Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes

by Steph Sunshine at StephSunshine.com

Yield6 medium pancakes

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. plain, unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 2 tbsp. white or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour* (see measuring note)
  • 2 tbsp. vegan granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • additional oil for coating the pan

Instructions

  1. Pour the almond milk and the vinegar into a bowl or measuring cup. Stir it well so it’s evenly mixed (this allows the vinegar to curdle the almond milk and give it a consistency and flavor closer to buttermilk).

  2. In a large mixing bowl, add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix well.

  3. Pre-heat a large non-stick pan on the stove over medium or medium-low heat. The temperature of the pan is important, and not all stoves will heat “medium” to the same temperature. You can check by splashing some water onto the pan. It should bubble and evaporate within a few seconds. If the water splashes around violently and evaporates right away, your pan is too hot. But if it takes more than 10 seconds or so for the water to evaporate, your pan is too cool.

  4. Add the oil and vanilla to the milk mixture and mix well.

  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir until everything’s well combined. Don’t stir too much, it’s okay if there are some small lumps in the batter.

  6. When your pan is at the right temperature, add some oil and turn the pan a bit to coat it with the oil.

  7. Using a measuring cup, ladle, or large spoon, pour some of the pancake batter onto the pan. The amount you use depends on how large you’d like the pancakes to be.

  8. If you’d like to add blueberries (or whatever else) to your pancakes, you can drop them on top at this stage, and push them down a bit into the batter. I don’t recommend mixing them into the batter before this point. (Trust me, I’ve made that mistake!)

  9. When the pancake starts bubbling on the top (after about 2 minutes or so), it is ready to be flipped. You can double check by using a spatula to lift the edge of the pancake and check the color of the pancake. It should be a nice golden brown. If not, give it another 30 seconds or a minute. When it’s ready, carefully flip it using the spatula.

  10. After another 2 minutes or so, check the pancake and remove it from the stove when it’s ready. Add more oil before cooking another pancake.

  11. Top warm pancakes with maple syrup and a pat of vegan butter. Enjoy!

Notes & Hints

I recommend using a digital scale to weigh your flour, but if you're measuring with cups, be sure to spoon the flour into the cup, then level it off (don't scoop the cup into the flour).

All-purpose flour works, but use cake flour for lighter and fluffier pancakes!

For the sugar, use a granulated type. Raw sugar such as turbinado sugar is fine, but check that it's vegan. Not all sugars are vegan!

When you cook your first pancake in a batch, it might come out looking a little weird. That's normal. Typically the rest of the pancakes will come out much better than the first one!

Leftovers: These pancakes are best fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for 2 months. To freeze, separate the pancakes with parchment paper.

Reheat: Warm in the oven at 350°F for 8-12 minutes, until heated through.

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