Good news! Vegans can indeed eat pancakes.
Sorry, let me rephrase that: those who are dairy free or vegan can now enjoy the fluffiest vegan pancakes ever thanks to this recipe. I’m SO excited to finally share this one with you because I’ve been making these vegan flaxseed pancakes every weekend for the last month!
Now I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I served these to my husband and he said they were the BEST pancakes I’ve ever made. Even my son loves them.
I actually couldn’t believe how delicious they were either, and noticeably more fluffy than the regular version.
Everything you need to make vegan pancakes
These easy vegan pancakes use simple ingredients and are perfect for customizing with all of your favorite add-ins and toppings. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Flour: I like to use regular all purpose flour, but you can also use whole wheat pastry flour or a gluten-free all-purpose flour as well. I recommend whole wheat pastry flour over whole wheat flour to keep these vegan pancakes light!
- Baking powder + salt: two essentials to any pancake recipe out there. Remember to use baking powder and not baking soda so that your pancakes fluff up perfectly.
- Flaxseed meal: this helps to bind the recipe together like an egg would in regular pancakes! Plus flaxseed meal is highly nutritious. Trust me, these flax egg pancakes turn out just as fluffy and delicious.
- Apple cider vinegar: this is what helps to keep the pancakes fluffy, as the apple cider vinegar will react with the baking powder in this recipe to create additional fluff!
- Coconut sugar: these vegan pancakes just need a little bit of sweetness and one tablespoon of coconut sugar will do the trick. I prefer coconut sugar over regular sugar because it’s an unrefined sweetener, but any sugar will work.
- Coconut oil or vegan butter: another essential thing in these vegan pancakes is the addition of a little healthy fat to help flavor and create a nice texture. You can use either melted coconut oil, vegan butter or another neutral oil such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, etc.
- Vanilla & almond extract: I LOVE using both vanilla and almond extract because of how they add a nice flavor and sweetness to the pancakes. Try it! The almond extract is seriously incredible.
- Dairy free milk: any kind of dairy free milk will work here including almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, etc.
Can I make these vegan pancakes gluten free?
You could try using a 1:1 gluten free baking mix or flour blend like this one, but please note that I have not tested these pancakes this way. Here are some gluten free pancake alternatives:
- Use almond flour in The Best Almond Flour Pancakes
- Use coconut flour in my Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes
- Use oats in these Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
What can I add to vegan pancakes?
The best part about this vegan pancake recipe is that you can add whatever you like: blueberries, vegan chocolate chips, orange zest, nuts, etc. You do you! Personally, I love wild blueberries and always have a bag in my freezer for smoothies and pancakes.
Feel free to top these fluffy pancakes with pure maple syrup, a spoonful of peanut butter and extra blueberries or bananas. They’re my new favorite thing to make for weekend brunch.
How to make easy vegan pancakes
- Whisk the dry. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Mix the wet. In a separate bowl mix together the flaxseed meal, apple cider vinegar, sugar, coconut oil and vanilla & almond extracts. Slow whisk in the milk last.
- Make your batter. Add the wet and dry ingredients together and mix until just combined.
- Pour & flip. Lastly, make the vegan pancakes on your pan or griddle as you normally would, adding any mix-ins to each pancake if you’d like. Be sure to check out all of my tips & tricks for making the best pancakes!
Tips for making the best vegan pancakes
- If you want thinner pancakes, feel free to add a tablespoon more of milk.
- Be sure not to over mix the batter as the pancakes could become gummy.
- Feel free to grease your griddle with olive oil, but I do not recommend using olive oil in the pancake batter because it may overpower the flavor of the pancakes.
- Cook your pancakes over medium heat so that they cook evenly. If you flip your pancakes and they appear to be cooking too fast, simply reduce the temp to medium-low so that they don’t burn. Reminder to get my tips & tricks (plus a video) here!
Make the pancakes ahead of time
You can actually make these healthy vegan pancakes ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven! Simply place your oven at 200 degrees F, add your pancakes to a baking sheet or oven-safe plate, and place them in the oven until you’re ready to serve.
Freezer-friendly vegan pancakes
If you want to make these fluffy vegan pancakes ahead of time and serve them at a later date, you can!
- Place the pancakes on a baking sheet so they aren’t touching and place in the freezer for 30 minutes (this is called a flash freeze).
- Next, place them in freezer safe containers or stasher bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Once ready to reheat, simply add pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm.
More pancake recipes you might like
- Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes (high protein, gluten free)
- Lemon Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes
- Chai-Spiced Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Healthy Apple Pancakes (made right in the blender!)
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread Pancakes
Get all of my pancake recipes here!
If you make these delicious, fluffy vegan pancakes, please leave a comment and rate the recipe below letting us know how you liked it! You can also post a photo and tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creations. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
Ingredients
- For the dry ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour*
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- For the wet ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- 2 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil (or sub melted vegan butter or a neutral oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk (I like to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- Optional mix-ins:
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen, toss berries with 1 tablespoon flour first)
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- For greasing the skillet
- Coconut oil or vegan butter, for greasing the griddle/skillet
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the flaxseed meal, apple cider vinegar, sugar, melted coconut oil, vanilla and almond extract until it comes together. Slowly whisk in the almond milk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a batter forms; it doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. Stir in any mix-ins you are using, if you are using any. If you want the batter to be thinner, add in another tablespoon of almond milk. Do not overmix.
- Lightly coat a griddle with oil and place over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup of the batter to the griddle for each pancake and cook for 3-4 minutes until pancakes puff up and you see bubbles along the edges. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside. If you find that pancakes are browning too quickly then you need to lower the heat a bit. I normally start on medium heat, then decrease to medium low later so that my pancakes don't burn.
- Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil and remaining batter. Makes 6 large pancakes total.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats≠
I use this recipe when I have no eggs in the fridge. Could I use regular milk or buttermilk in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely!
Nothing compares to these!!! We have an egg allergy in our home so these are our go-to pancakes and they never ever disappoint! We easy double the recipe to have leftovers for the kids for during the week! A forever favorite!
So happy to hear you love these, Alice!
These are delish! I also made a batch that I added grated apple to–also yummy! Thanks!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
This is a shot in the dark, since I’m not sure you still check these comments. I’ve been using this recipe for a couple years, now. They’re the best vegan pancakes I’ve ever had. But the last 2 batches have been totally flat, didn’t rise at all. I thought it could be the baking powder so I opened a new container today and the pancakes were worse, extra thin. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Suggestions?
Hi! So strange! Is your batter looking thin? It sounds like there is too much liquid, so I would double check the ingredients and make sure there’s enough dry ingredients for a relatively thick batter!
These turned out great and super delicious! I just increased the sugar to make them more sweet for my kiddos, but wow, these were super fluffy! Yum!
Perfect! Glad they were a hit!
These turned out a soggy, chunky burnt mess for me when following the original recipe. A few modifications I made for the next batch made a world of difference: blend the oats alone first until they have the consistency of flour, then add the rest of the ingredients. I also added 2 tbsp of all purpose flour and 1 tsp sugar to the batter after which the pancakes rose and the sweetness was better.
Hi! Sorry to hear that you had an issue. This recipe does not contain any oats – are you referring to a different pancake recipe?
I’ve made a lot of vegan pancakes and this is by far my favorite recipe! They’re healthy, airy, and have a nice crunch. Thanks for sharing this with us!
So happy to hear that!
Holy moly Monique! These are the best vegan pancakes I’ve ever made. Super fluffy and moist. I added fresh blueberries to the batter. My husband, who is not vegan but a pancake connoisseur, said they were the best pancakes he’s ever had too. Shhh, don’t tell him they’re vegan. Another winner in my weekend breakfast rotation! Thank you.
Amazing! So glad they were a hit!
This is a great recipe. I followed it, except instead of milk, I used nonfat Greek yogurt with water, then replaced sugar with finely chopped fresh dates. I used olive oil as well and worked great. I also added chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and anise seeds to the batter along with blueberries. Then once served with blueberry sauce over freshly ground peanuts like peanut butter, with more walnuts on top. Thank you for sharing.
Oh this is amazing. I am so glad these turned out amazing for you and your subs worked out perfectly too! LOVE the toppings, sound delicious!
Monique,
Delicious!!!
You’re one of my favorite bloggers!
I’m glad you loved these! Hope you keep finding recipes here to try 🙂
10/10! The easiest, tastiest vegan pancakes ever. The flax seed meal makes it taste 10x better than any restaurant / box mix and the coconut oil & almond extract gave it the perfect sweetness factor. Had to print this recipe out so I could easily have it on hand and plan to use it for a very long time to come, thank you so much!
Amazing! So happy you loved them!
These pancakes are AMAZING! I substituted the AP flour for Vitacost brand Multi-Blend GF flour (3/4 cup per batch), honey in place of the sugar, maple syrup for the vanilla, and lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar. They were quite fluffy and browned nicely! Thank you for this recipe! I am grateful I came across it this morning!
So happy they turned out perfectly and that those subs worked well!
I made this recipe but subbed 1/4 unsweetened applesauce and it turned out beautifullllly. I used unsweetened almond milk and followed the rest of the recipe. I added blewbsss and slices of bananas. Next time I will defs add cinnamon !!! Idk how I forgot teeheeee. Well this recipe is officially my GO-TO. Hope this helps y’all 🙂 <333
I forgot to mention I subbed 1/4 cup applesauce for the flaxseed meal. !!!! LOL 🙂
I was thrilled to find this vegan pancake recipe. Quick and easy, and they came out perfectly😁 Definitely my new go-to recipe for pancakes! Thank you so much.
Melanie
Cape Town, South Africa
Amazing pancake recipe! So so so fluffy! I’ve made these pancakes 3 weekends in a row now and they turn out perfect every time!
I’ll admit I was skeptical of how these would come together but I just got home from vacation and had very few items in the fridge so these fit the bill for breakfast. And they were SO GOOD. Truly fluffy and light. I used chia seeds and subbed half AP flour with whole wheat flour. They were great!
Yay!! I’m so glad they turned out perfectly fluffy 🙂 Thanks, Sofie!
Love these pancakes. They are fluffy, delicious and they contain healthier ingredients. I added frozen blueberries to the batter but with out the extra flour (because I forgot) and they still turned out wonderful!
So happy they turned out perfectly and that you loved them, Stephanie!
I just made the pancakes for my husband and I. They were delicious!! We enjoyed them! I will make it again . Made it exactly as specified.
So happy to hear that you guys loved them, Soula! Thank you for the review!
This was a great, easy to follow recipe. To add to that, it was delicious and worry free for me, because I have an egg allergy. I’m not ashamed to admit I made then for breakfast, then nibbled on one for dessert after dinner, too. Just added this one to my permanent rotation!
Yay! So happy that this recipe is safe for you to eat and that you loved them, Renee!!
These were my first vegan pancakes and I thought they were great. I messed up the first few because the pan wasn’t hot enough but got it right on the rest. I do think the batter is a little thick and added an extra 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk to thin them out instead of the recommendation of 1 tbsp. Thanks for sharing!
I’m happy you loved them! Totally fine to add a little extra milk here 🙂
We were out of eggs and needed an eggless pancake recipe. After one disaster (on a different recipe!) where I attempted to sub out normal eggs for flax eggs (not sure what happened, but the pancakes wouldn’t cook/firm up) I gave this a try and it was absolute perfection. So fluffy and delicious. Made it as is with the optional choco chips. I’ll be coming back to this recipe for sure 🙂
So glad you found this one! Perfect breakfast 🙂
I don’t live a vegan lifestyle, but I needed a quick dairy-free pancake recipe and decided to try these. They were AMAZING. I’m always looking for that “go-to” pancake recipe and this might be it. They were sooo fluffy and delicious (I added blueberries which was a great addition). I can’t believe these are vegan and only have a small amount of sugar!
The best! So glad you loved them!
I cannot find flaxseed meal where I live. Can I grind flaxseed instead? Is it the same?
Thank you!
That should work! Just be sure to grind them very finely.
Not a vegan, but I discovered these pancakes early on in the pandemic when no eggs were nowhere to be found! It’s true – they are outrageously fluffy! And delicious. This recipe is a keeper
Amazing! So glad you found and love these ones 🙂
I loved these pancakes! Delish.
So tasty! Have already made this recipe twice in a week.
Made these for myself and my 2 year old daughter. Came together so quick and we’re deliciously fluffy. I added blueberries after pouring onto the griddle. Also kept 2 in the fridge and they heated up perfectly the next morning. 10/10 recommend you make these quick and easy vegan pancakes.
Perfect! Love that!
After becoming vegan, we tried out a couple of vegan pancake recipes but they never were worth making again…until we found Monique’s vegan pancakes. OMG! They maintain the fluffiness, but have a nice crisp on the outside. Our family loves these! Thank you!
So glad you found these ones! 🙂
These were sooo good and sooo fluffy! I used regular sugar and I put chocolate chips in them! I also put bananas and blueberries on the top. They were also super easy to make! Definitely going to make these again!
So fluffy! And the addition of the almond extract gave them SUCH a nice flavor. This will definitely be my go to EASY vegan pancake recipe.
Absolutely! So glad you loved them!
Have you ever made this recipe as waffles?
I haven’t — let me know if you try!
The BEST pancakes! So fluffy, flavorful, and easy to make. My go-to pancake recipe; thank you 🙂
So happy to hear that!
Loved these pancakes! Substituted 1-1 GF flour and they still came out great!! Loved the flax seed and the blueberries:)
I’m so glad! Perfect breakfast 🙂
These are by far the best vegan pancakes i’ve ever had! They turned out light and fluffy and browned perfectly on the outside. I used applesauce in place of the coconut oil to make them oil-free, and I still thought the pancakes had a good texture. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
So happy to hear that!
These are the absolute BEST pancakes. They are easy to make and extremely delicious 😋.
Using this recipe makes the FIRST time I have ever been able to make great pancakes from scratch.
Amazing! So glad you loved them 🙂
These are THE BEST vegan pancakes and are popular for vegans and non-vegans alike! I LOVE the addition of the almond extract, but have also left it out for non almond lovers. I’ve made them 5 times now and they’ve turned out perfect every time.
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Hi Monique! I looove your blog. I’m wondering if it’s possible to use an egg instead of the flaxseed meal and subtract some milk? It would be more practical for me.
By the way, I LOVE your coconut flour pancakes and pumpkin cornbread! 🙂
—Montana
Hi! Yes, you can add 1 egg instead of flaxseed meal and use a little less milk — should be fine!