These Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes are gluten-free and oil-free! They are also grain-free! Made with almond flour and potato starch for the richest, moist and fluffy pancakes ever! Just 7 ingredients!
*This post was originally published on 9-11-2014 and has been updated with better instructions and new photos.
VEGAN SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
If you love sweet potatoes as much as I do, then you will love these super fluffy vegan sweet potato pancakes! They are SO moist with no oil or butter. Yup, totally oil-free, grain-free and gluten-free! They are also only 7 ingredients, how easy is that?
I created this grain-free gluten-free flour combo many, many years back on my blog and have been using it ever since. It is my almond flour and potato starch combo.
This delicious vegan pancake idea came from my Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Muffins, which uses the almond flour/starch combo. That recipe resulted in such a soft, light muffin that I had been wanting to try it as pancakes. So, I changed up my recipe a bit to turn it into a pancake recipe and voila, fluffy sweet potato pancakes.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 7 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- blanched almond flour
- potato starch
- baking powder
- lite canned coconut milk
- vanilla extract
- maple syrup
- cooked/mashed sweet potato
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
Step 1: Cook the sweet potato, let it cool and then add to a blender or food processor. Blend with the coconut milk, syrup and vanilla until smooth.
Step 2: To a large bowl, combine the flour, starch, baking powder and salt and whisk well.
Step 3: Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and stir until a smooth batter forms. Let the batter sit about 10 minutes, as this will yield more fluffy and better cooked through pancakes.
Step 4: Heat up a pancake griddle or nonstick pan using while the batter sits. I use a high-quality pancake griddle that requires no spray, but your pan may need some. Cook each pancake 3-4 minutes over medium-low (closer to low) heat until the top forms bubbles and the edges are dry. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat if they are cooking too fast.
The key to these cooking through is to cook them over the low heat. Serve with maple syrup and walnuts or fruit of choice.
MORE VEGAN PANCAKE RECIPES
- The Best Pancakes Ever
- Best Vegan Fluffy Pancakes
- Fluffy Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancakes
- Low-fat Vegan Gluten-free Corn Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Pancakes
*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!
Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60g) cooked, cooled & mashed sweet potato
- 1 cup (240g) room temp canned lite coconut milk, shaken (SEE NOTES below)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
- 1 1/4 cups (140g) superfine blanched almond flour (very important it is superfine and not gritty)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (100g) potato starch
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) mini dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand) Optional
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
- I use this pancake griddle. It NEVER sticks.
Instructions
- I suggest cooking the potato an hour or the day before you will want pancakes, so the potato is completely cooled. Either roast or microwave the sweet potato (whole). Cool completely, peel and measure 1/4 packed cup. Weigh for best results
- Add the sweet potato, coconut milk, vanilla and syrup to a food processor or blender and process until completely smooth with no potato lumps remaining.
- To a large bowl, combine the almond flour, potato starch, baking powder and salt and whisk really well until no lumps remain. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using. Pour the liquids from the blender over the dry and stir until the batter is completely smooth. The batter will be thick, this is normal and do not add more milk. It should resemble a thick muffin batter.
- Let the batter sit about 10-15 minutes, as this will yield more fluffy and better cooked through pancakes. The batter will thicken more.
- Heat up the pancake griddle or a nonstick pan using while the batter sits. I use a high-quality pancake griddle (linked above) that requires no spray, but your pan may need some. Use an ice cream scoop or heaping 1/4 cup of batter and cook each pancake 3-4 minutes over medium-low (closer to low) heat until the top forms bubbles and the edges are dry. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat if they are cooking too fast.
- The key to these cooking through is to cook them over the low heat to allow the centers to fully cook through. These can be very finicky and not cook through if you cook them too fast or high of a heat. Leave the pancakes to sit 5 minutes or so before eating, as they will fluff up more as they cool a bit. These pancakes are even better the next day, as potato starch based recipes get even fluffier as they sit!
Notes
- Coconut Milk: I highly recommend the Thai kitchen brand, it’s super creamy and high quality. Do not use the Polar brand, it is mostly fillers and will ruin the texture.
- Almond flour: As noted above, a superfine flour is really important here. I've tried brands that aren't very fine and the pancakes are much more dense. I recommend the King Arthur Flour, Honeyville, Wellbees, Nuts.com brands the most.
- I originally wrote this recipe in 2014 and made them with a 4.5 inch cookie cutter, which makes perfectly round and super tall/fluffy pancakes. I don't do that anymore, to save time, but it is a great way to get amazingly extra fluffy "cakes" if you want to give it a try. Just make sure to spray nonstick spray on the inside of the cookie cutter before adding the batter, otherwise, it will stick badly. Wait until the tops are looking dry before flipping, and use tongs to lift up the cookie cutter.
These are INCREDIBLE! My favorite of your pancakes that I’ve made. Love these! You named these perfectly.
Yay!! So happy to hear that Jessica, these are my favorite too! Thank you so much for letting me know you made them!
These came out perfect! We have made them with great success from 3-day leftover batter, with and without chocolate chips. A couple things I learned are: 1. Keep the heat fairly low. We don’t want the outside to burn before the fat inside cooks through. Although they taste good even when they aren’t cooked through, and no raw egg to worry about! The three minute cooking time is essential. 2. I ran out of lite coconut milk in the middle of cooking one morning so I used in addition 3/4 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk, the kind from the carton. Mine happened to be vanilla flavored so I went light on the vanilla. Made no difference! 3. I went to four stores and could not find a large round cookie cutter, so I ended up buying a 4 inch egg frying thing at Bed Bath and Beyond. It works perfectly! And I don’t have to use tongs to remove it because it has its own built in wooden handle. 4. Spreading on coconut oil with a brush or silicone brush works just as well as spraying oil. I didn’t want to go out and buy a spray oil just for this recipe, so I’m pleased that worked out as well.
Thanks so much for the stellar vegan, grain-free recipe Brandi! This is like the ONLY one on the internet. I am so grateful.
So awesome to read this Stacy, thank you so much for the amazing feedback! Really appreciate it!
All I can say is “SO FLUFFY, I’M GONNA DIE!!”
well, I have more to say 🙂 These pancakes were so delicious! I made a small one to taste test before I made more for the kids and OH EM GEE, I was making little ones as I made theirs and eating them while theirs were cooking! I did not use a cookie cutter and they turned out just as fluffy. These are satisfying with out feeling Blah, they are high in nutrition and ideal for sports snack which I love. Thank you for another flippin fantastic recipe!
Awww, yay Tami! Thank YOU so much for this amazing feedback, it truly made my day and I really LOVED your photos of it on Instagram! They look magical and perfect! Thank you for this glowing review!
All I can say is that you make the absolute best pancakes! These look amazing, my gosh. I’m really enjoying the recipes on your site. I’m printing this one out to make. 🙂
That is such a sweet compliment! Thank you so very much!
Wondering if you ever put them in the freezer. Started to look through comments to see if any one did but way to many comments to go through.
I have health issues so when I cook or bake I do extra and freeze it for the bad days.
I am definitely going to try these.
Thanks
Hi!
Synchroncity! I have been looking for a fabulous vegan gluten free pancake recipe that’s good. I’m trying this one out and will let you know. I’ve tried many different ones and I don’t make pancakes or waffles anymore because I haven’t found a good recipe. My family will be so excited! Any fantastic waffles recipes?
What brand/model food processor do you recommend?
What brand cooking pans do you recommend?
What brand/model waffle maker do you recommend?
Thank you!
Patty Smith
Hi Patty! These are amazing, light, fluffy and moist. Just make sure to follow the steps and weigh the ingredients and don’t sub and they will be amazing. A food processor is best, as a blender can overpriced things and make the sweet potato overblend and make the texture chewy.
This is the one I use, it’s the 11 cup food processor by Cuisinart for $169 and I’ve had it for years and love it. I use it for making all my nut butters, dips, cheeses, etc. 🙂
https://amzn.to/2OHCFjP
Hi!
Can a Vitamix blender be used instead of the food processor or is it not really recommended?
Thanks!
Hi Brandi! Let me start by saying You are Amazing! I discovered your blog recently, couple of months ago. And everything I’ve cooked so far is sooo good!!! These pancakes are one of those. On the way I had to change some things, I pan fried them, I sub potato starch(still couldn’t find it in store) with gluten free flour (it has rice flour, potato starch, xantham gum), I also added 30g of unblanched almond flour since I run out of it’s blanched version. Still it turned out so so good! You are such a great cook! Wish you all the best 😊
I’m so glad you loved these Iryna! Thank you so much for your kind words!!
Making these pancakes a second day in a row! The first double batch was gone in a flash! (4 adults). Huge hit with the whole family! I’ve made a lot of g-free gooey gross pancakes in the past and if you follow this recipe you won’t be disappointed! Thank you Brandi for your amazing talent to work on recipes until they are perfection! So happy to have a pancake that’s light and fluffy again! Many thanks! Can’t wait to try more. Gonna make your sun-dried tomatoes pesto for tonight! ❤️ Your recipes!
So so happy you loved these Maureen and thank you very much for your kind words!!
I found these in my endless search for a yummy GF breakfast.
OMG!!!
Please please give me instructions for this recipe for one person! I made these for the first time this morning and all I want to do is eat the stack! They are seriously heavenly- just the right sweetness.
They seriously are just perfect – thanks 🙂
Haha, I’m so glad you loved these Kathy, thank you!!
We love these pancakes! The ingredients healthy, scrumptious flavor, but I must be doing something wrong to cause the texture to be too moist in the middle. I’ve made them three times and I believe I followed your directions and used the ingredients listed precisely. I used a kitchen scale to measure.
The first time I did not use the cookie cutters….I wanted to see if we liked them enough to invest in cookie cutters just for pancakes. We loved the flavor (a lot) so I thought I will try them with a collar around them to see if that makes them fluffy to the center.
The second time I made aluminum foil rings to act as cookie cutters. The pancakes definitely cooked differently- rose higher and the sides were fluffier but the middle was still moist. I varied the amount of time they cooked and the temperature of the pan to see if the would help… but alas the middle was still dense.
The third time I reduced the size of two of the four aluminum foil collars to 3.5″, the other two were left at 4.5″, I reduced the amount of batter I put in each one and increased the cooking time to 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes after flipping.
Alas, they were still dense in the center though outer edges were fluffier than before on both sizes.
I’m open to suggestions because I would really like to add this recipe to our regular routine as it is the best vegan, gluten free, oil free pancake recipe I’ve tried so far. Most pancake recipes are not worth a second effort but this one is definitely worth the extra effort… BTW… my cookie cutters are ordered and will be arriving soon…
Hi Kathryn! Hmmm, mine always turn out really fluffy and cooked through, but what brand of almond flour are you using? That is likely the culprit. SO many brands of almond flour produce such a great varied result, as in some make things more wet and some more fluffy. That is almost always the reason if something turns out too wet-the almond flour. Also, what brand of lite coconut milk are you using and are you shaking it really well before measuring so you aren’t getting mostly the watery part?
I appreciate your reply…
I’m using Kirkland signature almond flour (superfine) from Costco and reduced fat coconut milk from Trader Joe’s.
The coconut milk may be the issue. I was unable to create a smooth coconut milk consistency by shaking the can or blending it in my vitamix. What brands of almond flour and coconut milk do you use?
I’m not sure about that brand of almond flour if it is fine enough, I know I’ve used the nuts.com brand and King arthur almond flour for the pancakes and they are really fluffy but definitely coconut brands make a HUGe difference. I honestly never have any luck with lite coconut milk brands other than Thai Kitchen, which you can find at most grocery stores. I buy mine at Kroger but it’s also sold on Amazon. It is consistently creamy and smooth and never chunky. Just shake it really well first and then measure.
Yummy! My family loves The Vegan 8 Peanut Butter Pancakes, they are so fluffy and delicious! I wanted to try something different…something without peanut butter, so these were next! After my boys took their first bite, they said “mom, these are best pancakes you make (well…second best, the peanut butter ones take the gold!)” and when I told them they had sweet potato in them, they almost didn’t believe me! 🙂
Great flavor, not too sweet, just delicious! Thank you Brandi for another great recipe!
Finally got to try these out and it came out DELICIOUS!! But still mushy in the middle.. nice color brown on the outside.. even cooked it for a little longer.. but still mushy right in the middle.. do you think I may need to use more almond flour? Maybe I put too much sweet potato?
Hi Joy! It can be several factors, what kind of almond flour did you use? Brand of coconut milk and did you weigh the ingredients?
Hi Brandi! I’m drooling over all of your recipes 😋 can’t wait to try it out! Have a question, is there any way to substitute the potato starch? I’m on special detox program right now and I can’t use potato because of the starch it contains.. Any recommendations from your side?
Hi Anastasia! Thank you for the kind words! I’m so sorry, but no, the potato starch is absolutely crucial to these pancakes. Other starches will make them extremely dense and gummy. I am testing a more basic gluten-free pancake recipe and hope to have that up in the near future. I’ll try to test it without potato starch, but just fyi, all my pancake recipes do use SOME starch because since there are no eggs (which gives traditional pancakes their fluffy and cooked through interior), without starch, they will be gummy and not cooked through. Can you do cornstarch or other starches? You can also try these, they are a bit different, kind of like a cornmeal cake flavor, but smoother and so delicious. No potato starch either: https://thevegan8.com/vegan-gluten-free-corn-flour-pancakes/
Vegan version. The batter came out too thick like cookie dough. Double checked measurements, accuracy checked. You mentioned adding the dry mix into the food processor, and I did the opposite, the processed liquid into the dry mixture. Could this be the problem?
The batter is very fluid, not thick like cookie dough at all, so something definitely isn’t right there. I’ve made this recipe hundreds of times and it’s always a smooth, fluid batter, so I’m not sure what to tell you there. Did you use potato flour instead of potato starch by accident? Change any of the flours or ingredients?
I made these today and they’re so good! Reminded me of cake. Which is why I wanted to ask: have you tried baking these as muffins or a cake? 🥰😋
I made these again today. I even left out the chocolate chips and they were amazing. I cooked them in my copper skillet. It is really important to heat it up for at least 5 minutes at a medium low heat before adding the batter to prevent sticking. Anyway, thanks for a great recipe. It’s our favorite pancake recipe!
So awesome to hear Sharon!
Can’t wait to try these! Do you think I could use cassava flour instead of the potato starch? I also have rye, all purpose, bread, wholewheat and masa harina to choose from. Potato starch is notoriously difficult to find in my small little community.
Hi Nupur, usually to sub potato starch for all-purpose flour, you’d need twice the amount. I’ll be testing it this weekend with all-purpose flour and let you know! I have never used cassava flour, so I cannot answer whether it would work or not.
Eager to hear your results. Any other starch that can take the place of potato starch, such as tapioca? Love your stuff!
You can try cornstarch, but based on how moist these are, I’m afraid they are going to be too dense and not cook through the same. Potato starch yields much fluffier results. But if you try cornstarch, be sure to use the same gram weight amount of 100 grams. The weight is different per tablespoon of cornstarch to potato starch. So, for cornstarch, 100g would equal to 3/4 cup. Just keep in mind that I have not tested them with cornstarch and that is based on my experience of baking with both starches and knowing how they different, especially in a pancake recipe. Let me know if try it. I linked above to the potato starch I order off Amazon.
Are these the pancakes formerly known as life changing? They look super familiar but I can’t find my comments and I know I gave those some massive love in the past. If they are, you all must make these on the ASAP because they are serious perfection.
Hi Elyse! Yes, same recipe, I just updated the recipe with better instructions and new photos, since the recipe was originally posted in 2014. Your comment is still there, you just have to click on older comments. There are so many comments on the post, that it’s only showing a couple of recent ones for some reason.
Excellent! These are still our birthday and Christmas treats and the girls count down until we can make them again.
It’s fixed, that was an accident. No vinegar.
It is fixed. Only coconut milk
Cassava flour seems to work well as a total flour replacement. I used it this year for Passover and was pleasantly surprised how well my recipes turned out