These corn pancakes are fluffy, delicious, and as easy as other pancakes to make. The difference? Their gluten-free, full of whole grains because of the corn flour, and they are low in nickel.
To be honest, this recipe came about because I had a celiac client come to me with a nickel allergy and was on a low-nickel diet.
If you’re not familiar, low nickel diets are restrictive and they were struggling with finding gluten-free foods to eat and meal prep. So, these gluten-free pancakes made with corn were born!
These corn pancakes are made with corn flour, white rice flour, sugar, eggs, and milk. Yes, that’s it.
The benefits? Well these pancakes are made with the gluten-free whole grain, corn. Thus, making them a source of whole grains!
The eggs and the milk add protein (especially if you use cow or soy milk). And the sugar adds a sweetness that we know and love in pancakes.
Most importantly, this recipe is made with low-nickel ingredients. And highlights the only gluten-free whole grain allowed on a low-nickel diet; corn.
Keep it low-nickel by topping these pancakes with fresh low-nickel fruit like bananas, peaches, pears, strawberries (yes, strawberries are gluten-free), and blueberries.
And if you don’t have to worry about nickel but are looking to get creative with corn flour, then top these with anything you like!
Before we dive into making these gluten-free pancakes with corn flour, let’s talk about the gluten-free status of corn flour.
Many people worry about the gluten-free status of corn flour like they do about oats. Because oats are celiac-safe only in specific scenarios.
The thing about gluten-free grains like oats, corn, buckwheat, etc. is that their safety for people with celiac depends largely on the person. In general, most of the grains are safe regardless of if they are certified gluten-free. That is with the exception of oats which have a high rate of abuse in the United States.
So when buying gluten-free corn flour, it helps to look for “gluten-free” on the bag, certified gluten-free is even better but it’s not necessary.
I personally used Maseca Instant Corn Flour that’s labeled gluten-free. It’s $10 on amazon but I got it for $3.39 in my local grocery store (See the pictures below). I also used white rice flour from the international market that I got for a $1.69.
All of that out of the way, let’s dive into this corn flour pancake recipe!