Vegan Pancakes

While most countries have their own pancakes variation, this blog post is about American Pancakes, also known as hotcakes, griddlecakes, or flapjacks.

American pancakes are flat and round cakes made from a mixture of starch-based batter mixed with eggs, milk, and butter and then cooked on a pan or griddle.

Our vegan pancakes are the same, but the batter is egg-free, butter-free, and dairy-free. The taste is delicious and excellent to pair with fresh fruit, vegan butter, and maple syrup.

In this blog post, you’ll learn how to make the best, fluffiest, vegan pancakes with simple everyday pantry staples so you can make them here and now.

Flour

We use all-purpose flour. You can substitute other types of flour such as whole wheat, spelt, oat flour, and even a gluten-free flour mix for all-purpose flour.

Sugar

We add just a little sugar to give the pancakes a little sweetness. You can use white sugar, brown sugar, palm sugar, and coconut sugar.

Salt

Just a pinch. You can omit salt if you are on a low-sodium diet.

Baking powder

We use baking powder as a raising agent. It makes the pancakes light and fluffy. We don’t use baking soda in this recipe.

Plant Milk

We prefer oat milk or almond milk for this recipe; they make super fluffy vegan pancakes. Soy milk or other types of non-dairy milk work too.

Water

It’s important to add water to make the pancake’s batter light. If you add only plant milk, your pancakes would turn out a little heavier and chewier.

Aromas

We like to add vanilla extract or cinnamon, depending on the topping. If you use classic 100% maple syrup and vegan butter as a topping, then go for vanilla. If you serve them with an apple compote, then go for cinnamon.

Toppings

We serve our pancakes with vegan butter, fresh fruit like berries or bananas, and 100% pure maple syrup.

To a bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix with a whisk.

To the same bowl, add water, your plant milk of choice, and your aroma of choice; we go for vanilla extract in this case.

Whisk until the ingredients are just combined, without overmixing.

Let the batter rest for 10 minutes, then heat a non-stick pan.

Tip: Over-mixing flour and water will develop the gluten network, making your pancakes heavy and rubbery. If you want light and fluffy pancakes, don’t over-mix the batter.

Drizzle the pan with a few drops of vegetable oil, coconut oil, or melted vegan butter, then spread the oil across the pan with a piece of kitchen paper to ensure the pancakes won’t stick.

Pour some batter onto the pan and cook the vegan pancakes on the hot pan on low heat for about 1.5 – 2 minutes on one side.

Tip: You can make pancakes as large or as small as you desire. We like to scoop the pancake batter into the pan with a 1/4 cup measuring cup (about 45 to 55 grams of batter per pancake).

When they look dry on the edge and are golden brown on the bottom, turn them gently with a spatula and cook for about 1 minute on the other side.

The pancakes are ready when golden brown on both sides. Transfer them onto a plate, and top them with vegan butter and a generous amount of 100% maple syrup.

They are also delicious with fresh berries.

Tip: to keep them warm while you cook the whole batch, arrange cooked pancakes on a plate and keep them in a slightly warm oven (120°F or 50°C).

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Apples

Whole wheat pancakes are easy to make and are delicious and wholesome. You could literally have them every day for breakfast as there’s no added sugar, no added fat, and plenty of dietary fiber.

Ingredients, quantities, and instructions are almost identical to our basic vegan pancake recipe. All you need to do is:

• Substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour in the same quantities as written in our recipe.
  
• Substitute 1.5 overripe medium bananas for the sugar. Mash them with a fork until pureed.
  
• In a bowl, mix the mashed banana with milk and water, then add the liquid to the bowl with the dry ingredients.

If you want to serve them with an apple compote on top, as you see in the picture, then:

• Chop up 2 apples into small dice, skin on, and add them to a pot.
• Add 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of raisins, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Cook over medium heat while you prepare the pancakes. The apples are ready when soft but not mushy (about 20 minutes).
• Serve the pancakes with the apple compote, and optional with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of 100% pure maple syrup.

Banana Pancakes

Banana pancakes are naturally sweet, moist, and fluffy without added sugar. The recipe is similar to the one for our vegan pancakes and very easy to make.

Check out our banana pancakes recipe.

Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry pancakes are so delicious because the blueberries get juicy and color the pancakes with a gorgeous purple color.

Follow the same recipe as our banana pancakes, then add a few blueberries to the pancake while the batter cooks on the pan.

Check out our blueberry pancakes recipe (coming soon).

Oatmeal Pancakes

Oatmeal pancakes are a healthy and wholesome breakfast dish. You can make them with oat flour or rolled oats blended in a blender.

Check out our oatmeal pancakes recipe.

Making perfect pancakes is more a matter of practice than perfectly measuring the ingredients.

No matter how precise you are with your measurements, sometimes your pancakes won’t turn out as beautiful and fluffy as you imagined them.

The secret to making beautiful vegan pancakes lies in the thickness of the batter.

One extra tablespoon of flour can make all the difference regarding tall and fluffy pancakes.

Flatter pancakes are as delicious as taller ones, but if you want to make Instagram-worthy pancakes, you’ve got to get the batter to the right consistency.

Why? The baking powder creates air that helps the pancake rise when exposed to heat. If the batter is too thin, it won’t be able to keep the air trapped, and the pancake won’t rise much.

Observe your pancake before turning it: your pancakes should make some small bubbles that pop and leave a tiny hole behind.

Some tiny bubbles are good, however, if your pancake makes too many small bubbles, the batter is probably a little too thin, and when you turn it, the pancake won’t rise much.

If this is the case, you must add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour to make the batter a little thicker. Mix the flour in gently, without over-mixing. It should take you 5 seconds.

But remember, you don’t want to make a too-thick batter, or your vegan pancakes will become too bready and chewy. You still want a relatively thin and light batter.

Over-mixing

This is especially important if you work with all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour suffers less from over-mixing).

By over-mixing the flour, you’ll start developing the gluten network in the batter, making it more doughy. An over-mixed batter will produce rubber-like pancakes that are less fluffy and airy.

Trying to get rid of all lumps

This will inevitably lead to over-mixing, which is terrible. So give the batter a quick mix; some small lumps are okay.

Too thin or too thick batter

See the “tip” paragraph above. In general, if the batter is too thin, your pancakes won’t grow as much.

If the batter is too thick, they’ll turn out heavy and bready. Although it takes a bit of practice to find the right batter consistency, our measurements are a good starting point.

Pan too hot

Pancakes should be cooked on a hot pan but over low heat or low flame. If the heat is too hot, the pancake will burn on the outside and still be raw and wet on the inside.

Not cleaning the pan

Cleaning the pan with kitchen paper and applying a few drops of oil every second pancake helps make beautiful golden brown pancakes.

Flipping vs. turning

We think it’s best to turn the pancakes gently instead of flipping them; they’ll grow taller this way.

Hesitating the turn

Once your pancake is on the spatula, lift it slightly, then swiftly turn your wrist towards the left (if you are right-handed), and your pancake will fall perfectly on the pan, hopefully without smearing it.

Flipping when you see bubbles

While most of the internet will tell you to flip pancakes when it bubbles on top, that’s way too early. Instead, you need to wait for about 1 minute past that; most of the bubbles should pop, and the pancakes should be golden brown on the bottom.

Questions

Refrigerator: allow your pancakes to cool at room temperature. Then store them in the fridge, in a plastic bag, or an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Freezer: transfer your cool-down vegan pancakes into a freezer-friendly bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. The pancakes will stick to each other in the freezer. We recommend putting a piece of parchment paper between each pancake so it’ll be easier to thaw the ones you need.

Thaw: defrost and reheat them in the microwave.

More Vegan Breakfast Recipes

These are our top-rated vegan breakfast recipes – easy to make, with simple and wholesome ingredients:

If you’re looking for indulgent and sweet brunch ideas, you must try our vegan cinnamon rolls and crepes. They are both great ways to kick off a Sunday brunch at home.

For many more breakfast ideas, check out our breakfast category page.