These whole wheat pancakes are soft and fluffy with the slightly nutty, hearty flavor of whole wheat, without turning out heavy or dense. They're made with 100% whole-wheat flour and cook up just as beautifully golden as a classic stack.
Whole Wheat Pancakes from Scratch
It took me years to get my family to approve a whole-wheat pancake recipe that could compete with my famous fluffy pancakes. I wanted to use 100% whole-wheat flour, not a blend, so we could get more whole grains into breakfast without sacrificing the pancakes everyone already loved.
These are the kind of kid-approved pancakes that prove whole-wheat flour doesn’t have to mean serving flat hockey pucks. I first shared this recipe in 2016, and they’ve been a family and reader favorite ever since. They’re soft, fluffy, and hearty without tasting "healthy," so nobody really notices that breakfast is a little more wholesome.
Ingredients
Whole-wheat flour is the base for this pancake recipe. You can use stone-ground, white whole wheat (also known as pastry flour), or finely milled wheat at home. Baking powder is essential for a fluffy texture, a pinch of salt to enhance flavor, and a little sugar for sweetness and a golden finish. Use dairy or non-dairy milk as the liquid, an egg to bind the batter, and a little melted butter for moisture.
How to Make Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Mix the dry ingredients.
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. This prevents packing the flour and helps give the pancakes a lighter texture. - Make the batter.
Add the wet ingredients, then use a fork to whisk the eggs first, then gently whisk everything, and stop mixing as soon as no visible flour remains so you don’t overmix the batter. - Cook the pancakes.
Grease a non-stick pan, then cook the first side for about 2 minutes, flipping them over when bubbles form on top and the edges look defined. - Serve warm.
Serve these whole wheat pancakes topped with fresh fruit and pancake syrup.
Whole Wheat Pancake Batter Texture
Whole wheat pancake batter is naturally a little thicker than batter made with all-purpose flour, but it should still be airy and pourable. Simply swapping whole-wheat flour into most pancake recipes can produce dense, flat pancakes because whole wheat absorbs more liquid. I created this recipe specifically for 100% whole-wheat flour so the pancakes stay soft and fluffy.
Laura’s Tips for the Best Whole Wheat Pancakes
Regular whole-wheat flour works, but white whole wheat flour gives you a lighter, fluffier pancake because it’s more finely milled. Both work with this recipe.
Usually it’s too much flour or overmixing. Measure the flour carefully by using a smaller scoop to fill the measuring cup, then sift it into the bowl, and mix only until no visible flour remains. A few small lumps in the batter are fine.
Heat the pan first, grease it, and immediately add the batter. If the butter starts browning as soon as it hits the pan after several batches, the pan has gotten too hot and needs to cool down. Tip: simply run it under cool water between batches.
Yes. Refrigerate cooked pancakes for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds or in the toaster.
More Homemade Pancakes You’ll Love
The Best Whole Wheat Pancakes
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder, aluminum-free
- 2 tablespoons sugar, maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
Make the batter:
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Sifting will help your whole-wheat pancakes have a lighter texture. If using honey instead of sugar, add it to the bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Using a fork, break up the eggs first, and then whisk the wet ingredients, incorporating them from the outside of the bowl in, until the batter is mostly smooth and no visible flour is left.
Cook the pancakes:
- Heat a non-stick pan, skillet, or griddle over medium heat. Once hot, grease, spray, or melt butter on the hot surface.
- Immediately, pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the greased pan. Cook the pancakes for about 2 minutes, until the edges look defined and bubbles form. Flip the pancakes over and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. Do not press down with a spatula. Remove from the pan onto a plate and cook the remaining pancakes.
- Stack them high and enjoy them warm topped with your favorite pancake toppings and syrup.
Store
- Refrigerate leftover cooked pancakes in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or freeze them up to 3 months. Reheat them for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave or in a toaster.
Notes
- You can use traditional whole-wheat flour or “white whole-wheat,” also known as whole-wheat pastry flour. The latter yields fluffier pancakes because it’s ground finer.
- Since pancake batter naturally has a mild, neutral flavor, I recommend aluminum-free baking powder because aluminum-based baking powder can leave a metallic or salty aftertaste in pancakes.
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Rob F. says
Incredibly light and delicious. I’m not sure why they’re so much better than the other recipes I have tried. Don’t omit the slight coating of butter on the heated pan. For the liquid, I used 1.5 cups of soy milk and.5 cups of half and half. Worked well.
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for sharing how much you enjoyed these, Rob. I work reaaaaalllly hard to achieve a specific type of texture and taste to my panake recipes so I appreciate you making this whole wheat pancake recipe for breakfast and sharing your results.
Aubree says
Thank u for the great breakfast nomnomnom
Michelle Buckner says
So good! We used golden wheat flour. The fluffiest pancakes we’ve ever made!
Kat says
Made this pancake recipe for dinner tonight and it turned out wonderfully. I doubled it and tossed the remaining pancakes in the freezer for easy morning breakfasts for my kids.
Carol says
Delicious! We’re diabetic, so this recipe is wonderful. Thank you.