Grain-Free Pancakes Two Ways
Two grain-free pancakes for slow weekends and busy mornings: custardy cassava-coconut pancakes with a saffron-cardamom crème anglaise and raspberry chia jam, and quick, fluffy coconut flour pancakes with a warm berry compote.
Yield: Each serves 3–6 · Active: 10–45 min · Total: 15 min–1 hour · Year-round, with berries at their peak from June through August (frozen berries work anytime) · Cuisine: Persian-inspired and American · Best eaten: breakfast or weekend brunch
Which one to make?
Cardamom-Cream Pancakes with Raspberry Chia Jam: the weekend brunch showpiece, with a golden saffron-cardamom crème anglaise, bright raspberry jam, and pistachios.
Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes with Berry Compote: the 15-minute weekday stack, made in the blender.
More pancakes: see my Cottage Cheese Banana Pancakes (Four Ways).
1. Cardamom-Cream Pancakes with Raspberry Chia Jam
Inspired by Dr. Mark Hyman. Serves 6 (about 18 pancakes) · Active: 45 min · Total: 1 hour
Ingredients
Raspberry chia jam
1½ cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
2 tbsp water
1½ tbsp chia seeds
Saffron-cardamom crème anglaise
4 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
1 cup grass-fed heavy cream (or full-fat coconut cream, for dairy-free)
3 pasture-raised egg yolks
3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or a 2-inch piece of vanilla bean, split)
Pinch of saffron threads
⅛ tsp ground turmeric, for a golden color (optional)
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Cassava-coconut pancakes
6 large pasture-raised eggs
1½ cups whole milk (or ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk plus ¾ cup water)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
¾ cup cassava flour
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp coconut flour
½ tsp baking soda plus 1 tsp cream of tartar (or ¾ tsp aluminum-free baking powder)
⅛ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Coconut oil, ghee, or grass-fed butter, for cooking
To serve
Fresh raspberries
Crushed pistachios
Dried rose petals
A few saffron threads
Method
Make the chia jam. Simmer the raspberries, maple syrup, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring and mashing, until the berries break down. Take it off the heat, stir in the chia seeds, and let it sit at least 10 minutes. It thickens as it cools.
Infuse the cream. Toast the cardamom pods in a dry saucepan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the cream, vanilla, saffron, and turmeric (if using), and warm until it just steams, without boiling. Take it off the heat, cover, and let it steep 10 minutes.
Temper the yolks. In a bowl, whisk the yolks, maple syrup, and salt. Slowly whisk in about half the warm cream, a little at a time, so the yolks don’t scramble. Pour it all back into the pan.
Cook the custard. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, for 4–6 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (170–175°F). Don’t let it boil, or it will curdle.
Strain. Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer, and discard the cardamom pods and vanilla bean. Serve it warm, or chill it.
Make the batter. Whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in the cassava flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt, just until combined. Let it rest 5 minutes, so the flours can absorb the liquid.
Cook the pancakes. Heat a cast iron, carbon steel, or ceramic pan over medium-low heat, and add a little fat. Pour in ¼-cup portions of batter, and cook about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Keep them warm, covered, while you cook the rest.
Serve. Stack the pancakes, pour the crème anglaise over the top, and spoon on the raspberry chia jam. Finish with fresh raspberries, pistachios, rose petals, and a few saffron threads.
2. Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes with Berry Compote
Adapted from Bulletproof. Serves 3 · Active: 5 min · Total: 15 min
Ingredients
Berry compote
1 cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Pancakes
4 large pasture-raised eggs, at room temperature
½ cup coconut cream (the thick part from a can)
½ cup unsweetened almond milk or whole milk
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup coconut flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Grass-fed ghee or coconut oil, for cooking
To serve
Grass-fed butter
Maple syrup or honey
Chopped pecans or walnuts
Shredded coconut
Method
Make the compote. Simmer the berries, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the berries soften and release their juices.
Blend the batter. Blend all the pancake ingredients until smooth. Let it rest 2 minutes; it thickens as the coconut flour absorbs the liquid.
Cook. Heat a cast iron, carbon steel, or ceramic skillet over medium heat, and add a little ghee. Pour in 3–4 tbsp of batter per pancake. Cook 2–3 minutes, until golden underneath and set at the edges, then flip carefully with a wide spatula (coconut flour pancakes are more delicate than wheat ones), and cook 2 minutes more.
Serve stacked, with the warm compote, a pat of butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, and nuts and coconut, if you like.
Storage
Pancakes: refrigerated up to 3 days, or frozen up to 2 months. Reheat in a dry skillet or a 300°F oven.
Chia jam and berry compote: refrigerated up to 5 days.
Crème anglaise: refrigerated up to 3 days, with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface. Serve it chilled, or warm it very gently.
A note on honey: Honey is no longer raw once cooked into the jam, compote, or custard. Honey shouldn’t be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Why so many eggs? Grain-free flours have no gluten, so eggs hold the pancakes together. Coconut flour also absorbs about four times more liquid than wheat flour, so it needs plenty of eggs and liquid. The result is tender and custardy, softer and lighter than a classic wheat pancake.
Pasture-raised eggs — protein, choline, lutein, and vitamins A, D, E, B12, and K2. With 6 eggs in the cassava pancakes and 4 in the coconut pancakes, these are high-protein breakfasts.
Cassava and coconut flour — grain-free and gluten-free. Cassava flour, ground from the whole root, gives the closest texture to wheat, and coconut flour adds fiber.
Crème anglaise — one of the classic French dessert sauces, made with cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, cooked gently until it thickens. The cardamom and saffron give it the flavors of Persian sweets, like bastani ice cream, and of Indian sweets, like kheer and ras malai. Both spices have fat-soluble aromas that bloom in cream.
Cardamom — traditionally used to support digestion. Saffron — crocin and safranal, studied for supporting mood.
Raspberries and mixed berries — vitamin C, fiber, and anthocyanins. Raspberries are one of the richest sources of ellagic acid.
Chia seeds — omega-3 ALA, fiber, calcium, and magnesium. They gel to set the jam with very little sweetener.
Ceylon cinnamon — milder and much lower in coumarin than common cassia cinnamon, so it’s the better choice for everyday use. Cinnamon is studied for supporting healthy blood sugar.
Grass-fed cream and butter — vitamins A, D, E, and K2, plus butyrate.
As a circadian food, these are best for breakfast or brunch, eaten in daylight. The eggs’ protein and fat balance the natural sugars in the fruit and maple syrup, for steadier morning energy.
For your cycle: High in protein and choline, with iron-supporting vitamin C from the berries, these pancakes make a satisfying breakfast in any phase, and the saffron and cardamom feel especially comforting in the luteal phase.
Sourcing
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised, from a local farm
Cassava flour — organic, like Otto’s Naturals (not tapioca starch)
Coconut flour — organic, like Terrasoul or Coconut Secret
Heavy cream, milk, and butter — grass-fed and organic; vat-pasteurized cream (avoid ultra-pasteurized)
Coconut cream and milk — organic and full-fat, with no gums, like Native Forest Simple
Almond milk (optional) — unsweetened, with no gums, or homemade
Berries — organic, fresh in summer or frozen year-round
Chia seeds — organic
Saffron — Persian or Spanish threads, from a trusted spice shop
Cardamom, Ceylon cinnamon, and turmeric — organic and non-irradiated; whole green cardamom pods
Pistachios and rose petals — organic; food-grade, pesticide-free rose petals
Maple syrup and honey — organic Grade A dark maple syrup; organic, local, unfiltered honey
Baking soda and cream of tartar — aluminum-free baking soda, plus cream of tartar
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract or vanilla beans
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall