Multigrain Pancakes with Flax
Hearty Multigrain Pancakes are light, fluffy, and subtly sweet. They’re made with a blend of five types of grains as well as milled flaxseed for an added dose of fiber. Load up the pancakes with your favorite toppings or enjoy simply with maple syrup and butter!
Creating This Recipe
This easy multigrain pancake recipe has been a family favorite for years (seriously – I first shared these pancakes back in 2010!).
The pancake mix features a blend of whole wheat flour, barley flour, oat flour, brown rice flour, and rye flour. Milled flaxseed adds fiber and also lets you make a full batch of pancakes using just one egg.
To save time throughout the week, I make a big batch of the dry pancake mix featured in this multigrain pancake recipe and store it in jars. Whenever we want freshly made multigrain pancakes with flaxseed, I simply dump the dry mix out of the jar, stir in the wet ingredients, and cook the pancakes!
Keep this healthier pancake recipe tucked up your sleeve for weekend breakfasts, holiday entertaining, and special occasion brunches. The pancakes are fast and easy to prepare, and the blend of flours make for a filling stack of pancakes that will leave you feeling satisfied!
Tools You’ll Need
You’ll need a few specific kitchen tools to make these multigrain pancakes with flax:
- Measuring Cups and Spoons — For measuring out the wet and dry ingredients.
- Large Mixing Bowl — This recipe makes a large quantity of dry mix, so you’ll need a large bowl to combine everything.
- Zip-Top Bag or Jar — Only needed if you’ll be storing some of the dry pancake mix for later (this is usually what I do!).
- Griddle — Ideal for cooking pancakes. If you don’t own a griddle, a large skillet works too.
- Spatula — For easy pancake flipping.
Recipe Ingredients
This is a two-in-one recipe! There’s a dry multigrain pancake mix which you can prep now and store for later, as well as the ingredients needed for making pancakes from the dry mix.
For the dry pancake mix:
- Whole wheat flour
- Barley flour
- Oat flour
- Brown rice flour
- Rye flour
- Cold-milled flaxseed
- Powdered milk
- Salt
- Baking powder
For the pancakes:
- Dry pancake mix (from the ingredients above)
- Egg
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Vanilla extract
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
How to Make Multigrain Pancakes
The multigrain flaxseed pancakes come together in no time! Follow these basic steps:
- Make the dry mix: Whisk together the flours, milled flaxseed, powdered milk, salt, and baking powder.
- Add the wet ingredients: Measure 1 cup + 1 tablespoon of the dry mix into a separate mixing bowl. To this, add the egg, sugar, melted butter, water, and vanilla.
- Cook the pancakes: Drop ¼-cup portions of pancake batter to a preheated griddle, taking care not to crowd the pancakes. Cook until you see large bubbles forming on top of the pancakes before flipping.
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
Tips for Making this Recipe
- Out of baking powder? You can make your own baking powder substitute using baking soda and cream of tartar!
- Use any powdered milk you like. I’ve seen nonfat, whole, and dairy-free powdered milks at my local grocery store, and any should work in this recipe.
- Make a batch of pancake mix to enjoy later. This recipe makes a large quantity of dry pancake mix. We make a lot of pancakes in our house, so I always store the mix in jars to save prep time later on.
Recipe Variations to Try
This is a flexible recipe that can be made using different ingredients, mix-ins, and more. Here are some variations to try:
- Add cinnamon. We love adding ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to individual batches of pancakes.
- Add pumpkin puree. This gives the multigrain pancakes a delicious fall flair! You can add ¼ cup of store-bought or homemade pumpkin puree per batch of pancakes.
- Add mashed banana. Similarly, you can add ¼ cup of mashed banana to the dry mix to make multigrain banana pancakes.
- Use a different type of sweetener. Don’t want to add granulated sugar to your pancakes? Replace it with an equal amount of honey, agave, maple syrup, or pureed fruit (applesauce, pear sauce, etc.).
- Add mix-ins. After ladling the pancake batter onto a preheated griddle, sprinkle with chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dried fruit, etc. to customize your pancakes.
Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make this recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
Can I halve or quarter this recipe?
Yes! If you don’t want to store any extra pancake mix, simply halve or quarter the ingredient measurements to make fewer pancakes.
How many pancakes does one serving of the dry mix make?
One batch of pancakes calls for 1 cup + 1 tablespoon of dry mix. This will yield roughly 6 pancakes.
Can leftover pancakes be frozen?
Absolutely! I have a full guide on Freezing and Reheating Pancakes that walks you through my preferred method for storing leftover pancakes.
Storage Instructions
Let any leftover pancakes cool completely before storing in a zip-top bag or airtight container. They will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Pancakes can also be frozen for up to 3 months. You can reheat them in a toaster or in the oven.
What to Serve with Multigrain Pancakes
Some of our favorite toppings for these multigrain flax pancakes include:
- Pure maple syrup
- Butter
- Bourbon caramel sauce
- Strawberry sauce
- Spiced pear butter
- Instant Pot apple butter
- Vanilla glazed walnuts
- Apple cider syrup
Side dishes that pair nicely with homemade pancakes include:
- Fluffy scrambled eggs
- Candied bacon (or baked bacon)
- Crustless broccoli cheddar mini quiches
- Kale pineapple smoothie
- Baked eggs with kale and sausage
Try Making Five-Grain Pancakes at Home!
Next time you’re looking for a healthier pancake recipe, give this multigrain version a try!
Did you love how fluffy the pancakes turned out? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your multigrain pancakes with flax!
More Homemade Pancake Recipes:
A lightened up, gluten-free version of perfect griddlecakes, these Oatmeal Pancakes are sweet, flavorful and perfect for a weekend breakfast!
These Carrot Cake Pancakes are easy to prepare and perfect for a Saturday morning or an Easter brunch. This recipe is the perfect way to use up tons of carrots!
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with all things pink by making these fun, colorful Pink Pancakes topped with strawberry jam and fluffy, vanilla whipped cream. They’re all-natural and dye-free!
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
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Multigrain Pancakes
Hearty Multigrain Pancakes are light, fluffy, and subtly sweet. They’re made with a blend of five types of grains as well as milled flaxseed for an added dose of fiber. Load up the pancakes with your favorite toppings or enjoy simply with maple syrup and butter!
Ingredients
For the dry mix:
- 9 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 cups barley flour
- 2 1/2 cups oat flour
- 2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 2 cups rye flour
- 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups cold-milled flax
- 4 cups powdered milk
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup baking powder
To make pancake with the dry mix:
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon dry mix
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar (honey and agave may also be used)
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin or mashed banana, optional
Instructions
For the mix:
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (or stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater if you have a Bosch or large Kitchen Aid). Stir very well, using a whisk, until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Transfer to 2 gallon-sized freezer zip-top bag. Be sure to label the bag with the pancake instructions, as seen below. Store in the freezer for freshness.
For the Pancakes:
- Preheat a griddle over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Combine the beaten egg, butter, sugar, water, vanilla, and any optional ingredients. Mix well. With a wooden spoon, stir in the pancake batter until well mixed.
- Grease pan with spray oil. Add 1/4 cup of batter to the preheated pan for each pancake. Don’t overcrowd. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes before flipping. Large bubbles should be forming on the top of the uncooked side.
- Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from Sensible Cooking
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2218Total Fat: 61gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 47gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 5305mgCarbohydrates: 362gFiber: 65gSugar: 41gProtein: 82g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Cindy says
This looks so yummy, but I have to make soo much of the flour mix before I can try it. Is there any way to just make one batch’s worth of mix so I don’t waste soo much good grain flour incase my family doesn’t like it? Thanks so much!!
Katie says
Just divide the entire recipe for the mix by half, a quarter, or whatever amount you choose.
Kim says
I was wondering what one recipe of this mix yields in terms of number of pancakes. I’m using this in a jar and giving as Christmas gifts. In a previous post it said it yielded 12-18, but in the printable recipe it said 4-6.
Thanks,
Kim
Katie says
One recipe of pancakes according to the label instructions makes about 6 pancakes, but the jars that I used and noted in the post for the gift holds more than 1 recipe of pancake mix because they hold 3 1/4 cups.
Caroline says
Hey Katie,
Just tried this recipe…so yummy!!! My kids and I will be making these as gifts as you suggest in the jars for teacher’s Christmas gifts this year. One question-do you have the nutritional values listed someplace on your web site? Would love to know as I count calories. What a delicious recipe! It is so light and I really enjoy all the textures in the different grains. Blessings on your Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Katie says
Hi Caroline,
So glad you liked it! I do not provide calorie count of recipes on my site, but if you google “recipe nutritional information” you should be able to find some calculators where you input the recipe and the servings and it will give you some calculations. Hope that helps!
Zakia says
is there a specific reason the sugar is added to each batch and not to the mix?
Katie says
Because that is how the original recipe from the book I got it from was written. Also because you can vary your sugar each time (honey, sugar, fruit purée). But if you want to calculate out the total sugar and add to the mix it won’t harm anything.