Go-To Vegan Pancakes

Here’s how to make the best vegan pancakes around! This easy flapjacks recipe has a secret ingredient that makes them irresistibly tasty.

Here’s a spin on flapjacks we think are even better than the standard: our Go-To Vegan Pancakes! The flavor is rich and buttery, but there are no eggs or dairy at all. There’s a secret ingredient that makes them extra savory irresistible. And though they’re vegan, this recipe will please literally anyone, no matter their diet! Alex and I don’t eat vegan all the time, but this pancakes recipe has risen to the top as a family favorite. Our 3 year old Larson can’t get enough of them (we kept hearing, “Can I please have one more pancake?”). Here’s what to know about making this special plant-based breakfast.

Ingredients in vegan pancakes

If you can’t use eggs or dairy, what do you use? There are lots of options, but we stumbled upon a trick that makes these taste fantastic. Here’s what’s in this vegan pancakes recipe:

• The secret ingredient: nut butter! You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter (for nut allergies). Nut butter is a replacement for eggs that works as a binder and it adds a savory richness to the flavor. It makes these pancakes without eggs absolutely irresistible!
• Oat milk or almond milk: Our favorite non-dairy milk for cooking is oat milk, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
• All purpose flour and whole wheat flour: Mixing in whole wheat adds interest to the flavor.
• Neutral oil: Use any neutral oil, like organic grapeseed, canola oil or even melted coconut oil. More below!
• Light brown sugar: Or use any type of sugar you like; you could even substitute maple syrup and use a little less milk.
• Cinnamon and baking powder: These usual suspects round out the list.

What nut or seed butter to use?

Speaking of nut butter…our favorite one to use in this vegan pancakes recipe is peanut butter! In fact, we almost titled this recipe peanut butter pancakes…but you really can use any type of nut butter. Nut butter adds a bit of plant based protein to the pancakes, which helps to keep you full longer. Here are some notes on the flavor for each:

• Peanut butter: Our favorite! We recommend using all natural peanut butter that’s not sweetened.
• Almond butter: This has a more neutral flavor. Make sure to get creamy almond butter for texture (some almond butters are on the chunkier side).
• Cashew butter: Another good choice with neutral flavor! Cashew butter has a lovely round sweetness to the flavor.
• Pecan butter: Also works if you’ve whipped up a batch!
• Sunflower butter: Working around a nut allergy? Use sunflower butter instead.

What oil to use?

You can also vary the oil in these vegan pancakes! We like to use oil in our pancake recipes instead of butter, for the very lazy reason that you can skip the step of melting butter. The nice part is this is an easy way to keep them vegan! (We do the same in our vegan quick breads, like Vegan Banana Bread, Vegan Zucchini Bread and Vegan Pumpkin Bread.) Here are a few types of oils you can use:

• Neutral oil: Grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, organic canola oil, sunflower oil
• Olive oil: It’s not our first pick because it has a stronger flavor, but it would work here
• Melted coconut oil: If coconut oil your favorite, you can also use it here. Make sure to melt and cool it before using.

Tips for cooking vegan pancakes

The last thing to remember for this vegan pancakes recipe? How to cook them properly. This might sound silly, but a lot of home cooks botch pancakes…ourselves included! They often have the heat on too high, making the pancakes burn on the outside and end up gooey on the inside. Here’s how to cook a perfect vegan pancake:

• Low and slow is key! Make sure the heat is on low to medium low! These vegan pancakes can burn more easily than the standard pancake. Cook them too high high and they’ll be brown on the outside and gooey on the inside. But go low and slow and they’ll come out perfectly.
• When to flip? When bubbles form and pop. Wait until bubbles form on the surface and start to pop. Sometimes it seems like you’re waiting too long, but trust us! This trick works every time.

Toppings for vegan pancakes

Once you’ve got those perfectly golden vegan pancakes, it’s time for toppings! The sky’s the limit with these, though you likely already have your own ideas. Here are our favorite pancake toppings that happen to be vegan (each needs a little drizzle of maple syrup, too):

• Maple nut butter: Add your favorite nut butter and a little syrup: so simple!
• PB&J: Smear with peanut butter and top with vegan strawberry jam
• Banana walnut: Throw on sliced bananas and toasted walnuts
• Lemon blueberry: Top with blueberry sauce or blueberry compote and lemon zest
• Chocolate raspberry: Add fresh raspberries or raspberry syrup and a few chocolate shavings
• Peaches & cream: Add peach puree and vegan whipped cream

This vegan pancakes recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.

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