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 already have some Fluffy Vegan Pancakes that has always been my go-to and readers absolutely love them. However, the only thing with that recipe is that they require coconut milk in order to work. 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
*This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
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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Hi Brandi!
Can I substitute gluten-free flour? Or what about heirloom flour like Jovial?
Thank you!
Hi Trish! See Notes on the recipe card please
Oh no! Now I have to make these!
Can these be made with gf flour?
See Notes on the recipe card please
Can anything be substituted for corn starch? Allergic to corn
I would suggest potato starch as it yields very fluffy results as well. They weigh differently per tablespoon though, so either follow the same weight of 24 grams or use 2 tablespoons of the potato starch.
Super excited to try these!!!! Do you put any cooking spray in your pan to keep them from sticking?
Nope! I use the griddle linked above which is high quality nonstick but see the directions where I say you need to spray depending on your pan!
Can natural peanut butter be subbed for cashew butter? I realize the flavor will be different, but wondering if effect will be same. Don’t have a food processor to make the cashew butter.
Thank you!
I suppose so! You can try it and let me know!
Thanks, will do!
This was no where close to enough liquid for the dry ingredients. Is there a mistake?
Nope, there is no mistake, all the measurements are accurate. I just made them again this morning and have made them multiple times and they work perfectly each time. I’ve had 3 readers make them with success as well. The batter is not supposed to be a runny batter, but it is still a pourable batter (like a cake batter), as can be seen in the photo. Did you change an ingredient or weigh them or leave out the syrup?
These were amazing! Pancakes are my boyfirends absolute favorite food. I made these for his birthday breakfast with the addition of chocolate chaips and they were incredible! Definetly a new go to recipe! Thank you!
Yay! Thank you so much Lizzy for making them and sharing them on IG! So happy you and your boyfriend loved them!
Any substitute’s for almond milk and cashew butter? Maybe be vegan friendly but it isn’t treenut allergy friendly.
For these no, the cashew butter is crucial to the recipe. Make these instead. https://thevegan8.com/vegan-fluffy-pancakes/
Brandi, Brandi, Brandi..how do you do it??? 🤯🤯🤯
Holy moly guys!! Look at the fluff of these pancakes 😳😳. They ARE totally THE best pancakes. James was like “oh my!!” He was totally moaning and kept talking about the sweet vanilla taste and said, “these are like cake!!!🙂👏👏👏” Totally LOVE these Brandi!!
Hahaha I’m so glad to hear how much you all loved these!! They really do remind me of a soft lightly sweet cake, too! Thanks for making them!
I wasn’t very good making pancakes! But Now!! These are heavenly delicious they are super fluffy and I have a hard time not to eat just the batter directly from the bowl I’m telling it’s Vanilla Cake Batter I’m back in my childhood scraping the mixing bowl and spoon xxoo thank you so much for giving me a chance to succeed with pancakes I had having up a long time ago
This makes me SO happy to hear Diane, thank you so much for such a glowing review!
These are TOTALLY worth pulling out the AP for for, y’all!!! The fluff can’t be matched with anything else, I promise! I made the recipe exactly as it states with no subs and, of course, was not disappointed! I made them as a dessert with chocolate chips and raspberries on top. They were devine! Everyone loved them! I’ll have to keep AP flour around, even if it’s just to make these. Gotta indulge every once in a while! Try these!!
Woohoo, best review ever, thank you so much Nina!
Just made these this morning, and my kids loved them! We have tried lots of pancakes over the years and these were the best! The first thing my daughter said was, “I love the puffiness!!”. Your recipes are always a win! Thank you!!
So happy to hear that Brittany, yay!!
Best vegan pancakes I’ve ever had!! Thanks for your generosity ❤️
Woohoo, that is so awesome to hear Luz!
These turned out great, very fluffy! They are true pan”cakes” it had a cake like texture that we just loved. I have never made vegan pancakes quite like these before. Thanks for a great recipe. I will be doubling this next time so I can have leftovers!
That is so amazing to hear! Yes, they really are what pancakes should be, light, fluffy and thick. I do not like thin flat pancakes, lol, as to me, that is a more like a crepe, so getting these truly fluffy and not dense was so important!
Hello! Would it be possible for me to substitute sunflower butter for the cashew butter? Or would sunflower butter be too runny?
Thanks!
Marie
Sure, if you don’t mind a sunflower butter taste being prominent! It will change the flavor. Let me know after you try them!
These were very good! One thing I will do differently next time is to be sure to weigh my flour. I didn’t and it was more like a muffin batter. I stirred in some more almond milk and they turned out fine. I used peanut butter instead of raw cashew butter and used my immersion blender to mix it into the almond milk. Thanks!
Hello, Thank you so much for these many ‘like regular food’ recipes!
I just found this site and I am starting to make recipes today!
I would love to be able to make delicious pancakes.
We are doing a whole food plant based diet with no animal food or oil
or refined or alternative sugars.
But I would like a recipe with only 100% whole flour- any type- wheat, spelt, oat.
Can i do that with this recipe or do you have another recipe that it would work with? Thanks!
Thank you so much! Make these: https://thevegan8.com/vegan-fluffy-pancakes/
Or these: https://thevegan8.com/fluffy-vegan-blueberry-pancakes/
These were the BEST pancakes I have EVER had! My family loved them, it was like cake in the best way. Every recipe Brandy has is so delicious and now hers is the only site I end up using because everything is so darn good! Don’t know how she has created so many amazing recipes 🤤