*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
This vegan pancake recipe is fluffy as Snuffleupagus, but significantly more diner-style ('cause let's face it, Snuffy isn't that diner-style). With simple ingredients you've probably got hanging out in your pantry, these golden rounds come together in under 20 minutes-no obscure egg replacer, no drama, just extra fluffy pancakes that you're gonna want to devour stacks upon stacks of!
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Whether you're making breakfast-for-dinner or just trying to impress someone with golden brown excellence, this recipe is as reliable as your fave cozy hoodie. The vegan pancake batter is easy to whip up and makes the kind of delicious pancakes you dream about-crispy-edged, tender-centered, and ready to soak up criminal amounts of maple syrup.
Rock these out with smoky vegan breakfast sausages smothered in rich vegan sausage gravy, or slide them into a full-on brunch lineup with vegan shakshuka bubbling away on the side. If you're feeling adventurous next time, try stirring in some chocolate chips or adding a swirl of peanut butter to the batter.
I've dialed in the ingredient ratios so the texture stays right in the pocket: pillowy but not gummy, fluffy but never, ever dry. These babies hold up to flipping, so you won't be scraping failed attempts off the frying pan in frustration.
So let's fire up the hot griddle and get into some serious syrup situations.
Jump to:
🥰Why you'll adore this vegan pancakes recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all my vegan breakfast recipes, this one doesn't require eggs, milk, cholesterol, or cruelty to animals. I usually share a flapjack or two with my Border Collie rescues, so does that count as animal testing?
💸 Budget Brunch Vibes: Everything in this recipe is pantry-basic and budget-friendly. No need to drop $$$ for a solid stack.
🌱 Oil-Free Friendly: Hate oil with "oil" of your heart and soul? Applesauce can be swapped in like a smooth operator, and you can make these in a non-stick pan-very little compromise on texture or taste.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this one's been flipped, tested, and devoured by hundreds of pancake testers across the globe.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🥞 Egg-Free Pancakes Ingredients
The Flour
Go with unbleached, unbrominated, and unenriched all-purpose flour. For a whole grain boost, you can sub up to half with whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or spelt flour (as I sometimes do with my Moroccan msemen pancakes), but keep at least half white for max fluff.
Unsweetened Plant-Based Milk
Soy milk is my top choice because it curdles best when mixed with vinegar, mimicking buttermilk and giving the pancakes that classic tender crumb and fluffy texture.
But almond milk, oat milk, or whatever's in your fridge will be fine-just keep it unsweetened so you're in control of the flavor. Slightly warm milk (like, just not cold) works best to mix the batter evenly.
The Sugar
I use evaporated cane juice (which is a dry granulated sugar), but my wife doesn't mess with cane sugar, so I've made these countless times with coconut sugar or palm sugar instead, which both deepen the flavor of the cakes a little bit too, so have at it!
Apple Cider Vinegar
This reacts with the baking soda for extra fluff. Any other vinegar or lemon juice works here too, but ACV has the most seamless flavor for pancakes and adds just a hint of fruity brightness.
Vegan Butter
My top choice for cooking the pancakes is Earth Balance Buttery Sticks. It's just got that nostalgic buttery flavor that pancakes cry out for in the lonely, cosmic wind-swept emptiness of infinite space and time.
Trader Joe's makes a decent vegan butter that's cheaper and works well, too. I think that buttery flavor really levels up pancakes, but if you avoid vegan butter, go with a neutral-tasting oil like refined coconut, canola, or sunflower oil instead.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
Stir 1 cup of blueberries into the batter, and press a few more into the top of each pancake after ladling it onto the skillet. My vegan blueberry pancakes can be made with frozen berries too, just toss them just before cooking to prevent bleeding.
Fresh Fig Pancakes
On my food truck in the fall, we would use this basic batter, but add a ton of fresh fig slices to the surface while the batter cooked on the first side. That way, when flipped, the figs would caramelize on the surface of the pancakes. We serve it with pine nut butter (as I still do with my blue corn pancakes) and chamomile blood orange syrup. The recipe for this can be found in my cookbook, Street Vegan.
Vegan Banana Pancakes
Mash ripe banana into the wet ingredients for rich flavor and extra moisture. My vegan banana pancakes cook up soft, slightly caramelized, and taste like banana bread but, like, the pancake version.
Martabak Manis
Martabak manis is a chocolate and peanut-stuffed street-cart legend from Jakarta. Super-dope for your more indulgent, dessert-y pancake lifestyle.
Gluten-Free Pancakes
Golden-edged and tender inside, these gluten-free vegan pancakes hold their own at any brunch table.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make vegan pancakes
You're hungry, you're impatient, and these pancakes aren't gonna flip themselves. If you've already seen enough, scroll down to the printable recipe card and go wild. Otherwise, follow along for step-by-step hotcake heroics and the prettiest pancake photos you'll ever find on the internet.
Step One
Let the Bodies Hit the Flour:
Whisk or sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl to remove any clumps.
Step Two
Wet Side Story:
In a separate bowl or measuring cup, stir the plant-based milk, sugar, vinegar, vanilla, and oil (or applesauce) until the sugar dissolves.
Step Three
Batter Call Saul:
Pour wet into dry and mix until smooth with no dry spots. Don't overmix.
Step Four
Grease Lightnin':
Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. After 2 minutes, generously grease the pan with vegan butter and pour in ¼ cup batter per pancake, spaced apart.
Step Five
The Flip Side:
Cook 2-3 minutes until bubbles form and edges look set. Flip and cook 2 more minutes until golden.
Step Six
Stack Overflow:
Transfer pancakes to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil or vegan butter between batches as needed.
Step Seven
Let Them Eat Pancake:
Serve warm with maple syrup, vegan whipped cream, butter, or fruit.
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
💡Serving suggestions
Pancakes make an obvious breakfast center of attention. But for sure you should hook it up with some soft scrambled tofu, a vegan omelette, vegan frittata, or a vegan quiche to upgrade your breakfast lifestyle through the gosh darned roof. Just sayin.
👉Top tips
- Sift or whisk your dry ingredients: It might feel extra, but sifting flour and leavening agents breaks up clumps, so you don't need to mix them as much when you add the liquids, which is important for keeping the gluten relaxed.
- Use slightly warm milk: Room-temp plant-based milk helps everything combine smoothly, especially if you're using coconut oil, which can solidify when cold milk hits.
- Test the pan with a droplet: Before pouring your first pancake, flick a tiny drop of water onto the skillet. If it sizzles gently, you're good to go. If it jumps like a maniac, lower the heat.
- Don't crowd the pan: Give each pancake space to expand and breathe-overcrowding traps steam and messes with your golden edges.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
You can skip it or sub in a pinch of vanilla powder (which is my go-to for vegan bomboloni, Filipino suman, and coconut panna cotta).
Either the pan wasn't hot enough when you poured the batter, or it needs more grease. A quick swipe with vegan butter usually solves it. Use a thin, sharp spatula to flip the pancakes, which will do a better job of getting under each pancake without disturbing the crisp, caramelized surface that has formed.
After ladling the batter into the skillet, gently spread it into a circle using the bottom of the ladle or measuring cup. Just a small nudge helps create uniform, round pancakes that look as good as they taste.
These are always best fresh off the griddle when the edges are crisp and the centers are steamy and tender. But if you've got extras, here's what to do:
🧊 Refrigeration:
Let the pancakes cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They'll stay fresh for up to 4 days.
❄️ Freezing:
Lay the pancakes in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until firm. Once frozen, stack them with sheets of parchment in between and store in a reusable container. They'll keep for about 2 months.
🌬️ Thawing:
To thaw, leave pancakes at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, or transfer to the fridge overnight.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Place pancakes in a dry skillet over low to medium heat. Warm each side for 1-2 minutes until heated through and lightly crisped.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Wrap 1 or 2 pancakes in a clean, slightly damp cloth and microwave for 20-30 seconds. This keeps them soft and prevents drying out.
✌️You'll love these vegan breakfast recipes too:
Get a massive discount on all of my popular vegan brunch classes and become a plant-based breakfast champion!
Vegan Pancakes
Equipment
- Griddle optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons canola oil melted refined coconut oil, or applesauce
For Frying and Suggested Accompaniments for Serving:
- Vegan butter or oil for frying
- Vegan whipped cream
- Vegan butter
- Maple syrup
- Fresh berries or fruit
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt..
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the plant-based milk, sugar, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and oil (or applesauce if you are an oil-free person) until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms with no visible dry spots. Do not overmix.
- Set a nonstick or cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. After 2 minutes when the oil or vegan butter is hot, pour ¼ cup (60 mL) of batter for each pancake into the skillet, leaving space between each one.
- Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set. Flip and cook the second side for 2 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil or vegan butter between batches as needed.
- Serve warm with maple syrup, vegan whipped cream, vegan butter, or fresh fruit.
Notes
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Kandace says
These pancakes are so good! I love how fluffy they were.