The best damn vegan pancakes
Whole wheat, no eggs, no dairy, and still tall enough to hold syrup. Took us a lot of flat ones to get here.
The BetterDay Kitchen2 min read
A pancake has one job, which is to be tall and soft and hold a puddle of syrup without dissolving. Take out the eggs and the buttermilk and that job gets harder, which is why so many vegan pancakes come out like coasters.
This is the version we kept. Whole wheat flour for a bit of substance, almond milk, a spoon of maple instead of a cup of sugar, and cinnamon because pancakes without cinnamon are just bread.
Three things that decide how these turn out
- 1Do not overmix. Whisk until the flour disappears and then stop. Lumps are fine. Gluten development is what makes a pancake rubbery.
- 2Let the batter sit for five minutes. The whole wheat needs a moment to drink, and the baking powder needs a moment to wake up.
- 3Medium heat, not high. High heat browns the outside before the middle sets, which is how you end up with a raw stripe through the centre.
About the protein powder
Two tablespoons of a neutral or vanilla vegan protein powder goes in with the dry ingredients. It is optional. It adds a few grams of protein and makes the pancakes slightly denser and slightly more filling. If you skip it, add two extra tablespoons of flour so the batter is not too loose.
Toppings, ranked by us, argued about internally
- Warmed berries with a squeeze of lemon, which cuts the sweetness
- Peanut butter and sliced banana
- Maple syrup and flaky salt, the purist option
- Whatever jam is open
The recipe
Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
Whole wheat vegan pancakes made with almond milk, maple and cinnamon. No eggs, no dairy.
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Makes
About 8 pancakes, serves 2 to 3
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons vegan protein powder, vanilla or neutral (optional)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, for the pan
Method
- 1In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, protein powder if using, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- 2Pour in the almond milk and maple syrup. Whisk just until the flour disappears. Lumps are fine and overmixing is not.
- 3Let the batter rest for 5 minutes while the pan heats.
- 4Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and melt a little of the coconut oil.
- 5Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles open across the surface and the edges look dry.
- 6Flip once and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until golden. Resist flipping twice.
- 7Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding oil between batches.
Keeps
Cooked pancakes keep 3 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer with parchment between them. Reheat in a toaster.
Chef’s note
If the batter thickens up between batches, which whole wheat will do, loosen it with a splash of milk. You want it to fall off the spoon in a ribbon, not sit on it in a lump.
Rather not cook tonight
We make this kind of food every week.
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