These vegan gluten-free pancakes are literally the best ever! So fluffy, easy to make, taste like traditional pancakes and loved by everyone!
This post was originally published on February 1, 2020.
Breakfast at my house can be pure insanity. My kids gobble up pancakes like ravenous animals. I have been experimenting with different types of pancakes lately and this one is the best basic, and most incredible one ever!
These pancakes are so fluffy and decadent. Think of your traditional buttermilk pancake recipe, but vegan, gluten free and made with 9 simple whole food ingredients. You will never need another pancake recipe!
The first time I perfected these, I think I saw my husbands eyes roll back in his head. He is a pancake snob (sorry honey) and I think I may have seen him shove a kid to grab the last one.
Ingredients
No packages of fake food over here, just simple, real ingredients for a simply amazing pancake! Here's what you'll need:
- Unsweetened dairy free milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- Oat flour
- Grained almond flour
- Apple sauce
- Baking essentials and seasonings
- Maple syrup
How To Make Vegan Pancakes
These are SO easy to make! My son can even do it. Here's what to do:
- Mix the dry ingredients.
- Add in the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Cook on a pan.
- Serve!
Toppings and Fillings
These pancakes have a simple plain buttermilk flavor, which means you can easily add some really great toppings. Some of my favorite things to add to these pancakes are:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Bananas
- Peaches
- Butter
- Maple syrup
- Chia Seed Jam
- Fruit compote (try this blackberry compote recipe)
- Chocolate chips
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Homemade Nutella
- Vegan Granola
- Easy vegan caramel sauce
- Chocolate Syrup
- Whipped cream (try this homemade vegan coco whip)
- Coconut Butter
You can also add in all kinds of things into the batter. Do your kids want chocolate chip pancakes? EASY PEASY. Here are some great add ins:
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts
- Marshmallows (yep, amazing, try these vegan marshmallows)
- Fresh fruit (watch for moisture as it will affect the end result)
- Dried fruit
- Spices like cinnamon or pumpkin spice
- Coconut flakes
- Seeds
Serving suggestions
Make a complete breakfast by serving these gluten-free pancakes with any of these recipes:
- Apple Pecan Oat Crumble
- Protein Coffee Smoothie
- Vegan Almond Banana Milk (3 Ways)
- Strawberry Banana Spinach Protein Smoothie
- Vegan Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Scones with Easy Cinnamon Glaze
Tips for fluffy pancakes
Traditional pancakes use ingredients like eggs and regular flour with gluten to get the fluffy end result. When it comes to gluten-free vegan pancakes however, we have to get crafty.
Use a combination of vinegar (or lemon juice) and baking powder. The acidity in both of those ingredients gives an instant fluffy rise and also creates a soft pillow like texture (i.e helps with the leavening and tenderizing). Examples of this would be in my vegan vanilla cupcakes and my vegan strawberry shortcake.
Also, let the batter sit for about 5 minutes to allow these ingredients to mix and create the science magic. I use this time to heat up the pan (you want a nice warmed up pan for even cooking) and quickly clean up and put away ingredients.
Preparation and storage tips
Here are a few helpful suggestions to assist you in your perfect pancake making journey:
- For the best texture you need accuracy with the flours. Which is why I include precise weights. If you don’t have a scale, then you can purchase this fairly inexpensive one.
- If you prefer to measure, then measure the flours by scooping your measuring cup into the flour versus spooning it into it. This is how I measured when getting my weights.
- Make sure that your pan is nice and hot before you start cooking pancakes. This allows for even cooking.
- Place a large spoonful of batter on the pan. You will know it's ready to flip when you see little bubbles forming on the top and when it releases from the pan easily with your spatula. If it sticks at all, the pancake is not ready to flip. You want each side to be a golden brown.
- Make these pancakes ahead of time and freeze them! Once they're cooked, let cool completely. Stack with parchment paper between each one, then wrap in foil. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, let defrost for a bit then reheat in a toaster oven or microwave.
Common Questions
You can definitely use water but your end result, both flavor and texture, will be a bit different. Milk plays a critical role in this vegan buttermilk pancake recipe. It reacts with the apple cider vinegar to create that richer buttermilk type flavor.
If you use water, you will be missing out on that. Also, since water has more, water lol, you can get a more wet texture.
Yes! There used to be a rumor that white flour was bleached with bone char, but this has been disproven. So have at any recipe that uses it. If you are gluten-free, there are a lot of all purpose blends out there. Here are a few:
Flour Farm
Bob's Red Mill
King Arthur
Pamela's
Cup 4 Cup
Arrowhead Mills
Use a mix of acidic ingredients such as vinegar or lemon juice along with baking powder. You can also let the batter sit for 5 minutes before cooking.
More Vegan and Gluten Free Pancake Recipes
If your household loves pancakes as much as us, you're going to need more than one pancake recipe. Check out these other plant based pancakes:
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Blender Pancake Recipe
- Fluffy Vegan Chocolate Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten-Free Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Blueberry Muffin Pancakes
Healthy Vegan Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy free milk
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup oat flour , gluten-free if needed
- ¼ cup fine grained almond flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Turn up the heat on your pan/griddle, you want it nice and hot for cooking the pancakes. You know it’s ready when you spray some water on it and you hear it sizzle. Also if it is not non-stick you should use a spray oil to avoid the pancakes sticking.
- Mix the milk and vinegar and set aside to create a vegan buttermilk.
- Mix the flours, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Make a little well in the middle and add the apple sauce, vanilla, maple syrup and milk/vinegar mixture. Mix until everything is just mixed. Allow to sit about 5 or so minutes while you put things away and clean up.
- Drop large spoonfuls onto the pan/griddle. Cook about 4-5 minutes on each side. They should be slightly brown and flip easily when ready. You may also see little bubbles forming on the tops with raw batter.
- Top with whatever you choose and enjoy!
Notes
- You can skip allowing the milk and vinegar to set but it will have less of a true buttermilk type flavor.
- I like to mix the dry ingredients the night before and have it ready to add wet in the morning for a quick and easy breakfast.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Anna
Oh My!!! These were soooo good!! Even my husband said that these were the BEST pancakes I have ever made! Thanks for such a great recipe that is super easy!!!
Anna
Sophia DeSantis
yay! So happy you liked them!!
riv
do you have any recommendation for replacement of the almond flour?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Riv! Because this is a baking recipe, and is both vegan and gluten free, changing one thing can alter the texture and end result completely. The only option I can suggest trying is another nut based flour. Or a seed based flour. But I cannot vouch for the result as I have not tried it with anything else. If you give it a try let us know how it worked!