These vegan pancakes are sooo fluffy – without the help of eggs or dairy. We don’t need a special ingredient or any kind of replacer. It’s sweet and simple, you’ll be laughing!
I’d even say they’re fool-proof and there’s very little you can do wrong here (how awesome is this, right?).
Contents
This recipe is so versatile that you can (almost) use whatever flour! Make these pancakes with gluten-free flour, wholemeal, regular, use ancient grains… seriously, whichever (some exceptions do exist, of course)!
These pancakes are perfect for our Pancake Sunday Ritual—a hot cuppa and these yummies are just what I (and you probably will too) need on a calm and relaxed Sunday morning.
Ingredients
- flour
- baking powder
- sugar
- milk
- apple cider vinegar
5 ingredients and that’s it! I told you: easy! Technically, you could even leave out the sugar and vinegar and they still come out nicely (yes, I’ve tried that :)).
Flour: As I said, you can basically use any flour you want. The pancakes you see in the pictures are made with spelt flour. For gluten-free options scroll down to “substitutions”.
Baking Powder: Because we’re aiming for fluffy vegan pancakes, it’s quite important that you use fresh baking powder. I actually make my own (2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda) which is a lot more efficient.
If your pancakes don’t rise enough, add ½ teaspoon bicarb/baking soda next time.
Sugar: You can use any sugar you like. I either use coconut sugar or, most of the time, I just leave it out and replace it with a good pinch of salt.
Milk: Any dairy-free milk works here. Coconut milk is okay but it’s quite heavy, so it will weigh the pancakes down a bit. Alternatively, what I often do, is simply use water instead of milk, or use half/half.
Apple Cider Vinegar: The vinegar simply helps activate the bicarb soda, thus making these pancakes rise so well.
Instructions
How to make these fluffy vegan pancakes
Step One. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and sugar) first. I like using a whisk for this.
Step Two. Add wet ingredients (vegan milk and apple cider vinegar) and whisk well until smooth. You will notice that there are already some bubbles coming up (which is good!).
Depending on how you like your pancakes (thick or thin) and on what kind of flour you use, you may need to add more milk or flour.
You want a semi-liquid, thick batter. So, when I stir through my whisk, it leaves traces that stay for a second or two (see picture above).
Step Three. Heat a little bit of oil in a large frying pan over medium-low. Give the pan a little bit of a whirl to spread the oil so every part of it is greased.
Step Four. Once the oil is hot, drop 2-3 tablespoons (depending on how big you want them to be) of batter for each pancake. You can make them very small or fairly large!
Fry for about 3 minutes until bubbles come up and the edges are slightly cooked (see picture). Then flip and fry for 2 minutes.
Substitutions
Gluten-free: So far, I’ve tried a store-bought gluten-free flour blend, buckwheat flour, a mix of buckwheat (¾ cup) and tapioca (¼ cup), and a mix of almond flour (1 cup) and tapioca (½ cup). They all turned out nicely!
Though, for the almond flour/tapioca mix, I’ve used much less milk. I didn’t measure it, unfortunately, but I think it was around ½ cup / 125ml.
Sugar-free: Leave out the sugar and substitute with a good pinch of salt. Or use a sugar-free sweetener like stevia, monk fruit or xylitol (use much less here though because they’re much sweeter than regular sugar).
Apple Cider Vinegar: You can leave it out, but you may end up with less fluffy vegan pancakes. Any other vinegar probably works too. I only think apple cider vinegar tastes the best because it’s mild and fruity.
Variations
Over time, I’m gonna update this section as I create more recipes. But for now, here are some general ideas:
Blueberry: Add about ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter. Or when you fry the pancakes, drop them onto the doughy, uncooked side.
Chocolate: For a sweet breakfast treat, add ½ cup vegan chocolate chips to the batter. For more chocolate flavour, add ¼ cup cocoa powder.
Pumpkin: I’ve got a recipe for these yummy vegan pumpkin pancakes here on my blog. Check it out!
Banana: My all-time favourite! Mash 2 ripe bananas and mix with 125ml / ½ cup milk (you can leave out the vinegar here). Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and sugar, plus ½ teaspoon cinnamon) and mix well.
Equipment
- whisk
- non-stick frying pan
- thin flipper
Whisk: I prefer using a whisk to make these fluffy vegan pancakes because it ensures that the batter is smooth at the end. Especially, when you use flour like spelt or wholemeal where the flour tends to clump easily, this comes in handy.
Non-stick Frying Pan: This is not a must but it helps a lot. If you want to use a cast-iron or regular pan, make sure to use enough oil so the pancakes come off easily when flipping.
Thin Flipper: I find with vegan pancakes it’s always a good idea to use a thin flipper (like this one). It’s easier to get right underneath the pancake.
I just use my metal flipper (because I don’t really like plastic materials) and I’m very careful when flipping not to scratch my non-stick pan. It works very well this way.
Storage
In case you end up with leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should keep fresh for several days.
However, pancakes always taste better when freshly made…
Serving Suggestions
I love topping my fluffy vegan pancakes with fresh, seasonal or frozen fruit, berries in particular. And, of course, maple syrup is always a must!!
Sometimes, I like them with coconut yoghurt or whipped coconut cream too!
Or, if you like, you can also melt a piece of vegan butter on top or spread butter on each pancake.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 120g / 1 cup flour gf, wholemeal, etc.
- 2 teaspoon baking powder gf, if necessary
- 2 tablespoon sugar I use coconut sugar
- 250ml / 1 cup dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl.
- Add vegan milk and apple cider vinegar. Depending on how you like your pancakes (thick or thin), add more milk or flour. The batter should be semi-liquid and rather thick.
- Heat some oil in a large frying pan over medium-low.
- Once hot, drop 2-3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. Fry for about 3 minutes until bubbles come up and the edges are slightly cooked. Then flip and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Serve hot with maple syrup, fruit, jam or whatever you like.
Notes
- Flour: Most flours work in this recipe.
- Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free flour blend. Just buckwheat flour works here too!
- Milk: Any dairy-free milk works here. Coconut milk is a bit heavier and will weigh these pancakes down a bit though. Alternatively, you could just use water here too. Or sub ½ cup / 125ml with water.
- You can play around with the amount of baking powder and apple cider vinegar. I managed to get very good results by using only 1 teaspoon baking powder or with less ACV as well. Might depend on the flour and milk you’re using, too.
