The BEST VEGAN FLUFFY PANCAKES are just 7 ingredients and 1 bowl. They are oil-free, soft, fluffy and made with no eggs and are dairy-free!
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BEST VEGAN FLUFFY PANCAKES
Nothing says comfort food quite like a tall stack of fluffy pancakes with syrup drizzled all over them! In other words, I’m talking about these best vegan fluffy pancakes, ever. I’m no rookie when it comes to amazing vegan fluffy pancake recipes.
- Vegan Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancakes
- Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Fluffy Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
- Vegan Life Changing Pancakes
I don’t often call a recipe the best, but just like with these Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies, these oil-free vegan pancakes are to die for!
Before we get to these light and fluffy vegan pancakes, I have to share some exciting things. Some awesome things happened this past year with my blog and the growth of it, including releasing my very first Ebook! I also had the honor of being in my first movie documentary, Eating You Alive. The response to that movie has been outstanding, so I really recommend you get the DVD (which was just released!) if you haven’t seen it yet. The experience was amazing. Also, Forks Over Knives just released their very FIRST magazine and a couple of my recipes and mini feature are in it! Look at the Pg. 48 feature spread “8 ingredients or less”, that is my blog tagline. That spread includes 2 of my recipes.
Ok, back to pancakes.
HOW DO YOU MAKE PANCAKES WITHOUT EGGS?
The key milk for these vegan fluffy pancakes is my usual go-to, canned “lite” coconut milk. Reason being, there is no oil or fruit puree in the pancakes, so the fat content in the coconut milk is needed for both the fluff factor and moisture. It is thicker than other milks like store-bought cashew, almond, soy, etc. They are not going to be as good with other milks. So, take my advice and use the canned coconut milk.
Another secret I use, is potato starch. It absolutely makes them so fluffy and cooked through and not gummy like so many vegan pancakes.
I’ve been making these for about a long time nearly every weekend. They are SO easy to make, vanilla-infused and are absolutely delicious, incredibly soft and fluffy! No weird ingredients, NO OIL and no eggs are needed. They are also just 7 ingredients and made in 1 bowl!
Oh! And I served these Oil-free Vegan Fluffy Pancakes over the holidays while my mother-n-law was here and she absolutely loved these! So, there you go, she is not vegan either! Enjoy!
MORE VEGAN PANCAKE RECIPES
- Vegan Cookies ‘N’ Cream Pancakes
- Fluffy Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
- Gluten-free Corn Flour Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte Pancakes
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 Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons (30g) potato starch, patted down well
- 1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) "lite" canned coconut milk, room temp and shaken well first (don't recommend other milks, see post above)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (50g) pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon (15g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon (7g) apple cider vinegar
- Optional add-ins: We eat these plain and love them but I also add chocolate chips sometimes for my daughter. For cinnamon, add 1 teaspoon.
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking or measuring flours, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Make sure your liquids are at room temperature, as cold will make your pancakes less fluffy.
- To a large bowl, add the flour, potato starch, baking powder and salt and whisk very well.
- Pour in the milk, syrup, vanilla and vinegar. With a spoon, gently stir the ingredients in a folding motion from the bottom. You just want to mix just until all the flour is incorporated. Don't overmix or the pancakes will be more tough because of them being wheat.
- Very important for fluffy and cooked through pancakes, leave the batter to sit for 15 minutes. At the same time, turn on your pan to medium-low, closer to low. Your pan must heat up at the same time your batter sits. This will ensure your pancakes are all fluffy and cooked through well. You will notice how much your batter poofs up after the 15 minutes.
- Lightly spray the pan and pour a 1/3 cup of batter onto the pan, it should be fairly thick, but smooth. Just slightly smooth the top, but don't overspread out the batter, or your pancakes will be more thin. Cook the first side until the top is forming a dry look, the edges are looking dry and firm and some bubbles are on top. You can peak underneath to make sure they aren't browning too quickly. If they are, slightly reduce the heat. Flip over and cook another minute. Repeat.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition per pancake (based on 7): 171.5 calories, 2.8 g fat, 30.4 g carbs, 3.8 g protein, 3.8 g fiber, 5.6 g sugar, 351.4 mg sodium
Happy New Year my friend! So Congratulations to your new opportunities so happy and excited for you! So gorgeous and amazing photos, love the closeups with the dizzle on maple syrup on top, I’m drooling!
I would happily eat 10 of these, because I know you’re the pancake queen! 🙂
Happy New Year Florian! Thank you so much my friend! So glad you love those. I can’t resist pour shots, haha!
What is potato starch?
It’s a starch like cornstarch but made from potatoes instead of corn. It is sold at pretty much any grocery store these days in the flour isle and works to make things fluffy in place of eggs.
I wonder if I could swap my egg replacer for the potatoe starch?
Happy new year Brandi! I make your famous pancake recipe all the time and love it. It’ll be hard to tear myself away but since we aren’t gluten-free I’m also looking forward to giving this new one a try 🙂 Definitely not-so-secretly hoping you’ll be announcing a cookbook in 2017 😀
NO way?! Thank you so much Shannon, that makes me so happy to hear you love the pancakes! Oh, and by the way, we still make and devour your spinach artichoke dip! My mom made it again for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and every single person loves it and none of them are vegan! She finally wised up and double the recipe at Christmas since at Thanksgiving, it was gone in 5 minutes, lol!
I’m interested in this dip recipe!
Brandi, Congratulations on your recent successes. The recipes you develop are truly scrumptious, keep up the good work. Looking forward to lots of new recipes in 2017.
So kind of you, thank you so much for saying that!
As beautiful as these pancakes are (and they really are), it’s even more lovely that you make mention of us all trying to find some unity and grace amidst a whole lot of hatred and division in 2016. A little kindness, compassion and empathy would do us all a lot of good.
Thank you so much for reading Annie. I usually don’t talk about much other than food, but it’s been weighing so heavily on my mind because of how much I’ve witnessed. I think people, too often, forget that we are all just human beings. None of us are perfect and I truly believe everybody deserves grace and compassion before immediately just attacking people online. That golden rule of treating others as we want ourselves to be treated is too often forgotten. My heart breaks everytime I read about teenagers being bullied on social media, and then they take their own lives. It’s inexcusable and we really need to teach our children compassion to others and it starts with us, the adults.
That pour sequence. Yep I just scrolled through it three time because hello mega droolworthy pancake perfection😍😍 Do you think I could get a flip book version please? Or I guess that’s kinda what GIFs are for these days, isn’t it haha! With or without a pancake ring, you make the most amazingly fluffy pancake stacks…or shall I say towers! You had me at “vanilla infused”, you know I am a huge vanilla fan. And it goes so well with maple too. I rarely ever have a desire to venture into non-GF flours, oat and tapioca usually work just fine, but the light fluffiness that whole wheat pastry flour gives is amazing! And how convenient that you have so many super fluffy pancake versions at this point that you can just point people in the direction that fits their dietary preference to ward off all those inevitable flour swapping questions 😀 And big congrats on all the wonderful opportunities coming your way, you are so very talented and I cannot wait to see where 2017 takes you <3
Thank you so much my friend! SO glad you love those photos, haha! I couldn’t help myself! I really have fun with pancake photos. Flipbook version….I literally laughed out loud!! Thanks so much girl…I was going to use my round cookie cutter, but decided I was too lazy for that and while these are not perfectly round (see overhead shot above), I still found them all to cook relatively similar just by making sure I used exactly 1/3 cup each time and slightly smoothing the tops once adding the batter to the pan. I also photographed the prettiest sides, lol! Seriously, whole wheat pastry flour definitely makes the fluffiest pancakes, way more than spelt. I love spelt too, but it is a stronger flavor and these have no off taste or flavor, just vanilla yumminess!
Thanks for a great pancake recipe! I’ve made it several times. I was just wondering. Have you experimented at all with using Aquafaba for egg replacement in baking? This is the liquid drained off a can of garbanzo (chickpea) beans. One tablespoon for every egg required. I’ve been using this and am very impressed, just because I always have the liquid left whenever I use chickpeas and now I don’t have to throw it out! It is very mild flavored, not like flaxseed, so I prefer it for that reason. I can’t really taste it at all in my baking. I wonder how it would be to add that to your recipe? Might even make them lighter? I think I’ll try it!
Hi Louann! Yes, I have a few recipes on my site that use aquafaba and I love it! Oh, and these pancakes don’t need aquafaba, that is the reason for the potato starch. Potato starch makes pancakes super fluffy in the exact way that eggs do. It makes them soft and light, so I wouldn’t add more liquid to the batter, it will just make them flat. They need the coconut milk additionally for the lightness/fluffy factor. Let me know when you try them!
Oh, and here are a few of my recipes using aquafaba.
GARLIC CHIVE DINNER MUFFINS: https://thevegan8.com/2016/02/22/garlic-chive-dinner-muffins-vegan-gluten-free-oil-free/
CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CAKE: https://thevegan8.com/2015/12/22/vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-peppermint-cake-oil-free/
CARAMEL CRUSTED PUMPKIN LOAF: https://thevegan8.com/2014/11/22/caramel-crusted-pumpkin-loaf/
are potato flour and potato starch the same thing?
No, very different. Definitely use potato starch, it will say starch on the bag 🙂
Where can I buy potato flour? Thanks!
Hi there! It is potato STARCH, not four, they are very different and potato flour would ruin them. Potato starch is similar to cornstarch and can be found in the specialty flour section in most grocery stores or can be ordered online through Amazon. I buy mine at either Krogers, HEB or Whole Foods.
You are the Pancake Goddess!!! I’m a huge, huge fan of yours, and think your pancake recipes (all of them!) are the best ever created. I can’t believe you just added another one- I’m thrilled and will indulge ASAP! I don’t know what I would have done as a blooming vegan without your recipes. Seriously. It’s been 3 years since I went full vegan and I make at least one of your recipes about every other day. Thank you for all your hard work and generosity sharing it so freely! I hope you find all the success and happiness you deserve in 2017! (ps: I don’t know why my profile photo shows a photo of me from 6 years ago when I had short hair and it was dyed a crazy color!)
Oh Liz, you are way too kind to me!! Pancake Goddess….I like the sound of that since I’m totally obsessed with pancakes, LOL! You know what is really funny? I totally thought of you when I was getting ready to post these since I know you make the Life Changing Pancakes and Blueberry Spelt ones so often…I was thinking..oh boy, she is now going to have another one to add to the mix, hahaha! These are the easiest and fluffiest ones so far though!
Thank you so very much to YOU for your sweet words and always making my recipes and tagging me on IG, it truly means the world to me! That pic I think stays on any reader’s profile when they first originally post a comment. Don’t worry though, I love your hair in it!
You truly do create such delicious recipes. We all thank you for that. Since I am gluten-free, can I just substitute an all purpose gluten free flour for the wheat pastry flour? Thanks so much.
Thank you so much Naomi! I linked above within the post to my other pancake recipes which are all mostly gluten-free. I would start with my other ones since they are already tested as gluten-free. I have not tested these above with a gluten-free blend, so I have no idea if it would work well or not.
So, here is the link again to my pancake recipes. The most popular ones are the Life Changing Pancakes and the Buttermilk Ones! https://thevegan8.com/pancakes/
These look so amazing, Brandie! I love that they are so easy. Perfect for a lazy brunch.
Oooh, congrats on the Forks over Knives magazine feature. Can’t wait to see it!! And this pancakes look outstanding!!!
Thank you so much Jenn! I just added the feature above in the post…hahaha, I ran out to Target to buy it today, I couldn’t wait to see it! FOK is mailing me a copy but I couldn’t wait any longer, lol. It’s a beautiful magazine!
Just made these and they are amazingly fluffy, slightly sweet and perfect!!! Curious if they freeze well?? Would like to make a big batch and freeze for quick breakfasts or school lunches. Thanks!
OH wow! Yay! So darn happy you already made and LOVED them! Thank you so much for the feedback! Honestly, we eat them all each weekend when I make them, lol. So, I don’t know if they’d freeze well. I would think so if they are wrapped really tight in saran wrap and then foil and then just pop them in the microwave. I think that would work!
Yes! They freeze beautifully. I kept them over a week in the freezer and took them out and microwaved them for a minute or so each. Not sure how you feel about microwaves, but it really kept the moisture in and they stayed nice and fluffy!
I’ve made a total of 4 batches now and they freeze perfectly! I’ve only been able to freeze a handful since most are eaten as they come off the stove! Awesome recipe!
That is awesome, thank you Laura!
Wow Brandi, they look so amazing! I am totally in love with their fluffiness. Congrats on the Forks Over Knives feature, such an honor! You rock :-*
So sweet of you Ela, thank you so much!!
Congratulations on such a fantastic year! Oh and I’ll help you celebrate by eating that whole stack of pancakes please…. ;O)
Thank you Mel! That sounds like a deal to me!
I’m totally not surprised to see another pancake recipe on here. LOL! I love that giant stack…the only thing I’d say you are missing is the shot after that sequence where I insert my mouth and devour every last bite. They look gorgeous! Ship me some? And huge congrats on all 2016 brought and here’s to many more awesome things in 2017!
Lol!! Thanks friend!
Apirtcpaeion for this information is over 9000-thank you!
Congrats on a great year, and cheers to being kind this year. I’m so exhausted from all of the haters in this world. That stack of pancakes go on for days, yum!
Hi Brandi! So glad to see your first post of 2017! As a fairly new vegan, I am so grateful to have found your site not long ago with great recipes featuring 8 ingredients.
Congrats on all your well-deserved success! I too think you should publish a cookbook in 2017.
Will be making the pancakes this weekend!
Thank you so much for the support Kathy, it means so much to me! Sorry I missed this comment before!
Congratulations on all of the wonderful things that are happening!
Thank you so much Dianne!
Man these look amazing. Although I can’t make these myself it gets me thinking I should totally make one of your gluten free pancakes for dinner sometime. I don’t know why the heck I haven’t thought of that before. With two jobs I never get an opportunity to make pancakes but that is about to change pancakes for dinner sound amazing. Yaasssss!!! Such amazing and vivid pics as always, seriously feels like the pancakes are right in front of me and it makes me want to shove them in my pie hole but then I have to slap myself to remember I can’t eat gluten. ahaha
Oh and yay I am so happy for you about the feature in Forks Over Knives magazine it is well deserved recognition and your recipes are such perfection the world needs to know about them so the more exposure the better. I feel sorry for people who have not discovered your blog. ahahaha I look forward to all your amazing recipes to come this year. You certainly started the year off with a bang with this recipe girl they are simply amazing I have no doubt.
Hi Christina! I’m so sorry I’m just responding…I didn’t realize I forgot to come back to respond to some of these comments (even though I read them that day)….side effect of a crazy schedule! Anyways, I love reading your comments and really appreciate them so much. Thank you very much!! Your comments always make me smile 🙂
Very nice pancakes indeed, Brandi!
I have been in a set-back and found myself with a confidence-loss myself. But I see that you are back strongly!
I agree with your plea for kindness.
I wish you great success with your ebook.
Hi Tonette! Thank you so much for your kind words!
Congrats Brandi! That sounds like a seriously awesome year. And I bet 2017 will be even better. I mean, these incredibly awesome pancakes are a mere sign of things to come, right? 🙂
Haha, yes, total sign! Thank you Alisa!
I bought Forks over Knives magazine and saw your recipes in it…..how exciting!!!!! I wish you all the luck in the world 🙂 you have helped so many people. Thank you and success to you on your journey.
Aww, thank you so much Debbie, you are so sweet!!
Just made these pancakes this weekend and they are amazing!! Check out my instagram page for quite a few of these recipes I have made from vegan8. All the recipes are fail safe and always turn out amazing!! I urge everyone to try them.
These pancakes turned out fluffy, soft and not raw in the middle like most! Delicious!!
Yay! Loved your pic of them on IG Deborah! I’m so very happy you loved these pancakes and the bean brownies too! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Made these and kids loved them. Definitely will be making again. Thank you for so many good recipes. Everything I have tried so far turned out amazing 😉
Wonderful news Natasha! Thank you so much for the feedback and I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes!
Ooh, I’m going to grab myself a bag of potato starch and pray for a snow day this week so I can make the boys some pancakes. They go crazy for pancakes (I made a double batch of some yesterday and they ate them all), but it’s hard to squeeze in before school in the morning. These look delicious!
Awesome Sarah! Thank you!
Woahh!! First, these pancakes look awesome. Any time over “normal” ones. Also, congratz for being featured in Forks over Knives. So cool, Brandi! On another note, I didn’t realize you published a desserts eBook! I hope it’s going good 😀
Thank you so much Howie!! Yes, the ebook sales have been wonderful, thank you!
Wow ! These looks amazing:) Congrats for your e book and good luck! I am seeing your website past 1 year. you are doing very good.
So kind of you to say that Uma, thank you!
You are the pancake QUEEN!!!!! Wow! And that sequence of pour shots is torture! Haha 🙂 They seriously look perfect, my friend. I have to say, your intro paragraph was wonderful – I’m with you on the fear and also the hope for a “be nicer to others” kind of year. It’s so heartbreaking to see hurtful comments left on other pages and straight up bullying going on. I’m 100% guilty of allowing fear to take over and hold me back from everything – here’s to more of a fear less year!
HUGE congrats to you on the magazine, too! I’m just SO incredibly proud of you! I’ll have to go grab myself a copy ASAP! I’m so excited to see what recipes you have in store- you’re amazing! <3 xo
Thank you so much my sweet friend! I’ve been hearing that term “pancake queen” a lot lately and it totally cracks me up! Hmmmm, I may be a bit obsessed with pancakes, LOL!
Isn’t it crazy how much fear can deter our true path? Fear is a natural thing, but how we choose to react and what we do with it, is what is important. I say, slap it in the face and move forward anyways! Life will still go on 🙂
Love you!!
Happy New Year Brandi!
And massive congratulations on your feature with Forks over Knives!!! So well deserved! Plus these pancakes…oh my!!! Heaven!!! Pancake Tuesday is coming and this recipe will be perfect!!! 🙂
Hugs!
xxx
Thank you so much Anna, that is so nice of you!
This recipe looks so amazing and I want to try it! However, I can’t get whole wheat pastry flour where I am. I only have whole wheat flour. If I use this instead, is there a way I can alter your recipe to still keep it fluffy? 🙁
Kat, then I would use all-purpose white flour and not whole wheat, as it will make the pancakes way too tough. I have made these before white white flour and they are delicious!
so… does the coconut milk taste like coconut? because i HATE coconut. 🙁
Not at all! That is why I use the light coconut milk and not the full fat. It is creamier than the other plant milks and really makes for a fluffier pancake but leaves NO coconut taste at all. If you were to drink it directly you would taste a mild coconut flavor, but in the pancake it is 100% undetectable. My husband absolutely hates coconut and I use this milk in all of my pancake recipes.
oh thats good! 🙂 thanks!!
I made these for the first time yesterday. They are so good they don’t even need butter or syrup! Yum-O! 🥞 I’m always amazed at how well all the Vegan8 recipes just nail texture! It’s real chemistry.
Thank you so much Lisa for taking the time to leave such an awesome review, I really appreciate it!
Just made these and they are so fluffy and perfect! This is hands-down the best vegan pancake recipe I’ve tried. In fact I didn’t have potato starch on hand so I substituted tapioca starch and they still turned out really well. For people who are wondering, you cannot taste the coconut at all. This is actually the first time I succeeded in making pretty and fluffy vegan pancakes. The tips and instructions on how to make them are super useful! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such an amazing review Joyce, so happy you loved these! I’m so glad my tips were helpful! Definitely does make a difference!
I have sworn off wheat, and started a vegan journey a few months ago. Have you tried a began gluten free variety? Thanks for sharing your recipes. Infound several i intend to try!!
Hi, I have never tested these as gluten-free, so I cannot say what would work. I would try one of the gluten-free recipes I linked within the post instead since they are already tested and ensured to work with the gluten-free blends I use in those recipes 🙂
How do you recommend making these gluten free? Thanks!
Hi, I have never tested these as gluten-free, so I cannot say what would work. I would try one of the gluten-free recipes I linked within the post instead since they are already tested and ensured to work with the gluten-free blends I use in those recipes 🙂
Ok—thank you! 😊
Since our switch to a WFPB diet one of the struggles has been to find good baked goods. I am stoked to give all of yours a try! These pancakes . . . . . awesome! I had purchased a store bought vegan pancake mix, and the results from that mix don’t hold a candle to your recipe. Next on my list, your Vegan and Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Thanks for your painstaking experimentation, and precise ingredient lists, notations, and product recommendations.
So kind, thank you so much Robin for the amazing review and kind words! Would you mind star rating the recipe as well, they help me out so much!
These are absolutely wonderful! Very simple to make, reminds me of the homemade pancakes my mom would make on Sundays when I was a child. You wouldn’t even know they’re vegan – so fluffy and perfect flavor just like a classic pancake. A new Sunday favorite!
Thank you so much Brandy for the amazing review! So happy you love them!
I really want to try these but am having difficulty finding whole wheat pastry flour. What brand do you recommend?
All-purpose flour will work! I find it at Heb or Sprouts! Bob’s red mill brand or you can order it off of Amazon 🙂
I eat gluten-free .. Can I use oat flour or buckwheat flour with cornstarch in these fluffy pancakes?
Hi Michelle, no I wouldn’t alter this recipe as doing so will make them dense and ruin the perfectly fluffy texture. I’ve linked to several gluten-free pancake recipes that were written to be gluten-free already in the post, so I would check those out instead. The peanut butter ones use oat flour!
Hi have literally just made these pancakes, and OMG they are so amazing! I have to say, I have had pancakes all my life, but these are over the top delicious! And they fact they are Vegan makes me so happy! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Aww, yay, thrilled to hear that Merranie! That is how I feel about them too, haha! Would you mind star rating them, those good ratings help me out so much, thank you!
After going plant based 6 years ago, we seriously missed a good, fluffy pancake. Then along came Brandi! These BEST VEGAN FLUFFY PANCAKES are A-MAZ-ING! We eat them plain or add fruit like strawberries or blueberries. Scrumptious! Fluffy! Filling! And so easy to make! 👍
Yay!! Thank you Cathrine, so thrilled you love these as much as I do!
Can the matter be made in advance and stored for 24 hours?
No, they would become extremely dense.
I couldn’t find any potato starch at my local grocery store and I didn’t realize my pastry flour was unbleached white until I got back home from shopping, but it’s Bob’s Red Mill. I really love and trust the quality of his products. I am definitely going to order potato starch online. OMG!!!…the best pancakes of my life. So fluffy and flavorful. I couldn’t believe it. I am still amazed. We will eat this again and again.
I’m so glad you loved these Coletha! Thank you for making them!
Hi Brandi! Do these taste like coconut since they have coconut milk?
Hi Meagan! Nope, not at all! That is why I use lite. It just yields more fluff and moisture and takes place of oil, but leaves zero coconut taste 🙂