These fluffy, cinnamon-kissed vegan protein pancakes are loaded with a whopping 37 grams of protein per serving. Top with fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup for a delicious breakfast that will keep you full for hours!
These vegan protein pancakes will keep you going for hours and hours on the weekend which, let's face it, can be the busiest days of the week.
The pancakes are fluffy, soft and absolutely delicious. They are flavored with cinnamon and vanilla and you don't even need to top them with anything - although I'll admit a drizzle of maple syrup and fruit makes them even yummier!
The pancake batter comes together in one bowl in five minutes. If you don't have the time to flip pancakes you can bake them all at once in a sheet pan, like my vegan sheet pan pancakes. Don't forget to add yummy toppings!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Pea protein powder: Pea protein is not only a very rich source of heart-healthy vegan protein, it is also cost-friendlier than most other vegan protein powders. I love it and always have it on hand for smoothies. I'll link to the brand I use in the recipe card.
- Blanched almond flour: Almond flour makes these pancakes more delicious and also adds a boost of protein while keeping carbs low.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour: A small amount of all-purpose flour helps bind the pancakes.
- Leavening agents: baking powder + baking soda.
- Soy milk: Soy milk has a good amount of vegan protein and it's perfect in this recipe. If you cannot consume soy use another protein-rich plant milk. Orgain and Silk both carry fortified almond milk with eight to 10 grams of protein per serving. Flax milk is also a good source of vegan protein.
- Apple cider vinegar: The vinegar helps activate the baking soda for fluffy, light pancakes.
- Flavorings: maple syrup, pure vanilla extract and cinnamon. You can swap out the maple syrup with agave nectar or date syrup or sugar.
How to make vegan protein pancakes
Place protein powder, almond flour and all purpose flour in bowl along with baking powder, baking soda, salt and flax meal. Whisk until combined.
Add the wet ingredients: plant milk, maple syrup, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar. Use a spatula to mix the batter. The batter will be thicker than your average pancake batter.
Use a cup measure to scoop some pancake batter into an oiled skillet or griddle. I used a â…“rd cup measure. The pancake will spread a bit on its own as it cooks but if needed give it some help by spreading the batter with the bottom of the cup measure or a spoon.
The pancake will take some time to set up - almost twice as much time as it takes for a regular pancake to firm up - so be patient. Once the edges are dry, carefully lift a corner of the pancake with a flat spatula to see if it is golden-brown. Flip carefully and continue cooking the other side.
Serve
We eat these vegan protein pancakes topped with blueberries or bananas and maple syrup - exactly like you see them in the pictures. You can also add a pat of vegan butter for more yum! If I have some time on hand, I like making this apricot syrup from my vegan crepes recipe to top the pancakes.
Tweaks for special diets
- Soy-free: Use any other plant milk. To keep the protein levels as high as they are in this recipe, use a plant milk that's fortified with protein.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free all purpose flour instead of regular flour.
- Nut-free: Replace the almond flour with ½ cup more of all purpose flour or whole-wheat flour. You might need to tweak the quantity of plant milk in the batter.
- Low-carb: For a low-carb diet, substitute the all-purpose flour with ¼ cup tapioca flour and use a keto-friendly sugar syrup instead of maple syrup.
Vegan protein pancakes FAQs and troubleshooting
You can add a cup of fresh berries, including blueberries and chopped strawberries, or chopped nuts, including walnuts and pecans. Chocolate chips are a yummy addition for kid-friendly pancakes.
You might be able to, but the proportions of ingredients in this recipe are designed specifically for pea protein powder, and more specifically using the Now pea protein brand (affiliate link). The pea protein adds 96 grams of protein to this recipe.
This batter for protein pancakes is thicker than the average pancake batter - the pea protein, especially, sucks in a lot of moisture. However, you don't want a super runny batter: it should be scoopable, not pourable. If the batter is too thick to even scoop into the griddle mix in more plant milk, a couple of tablespoons at a time.
If the pancake fell apart when you tried to flip it, you didn't wait long enough for it to set up. Remember there isn't much gluten in this batter, so you need to give the pancakes time to firm up on the griddle - it could take upwards of two minutes per side. Slide the spatula gently under the pancake and lift a corner to make sure it is evenly golden-brown and the edges have dried up before flipping.
The pancakes can be refrigerated for up to four days and stored in the freezer for up to three months. Flash-free the pancakes on a baking sheet before storing long-term in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Thaw and warm on a griddle or in the microwave before serving.
More delicious vegan pancake recipes
Recipe card
Vegan Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- 132 grams pea protein powder (this was four scoops of the protein powder I use, or just over 1 cup)
- 96 grams blanched almond flour (1 cup)
- 60 grams unbleached all purpose flour (½ cup)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 14 grams flax meal (1 tbsp)
- 2½ cups soy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (for cooking pancakes)
Instructions
- Place protein powder, almond flour and all purpose flour in bowl along with baking powder, baking soda, salt and flax meal. Whisk until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients: plant milk, maple syrup, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar. Use a spatula to mix the batter. The batter will be thicker than your average pancake batter.
- Use a cup measure to scoop some pancake batter into an oiled skillet or griddle. I used a â…“rd cup measure. The pancake will spread a bit on its own as it cooks but if needed give it some help by spreading the batter with the bottom of the cup measure or a spoon.
- The pancake will take some time to set up - almost twice as much time as it takes for a regular pancake to firm up - so be patient. Once the edges are dry, carefully lift a corner of the pancake with a flat spatula to see if it is golden-brown. Flip carefully and continue cooking the other side. Repeat for the remaining batter.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Dave says
This is such a super weeknight dish, I’ve been making it for my family for a long time now. It never fails.