Vegan Life > Recipes > Breakfast & Brunch > Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes

Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes

Name: Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed; 2 tbsp. water; 7/8 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk); 2 tbsp. white or apple cider vinegar; 1 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour; 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

July 20, 2020

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Vegan "buttermilk" pancakes with syrup and strawberries

Brunch is the best meal. Lazy weekends, sleeping in, and eating the best breakfast foods later than we should, with people we love. What could be better than that?

Of course, no brunch would be complete without a stack of light, fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup. In this version, we're combining plant milk and vinegar to create our own vegan buttermilk. The vinegar curdles the milk and helps it develop a buttermilk flavor. We're also making a vegan flax egg with water and ground flaxseed.

A stack of vegan pancakes with strawberries, juice, and maple syrup

Weekend brunch isn't complete without a stack of pancakes.

In the PVT (pre-vegan times), I cooked pancakes a lot. Like a couple times a week. I would eat them with lots of fresh fruit to make them "healthy" 🙈. Once I became vegan, I tried some pancake recipes that were okay, but none of them were so good that I thought, "I have to make this again!"

So I went on a mission. I started trying any pancake recipe I could find, but nothing lived up to my expectations. Then, I took my old (non-vegan) recipe, and started making some changes to vegan-ize it. The results were amazing! The pancakes were light and fluffy, with the perfect texture and buttery flavor. I get perfect pancakes every time! I can't keep something this good to myself. So please make this recipe, enjoy it, and share it with your brunch partners!

This recipe makes 4-5 large pancakes or 6-7 medium pancakes (serves 2-3 people). You can always double the amounts if you need more!

The ingredients for these pancakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add in chocolate chips or blueberries to these pancakes? Yes! However, you shouldn't add them directly into the batter. After you've poured your pancake batter on the hot pan, you can drop blueberries or chocolate chips on top, then use the back of a spoon to press them into the batter.

How can I get my pancakes to be the same size? You can use well-oiled pancake rings to get perfectly round pancakes. You can also use a measuring cup to measure out the same amount of batter for each pancake.

Can I make the batter ahead of time? You could, but I have found that the pancakes don't come out as light and fluffy as they do when I use the batter immediately. That's because the baking soda gets activated right away, and it will start to lose its ability to rise the longer the batter sits. If you really need to make the batter in advance, I recommend that you leave the baking soda out and then add it when you're ready to cook the pancakes. Store the batter in an airtight container with plastic wrap directly on top of the batter (or in a Ziploc bag).

Why are my pancakes chewy or wet inside? If your pan is too hot, then the outside will cook and possibly burn before the insides can fully cook. Make sure you're checking the temperature of your pan with water (as explained in step 4) before attempting to cook your pancakes.

Can I make these pancakes gluten-free? I have not tried it myself, however I've heard that others have had good results using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (which is also vegan).

Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes

5.00 stars from 1 reviews

Yield6 medium pancakes

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time45 minutes

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Ingredients

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Units of Measurement

1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
2 tbsp. water
7/8 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 tbsp. white or apple cider vinegar
1 cup cake flour or all-purpose flour
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

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Recipe Photos

In a small bowl or cup, mix the ground flaxseed with the water and stir well. Set it aside for a few minutes to allow it to thicken.
In this recipe, we're replacing eggs with ground flaxseed and water. When mixed, they will form a thick consistency similar to an egg.
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).
Combining vinegar with almond milk curdles the milk, and gives it a "buttermilk" flavor.
In a large mixing bowl, add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix well.
Dry ingredients for vegan pancakes.
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.
Add the oil, vanilla, and flax mixture to the milk mixture, and mix well.
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.
Mix your batter just enough to leave some small lumps.
When your pan is at the right temperature, add some oil and turn the pan a bit to coat it with the oil.
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.
Pancake rings are helpful if you want your pancakes to have a nice, even shape. Be sure to coat them with oil so you can lift them off easily.
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!)
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.
When you start seeing large bubbles on the top of the pancake, it's ready to be flipped.
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.
Your pancakes are ready when they are a warm golden color.
Top warm pancakes with maple syrup and a pat of vegan butter. Enjoy!

Notes & Hints

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.

Nutrition Data

Serving Size: 1/3 of recipe; Calories: 300; Fat: 11 g.; Saturated Fat: 1 g.; Cholesterol: 0 mg.; Sodium: 694 mg.; Carbohydrates: 43 g.; Fiber: 2 g.; Sugar: 8 g.; Protein: 6 g.; Vitamin A: 26 mcg. RAE; Vitamin B12: 0 mcg.; Vitamin C: 0 mg.; Vitamin D: 1 mcg.; Calcium: 115 mg.; Iron: 1 mg.; Potassium: 62 mg.; Zinc: 0 mg.

Note: This data should be used only as an estimate. Please see the nutrition section of my terms and conditions for more information on how this data is calculated.