These savory vegan pancakes are a spicy spin on a perennial breakfast favorite. They are loaded with so much goodness: protein from tofu, nutrients from whole wheat, and loads of colorful veggies. Dunk them into a spicy sauce or chutney.
A different take on pancakes
Pancakes are wonderful for breakfast, but if you have a savory tooth like I do, you might appreciate these savory vegan pancakes even more.
The pancakes are gingery, with just a hint of spice, and so much yummy goodness. They are just slightly crispy at the edges and soft and fluffy inside. I love dunking them into a simple chutney like coconut chutney or onion chutney, but any savory sauce you have in the fridge, like hot sauce or chili garlic sauce, will work just fine.
These savory pancakes are whole wheat and there are nearly two cups of vegetables - cabbage, bell peppers, carrots and onions - packed in, which makes them quite guilt-free. You can swap out veggies of your choice: zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach would all work very nicely.
Make them for your favorite person who happens to love a savory meal. Then just let the compliments roll in!
Step-by-step instructions
Place all dry ingredients in bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to mix.
Add vegetables, ginger, parsley or cilantro, and jalapeno peppers to the flour.
Use a spatula to mix the vegetables into the flour.
Blend milk, oil and apple cider vinegar until smooth, then add to the bowl and use a spatula to mix until everything is combined. Set the batter aside for five minutes. This gives the veggies time to express any juices into the flour. Mix the batter with the spatula one more time before making pancakes.
Heat a griddle and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Use a â…“rd cup measure to scoop out the pancakes on to the hot griddle. If the batter doesn't spread on its own, use the bottom of the cup measure or a spoon to help form them into rounds.
When you see bubbles appearing at the center of the pancakes and the edges look dry, flip the pancakes and continue cooking until they are golden-brown on both sides. Serve hot.
Top tip
Chop the veggies really fine, or grate them. You can use a food processor to do this.
Serving and storage
Serve the pancakes with hot sauce or a spicy chutney, like mint chutney or tomato chutney.
Store the pancakes in the fridge for up to four days and in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw and reheat on an oiled griddle before serving.
Recipe card
Savory Vegan Pancakes
Ingredients
- 8 oz extra firm tofu (broken into pieces for easier blending)
- 2 cups soy milk (unsweetened, or use any non-dairy milk of choice)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (you can use all-purpose flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (tweak to taste)
- 2 cups mixed vegetables (I used grated carrots and finely chopped onions, cabbage and bell peppers)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
- ¼ cup parsley (or cilantro, minced)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (minced. Deseed or use less if sensitive to heat)
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (for frying the pancakes)
Instructions
- Place tofu in a blender with the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Blend until very smooth. Set aside.
- Place all dry ingredients in bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to mix.
- Add vegetables, ginger, parsley or cilantro, and jalapeno peppers to the flour. Use a spatula to mix.
- Add the blended tofu mixture to the bowl and use a spatula to mix until everything has just combined. Set the batter aside for five minutes. Mix the batter with the spatula one more time before making pancakes.
- Heat a griddle and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Use a â…“rd cup measure to scoop out the pancakes on to the hot griddle. If the batter doesn't spread on its own, use the bottom of the cup measure or a spoon to help form them into rounds.
- When you see bubbles appearing at the center of the pancakes and the edges look dry, flip the pancakes and continue cooking until they are golden-brown on both sides. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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First published on Jan. 2, 2009. Updated and re-published on Feb. 23, 2025.
Jo says
Great recipe - really generous helpings! Used left over batter to make a big pancake and scattered some extra fried mushrooms, onions and peppers on top. It was like an omelette - really tasty.
Anonymous says
Really good
Sarah says
So extremely delicious! I found the batter very delicate and very difficult to flip without them falling apart. Is there something I could adjust so they're more sturdy?
Vaishali says
Hi Sarah, so happy you enjoyed the pancakes. Next time try using less veggies. Too many veggies will release more liquid into the batter. Also make sure you give the pancakes time to set up. The edges should be dry and you should see bubbles near or at the center of the pancake. Hope that helps.
Laurie M says
I used green onions and cilantro. The flavor was great. I think the tofu in the recipe gives them a raw batter interior consistency. No matter how long in cooked them I couldn’t make it without that texture. I experimented with adding more liquid for thinner pancakes which seemed to help. The consistency of a crepe was my favorite and would be great stuffed!
Deidre says
tried these today and they were very yum. I used a bad of coleslaw mix so the whole batter came together in 5 minutes. the recipe made about ten biggish pancakes so now I have enough for breakfast and/snacks for a couple of days. Nice way to get some protein and veg in for breakfast. Thanks!
Vaishali says
Sounds delicious. I love that you added coleslaw!
Rhonda says
Is it supposed to have water? Mine was thick so I added water and it came out yummy
Vaishali says
I've updated the recipe and the non-dairy milk should be enough, but if the batter feels thick, sure, go ahead and add more water or milk.
Fareeda says
I made these pancakes for breakfast this morning. Delicious!!
I didn't want to use all whole wheat flour, so I used 1/2 cup each of ww flour, brown rice flour, and chickpea flour. I substituted all plain yogurt for the oil.
For the veggies, I used grated zucchini, red sweet pepper, mashed potatoes and green onion.
I will definitely make these again.
Thanks.
Vaishali says
Sounds delicious!
Patrina says
Oh, those were delicious. I woke up with pancakes on the mind and as it was late in the morning, I thought of savory over sweet. I flew to this webpage and searched these up. Divine!!! I did not have any ww pastry flour or tofu so I self-milled some oats dropped the tofu and we were in business. It was one of the best recipes I have ever tasted. Thank you.
Peace, Patrina.
Linda says
Thank you so much for this great recipe! I didn’t use all batter and saved it in a fridge for the next day. Still amazing!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Linda!
Vaishali says
Yay! That sounds so good. Happy you loved the pancakes. 🙂
Madhuram says
I have not tried savory pancakes with whole wheat pastry flour. I think frozen/fresh corn kernels would also be nice.
Also I have a suggestion/request. It's been in my mind for long time now. When you find time you should host a Vegan Pasta and Vegan Pizza event. It would be so nice to have healthy recipes for these quick fix dishes which is always loaded with buckets of cheese.
Cassandra says
omg those look so good, thanks for the recipe!
Aparna says
We all enjoy pancakes, though I prefer savoury ones. I sometimes make mine like these though I use a mixture of wholewheat and chickpea flours.
Best wishes for a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year, Vaishali.
Mihl says
These look absolutely fantastic! Oh, and Happy New Year.
Malar Gandhi says
Adai looks perfect to me, very inviting...
TBC says
Happy New Year, Vaishali!
Have a wonderful 2009!
Dibs says
Beautiful colour! Your right - it seems like a cross between an utappam and godi dosai! Wish you a fantastic 2009!
Lavi says
Happy New Year Vaishali!! Whenever I see Pancake flour mix on stores i remember you..so much u have tempted me with ur pancakes...
DJ Karma says
Love savory pancakes- I like green onions in mine, maybe some vegan cheez- picture is making me hungry!
Madhu says
Yeah, looks like uttapam. Like the crispy brown colour..
Mints! says
reminded me of tomato omelet we used to get in our college canteen. I will try it out this weekend.
Dawne says
These sound fantastic! I tend to prefer savory over sweet for breakfast and I can't wait to try these...! Also enjoyed your favorites listed in last post...great blog!
Priya says
Yummy pancakes..tempting one!!