These are seriously the Best Vegan Pancakes Recipe I’ve ever tasted! Oil-free, just 7 ingredients and incredibly light, soft and so fluffy! They will become a family favorite for breakfast, guaranteed!
BEST VEGAN PANCAKES RECIPE
I cannot even put into words how absolutely delicious these simple Vegan Pancakes are! They are the lightest and softest and bursting with vanilla flavor. They are the best pancakes I’ve had. Simple, easy to make and a loved by all family members.
I’ve had requests for a long time for an easy vegan fluffy pancake recipe that didn’t require coconut milk, but still be oil-free. Well, I finally created them and I love them even more!! If you are loving all of these oil-free vegan recipes, be sure to learn all my tips and tricks on How to Cook and Bake Without Oil!
My secret to healthy vegan pancakes? Raw cashew butter! Not only does it replace the oil/fat needed for moist and fluffy pancakes, but the flavor, omg. It makes them so naturally sweet and the vanilla flavor so amazing. They are so fluffy and amazing. I can’t wait for you to try them.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 7 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- All-purpose flour: This recipe is created for those who want simple vegan pancakes with white flour. These and my vegan gingerbread pancakes are the only pancake recipes that use all-purpose white flour (gluten-free gingerbread pancakes here). I have several gluten-free pancake recipes on the blog if you need gluten-free. Try these Vegan Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancakes, Fluffy Vegan Blueberry Pancakes or these Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes. Love peanut butter, try these!
- Cornstarch: This has been my secret to soft pancakes since my very first pancake post on this blog in 2012! It makes these light, fluffy and magical. They would be dense without it.
- Baking powder
- Pure maple syrup: Naturally sweetened, no refined sugar in these.
- Unsweetened almond milk: I used and love the Califia brand, that I buy at Sprouts. I’m sure other grocery stores carry it as well. Any almond milk brand should work fine.
- Raw cashew butter: My secret to these pancakes! It lends the most AMAZING buttery, vanilla, naturally sweet flavor. Not to mention, provided natural whole food fat to the pancakes, instead of oil, which other recipes call for. I swear, these taste even better than the ones I used to make with eggs and oil! The raw cashew butter I make myself because finding a raw cashew butter without oil is near impossible, unless you order online. Whole Foods sells a brand, but it’s super expensive. You want the cashew butter really smooth and flowy, not stiff or chunky, so the texture of the pancakes turns out right.
- Vanilla extract
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PANCAKES
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients well in a large bowl.
Step 2: In a separate medium bowl, add the syrup, almond milk, cashew butter and vanilla extract. Whisk this really well to ensure it’s completely smooth. You do not want chunks of cashew butter throughout, otherwise your batter will not turn out right.
Step 3: Pour the wet over the dry and use a spoon to stir everything together into a somewhat thick pancake batter. Make sure there is no more visible flour throughout or the bottom of the bowl, but do not overmix. It is okay if the batter has a few tiny lumps, that will disappear as they cook up.
Step 4: Heat up your pan or pancake griddle over medium-low heat for 10 minutes while the batter sits. Do not skip this step.
Step 5: I like to use an ice cream scoop for perfect size pancakes, but if you don’t have one, use a 1/4 measuring cup. Cook the first sides of the pancakes for about 4 minutes, until the top is looking dry all over and bubbles have formed.
PANCAKE SUCCESS TIPS
- Let the batter rest. Ever heard of people saying they always mess up the first couple of pancakes? That is because the batter needs to rest! Especially vegan pancake batter. Rest the batter 10 minutes while heating up the pan. Adding the batter after it has sat, allows the baking powder and starch to absorb well, so you get fluffy results. Adding batter to a pan that isn’t hot, also will not cook them through as well.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until no more flour is visible. Otherwise, overmixing can result in chewy, dense pancakes that are not fluffy.
- Don’t flip them too soon. I like to use an ice cream scoop for perfect size pancakes, but if you don’t have one, use a 1/4 measuring cup. Cook the first sides of the pancakes for about 4 minutes, until the top is looking dry all over and bubbles have formed. You do not want to flip them too soon or they will not cook through properly. Peek underneath the bottom of a pancake to see if it’s golden brown. If it’s browning too fast before the top is looking dry, lower the heat a tad.
Do you see how tender, soft and fluffy the insides are?? They are SO soft!
MORE VEGAN BREAKFAST RECIPES
- Vegan Breakfast Burritos
- Vegan Chocolate Crepes
- Vegan Chocolate Waffles
- Vegan Vanilla Cake Waffles
- Vegan Chai Waffles
- Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal
- Strawberry Cream Cheese
The Best Vegan Pancakes EVER
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) regular all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (24g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (180g) unsweetened almond milk, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (60g) pure maple syrup, room temperature (USE 4 tablespoons for a sweeter pancake, as these are only mildly sweet to account for syrup on top)
- 1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (48g) raw cashew butter (I make my own SEE NOTES)
NOTE
- For best results, so you get these amazing and fluffy pancakes, use a scale following my exact weights listed. You don't need cups to compare, just follow the weights given. This will prevent the chance of the batter's texture being off, which is rather important with pancakes, since they cook in just a few minutes. SEE notes below if you don't have a scale.
- I use this scale.
- I use this nonstick pancake griddle. It is amazing.
Instructions
- Make sure your milk and syrup are not cold and are at room temperature, this will make for a smoother batter. Cold ingredients make the batter stiffer and less easy to mix. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and whisk well in a large bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the syrup, almond milk, cashew butter and vanilla extract. Whisk this really well to ensure it's completely smooth. You do not want chunks of cashew butter throughout, otherwise your batter will not turn out right.
- Pour the wet over the dry and whisk gently to make sure it's mostly mix and use a spoon to stir any residual batter from the bottom into a smooth somewhat thick batter. But be careful about overmixing. It is okay if the batter has a few tiny lumps, that will disappear as they cook up. The batter will NOT be a runny batter, but a bit thicker like a cake batter, this is normal. This is how you will end up with fluffy pancakes.
- Leave the batter to sit for 10 minutes and heat up a pan over medium-low heat at the same time. The key to successful vegan pancakes is letting the batter sit to absorb the starch and baking powder and the pan being hot. This way, they rise and fluffy up beautifully and cook through. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
- I like to use an ice cream scoop for perfect size pancakes, but if you don't have one, use a 1/4 measuring cup to add to the pan.
- I use my nonstick griddle pan linked above, but if you are using a standard nonstick pan, you may need cooking spray. Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side OR until the top has a dry look all over and bubbles have formed all over. Your stovetop may vary, but peak underneath at the bottom to make sure they are golden brown and not burning. If they are cooking on the bottoms too fast before the top is looking dry, lower the heat just a tad. Cooking them correctly is key to the centers cooking properly. Flip over and cook another 2 minutes. Repeat with all the batter.
- Serve with maple syrup and any fruit if you like! These pancake are even fluffier 10 minutes as they sit and amazing the next day.
Notes
- MEASURING FLOUR: As noted, I recommend a scale so you get accurate batter results. But if you don't want to use one, make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. Otherwise, it is too easy to add too much flour and end up with way too thick of a batter. You will spoon the flour into the measuring cup over the top and level off with a knife. Don't scoop the cup into the flour bag, you will pack too much in that way.
- CASHEW BUTTER: As explained in the post, this is the magical ingredient for the most amazing fluffy interior and flavor. It imparts such a beautiful, natural vanilla flavor. The raw cashew butter I make myself because finding a raw cashew butter without oil is near impossible, unless you order online. Whole Foods sells a brand, but it's super expensive. Artisana sells a raw cashew butter if you'd prefer to buy it. You want the cashew butter really smooth and flowy, not stiff or chunky, so the texture of the pancakes turns out right.
- If you are allergic and want to try these, I would suggest trying sunbutter. I like the Sun Butter brand the most. I have not tested this personally, but please keep in mind, that the texture may vary and be less fluffy and the flavor definitely will change a bit. It won't have that natural cake vanilla type flavor. Let me know if you try them with sunbutter.
- GLUTEN-FREE: As mentioned in the post, I created these to be a simple vegan pancake recipe. I do not know if these will work with any store-bought gluten-free blend because I don't use those for my recipes. Any time I've tried to test a blend with an even swap, they do NOT perform well. That is because many recipes online are written with oil and eggs and since mine are not, those blends do not deliver the same results. This is why each of my recipes is written with specific flours/combos that I create myself. You can feel free to experiment, keeping this in mind. I'm currently testing and once I perfect the gluten-free vegan pancakes version, I will post them. I have linked to several gluten-free pancake recipes already in the post.
- STORAGE: These pancakes are even better the next day, as they are even more soft and tender, so you can totally make these the night before if you wanted. Just reheat them in the microwave and add syrup.
Nutrition
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What can I use instead of cornstarch
Potato starch would be the only sub I would suggest. I use this one: https://thevegan8.com/product/potato-starch/
The weight is different for potato starch vs. cornstarch. Should I still use 3 Tablespoons?