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    Home > Vegan Breakfast Recipes

    The Best Vegan Pancakes

    Posted: Jan 28, 2020 ยท Updated: Mar 26, 2022

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    Vegan Gluten-Free Coconut Flour Pancakes
    Fluffy, delicious and classic vegan pancakes that are actually good for you because they're made with whole wheat and flaxmeal--and they are ready in under 30 minutes.
    Photo of a stack of fluffy Vegan Pancakes on a white plate with bananas, blueberries and maple syrup

    VEGAN PANCAKES

    Healthy pancakes may sound like an oxymoron, but they are very possible. Something I proved to you 12 years ago with these quite perfect Vegan Pancakes that just happen to be whole wheat.

    Top shot of a stack of golden vegan pancakes in a white oval plate with blueberries and bananas and a fork with maple syrup on the side

    Over the years, many of you have made these and some of you have returned to tell me how much you love them. I can't agree more. This is probably the breakfast I make most often in my kitchen, and it really is a foolproof recipe, and one I've hardly changed over the dozens of times I've made these pancakes for family and friends.

    I will admit that I have one pancake recipe that tops this one healthwise-- my Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes. I do love those pancakes with a passion for that reason, but there's one problem with anything sourdough: time. With sourdough pancakes, as with sourdough waffles, you need to remember to start your batter the night before. If you don't, there are no shortcuts.

    These vegan pancakes taste just as good though. And they are even easier to make. You can put the batter together in under 10 minutes, and after that making them is a breeze.

    Front shot of a stack of six vegan pancakes with fruit in a white plate with a fork and knife
    Table of Contents
    • VEGAN PANCAKES
    • Tips for making the best vegan pancakes
    • Ingredients
    • What to serve with vegan pancakes
    • Related recipes
    • Vegan Pancakes

    Tips for making the best vegan pancakes

    • To make these pancakes, I use whole wheat pastry flour. Whole wheat pastry flour, which is made from a light whole grain, is low in gluten and a perfect substitute for all-purpose flour in most baked goods, other than delicate cakes and breads. At the same time it also adds to the nutritive value of any food it goes in because it contains large amounts of fiber and protein.
    • I have had readers tell me that they used regular whole wheat flour in this recipe with great results. You can try that, of course, but my advise, if you are using regular whole wheat flour, would be to mix it half-and-half with unbleached all purpose. That way your pancakes will be soft and tender and fluffy, while still being healthy.
    • These vegan pancakes are so tender and fluffy because they are "buttermilk" pancakes -- vegan "buttermilk," that is. And I make that by adding a couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in the nondairy milk and letting it stand for a minute or two before adding it to the other ingredients.
    • The "eggs" here are flax eggs, of course, made by adding two tablespoons of flaxmeal to six tablespoons of water. For this recipe you don't have to use separate containers to make the vegan "buttermilk" and the flax eggs. You can throw in the milk and apple cider first, add in the flaxmeal and measure out the water into the same bowl, and continue adding the other wet ingredients.
    • When you mix a pancake batter, always mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just mixed together. The batter can be lumpy, that's fine. Don't take a whisk and try to beat everything to smoothness, because that will just beat air into your batter and strengthen the gluten in the wheat, leaving you with dense pancakes. Not good.
    • Finally, this is a basic pancake recipe. You can make this as is and serve it with maple syrup and some fruit and everyone will thank you for a fabulous breakfast. But you can also tailor this recipe to your liking:
      • Stir in fruit like blueberries or strawberries (leave the blueberries whole and chop the strawberries before adding them to the batter).
      • You can also add lemon juice and zest to the batter to make lemony pancakes
      • Add cinnamon for a holiday flavor that goes perfectly with cold weather and hot coffee.
      • Or add dry ginger for gingerbread pancakes.
    Top shot of vegan pancakes with fruit and maple syrup on a white plate with a knife, fork and gray napkin

    Ingredients

    • Whole wheat pastry flour (or a mix of regular whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. I really encourage you to try using all whole wheat pastry flour because it gives you tremendous flavor and nutrition.
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Salt
    • Nondairy milk (I used almond): I used oat milk. Almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk are all fine.
    • Apple cider vinegar: This helps create a "buttermilk" effect in the pancakes, making them light and fluffy.
    • Flaxmeal: Flax adds more heart-healthy fiber and nutrition and is a great replacement for eggs in this recipe.
    • Maple syrup: Maple syrup is wonderful here, but any sweetener, including sugar and agave, are fine.
    • Pure vanilla extract: For more delicious flavor.

    What to serve with vegan pancakes

    All you need is maple syrup and perhaps some fruit on the side for the perfect breakfast.

    They would also be delicious with the walnut apricot syrup in this vegan crepes recipe.

    Related recipes

    • Vegan Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes
    • Vegan Potato Sauerkraut Pancakes
    • Savory Black Eyed Peas Sweet Potato Pancakes
    • Vegan Double Chocolate Pancakes
    • Savory Apple Potato Pancakes with Thyme
    • Vegan Waffles
    Stack of vegan pancakes made with whole wheat with fruit on a white plate with a fork and knife and maple syrup
    Photo of a stack of whole wheat vegan pancakes with blueberries and slices of banana and maple syrup

    Vegan Pancakes

    Fluffy, delicious and classic vegan pancakes that are actually good for you because they're made with whole wheat and flaxmeal--and they are ready in under 30 minutes.
    5 from 34 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: nut-free, Soy-free, Vegan, Wholegrain
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Vegan Pancakes, Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 20 mins
    Total Time: 30 mins
    Servings: 10 pancakes
    Calories: 88kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 ยฝ cups whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
    • ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
    • ยผ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ยฝ cups almond milk (or another nondairy milk)
    • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon flaxmeal
    • 6 tablespoon water
    • 2 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
    • 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
    • In another bowl, add the nondairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it stand for a couple of minutes, then add the flaxmeal and water and whisk well. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix.
    • Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a spatula or the whisk until everything just comes together. The batter should still be lumpy but you shouldn't have any obvious patches of dry flour.
    • Heat a nonstick or cast-iron griddle. Spray with cooking spray or coat lightly with oil. Using a โ…“rd cup measure, scoop up the batter and pour on the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles appear at the top of the pancake and the underside is golden-brown. Flip over and cook the other side until it is lightly browned as well.
    • Serve hot with fruit and maple syrup.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amina

      October 22, 2021 at 11:34 am

      5 stars
      These were delicious! I want to make these for my kids on school-day mornings. How long can I store the wet ingredients combined in the fridge? My plan was to whip up the wet and dry ingredients the night before and store them separately to ease the workload in the morning. Do you have any experience with this? Thanks! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 22, 2021 at 12:13 pm

        Hi Amina, you can store the wet ingredients in the refrigerator for up to three days, no problem. Mix with dry just before you make the pancakes so the baking soda and powder get activated. So happy you loved the pancakes. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    2. Michelle

      March 23, 2021 at 11:40 am

      5 stars
      I try new recipes as different health issues arise for family members and was looking for one with no eggs or dairy. This was excellent! I only had whole wheat flour, so I mixed in white flour (can do half-half, but did more ww than white). Worked beautifully!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        March 23, 2021 at 11:42 am

        Hi Michelle, so happy to hear! These taste good even with plain ww flour but they are a bit dense so I recommend mixing them in with apf. Happy they turned out well for you. โค๏ธ

        Reply
    3. Arne

      September 20, 2020 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      This is a great recipe. I made it exactly as directed and even the non-vegan members of the family loved it. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 25, 2020 at 1:45 pm

        So happy to hear!

        Reply
    4. Adrienne

      August 25, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      so i made these just now because i was craving for pancakes that arent too dairy or ovrly sweet or buttery and OMG!! my kids and i devoured them!! I added some fresh blueberries and strawberries and my last 4 scoops i added some cinnamon and everyone ate it! Its on my list now!!! Thank you for recipe!!!!!!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 25, 2020 at 1:47 pm

        So happy you liked them!

        Reply
    5. Nima

      June 06, 2020 at 11:28 am

      5 stars
      hi Vaishali,

      Can i just use whole wheat flour and not use white flour/all purpose flour

      Reply
    6. Alocasia

      February 04, 2020 at 12:44 pm

      These are on the griddle right now. I followed the recipe exactly, but the batter is watery. Any idea what I did wrong? Can I possibly salvage the batter that I haven't cooked yet? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        February 04, 2020 at 1:28 pm

        Add a bit more flour if the batter is too thin. But don't make it too thick-- a slightly thin batter will help make fluffier pancakes that are not too doughy.

        Reply
        • Alocasia

          February 04, 2020 at 4:51 pm

          Thanks. As thin as they were, they were delicious.

          Reply
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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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