pancakes will hold together fairly well as a wrap, but not perfectly. I hope to work on another wrap recipe or two for later.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Egg Substitute: You can use an egg substitute instead of an egg. Here is my Homemade Egg Replacer.
- THM: This recipe qualifies as an "E" for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
- Salt: The recipe calls for 2 tsp salt and we love it that way. At least one reader has commented that it's too much salt. Of course, as with any recipe, you can reduce or even omit the salt if you like. Most galette recipes have this proportion of salt, but that's up to you.
3-Ingredient Buckwheat Galettes (Buckwheat Pancakes) with vegan option
Ingredients
- 2 cups buckwheat flour (330 grams)
- 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste--see Recipe Notes)
- 3 1/3 cups water (750 ml)
- 1 egg (or substitute)
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Add water gradually by adding in 1/4 - 1/2 of the total amount each time, stirring well after each addition.
- Add the egg or substitute.
- Cover batter and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (optional. I've, opted not to do this when I am in a hurry. For best nutrition, soak the buckwheat mixture prior to adding the egg).
- Ladle batter onto a prepared skillet, greased as necessary.
- Cook until galette starts to brown.
- Flip galette over and cook on the other side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
What do you think you would fill your Buckwheat Pancakes with?
My sister and I tried making these last night, but found that we had to have them on very low in order to have the batter spread properly (otherwise it was mis-shapen and lacy). It took almost 2 hours to cook all 10.
Somehow, I doubt a recipe often used by a busy mom takes that long 🙂 Any suggestions?
I'm so sorry to hear this! Did you use the eggs or not?
Not sure why but it didn’t work for me :-/ I have tried with different skillet, with olive oil ,butter, coconut oil . Nothing worked, just super sticky ! I ended up giving everything to the dogs . I wish I could find out why it’s not working for me ?
Oh my that is tough! What type of buckwheat did you use? And did you let the batter sit?
I'm wanting to make this recipe. Do you soak your flour with water and vinegar then add the other ingredients? Or just make the recipe and leave to soak overnight? Thanks!
You can make it either of 2 ways....put everything in the bowl and let it rest for 1-2 hours, or soak everything but the egg overnight and then add the egg the next day--preferably if using the egg and soaking overnight, you let it set for another 1-2 hours then as well. Hope that helps and that you like them!
Worked well for me. Used less salt as suggested in the recipe. Not made many buckwheat pancakes but these were defiantly the best. Thank you
So great to hear! How many did you get and how large were they approximately?
So...could those who can do dairy soak the buckwheat with milk and a tablespoon of buttermilk instead of water and a tablespoon of vinegar and get the same benefit?
You could do that but I haven't tried it. I've seen a few recipes made with milk though. Hope it works out!
The salt was WAAAAY too much for us! Definitely reduce it by at least half if not more. I will try again another day ?
Hi there! So sorry about that--did you notice the recipe notes indicating that you could use salt to taste? Hope the next time works out better for you!
Definitely a working recipe. Very simple and wholesome. 2 tsp of salt felt like a lot of salt for this recipe, however I only read the previous reviews after I made the batter. I made an extra half of this recipe sans salt and still felt too salty. I may add 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt if I make this again.
Hi Ariel - thanks for reading and for commenting. So you are saying that you made an extra half with no salt and added it to the recipe and it was still too salty?
If so, I'm sorry that you felt that way. I did check and most galette recipes have that proportion of salt, but of course you can do whatever you like. Hope to see you around again and hope you got the recipe to work the way that you like it!
This is by far best recipe for buckwheat pancakes I came across. I have used flax egg and reduced amount of salt, used 1/2 tsp as it looked to much salt per amount of flour. It was salty enough with 1/2. My kids and hubby loved it. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much and I'm so glad you liked them! We do too! If you are so inclined and would like to leave a star review that would be much appreciated. Thanks again!
This is not vegan as contains egg!
There is a vegan option in the post and we make it that way all the time. Hope that helps and that you enjoy them!
Followed the recipe had to add more water to get the right consistency which was fine. However, far far too salty have had to throw the whole batch out!
I'm so sorry you had that problem. I have never felt it was too much salt--are you sure you followed it exactly? Please do let me know!
If i have flour can that be sprouted? Confused on The sprouting you suggested?
HI there. Let me know what you mean, please.