Vegan Pancakes by School Night Vegan

Publised on 28/08/2022. Last Updated on 23/07/2024 by Richard

4.6 from 17 votes

My classic vegan pancakes - we're talking thick, fluffy, American style pancakes, perfect for serving with maple syrup!

Ok, don't you just LIVE for vegan pancakes? I'm talking about American diner style, fluffy pancakes. They've gotta be nice and thick (these aint your grandma's crepes honey!) and they've gotta be super light so they can soak up all that maple syrup! This recipe is kinda similar to my Vegan Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes but we've gone even more classic!

I've been working on this one for a while, mostly because I eat A LOT of vegan pancakes, so I've had the time to really go hard on perfecting this one. And here they are! The Miss America of the vegan pancake world!

Jump to:

🧈 Vegan Pancakes Ingredients
🥣 Method
🔄 Subs and swaps
🍪 Vegan Pancakes Variations
🔪 Equipment
💅 Bonus Tip!
🤷‍♀️ Vegan Pancakes FAQs
Vegan Pancakes

🧈 Vegan Pancakes Ingredients

Look, it's morning, you're groggy (but weirdly look insanely fresh!?), so I'm going to keep the ingredients for my vegan pancakes super simple! Just a handful of pantry bits and bobs and you're set!

Plain white flour - aka all purpose flour!
Baking powder - to help these bad boys rise and turn into their fluffy ideal selves!
Caster sugar - aka superfine sugar.
Soy milk - unflavoured and unsweetened, as always! Any plant milk will do actually!
Lemon juice - to help the pancakes to rise and give a slight tang!
Vanilla extract - simple, classic, lovely!
Vegan butter - for greasing the pan. Margarine works too!
Maple syrup - for drizzling!

As always, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page, so check there for quantities.

🥣 Method

This recipe couldn't be easier, but I've broken things down into four steps to give you a visual aid. It's literally a case of bish bash bosh and you've got yourself a stack of gorgeous pancakes!

1. Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. This gives the soy milk time to react to the lemon juice, which makes it thicker. Also it helps to ensure the baking powder is evenly distributed throughout your vegan pancakes.

2. Mix the batter together! Your batter doesn't have to be super smooth. In fact, I remember learning from a Cook's Illustrated article that leaving pancake batter a little lumpy actually results in a thicker overall pancake, which is always wonderful!

3. Fry the first side! Some people like to fry their vegan pancakes in oil, but for me it's all about vegan butter. I just use vegan baking block, which you can find at most supermarkets in the UK, but if you're in the US you can use Miyokos creamery butter!

4. Flip the vegan pancake! The second side shouldn't take long to cook at all, but this is where all the puffing up happens! It's always best to flip your pancake before the surface is properly cooked through. Wait until it has plenty of bubble holes!

Hint: Pancake batter actually works best when it's been allowed to rest for a while. If you're not in a hurry, cover the bowl and leave out at room temp for 20-30 minutes before frying up your vegan pancakes.

🔄 Subs and swaps

Make these vegan pancakes your own! Got any dietary requirements? Now's your time to shine sis!

Flour - Are you gluten free? Don't worry about it! Just swap the flour in your vegan pancake batter for a gluten free blend! Freee or Bob's Red Mill are my favourite brands, but defs use one you trust!
Soy Milk - Not a fan of soy milk? I've got you! This recipe works with any plant-based milk, so just do a swapsie for your flavourite!
Caster Sugar - Don't want to use caster sugar? No problemo! Switch the sugar for maple syrup, agave or stevia sugar replacer!

Let me know if you make any subs or swaps of your own - I'd love to hear how they turned out!

🍪 Vegan Pancakes Variations

Wanna change things up to make these vegan pancakes pop!? Who doesn't!?

Choc chips! - Classic choc chip pancakes your vibe? add 100g of choc chips to your batter or simply sprinkle a few on top of each pancake as it cooks!
Spiced version! - Pumpkin spiced pancakes?? Amazing! Mix a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of ginger, nutmeg and ginger into your dry ingredients!
Blueberry version! - Another classic! Drop a few blueberries on top of each pancake before you flip it for a fruity blooby burst!

Making a breakfast platter and want some classic American breakfast sides? Why not add vegan scrambled eggs and bacon?? Perfection!

🔪 Equipment

Nothing special here - just your classic pancake kit! If you have a pancake griddle then definitely use it here! if not, just a frying pan will work!

2 x medium bowls
1 x whisk
1 x frying pan
large cookie scoop, ladle or quarter cup measure

💅 Bonus Tip!

The real challenge with vegan pancakes is making sure you get some while they're still hot. I like to put the oven on low and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Pop the tray in the oven before you even start making the pancakes to give it time to get warm. After each pancake is cooked, pop it in the oven to keep warm and move onto the next one.

🤷‍♀️ Vegan Pancakes FAQs

Q: What is a vegan substitute for eggs in pancakes?

A: No substitute for eggs is required in vegan pancakes. This recipe uses soy milk which naturally contains lecithin which helps to emulsify the batter - the only real job eggs do in a pancake batter.

Q: What makes vegan pancakes rise?

A: Baking powder! Just like with real pancakes. Eggs have very little to do with rising a pancake, so they can be left out of a recipe very easily.

Want more pancake recipes? Don't forget my vegan blueberry pancakes, my vegan banana bread pancakes or even my vegan scallion pancakes!

Vegan Pancakes

My classic vegan pancakes - we're talking thick, fluffy, American style pancakes, perfect for serving with maple syrup!

4.59 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Richard Makin

Equipment

2 x medium bowls
1 x whisk
1 x frying pan
large cookie scoop, ladle or quarter cup measure

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

In a medium bowl, place the flour, baking powder, salt, and caster sugar. Whisk together until combined and set aside.
170 g plain white flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, pinch fine sea salt, 2 tablespoon caster sugar
In a separate bowl place the soy milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
300 ml soy milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place a frying pan over medium heat and add a little of the vegan butter, swirling to coat the pan.
2 tablespoon vegan butter
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and whisk well to combine. If you have time at this point, cover the batter loosely and place in the fridge for up to 30 mins to rest, however this isn't necessary, just personal preference.
Using a large cookie scoop, ladle or quarter cup measure, place a scoop of batter into the centre of the hot frying pan. Fry until bubbles start to appear and burst in the centre of the pancake and the sides begin to look cooked.
Flip the pancake and fry briefly on the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve with vegan butter and maple syrup or with fruit.
maple syrup

Notes

1. The real challenge with vegan pancakes is making sure you get some while they're still hot. I like to put the oven on low and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Pop the tray in the oven before you even start making the pancakes to give it time to get warm. After each pancake is cooked, pop it in the oven to keep warm and move onto the next one.

2. This recipe works best if given some time to rest. Pancake batter takes some beating in order to get it nice and smooth, and this can activate the gluten in the flour, which in turn makes the pancake less likely to rise beautifully fluffy. I like to make my batter about half an hour before I need to start cooking and keep it in the fridge. I don't know if this is true but I also feel like using chilled batter gives the pancakes more of a spring in the pan, but don't quote me on that!

Nutrition