Wake up to these easy Vegan Pancakes. Light, fluffy, and slightly sweetened with maple syrup, this is a breakfast worth getting out of bed for. Ready in 10 minutes.
It's pancake time!
Vegan pancakes, to be exact. I'm not much of a pancake eater myself (I ALWAYS prefer a savory breakfast over sweet) but I am a pancake-maker expert. For the past 5 years, I have been making pancakes almost weekly for my kids who believe there is no better way to wake up than with a plate full of pancakes.
I have tried many different pancake recipes but have struggled with the perfect vegan pancake. Either to doughy or cakey or flat or sweet. But after years of perfecting one singular recipe, I am finally ready to share it with you.
I like this vegan pancake recipe because
- No strange egg replacers
- No refined sugar
- Is nearly fool-proof
- Best flavor and texture EVER.
Let's take a closer look.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
You're going to love how simple this recipe is. It uses only easy to find ingredients (that you likely already have on hand).
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour - For healthier flour options, you can use 1:1 gluten-free flour blends or buckwheat.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Non-Dairy Milk - I recommend soy milk because it curdles the best. Almond milk will often curdle but not as well. This may affect the overall texture of the pancakes.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - This is my vinegar of choice when making vegan buttermilk (vinegar + soymilk) but white vinegar, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice are great alternatives.
- Oil - I recommend a non-hydrogenated oil such as avocado or melted coconut oil. Olive oil also works but adds a slightly savory flavor.
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
- Cooking Oil Spray
Recommended Equipment
When it comes to pancakes, I highly recommend using an electric griddle. A griddle allows you to set the temperature to exactly what you want for an even cook on both sides.
In addition, you need a mixing bowl, utensils, pancake spatula are also very useful. I also recommend using an ice cream scoop to evenly and cleanly scoop your batter. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Pancakes
Step One: Make the Batter
To begin, make your vegan "buttermilk". In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk together and set aside to let curdle. Once it is curdled, whisk in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients – that’s the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until most of the lumps are gone.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Step Two - Cook the Pancakes
Once your pancake batter is made, it’s time to cook them!
Getting an even cook on your pancakes is crucial. You want to get both sides of the pancakes lightly golden and crispy while making sure that the center is cooked. This can be difficult so it’s important to be able to get your temperature just right. I have found that setting my electric griddle to 375F has given me the best results.
Make sure to generously spray your preheated griddle and pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle per pancake, leaving about 2 inches between each one. Cook the pancakes until they start to bubble, flip and cook the remaining side until the pancake has risen slightly. This should take 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Serving and Storing
Serve the pancakes immediately with fruit or berries and maple syrup.
Wrap leftover pancakes in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Gently reheat them in the oven or microwave to enjoy.
Tips and Tricks
- Take care that these pancakes are not over-mixed. Mix only as much as necessary - a few lumps are always okay. The less you mix, the more tender and delicate the texture of the pancake will be.
- Make sure to give the "buttermilk" plenty of time to curdle. The vinegar/milk mixture thickens the batter and helps give the pancakes rise as they are cooked. While other milk can curdle, I have found that soy works the best and is, therefore, the milk I recommend.
- The pancake batter is fairly thin. For this reason, make sure the griddle is preheated and spray between each batch. This is important in getting that golden crispy outside. When the batter hits the hot oiled griddle, it should immediately start to form a crust which gives the pancake it's perfect texture while also preventing it from spreading.
- Pancakes should be eaten immediately. After 10-15 minutes, they start to lose their lightly fried crispy outsides and get soggy and tough.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While I choose soy milk because it curdles so well, many people have had success with almond milk, oat milk, and cashew milk as well.
Can I make this pancake batter in advance?
Yes! If you want to make this batter in advance, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. To cook the pancakes, preheat your griddle and bake according to the instructions. The pancakes may take a few minutes longer to bake since the batter will be chilled.
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
For sure! For gluten-free pancakes, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend.
More Pancake Recipes
- Maple Hazelnut Pancakes
- Best-Ever Pumpkin Pancakes
- 10-Minute Banana Pancakes
- Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Easy Vegan Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups soy milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup avocado or coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat a pancake griddle to 375.
- In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk together and set aside to let curdle. Once soy milk is curdled, whisk in melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until most of the lumps are gone.
- Spray pancake griddle with cooking spray. With an ice cream scoop or ¼ measuring cup, pour batter on the griddle. It should spread into about a 5" circle. Repeat until the griddle is filled.
- When pancakes begin to bubble on the top (about 3 minutes), gently flip it over and bake on the other side until the pancake has risen to about double the height.
- Remove pancakes and respray griddle before panfrying the 2nd batch. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Serve with maple syrup and fruit of choice.
Notes
- Take care that these pancakes are not over-mixed. Mix only as much as necessary - a few lumps are always okay. The less you mix, the more tender and delicate the texture of the pancake will be.
- Make sure to give the "buttermilk" plenty of time to curdle. The vinegar/milk mixture thickens the batter and helps give the pancakes rise as they are cooked. While other milk can curdle, I have found that soy works the best and is, therefore, the milk I recommend.
- The pancake batter is fairly thin. For this reason, make sure the griddle is preheated and spray between each batch. This is important in getting that golden crispy outside. When the batter hits the hot oiled griddle, it should immediately start to form a crust which gives the pancake it's perfect texture while also preventing it from spreading.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Veronika Sousa says
The best pancake ever. Always works. My Husband is not vegan, nor vegetarian, but he loves it.
Healthy family favorite!
Veronika Sousa says
The only, what is ALWAYS works well! Delicious and soft. It is the favourite in my family, everyone loves it - even the non-vegans!!!
Thank you.
ALLISON R. says
These are good and overall have a nice texture but too heavy on the oil for me. I'm going to try less oil and more apple cider vinegar (for more sour buttermilk flavor) next time.
Allison R says
I just made them again with half of the oil and 2 t vinegar (accidentally used red wine vinegar and it was fine). I think they turned out a lot better this way! I also realized that you can cut the maple syrup down and still tastes good (after making first few I realized I had forgotten to add it).
Lauren Marie Ochoa says
Worked great as waffle batter too. I used half cashew milk and half oat milk because that’s what I had. The coconut oil solidified in the batter in small chunks but the same thing happens with butter in traditional recipes. It’s what makes the finished product so delicious.
Lina says
Just made these this morning. This the best vegan pancake recipe! Light and fluffy just as you said. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! ♡
Kate says
Just wondering, how long do you normally wait for the milk to curdle? I’m currently waiting after quite a while.. I’ve popped the bowl into the oven on a low heat to try and encourage it.
Sarah says
Did you use soy milk? The milk should have curdled within 5-10 minutes.
Maddi says
I’m not sure what the problem was but this recipe didn’t work out for me. The first issue was that the melted coconut oil solidified when I added it to the soy milk. When I mixed everything together the coconut oil was in solid chunks that wouldn’t incorporate. The batter was also very runny. I tried making one pancake but it was very flat and didn’t turn out well. I put the batter in the oven on low heat for a few minutes to melt the coconut oil, and then I added a lot more flour to thicken it up. After this the pancakes turned out perfect. I used a baking scale rather than measuring cups for the flour, oil, and soy milk. Next time I’ll try using measuring cups to see if my scale was the issue, and I’ll use a different oil.
Chloe says
Can I use avocado oil instead of canola oil?
Sarah says
That should work.
Margot says
Could you sub soy milk for another non-dairy milk? Thanks!
Sarah says
As long as the other milk reacts with the apple cider vinegar and curdles (like buttermilk). Some people have had luck with almond milk. I personally haven't. I would try either oat milk or cashew milk if you're looking to avoid soy.
Krystal says
These are incredible! So light and fluffy. My whole family loved them.
Sarah says
That's great to hear!