Fluffy Pancakes

These are classic fluffy low-FODMAP pancakes made with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend and lactose-free milk in place of wheat flour and regular milk.

Prep 15 min

Cook 20 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (210 g) gluten-free 1:1 flour blend, a rice, potato, and tapioca based blend without added inulin, chicory root, soy, chickpea, or lentil flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) white or cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, only if your flour blend does not already contain it
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) lactose-free milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar, to make a quick buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus a little more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pure maple syrup, to serve (cap at 1 tablespoon per person to stay in the tested low-FODMAP range)
• Optional: a small handful (about 1/4 cup) of fresh blueberries, or a firm, just-ripe banana, sliced

Instructions

Make the batter

1. Stir the lemon juice into the lactose-free milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. It will thicken slightly into a quick buttermilk.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum (if using).
3. Whisk the egg, melted butter, and vanilla into the milk mixture until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. A few lumps are fine. Let the batter rest for 5 to 10 minutes so the flour hydrates and the baking powder activates.

Cook the pancakes

1. Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat and brush with a thin film of butter.
2. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake, leaving space between them.
3. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until golden underneath.
4. Adjust the heat down if they brown too fast. Hold finished pancakes on a plate in a 200F oven while you cook the rest.

Serve

1. Stack the pancakes and top with maple syrup and, if you like, blueberries or firm banana slices within the portions noted above.

Tips & Substitutions

• Pick the flour blend carefully. Many gluten-free blends stay low-FODMAP, but some add inulin or chicory root fiber, or use soy, chickpea, or lentil flour, which push up the FODMAP load. Choose a rice, potato, tapioca, or maize based blend.
• Rest the batter. A short rest lets the starches absorb liquid and gives the baking powder a head start, which is what gives you taller, softer pancakes.
• Keep the buttermilk trick. The lemon juice or vinegar reacts with the baking powder for extra lift. You can skip it in a pinch, but the pancakes will be a little denser.
• Make it dairy-free. Swap the lactose-free milk for a low-FODMAP plant milk such as macadamia, almond, or quinoa milk, and use a firm plant-based spread in place of butter.
• Make it vegan. Along with the dairy-free swaps, replace the egg with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, rested until gel-like.
• Sweeten with the right things. Stick to maple syrup, white sugar, or cane sugar. Skip honey and agave (excess fructose) and sugar-free syrups made with polyols like sorbitol or maltitol.

Why This Works

• The gluten-free blend removes wheat fructans. Wheat flour is the main FODMAP trigger in standard pancakes. A rice and starch based blend has no fructans, so the batter starts low-FODMAP.
• Lactose-free milk drops the lactose. Lactase enzyme is added to split the milk sugar before you buy it, so you get the same milk without the lactose that bothers many people.
• Butter is naturally low in lactose. Butter is mostly fat with only trace milk solids, so a few tablespoons keeps the pancakes low-FODMAP.
• Maple syrup keeps the topping safe. Maple syrup is based on sucrose and glucose rather than excess fructose, so a 2 tablespoon serving works where honey would not.

Storage

Keep cooled pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze, stack them with a square of parchment between each one and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in a toaster, oven, or microwave until warmed through. Add maple syrup and fruit after reheating, and keep to the per-serve portions noted above.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.