Fluffy Grain-Free Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Summertime is in full swing, bringing back many fond memories of July days of yore spent at my grandparent’s lakeside cabin in Connecticut. Summer after summer, we would canoe the tiny mountain lake picking wild blueberries along the shore and lovingly paddle them home to the rustic kitchen to fold into fluffy pancake batter and flaky pie crusts.

I haven’t been back to the cabin for years, but every time I kick off a weekend morning with a blueberry pancake brunch, my mind travels right back to these special carefree days.

Food is deeply intertwined with my family history. This Grain-Free Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes recipe was born from my desire to create (and recreate) special brunches with people I hold dear. The food I choose to serve is designed as an offering that celebrates connectivity and love, an extension of those feelings passed down to me by my aunts and grandmothers.

This recipe also features my homemade Truly Raw, Unpasteurized Almond Meal and Organic Cashew Milk.

In this spirit, this grain-free recipe has traveled with me to consciousness festivals and Burning Man, where I have shared these taste sensations with strangers and new friends alike. And these blue bombshells make an appearance often at special meals when my whole family is together.

A simple and easy way to take these pancakes to a festival or summertime campout is to mix the dry ingredients in advance in a glass jar. Then, when you’re at camp, add an egg, melted butter/coconut oil and boxed coconut or almond milk. Toss in some bananas, granola or frozen blueberries if you have them. Then cook over a propane flame on a cast iron skillet, and you’ll be the talk of camp. Just be careful you don’t get pegged as camp chef (unless you love this role like I do)! For a mess-free (although not the most sustainable) hack, mix your batter up in a bowl lined with press-and-seal. Then just peal it off and toss it away when you’re done.

If you want a lighter version, use coconut flour instead of the buckwheat flour. I made a coconut mac nut version of these pancakes on a trip to Hawaii last year, omitting the cinnamon and adding chopped macadamia nuts to the batter while cooking. Then I topped the pancakes with a coconut syrup made with 1 can full fat coconut milk, ¼ cup honey and ½ cup unsweetened flake coconut, warmed and thickened slightly in a saucepan on the stove. My Dad still talks about that brunch to this day! I think the view might have helped as well.

All this to say: the options for creativity with this base recipe are endless, and these are best enjoyed in loving company.

Watch additional Vivacious Basics Videos for How To Make Almond Flour and Cashew Milk on my YouTube Channel!

Videos by Colin Leibold.

fluffy grain-free blueberry buckwheat pancakes

• YIELD: 6 pancakes (3 Servings)
• PREP: 10 mins
• COOK: 5 mins
• READY IN: 15 mins

Fluffy and delicious grain free pancakes that are perfect for Sunday brunch or a late night snack.

ingredients

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup raw almond meal
• 1/2 tsp organic cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup cashew milk or other milk
• 1 tsp grassfed butter of coconut oil (melted)
• 1 pastured egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/4 cup organic blueberries or unsweetened chocolate chips or chopped organic banana

instructions

1. Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
2. Whisk in wet ingredients until all lumps disappear.
3. Heat 1 tsp of butter in a large cast iron skillet over low-medium heat.
4. Use a 1/4 cup measure to pour circles of batter onto the skillet. Sprinkle each with a handful of blueberries.
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbles start to form in the center of each pancake.
6. Flip each pancake with a spatula and cook 2-3 minutes more until golden brown.
7. Serve with butter, organic maple syrup, homemade blueberry sauce or granola.