Easy Rice Flour Pancakes

Name: Rice Flour Pancakes with Great Texture!
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup rice flour; 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch* (see note); 2 tablespoons sugar; 3 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder; 1 cup milk (any); 1 egg (beaten); 1 tablespoon butter (melted); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

By Laura Fuentes Updated Oct 23, 2024

4.97 from 54 votes

Recipe

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This is the recipe for rice flour pancakes you want to have on hand to satisfy the craving for a nice fluffy stack for breakfast!

This recipe yields great allergy-friendly pancakes without expensive mixes. Read the post for my tested tips that yield the best rice flour pancake texture!

stack of rice flour pancakes on a plate with honey poured over it

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Fluffy Pancakes with Rice Flour
Ingredients
How to Make Rice Flour Pancakes
Rice Flour Pancakes with Great Texture!

Fluffy Pancakes with Rice Flour

Rice flour pancake recipes can be a hit or miss, especially if you’re searching for a recipe that compares to traditional fluffy pancakes.

I’ve tested many rice flour recipes, and none had the structure of the pancake I was looking for something stackable, with a little thickness, that also tasted good (most were bland).

This recipe keeps what you love: the buttery and lightly sweet flavor of the classic pancakes without sacrificing too much of the structure because of the rice flour.

Ingredients

You’ll find the amounts in the recipe card but before you make swaps or buy the wrong rice flour, check out the simple list of ingredients you’ll need to make delicious rice flour pancakes:

Rice flour: white rice flour yields a nicer outcome than brown rice flour. Below, I explain why you should not use glutinous rice flour; they’re not all the same.
Sugar: just enough to give these a light sweet flavor since rice flour tends to be very bland.
Baking powder: the rising agent that gives these pancakes texture. The pancakes won’t rise without it.
Milk: any kind of dairy or non-dairy milk works with this recipe, do not use water.
Egg: to bind the batter ingredients. This recipe will not work with an egg substitute for pancakes.
Butter: makes the pancake texture soft and adds flavor.
Vanilla extract: to add a touch of sweetness to the batter.

Is Rice Flour Healthier than Regular Flour?

Rice flour is not necessarily healthier than traditional wheat flour; it is, however, a good gluten-free option. Nutritionally, they both have thiamine, riboflavin, niacin (great minerals), and vitamin E.

Both rice flour and wheat flour have nearly the same amount of carbohydrates, 21 to 22g per ounce, and rice flour has a little less fiber.

Rice Flour Pancake Batter

Unlike traditional pancake batter, rice flour batter isn’t as thick at first. For this reason, I added 10 minutes of time to the recipe to let the batter sit at room temperature for it to thicken up and absorb the liquid. This is a crucial step to achieving a thicker pancake-like texture.

Rice Flour Pancake Texture

Rice flour pancakes are a little thinner than traditional pancakes in nature. This recipe contains starch to fill in the body of the pancake, and the baking powder helps them rise; both give these pancakes structure.

How to Make Rice Flour Pancakes

Grab your favorite mixing bowl, and let’s make some fluffy pancakes with rice flour!

Mix the dry ingredients
Combine the rice flour, starch, baking powder, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the wet ingredients
Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Slowly mix with a fork or whisk until the batter is smooth.
Wait 10 Minutes
Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes before cooking -don’t skip this step!
Pour
Heat a griddle or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Grease it with butter or cooking spray and pour 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake.
Cook and serve
Wait until the pancakes are set and bubble form before flipping and cooking the other side for an additional minute. Remove from heat and serve with your choice of toppings.

Is Rice Flour Good for Pancake Batter?

Rice flour isn’t the first choice for making pancakes due to its grainy texture, but it is an option if you need to make gluten-free pancakes or allergy-friendly pancakes. A better gluten-free option is oats, which make terrific oatmeal pancakes.

Following the recipe below without making too many substitutions will reduce the chances of pancake mistakes happening.

Alternatively, you can make one of these fluffy paleo pancakes that are also gluten-free, these Cassava Flour pancakes, or my traditional gluten-free pancake batter using a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix.

Is Glutinous Rice Flour ok to use for pancakes?

Glutinous rice flour is better suitable for dumplings, not pancakes. I’ve tested this recipe several times with it and had horrible results. Regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour have very different textures.

Regular rice flour will yield a cake-like consistency like traditional pancakes, whereas Glutinous Rice Flour will yield a sticky and chewy textured pancake (think dough-like).

What Can You Add to the Batter?

From berries to chocolate chips and chopped nuts, pancakes never have to be the same. A good rule of thumb is to not add more than ½ cup of pancake add-ins to any standard, 4-serving pancake recipe.

You can always use one of these pancake syrups or these pancake toppings to up your breakfast game.

Rice Flour Pancakes with Great Texture!

Servings: 12 pancakes

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

This is the recipe for rice flour pancakes you want to have on hand to satisfy the craving for a nice fluffy stack for breakfast!

4.97 from 54 votes

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Ingredients

1 cup rice flour
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch*, see note
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1 cup milk, any
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Batter:

In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, and baking powder, making sure everything is mixed well.
Make a well in the middle of the bowl, and add the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. With a whisk, combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until everything is well combined.

Wait 10 minutes:

Set the bowl aside and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. This allows the rice-flour batter to absorb the liquid and thicken, making this an essential step for the pancakes to have a thicker/fluffier texture.

Cook the pancakes:

Heat a non-stick pan or griddle on medium-high heat. Once hot, grease with oil or butter and pour about 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake onto the hot pan. I use a ¼ cup scoop filled about ¾ of the way.
Cook the first side for approximately 2 minutes, and once the edges are defined, and the middles begin to bubble, flip and cook for an additional minute on the other side.
Repeat the process with the remaining batter to yield about 12 pancakes. Serve with your favorite toppings and syrup.

Notes

A starch is necessary for this recipe to provide structure. I recommend cornstarch because it’s readily available; however, I’ve also tested this recipe with tapioca starch and cassava flour (starch) and gotten great results. In all instances, you must wait for the batter to absorb some of the liquid before cooking the pancakes.
Use the right baking powder: Since pancake batter naturally has a mild, neutral flavor, it’s important to use aluminum-free baking powder. The metallic flavor will ruin the taste, especially in fluffy pancake recipes that call for 2 or more teaspoons. Trust me on this one.