These vegan buttermilk pancakes are all you need to make your Sunday mornings a whole lot brighter! With one bowl, 7 ingredients, and 15 minutes of your time, you're just moments away from a delicious breakfast.
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I was thinking of fall-inspired breakfast ideas when it hit me that I haven't posted a classic pancake recipe on here yet. I found this shameful and needed to rectify the situation ASAP because honestly, what's better than a stack of fluffy pancakes doused in butter and maple syrup? Nothing.
These vegan pancakes taste just like classic pancakes and can be loaded with whatever add-ins you love (I personally go for chocolate chips or blueberries)! They're super easy to make, better than a boxed mix, freezer-friendly, and a guaranteed family favorite.
These pancakes are vegan, dairy-free, made without eggs and replacement eggs, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and can be made gluten-free!
Key Ingredients
The majority, if not all, of these ingredients are pantry staples.
- Flour: I used good old all purpose flour for these. If you'd like to make this recipe gluten-free, check out the variations & substitutions section for my recommendations!
- Vegan Buttermilk: you can easily make homemade vegan buttermilk by combining any unsweetened, unflavored, non-dairy milk you like with a tablespoon of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar. I personally used soy milk and apple cider vinegar. This will help to add moisture to our pancakes and helps to make them nice and fluffy.
- Baking Powder: all for the classic pancake fluffiness. This reacts with the buttermilk and creates perfectly airy pancakes.
- Coconut Sugar: to keep this recipe refined sugar-free, I opted for coconut sugar. If you don't have it, regular sugar will work just the same!
- Vanilla Extract: y'all know I cannot resist it. I used my homemade vanilla extract and it made them even better!
- Salt: just a pinch to balance the recipe.
Instructions
- Make sure your vegan buttermilk is prepared. To do this, mix 1 cup of non-dairy milk with apple cider vinegar in a large bowl and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. It will begin to curdle just like regular milk!
- To the vegan buttermilk, add in the vanilla and give it a stir. Then add in the flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, and salt. Mix everything together until JUST combined. There should be no streaks of flour remaining, but there should still be plenty of lumps. Let the batter rest for at least 5 minutes before cooking.
- To cook the pancakes, I recommend using a pancake griddle. Not only does it allow you to cook several pancakes (almost the entire batch) at once, reducing the cooking time, but it also creates an evenly-heated surface which is ideal. If you don't have a griddle, you can use a cast iron or non-stick pan, it'll just take longer! Set your griddle to 350 degrees F or your stove to medium heat. Grease lightly with cold vegan butter or cooking spray.
- For each pancake scoop the batter using an ice cream scooper or a ⅓ cup measure and pour onto your heated griddle or pan. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bubbles in the exposed batter have formed and start to pop. Flip the pancake and let it cook for another minute, until golden brown then remove from the griddle. Repeat until all of the batter is used.
- Serve immediately with butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, or any preferred toppings!
Variations & Substitutions
I love this recipe as is but there are definitely a few ways you can change it up that would work perfectly!
Make these vegan pancakes gluten-free by using gluten-free flour or oat flour. You can swap these for the all purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. Any other flours won't sub out at the same ratio and you will likely have to alter the rest of the ingredients.
Make vegan protein pancakes by adding in a scoop of your favorite protein powder. I love to add a scoop of this Orgain plant-based creamy chocolate fudge protein powder. Whatever you choose to use, be sure it doesn't make the batter too dry. If so, just add a bit of milk.
Toppings/Add-ins
THE BEST PART OF PANCAKES. Here are some yummy things you can toss in or add on top:
- Chocolate Chips
- Blueberries
- Peanut Butter
- Bananas
- Cinnamon
- Vegan Butter & Maple Syrup, duh
Expert Tips
- Don't make the batter ahead of time. The baking powder reacts with everything as soon as it's added, so if you wait too long (I'm talking the next day) to make the pancakes, they won't rise or be fluffy.
- Do not over mix the batter. Mix it until it's just combined, meaning there are no streaks of flour but there are still lumps. The batter should not be completely smooth. Over mixing your batter results in dense and tough pancakes.
- Let the batter rest after you've mixed it before pouring it onto the griddle. While it rests, the moisture in the batter helps release some of the starches and proteins in the flour that will give the pancakes lift without making them tough.
- Only flip the pancakes once after the bubbles in the exposed batter start to pop. Flipping the pancakes too many times pushes the air out of them, resulting in dense pancakes.
- If you're using a pan or making extra batter where all of the pancakes won't be done at the same time, keep them in the oven or a convection oven on low heat to keep warm until they're ready to serve.
FAQ
Store the leftovers in an airtight, freezer-friendly bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’d like to enjoy them, let pancakes to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees, place the desired amount of pancakes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and heat for 5-6 minutes.
Buttermilk adds moisture to the batter and helps to give the pancakes that signature fluffy texture.
Other recipes you might like
- Not a pancake person? Check out this classic waffle recipe instead.
- Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Strawberry Pop Tarts
Be sure to leave a comment and rating down below if you try this recipe! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram for more recipes and updates.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) coconut sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) vegan buttermilk 1 cup (~190g) unsweetened non-dairy milk + 1 tablespoon (~12g) apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make your vegan buttermilk by mixing 1 cup of non-dairy milk with apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes.1 cup vegan buttermilk
- To the vegan buttermilk, add in the vanilla and give it a stir.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, and salt. Mix together until just combined.1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- Set pancake griddle to 350 degrees F or your stove to medium heat. Grease griddle or pan lightly with cold vegan butter or cooking spray.
- For each pancake scoop the batter using an ice cream scooper or a ⅓ cup measure and pour onto your heated griddle or pan. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bubbles in the exposed batter have formed and start to pop. Flip the pancake and let it cook for another minute, until golden brown then remove from the griddle. Repeat until all of the batter is used.
- Serve immediately with butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, or any preferred toppings!
Lauren
These pancakes are the best ever! Taste just like the real deal and are so fluffy.
Sarah
Just made these for breakfast - super fluffy, super delicious!
Pinch of Parsley
Yay!! Thank you much for your comment, Sarah! So happy you enjoyed.