Place the oats in a clean, dry blender. Blend or pulse for 5-10 seconds - about until the oats turn into the texture of flour. Combine the ground oats with the milk and egg. Let sit 10 minutes to let the mixture thicken.
Stir in the baking powder, sugar (if using), spices, vanilla extract, and grated carrots.
Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium, until small drops of water sizzle and evaporate within a few seconds. Swirl butter until it melts but doesn't brown.
Drop two tablespoons of pancake batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes - 3 at a time- in the hot pan until small bubbles form on the top. Flip once. The pancakes should be golden brown. Serve warm with butter, maple syrup, extra carrots, and chopped walnuts. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips for the best oat flour pancakes:
Blend the oats for a few seconds to get a light, flour-like texture. Don't grind the oat flour too much. When making your own oat flour, it's easy to make the flour too fine or to take it so far that it becomes gummy.
Let the mixture sit to thicken for at least 10 minutes. This will produce the big fluffy pancakes in the photos.
Use your favorite milk. To keep this recipe dairy-free, use plain almond or cashew milk but you can use regular milk too.
Grate the carrots fresh and small. Using a bag of shredded carrots would be a mistake. They are drier and won't work as well.