Teff Pancakes (Gluten-Free with Vegan Option)
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These Teff Pancakes make for a great whole-grain breakfast and the flavor is deep, rich, and almost chocolatey. They're gluten-free and can even be made vegan too, plus teff is more nutritious than most grains making these pancakes a great option for health conscious families.
Unlike many pancake recipes, these teff flour pancakes aren't overly sweet, so it pairs well with both sweet and savory toppings.
This recipe is my modification from a recipe in Lorna Sass' wonderful cookbook, Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way.
Most people who eat gluten-free use refined flours, but we've always been a family that's leaned pretty heavily on whole grains and I've even ground our own grains into flour. We started out with brown rice and oats, and then progressed to millet, buckwheat, amaranth and at times sorghum. You've likely heard of most of those but teff might be new to you.
If that's the case, say hello to one of the most interesting grains out there and to a very yummy pancake recipe that can also be made into teff waffles.
What Is Teff?
Teff is a gluten-free grain that's native to Ethiopia and Eritrea. It's most often used for porridge and baking, but is mostly well known for being the base of a fermented flatbread called injera.
Teff has a deep rich taste that is a bit like chocolate and it's full of nutrition.
Besides being very high in protein for a grain (it's actually a complete protein), teff also is high in fiber, manganese, calcium, iron (source).
Due mostly to its protein and fiber content, the effect of teff on blood sugar after eating is reduced (source).
So, besides being super tasty these pancakes are also quite good for you and they're filling as well. It's great to have a recipe that's nutritious, hearty, filling and also tasty. It's especially helpful if you have hungry folk in your household who can sometimes seem like they're bottomless pits.
Spread some seed or nut butter on a teff pancake, add a dab of honey, and problem solved.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make these teff pancakes. For the amounts, see the recipe card below.
- teff flour
- baking powder
- sweetener of choice (you can use maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, erythritol, allulose or even a dash of stevia or a few drops of liquid stevia)
- salt
- cinnamon
- 2 eggs (or alternative)
- buttermilk (or coconut milk with added lemon juice or apple cider vinegar)
- coconut oil (melted; or any other healthy fat)
- molasses (optional)
Teff Waffles (Using This Batter)
This teff pancake batter can also be used to make delicious teff waffles. They taste amazing but the one downside is that I haven't had them work out well without eggs. They still taste good without them, but they don't hold together in the waffle iron and don't release well.
But with eggs, they work great and taste great too.
Recipe Notes
- Baking Powder Alternative: If you would like to make your own baking powder to avoid corn and aluminum, try this Homemade Corn and Aluminum-Free Baking Powder.
- Sweetener Options: Any healthy granulated or liquid sweetener will work for this recipe. Simply adjust the thickness of the batter if needed to your preference.
- Egg Alternatives: You can use an equivalent egg substitute like my Powdered Egg Replacer instead of eggs.
- Dairy-free Option: For a dairy-free option, you can substitute the buttermilk with 1 tablespoon organic lemon juice or vinegar plus an additional milk substitute to equal the amount of liquid needed.
- Molasses Alternative: You can use additional low-carb sweetener instead of molasses if desired. However, the molasses adds to the depth of the recipe.
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
Teff Pancakes
Ingredients
Teff Pancakes (or Waffles)
- 1 1/2 cups teff flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (such as maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, or erythritol)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs (or alternative. See notes.)
- 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil (melted; or other healthy fat)
- 1 teaspoon molasses (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together teff flour, baking powder, sweetener, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs (or alternative), buttermilk, melted coconut oil, and molasses (if using).
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Start with 1¼ cups buttermilk and add more if needed for a pourable batter.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and lightly grease.
- Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto skillet and cook until bubbles form and edges are set. Flip and cook until golden brown.
Notes
- Baking Powder Alternative: If you would like to make your own baking powder to avoid corn and aluminum, see my Homemade Corn and Aluminum-Free Baking Powder.
- Sweetener Options:
You can use either liquid or granulated sweeteners here or even a dash of stevia extract. Adjust batter consistency slightly if needed. - Egg Alternatives: You can use an equivalent egg substitute like my Powdered Egg Replacer instead of eggs.
- Dairy-free Option: For a dairy-free option, you can substitute the buttermilk with 1 tablespoon organic lemon juice or vinegar plus an additional milk substitute to equal the amount of liquid needed.
- Molasses Alternative: You can use additional candida-friendly sweetener instead of molasses if desired. However, the molasses adds to the depth of the recipe.
- Yield: Makes about 8 medium pancakes or 4–5 waffles, depending on size.
- To Make Waffles: Preheat and grease a waffle iron well. Cook batter according to manufacturer’s instructions until waffles are crisp and cooked through. Egg-free versions may be softer and more difficult to release from the waffle iron.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
Have you ever heard of or tried teff?
Hi Adrienne,
Not necessarily low carb, just sugar -free.
Thanks,
Debra
I like this blogger’s recipes but I haven’t tried this. https://dessertswithbenefits.com/healthy-homemade-maple-syrup/
If you want something w/o gums (I don’t like them), you could use my fruit dip on them – a little different but yummy. https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/fruit-dip-recipe-dip-for-fruit-dips-sweet-dip/
Hi there,
I’m looking for some sort of sugar-free “syrup” recipe to go with these pancakes…. and ideas?
Thanks for all your work!
Are you looking for low carb?
Adrienne,
What do you use for a waffle iron? The only one that I found that was not non-stick was a cast iron. I was never able to get it seasoned right and our waffles will not come off of it. My daughters are encouraging me to just buy a non-stick, but I am resisting. I figured you would have researched this thoroughly.
Thanks!
I have an UNO non stick. I have issues with it but it works pretty well. It’s this one, but mine is square. That’s an affiliate.
We love teff too, and I also use mashed banana in my pancakes: it a binder when you are not using eggs, and it adds natural sweetness without adding additional sweeteners! the idea of caramelize bananas in coconut oil makes me drool!
https://tessadomesticdiva.blogspot.com/2011/08/teff-millet-pancakes.html
Thanks Tessa! I just need a photo now :-). I haven’t had teff in the house for about 2 years….gotta get on it! :-).
Just an update: They turned out great! I blogged about today and posted what changes I made to the recipe. Thanks for your help. 🙂
Yea! Thanks for taking the time to share and thank you for the mention in your post! Now I have to go and order more teff – we haven’t had these in awhile!
My grandma used to mash banana in the pancake mix when I was a little girl and I started doing it when I began making pancakes for my children. I guess it probably adds to the nutrition to the mix but I do it more as a tradition in memory of my grandma.
Hmmm..I would probably cut another liquid but if you are used to doing it then you might be OK with how it turns out. Sweet memory!
I’m new to the world of gluten-free and bought my first bag of teff flour tonight. I’m going to try and make teff pancakes in the morning for my kids but I wondered if I can add a mashed banana to the mix like I would regular pancake mix? Maybe I’ll just start out with just a cup of buttermilk to see how much moisture the mashed banana adds to the mix and see how the dough looks? I’m assuming it’ll look comparable to a regular pancake mix? Thanks for letting me bombard you with questions. 🙂
I’ve never tried anything like that – but if you typically do that, go ahead! Are you using it to reduce fat or just add nutrition?
Do you think i could sub millet for teff? Its in the same family and their protein/fat/carb/fiber content is really close.
Hi Kathy,
I pretty much am willing to sub grains for each other, within reason, since I am not a “purist” about those sorts of things. That being said, you could for sure do it, but you won’t get the same “chocolatey” flavor or depth since millet is much more mild. And while they may be close, teff is higher in protein and lower in glycemic index. I would, whenever you have the chance to get teff, go for it. You will love them!
I hope you like it as much as we do, Shelley. You can buy the teff in grain form as well and then grind it. It will keep much longer that way. We plan on doing a teff purchase soon so I’ll be in touch about that as well.
This sounds amazing! Something to try when I’m off from work! Keep the great recipe’s coming. Happy New Year.