These vegan sweet potato pancakes are loaded with sunny, orange-y, healthy deliciousness.☀️ It's the quintessential happy breakfast!
If you love weekends and hearty vegan breakfasts (I do!), then these fluffy vegan sweet potato pancakes with a twist of orange are for you.
The pancakes are loaded with so many ingredients that are not just good but great for you. Also, oranges and sweet potatoes are a winning flavor combination (have you tried these vegan mashed orange sweet potatoes?) The oranges and sweet potatoes also give these pancakes a pretty golden color, which makes them look even more appetizing.
Kids are sure to love these pancakes, and you? You will want to give yourself a warm hug for spreading all that joy.
Why you will love this recipe
- Loaded with nutrition. Every ingredient in these vegan sweet potato pancakes is great for you: sweet potatoes, oranges, wholegrain flour, flax meal, applesauce and oat milk. With these, you really can have your pancakes and eat them too!
- Easy to make. I try to make most recipes on this blog easy, but this one, like all my pancake recipes, including these classic vegan pancakes and these vegan sheet pan pancakes, is so utterly simple. It literally takes minutes to put the pancake batter together and minutes more to cook 'em up!
- Everyone friendly. The pancakes are soy-free and nut-free and, if you're gluten-free or keto see the "variations" section after "ingredients" for options to make these vegan sweet potato pancakes gluten-free and keto.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat pastry flour: You can substitute with regular whole wheat flour or with a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour. You can also make these pancakes with just all purpose flour.
- Leavening: baking powder and baking soda.
- Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Flax meal: This is not essential, but it adds a nice hit of healthfulness, so use it if you can.
- Sweet potatoes: Make sure you cook the sweet potatoes (in the oven or microwave) and mash them before adding to the batter.
- Orange or orange juice: I put a whole orange in the blender and blend it up. You can simply substitute with ¾ cup orange juice, if you wish.
- Applesauce. This helps make the pancakes tender, and healthier. You can leave it out and use more milk instead.
- Non-dairy milk of choice.
Variations for special diets
- Gluten-free: You can make these vegan sweet potato pancakes with a gluten-free all purpose flour mix. Or if you're looking for a multigrain, gluten-free pancake, use the flour mix in this vegan gluten-free multigrain pancakes recipe. Adjust the quantity of dairy-free milk as needed.
- Keto/low-carb: Use the pancake flour mix in my recipe for vegan low-carb keto pancakes. Again, adjust the quantity of milk as needed.
How to make vegan sweet potato pancakes
1. Place the flour in a large bowl with baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and flax meal.
2. Peel and mash sweet potatoes in a small bowl with a fork or a masher. Small lumps are fine, don't leave any large lumps.
3. Stir in the orange juice, applesauce and 1 cup milk into the mashed sweet potato.
4. Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed together.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.
6. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until the batter forms and there is no dry flour. If the batter appears dry, add more milk until it is thick but pourable.
7. Heat a non-stick griddle or cast-iron griddle and coat the bottom with oil or cooking spray. Use a ⅓rd cup measure to form pancakes.
8. Flip the pancakes over when bubbles form toward the center and along the edges. Cook a minute or so more until cooked through. Serve hot.
Serving suggestions
- Serve these pancakes hot with a pat of vegan butter and maple syrup or, if you are low-carb, with a keto-friendly syrup. They are also awesome with this homemade vegan lemon curd, which adds even more citrusy sunshine!
- Serve sliced fruit on the side, including bananas, strawberries or blueberries. Or serve with a topping of crunchy, lightly toasted walnuts or pecans.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The pancakes can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze: Flash-freeze the pancakes by placing them on a baking sheet and freezing them for a couple of hours. Then place the pancakes in a freezer-safe bag or air-tight container and freeze for up to four months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat the pancakes on a griddle or on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! See the "variations for special diets" sections above.
There are just 148 calories in 2 pancakes, as well as 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of dietary fiber. If you double up with a stack of four pancakes you will still get a highly nourishing -- and filling -- breakfast for under 300 calories.
The orange juice is really exquisite in here and enhances the flavor of the sweet potatoes. That said, if you don't want to use it, you can skip it, but add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the batter. Also add more milk as a substitute, but don't be tempted to replace the OJ with more applesauce because a lot of applesauce will make the pancakes too tender and they could be hard to flip.
More vegan pancake recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review and a star rating below or tag us on Instagram! Thanks!
Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Cast iron griddle or non-stick griddle
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon flaxmeal
- 2 small sweet potatoes (cooked and peeled. You can microwave them, roast them in an oven or boil them. Once cooked a fork or knife should be able to go cleanly through the thickest part of the sweet potato.)
- 1 orange (peeled, seeded and blended into a puree. Or use ¾ cup orange juice.)
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 to 1½ cups oat milk (or any non-dairy milk or choice.)
Instructions
- Place the flour in a large bowl with baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and flax meal.
- Peel and mash sweet potatoes in a small bowl with a fork or a masher. Small lumps are fine, don't leave any large lumps.
- Stir in the orange juice, applesauce and 1 cup milk into the mashed sweet potato.
- Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed together.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix just until the batter forms and there is no dry flour. If the batter appears dry, add more milk until it is thick but pourable.
- Heat a non-stick griddle or cast-iron griddle and coat the bottom with oil or cooking spray. Use a ⅓ cup measure to form pancakes.
- Flip the pancakes over when bubbles form toward the center and along the edges. Cook a minute or so more until cooked through. Serve hot.
Lila Lee
The recipe really needs to state how much 2 “small” sweet potatoes go into the recipe. Do 2 “small sweet potatoes equal one cup, is it a cup and a half, is it 3/4 cup?
Just the same the pancakes were delicious but the batter needs adjustments. Thx!
Vaishali
Glad you loved the recipe. Two cooked sweet potatoes should equal approximately one cup.
Lindsay
This looks delicious! I wonder what would happen if I used coconut flour? What do you think?
Martha Romrell
Lindsay,
Don't do it! I used coconut flour because I am new at this vegan thing and it absorbs the liquids so they were really thick and crumbly! I later learned after going online that when using coconut flour only use a few tablespoons at a time until you get the right consistency. I could only taste the coconut and orange juice in these, but maybe if you use less flour then it won't be so overpowering!
Vaishali
You could try adapting my banana coconut flour pancakes: instead of the bananas, use a cooked, mashed sweet potato.
Anonymous
mine were mushy inside . What did I do wrong?
Vaishali Honawar
You need to give the pancakes enough time to cook on each side. Wait for the bubbles to appear at the center before flipping.
Fareeda
I made these pancakes again today. I made a small change. Since I like the golden color of the pancakes, I used 1/2 cup milk and 1-1/2 cups orange juice (I reversed the quantities)..
My sweet potato gave me only 1/2 cup, so I boiled and mashed a carrot to make one cup.
These are the ultimate pancakes ...golden and absolutely delicious. Thanks Vaishali
Vaishali Honawar
Fareeda, what a great idea, and so glad you like the pancakes recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
The Vegan Junction
Sweet potato AND apples sauce, mmm. Sounds good!
Fareeda
I Just made these pancakes for breakfast. They are absolutely delicious. We topped them with sliced strawberries and thin slivers of avocado, then sprinkled on some hemp hearts and cinnamon.
Thanks for the recipe.
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Fareeda, so glad you liked them! Your toppings sound scrumptious. Thanks for sharing!
The Vegan Junction
I like the idea of strawberries on top. That'd just be the crowning touch. 😉
Krithika
What would be the best way to split this across meals? Would I be able to store the remaining batter or is it better to make them all and freeze the extras?
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Krithika, it's best to make them and freeze. They also last in the refrigerator 2-3 days. Leaving the batter is not advised because the leavening agents (baking soda and powder) lose their effectiveness over time.
Rachel @ Breast Cancer Maven
I cannot get enough sweet potatoes. I love that you added the OJ in this recipe for a little bit of extra sweetness!
Vaishali Honawar
Thanks, Rachel, the OJ makes a real flavor difference.
KelseyM
Yum- I love adding sweet potato to pancakes! The orange juice sounds like a great twist (pun kinda intended) on it!
Question though- for the medium potato- how much would that be approximately? 1 Cup?
-Kelsey
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Kelsey, the sweet potato I had only gave me about 3/4 cup of flesh, although if you got about 1 cup it would work just fine. You really wouldn't need to adjust anything else since the sweet potato has a good, moist consistency. If the batter is too dry, add a hint more of the non-dairy milk. Cheers. (And love the pun! :))
Esperanca
Hi Vaishali, first of all, thank you so much for aspiring modern vegan dishes and Indian, as I am e young Vegetarian, struggling with planning dinner en inventing new dishes.
Do you know more about vegetarian wines? i bought a vegetarian wine at a store in Amsterdam, one of the nicest after tastes ever.
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Esperanca, I am definitely a wine drinker, and I usually prefer whites, both just to guzzle and to go with vegan dishes. I can't say I am an expert at pairing, though. I would love to hear more about this wine from Amsterdam, if you can share.
Sarojini (Yogi Vegans)
We are really obsessed with healthy pancakes in our house at the moment- it seems everyone loves them 🙂 Thanks for posting this; will try it out 🙂
Vaishali Honawar
Thanks, Sarojini. As a fellow pancake lover, I totally get the obsession. 🙂
Maha
Nice pics n delicious luking pancakes..
Vaishali Honawar
Thanks, Maha.