vegan blue corn pancakes with piñon butter

Blue cornmeal pancakes originated in northern New Mexico and make for a hearty, wholesome breakfast full of unique Southwestern flavors. I make these with spelt flour, and a blend of blue corn meal, and blue masa harina, so it’s low in gluten (read: low, not completely gluten-free). They can indeed be made with all-purpose gluten-free flour mix in place of the spelt flour.

This is one of the few pancake recipes, actually menu items in general that was on my food truck that since day one, proudly emanating its wholesome Southwestern influence on our breakfast offerings. I tried to take it off the menu to make way for other fun new stuff, but the growing number of devoted fans had already become entranced by the distinct corn taste, and got crazy when I tried to take it away from them!

If you like these, you will LOVE my Martabak- an Indonesian thick pancake stuffed with melted chocolate and peanuts. Or my killer Malaysian coconut-stuffed pandan crepes.

🌽 Ingredients

Blue corn masa is a very fine powder made from blue corn. It's a staple ingredient in many Mexican dishes, such as tortillas and tamales. In this blue corn pancakes recipe, blue corn masa adds a distinctive color and earthy flavor, while contributing a slightly denser texture compared to regular flour. If you don't have blue corn masa, you can use regular yellow or white masa harina as a substitute.

Blue cornmeal is a coarse flour made by grinding dried blue corn kernels. It's rich in antioxidants and has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. In our pancakes, blue cornmeal provides a delightful texture and a beautiful blue hue. It's a versatile ingredient that adds a unique twist to your breakfast. If you're unable to find blue cornmeal, you can use yellow cornmeal as an alternative.

White Spelt Flour comes from spelt, an ancient grain with a nutty flavor and a nutritional profile similar to wheat flour. It's a great choice for adding a tender and light quality to the pancakes. The spelt flour in this recipe complements the earthy tones of the blue corn and enhances the overall taste. If you need a gluten-free option, you can replace spelt flour with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.

*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities and cooking directions.

📖 How to make perfect blue corn pancakes

Step one

Pass the cornmeal, masa harina, spelt flour, baking powder, and sea salt through a mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Alternately you can just whisk the cornmeal mixture together to remove and small lumps or clumps. 

Step two

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, agave nectar, 3 tablespoons oil, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients. Whisk together to form a smooth, light blue batter.

Step three

Heat a griddle, nonstick frying pan, or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. 

Once the pan is hot, heat 1 tablespoon of vegan margarine, and spread it around the surface of the pan until melted. Ladle out 4 tablespoons of batter to form each pancake. I use a lightly oiled ¼ cup measuring cup (which is 4 tablespoons) to spoon batter right onto the cooking surface to keep the size and shape of the pancakes consistent.

Step four

Cook the pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles form on the surface and the edges start lifting off the pan. Flip and fry on the other side for about 2 minutes, or just until cooked through. 

Add more vegan butter to the pan before frying the next batch.

Some variations using this recipe

There are a couple of fun things I suggest you try out:

• Fresh corn - add fresh cut corn kernels to the batter. It's legendary like that
• Muffins - with or without the fresh corn added, you can use this batter in a lightly oiled muffin tin! I usually top each muffin with a light dusting of plain streusel before baking them
• Waffles - This batter works great in a waffle iron too! Just make sure most of the steam has stopped escaping from the waffle iron before you open it, so that you know the waffle is cooked through and will not fall apart when you do. *I have only made blue corn waffles with the recipe as it is. If you add corn kernels or make it gluten-free I am making no guarantee that you will not cause a tear in the space-time continuum or whatever.

✌️You might really wanna make these too.

These are some of my favey dishes to serve when I am on a breakfast bender:

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Vegan blue corn pancakes with piñon butter

Hearty vegan blue corn pancakes with pine nut butter and maple syrup.  This is what dreams are made of!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blue corn pancakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Servings: 3

Calories: 1054kcal

Cost: $8.50

Equipment

• griddle pan
• cast iron skillet
• metal spatula
• mixing bowl
• whisk
• measuring cup or ladle

Ingredients

Pancakes:

• ⅓ cup blue cornmeal
• ⅓ cup blue corn masa harina
• ⅔ cup white spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ¼ cups unsweetened plant-based milk
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons plus ¼ cup canola or safflower oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup maple syrup for serving

Piñon butter:

• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup vegan butter such as Earth Balance
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar

Instructions

First, make the Pinon Butter (or skip these steps if you intend to use plain vegan butter)

• In a dry sauté pan set over medium-low heat, toast the pine nuts until lightly golden all
• over, about 6 minutes. Transfer them to the empty bowl of a food processor.
• Add the coconut oil, margarine, salt, cinnamon, and agave nectar to the now- empty sauté pan and melt them together over medium heat.
• Pulse the toasted pine nuts in the food processor several times to yield coarse fragments. Stir in the coconut oil mixture, then scrape out the food processor’s contents into a small bowl. Refrigerate and let cool until the fats have solidified (about 1 hour). Using a rubber spatula, mix everything together (the pine nuts may have settled during the initial chilling). Use the pine nut butter immediately, or store in an airtight container for later use. (The butter will keep in the refrigerator for months, if it isn’t eaten well before then.)

Make the pancakes

• Pass the cornmeal, masa harina, spelt flour, baking powder, and sea salt through a mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Alternately you can just whisk the cornmeal mixture together to remove and small lumps or clumps. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, agave nectar, 3 tablespoons oil, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients. Whisk together to form a smooth, light blue batter.
• Heat a griddle, nonstick frying pan, or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, heat 1 tablespoon of vegan margarine, and spread it around the surface of the pan until melted. Ladle out 4 tablespoons of batter to form each pancake. I use a lightly oiled ¼ cup measuring cup (which is 4 tablespoons) to spoon batter right onto the cooking surface to keep the size and shape of the pancakes consistent. Cook the pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles form on the surface and the edges start lifting off the pan. Flip and fry on the other side for about 2 minutes, or just until cooked through. Add more margarine to the pan before frying the next batch.
• Plate two or three pancakes per person with a half teaspoon of pine nut butter spread between each of the layers of pancakes, and a little more dolloped on top.  Serve the syrup in a small pitcher on the side, warmed if preferred.

Nutrition

Calories: 1054kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 1010mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 1679IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 266mg | Iron: 4mg