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Three cornmeal pancakes on a pink plate topped with strawberry compote.

Cornmeal Pancakes

Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: cornbread pancakes, cornmeal pancakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 459kcal
These cornmeal pancakes are gluten free and easy to make! They are fluffy inside and crispy outside and pair perfectly with a simple strawberry compote.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Cornmeal pancakes

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoon cornmeal
  • 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoon melted butter
  • 2 eggs

Strawberry Compote

  • 2 pounds fresh strawberries
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup dark rum Optional - see note
  • ¼ cup water

Instructions

Strawberry Compote

  • Hull the strawberries and slice them in half, or into quarters if they are quite large.
  • Place the strawberries in a Dutch oven or large saucepan add the sugar, rum if using, and water.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the strawberries have broken down and the liquid has thickened, 20-25 minutes. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Cornmeal Pancakes

  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and set aside to cool. If making clarified butter to use for frying the pancakes, do that now and set aside. See tips below for how to make it.
  • Add the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter and eggs. Set a non-stick skillet, cast iron skillet, or griddle over medium heat.
  • Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, ensuring they are fully incorporated. You'll have a very wet, liquid-y batter.
  • Add butter or clarified butter to the hot skillet, then use a measuring cup to scoop a scant ¼ cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles start to push through, then flip and cook for one more minute.
  • Stir the batter before scooping the next batch into the skillet. You can keep the pancakes warm on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 200 degree oven as you cook the rest of the batter. Makes about 12 small pancakes.
  • Transfer to serving plates and top with the warm strawberry compote.

Notes

  • If you don't want to use rum in the compote, replace with ¼ cup of water, brining the total amount of water to ½ cup.
  • Cooking the cornmeal pancakes in clarified butter or ghee is ideal because it has a higher smoke point and won't burn in the pan while you're waiting for the pancakes to cook. This means your pancakes will be prettier, too! You can buy clarified butter at Whole Foods or find it online but it can be expensive. You can make it yourself easily. Simply put about 3 tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan over low heat, let it come to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Skim any foam off the top, then carefully pour the butter into a small bowl, leaving the milk solids behind on the bottom of the pan.
  • It's crucial to use finely ground cornmeal because these pancakes are flourless. Coarse cornmeal will not rise enough and will not give you a pleasant texture. I used Arrowhead Mills cornmeal, Bob's Red Mill is also a good choice but FYI they call theirs cornflour when it's finely ground.
  • Do not mix the wet and dry ingredients until you are ready to cook! As soon as they meet, the buttermilk will activate the baking powder and baking soda and start bubbling away. You don't want to waste those bubbles - get cooking before they're gone!
  • You can skim the compote as it cooks if you want, but it's not really necessary.
 
 
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Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 906mg | Potassium: 691mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 507IU | Vitamin C: 133mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 3mg