Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes

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A stack of these vegan carrot cake pancakes is the perfect, nutritious and delicious vegan breakfast! You can make them with whole wheat flour and the carrots make them an even more guiltless treat. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts and maple syrup or a vegan cream cheese syrup. This is a vegan, soy free, nut free recipe and you can make the pancakes gluten free as well.

A stack of vegan carrot cake pancakes on a white plate with shredded carrots and chopped walnuts. Next to the pancakes is a silver decorative fork and a green napkin is next to plate.

If you love vegan carrot cake, meet your new favorite breakfast: these scrumptious vegan carrot cake pancakes scented with cardamom and nutmeg.

These make the perfect breakfast for weekend mornings although they are so simple you could easily cook them up in minutes on a weekday with some basic meal-prepping the day before.

The pancakes are already sweet because of the carrots and a tiny amount of maple syrup in the batter. They need little gilding, but they are even more delicious with a drizzle of maple syrup and chopped walnuts.

Try them, and come back and tell me all about it!

Spotlight on carrots

Naturally bright colored foods are a treasure trove of nutrients. Carrots are an amazing source of beta carotene, with just one carrot providing nearly 200 percent of your daily requirement of Vitamin A. This, famously, makes them a great food for eye health.

Carrots are also packed with other vitamins, like B, C and K, and with powerful antioxidants that can help reduce the risk for cancer and heart disease.

While all that is important, one of the best reasons to eat carrots is that they are hands-down delicious. Carrots can easily make the transition from savory foods, like this Carrot Rice and Curried Carrot Salad to sweet foods like these Vegan Carrot Muffins and Vegan Carrot Cupcakes. They are amazing for breakfast in foods like this Vegan Carrot Almond Pudding and these carrot pancakes.

Carrots can be found year-round in the market, but they actually are in season in late spring and fall. Around Easter is a great time to make fun carrot treats that everyone can enjoy.

A stack of vegan pancakes on a white plate with walnuts and shredded carrots with a fork. Maple syrup is being drizzled over.

Why you'll love these vegan carrot pancakes

They are so tasty. Everyone at our home loves my classic vegan pancakes but these carrot pancakes are just that bit extra special. The carrots add amazing flavor and sweetness and it's complemented nicely by the fragrant cardamom and nutmeg.
They are healthy. I usually make these with whole wheat flour, although if you want to use all purpose flour that works very well too. The carrots add even more healthfulness, as do the spices, applesauce and vegan yogurt.
They are easy. It takes minutes to put these together, and the only work you really need to do is grate the carrots. A food processor can make easy work of this, but grating carrots by hand takes all of five minutes, I promise. The batter comes together in one bowl--just dump everything in and go. And if you want to make the process easier see my meal prep tips below.
They are everyone friendly. The pancakes are soy-free, nut-free and vegan, and you can use an equal amount of gluten free all purpose flour to make them gluten free. See more in the FAQs below.

Ingredients for vegan carrot pancakes recipe

1 ½ cups flour. Use all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour. You can also use a half-half mix of regular whole wheat flour or all purpose flour. Use a gluten free flour if gf.
Leavening: 1 ½ teaspoon baking flour + ½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
Spices: ½ to 1 teaspoon cardamom + ½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon flax meal (not flax eggs)
1 ½ cups grated carrots (loosely packed, about 175 grams). Grate the carrots thin.
¼ cup applesauce. Use unsweetened applesauce if possible.
¼ cup vegan yogurt. I use my homemade probiotic cashew yogurt. Use any storebought or homemade yogurt of your choice.
1 cup nondairy milk. I used oat milk. Almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk and cashew milk are all fine choices.
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional). I like adding a little sweetener to the batter but you can skip this, especially if you plan on serving with maple syrup.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Vegetable oil (any oil including coconut oil is fine) or cooking spray for cooking pancakes. Vegan butter works too!

How to make vegan carrot pancakes

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and nutmeg in bowl.
Dump in the remaining ingredients: flax meal, grated carrots, applesauce, vegan yogurt, dairy free milk, maple syrup, if using, and vanilla extract.
Use a spatula to mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Don't overmix. Stop as soon as there are no traces of dry flour. The batter may appear a bit thick but keep in mind the carrots will express liquid as they cook, so you don't want a runny batter to begin with.

Wet ingredients in glass bowl added to dry.

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron griddle or a non-stick griddle over medium heat.
Brush on an even coating of oil or cooking spray.
Scoop out the batter on the griddle using a quarter cup measure. If it is still thick help spread it into a round as best as you can.
When bubbles appear near the center of the pancakes and the sides appear to be drying flip over. Cook for another minute or until the pancakes are cooked through.
Serve immediately.

Carrot cake pancakes cooking in skillet.

Overhead photo of vegan carrot pancakes in white plate with shredded carrots and walnuts and a fork.

Variations

I don't usually add anything more to my pancakes, but if you like you can add these delicious tidbits in:

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans.
½ cup coconut flakes or shredded coconut.
1 teaspoon cinnamon (instead of cardamom)
¼ cup raisins

Advance meal prep suggestions

Grate the carrots the night before or at the start of the week and store in the refrigerator.
Mix the dry ingredients -- flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices -- and store in a jar, then simply mix in the wet ingredients and carrots the day you make these. You can also double or multiply the quantity of ingredients and store it for several months at room temperature in an airtight jar. Use 1 ½ cups of the dry mix to make one batch of 12 pancakes.

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: Store the pancakes in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat before serving.
Freeze: Flash-freeze the pancakes by placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze the pancakes, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to three months.
Reheating: Thaw and reheat on griddle or in toaster.

FAQs and Troubleshooting

Why are my pancakes too tender?

This can happen if you added too much moisture. Remember there already is moisture in the carrots that will express as the carrots cook. That's why the batter should be rather thick. If your pancakes are still too tender add ¼ cup more flour, and just use less milk the next time. You can also skip the applesauce which has the effect of making baked goods tender.

Can I add more carrots to the recipe?

I wouldn't recommend it because 1 ½ cups is exactly right to give you that amazing, sweet carrot flavor without making the pancakes too soft. You can cut down the carrots, down to a cup, but don't go over 1 ½ cups.

Can I skip the yogurt?

If you skip the yogurt just add more milk and add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to the batter.

What can I serve these carrot cake pancakes with?

You can nibble on them as they are, or serve with maple syrup. You can also try making this cashew "cream cheese" syrup/glaze from my vegan cinnamon buns recipe and drizzle it over the pancakes.