Citrus Poppy Seed Almond Flour Pancakes (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free option)

These fluffy almond flour pancakes get loads of flavor from floral citrus zest, nutty poppy seeds, and tender almond flour. Smother them in yogurt, honey, and citrus for a bright winter breakfast. Or use berries in the spring or summer. Thanks to Bob's Red Mill for sponsoring this post!

According to the Chinese calendar, 2019 was the year of the pig. But for me, it was the year of the pancake. I perfected my favorite classic gluten-free pancake recipe loaded with flavor from sorghum flour, buttermilk, and maple. I shared recipes for savory gluten-free zucchini pancakes, and gluten-free carrot cake pancakes. Jay and I definitely pigged out on all of the above!

I also developed the recipe for these gluten-free almond flour pancakes toward the end of citrus season last spring. I'm excited to share the recipe at last now that kumquats, tangerines, blood oranges, mandarinquats, cara cara oranges, and all the other citrus fruits are back in season. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour Pancakes

I'm thrilled to partner with Bob's Red Mill again this year to bring you loads of gluten-free recipes made with their delicious alternative flours! Last week I had the great honor of meeting Bob himself (!) at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco along with my friend Irvin of Eat the Love. Irvin also made some of the beautiful ceramics that I used in these photos!

After baking with Bob's flours for many years, it was quite an honor (and a bit surreal) to meet Bob in person! He was every bit as kind as I imagined. I wish I could say that we had a good old chat. But I was so star struck, I immediately forgot everything I ever knew about anything.

Had I my wits about me, I would have thanked Bob for providing endless gluten-free flours to play with over the years. I would have told him how much I love sticking my nose in a fresh bag of malty teff or toasty buckwheat flour. How I've found that sweet rice flour combined with oat and millet or sorghum makes a great all-purpose base for most gluten-free recipes. How blanched almond flour has magic powers that can transform into cakes, cookies, crusts, and crumbles.

Instead, I'll have to say it with pancakes. Fluffy almond flour pancakes, to be precise.

Healthy Almond Flour Pancakes that Taste Like a Treat

While I'm a perennial fan of classic gluten-free pancakes, making these paleo pancakes with almond flour adds extra protein and healthy fats which keep you full all morning. Bob's finely ground almond flour combines with tapioca flour to create plush pancakes with a bit of nubby texture. These get subtle nutty notes from the almond flour, but their flavor and mouthfeel is surprisingly similar to grain-based pancakes – mild, tender, and plush.

Whether you or your guests are abstaining from grains for health reasons, or if you just want a hearty breakfast that keeps you satisfied for hours, these grain-free pancakes made with almond flour still feel like a breakfast time treat.

Ingredients for Citrus Poppy Seed Almond Flour Pancakes & Substitutions

Dry Ingredients

• Blanched almond flour forms the base of this recipe. You can probably use unblanched almond meal, or even another nut or seed flour such as hazelnut or sunflower seed in its place.
• A small amount of tapioca flour gives these pancakes loft.
• A touch of sweetener (sugar, honey or maple) adds sweetness. These pancakes are barely sweet, which means you get to add lots of maple syrup or honey to your plate.
• Baking powder adds lift. While most pancake recipes use baking soda as well, these pancakes brown enough due to their high fat content from the almond flour, so I left off the baking soda this time.
• Fine sea salt rounds out the flavor.
• Poppy seeds add nutty, floral flavor. But you can leave them out if you prefer, or use hemp seeds in their place.

Wet Ingredients

• Melted butter or plant butter adds richness and flavor. I've made these with dairy butter and plant butter (Miyoko's brand is my favorite) and they work equally well. I think you could use melted coconut oil or another mild cooking oil, such as sunflower, if you preferred.
• Lemon and tangerine zest, steeped in the butter to bring out their oils, lend bright fruity notes that blend beautifully with the mild almond and nutty poppy seeds.
• A couple of eggs add lift as well as protein. For a vegan version, I'm curious to try these with flax eggs (such as in this vegan almond flour pancake recipe). You could also try substituting Just Egg, which is made from mung beans and other vegan ingredients. These worked well in my other gluten-free pancake recipe.
• Milk (plant-based or dairy) moistens the batter. I've tested these with whole milk and coconut milk beverage (the kind that comes in a carton) and both work well. Since this pancake batter is sensitive to changes in moisture, you may need to add more milk for a thinner batter or more flour for a thicker one.
• I usually cook these pancakes in ghee, which is made from butter and has a very high smoke point and rich, warm flavor. But any cooking oil with a high smoke point will work well too, such as grapeseed oil or sunflower oil.

Toppings

• I like to top these pancakes with yogurt (plain or vanilla, plant or dairy, Greek or regular), rounds of citrus fruits, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, and a sprinkle of poppy seeds. If I'm feeling really fancy and have some on hand, I'll add a cube or two of honeycomb, mostly for aesthetic purposes.

How to Make Pancakes with Almond Flour

These easy almond flour pancakes are as simple to make as any pancake recipe out there. Start by melting your butter, adding the citrus zest to bring out its flavor. Next, combine the flours, poppy seeds, baking powder, salt, and sugar (if using). Add the eggs and milk, whisk until halfway combined, then whisk in the citrus butter to combine.

Heat the ghee or oil in a skillet or griddle over medium heat – I like to use well-seasoned cast iron. It's a good idea to test a drop of batter on the pan to make sure it's a good temperature. It should sizzle on contact and turn golden on the bottom after a minute or two. Adjust the heat if needed.

Drop the batter by 1/4 cups onto the hot griddle – a spring-loaded ice cream scoop works beautifully if you've got one. It's also a good idea to test a pancake to make sure the batter is the right thickness, since these are sensitive to small changes in moisture. The pancake should gently spread into a round. If it stays in a ball, add another tablespoon or two of milk to thin the batter. If it spreads too much, sift and whisk in another tablespoon or two of almond flour to thicken it.

When everything is just right, cook the pancakes until they start to form bubbles on top, 2-3 minutes, keeping a close watch as the bottoms can burn if the pan is too hot. Flip the pancakes (I like a thin, metal spatula for this job) and cook on the second side. Take care not to overcook the pancakes as they can dry out. They'll continue to cook from residual heat once removed from the pan.

Toppings for Almond Flour Pancakes

Top your warm grain-free pancakes with seasonal fruit, butter or yogurt, and your favorite sweetener. I've been enjoying these with all the citrus fruits, vanilla cashew yogurt, and honey or maple syrup. These would also be delicious with berry compote or fresh berries in the spring, or stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums) in the summer.

You can leave off the citrus and poppy seeds if a classic almond flour pancake is more your speed, adding vanilla to perfume the batter if you like.

Easy Almond Flour Pancakes All Week Long

Don't relegate these fluffy pancakes to the weekend! Make a double batch on Sunday so that you can have warm pancakes for breakfast all week. Reheat the pancakes in a hot skillet with a dab of oil or ghee. They keep beautifully in the fridge for several days. Or freeze them for longer storage.

Looking for more pancake recipes? Try these:

• Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes with Sorghum Flour (dairy-free, vegan options)
• Gluten-Free Banana Buckwheat Pancakes
• GF Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
• Gluten-Free Crepes with Ricotta & Citrus
• Gluten-Free Zucchini Fritters
• GF Cheese Blintzes with Buckwheat & Berries
• Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Latkes
• Buckwheat Crepes, Any Which Way

*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this almond flour pancake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

4.67 from 3 votes

Citrus Poppy Seed Almond Flour Pancakes (gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, dairy-free option)

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These fluffy almond flour pancakes get loads of flavor from floral citrus zest, nutty poppy seeds, and tender almond flour. Smother them in yogurt, honey, and citrus for a bright winter breakfast. Or use berries in the spring or summer.

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 3 -4 servings

Ingredients

• finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon and 2 medium tangerines (or other citrus zest)
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) salted or unsalted plant or dairy butter
• 2 cups (220 g) Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour
• ¼ cup (30 g) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon (8 g) poppy seeds (optional)
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup (175 ml) plant milk or dairy milk (I use coconut milk from a carton)
• ghee or oil for cooking the pancakes

For serving:

• Yogurt or plant yogurt
• Citrus rounds (kumquat, tangerine, oranges, and/or grapefruit)
• honey or maple syrup
• honeycomb (if you want to be extra fancy)
• sprinkle of poppy seeds

Instructions

• Place the butter in a small saucepan, add the citrus zest (and honey, if using), and melt over low heat until the butter is hot. Set aside to infuse while you prepare the other ingredients.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, sugar (if using), poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well to eradicate lumps. Alternatively, work the dry ingredients through a wide-mesh strainer.
• Make a well in the flour mixture and add the eggs and milk (and maple syrup, if using). Whisk until halfway combined, then whisk in the citrus butter until the batter is just combined.
• Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Swirl in a bit of ghee or oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Drop the pancake batter by the quarter cup, spacing well apart to allow the pancakes to spread (I like to use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop.) If the pancakes don’t spread upond contact with the pan, use the scoop or measuring cup to spread the batter a bit. If the pancakes spread too much, whisk in a tablespoon or two more almond flour to thicken the batter.
• Cook the pancakes until golden on the bottom and beginning to form bubbles on the top, 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on the pancakes to make sure the bottoms aren’t burning and decrease the heat if needed. These pancakes brown more easily than most due to their high fat content from the almond flour.
• Flip and cook the pancakes on the second side until golden, 1-2 more minutes. The pancakes will continue to cook from residual heat. Add more oil to the pan and cook the remaining pancakes until the batter is gone.
• Remove the pancakes to a plate or platter and keep warm (you can slide them into a 200ºF oven if you like).
• Serve the pancakes with rounds of citrus, dollops of yogurt, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, a sprinkle of poppy seeds, and honeycomb if using.
• Extra pancakes keep well, refrigerated, for up to a few days. Reheat in a lightly oiled skillet set over medium heat until warmed through.

Notes

For classic almond flour pancakes, omit the citrus zests and poppy seeds, adding 1 teaspoon vanilla extract along with the milk and eggs instead. 

Nutritional values are based on 1 of 4 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 15gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 369mgPotassium: 173mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 386IUCalcium: 235mgIron: 3mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!