Switching to a plant-based lifestyle for ethical, environmental, or health-related reasons doesn’t mean you must forego your favorite breakfast foods. While traditional pancake recipes call for butter, eggs, and sometimes milk, there are many easy vegan pancake recipes that you can make instead.
Below, we’ve compiled our favorite recipes for vegan pancakes, including vegan pancake toppings and more useful details. So choose your favorite and make a hearty vegan breakfast for your family.
1. Vegan Pancakes
This recipe, which takes about 20 minutes to make and serves 12 people, uses a vegan buttermilk replacement (non-dairy milk and vinegar) to achieve the same fluffiness. Because of that, there are no egg replacers, either.
All the ingredients are pretty standard pantry items so that you can whip these up on a whim. Cook them on a griddle or a nonstick pan, and be sure to re-oil the pan as needed as you work.
2. The Fluffiest Vegan Pancakes
Like the recipe above, this one also uses a small amount of vinegar to help achieve the quintessential fluffiness that makes pancakes delightful.
The recipe calls for organic sugar, but regular will work just as well. The teaspoon of vanilla extract gives it a deeper sweetness that makes it ideal for serving with just some vegan butter if you don’t have syrup or other toppings on hand.
3. Simple Vegan Pancakes
This recipe is as stripped-down as it gets, with only six simple ingredients. It calls for soy milk, but you can use any non-dairy milk that you have on hand, including almond or even hemp milk.
As written, the recipe serves three people, making it ideal for small families. But it can easily be doubled, tripled, or more to feed a larger group. You can even add vegan chocolate chips, blueberries, or other accouterments to jazz them up or customize them to each diner’s personal preferences.
4. Vegan Banana Pancakes
There’s nothing more wholesome and comforting than delicious banana pancakes, and these certainly hit the mark. They practically melt in your mouth. As with most baking recipes that call for bananas, try to choose a spotty, ripe banana.
Over-ripe works well, too, if you have some old bananas that you don’t want to toss. If you’re using frozen bananas, just be sure they have time to thaw and come to room temperature before baking.
This recipe links to a couple of spin-off recipes, including decadent chocolate vegan banana pancakes and vegan banana waffles, so try those out as well.
5. Extra Easy Vegan Pancakes
This might become your go-to recipe if you’ve got hungry kiddos demanding pancakes in a hurry. They only take about 20 minutes to make, including prep and cooking time.
It’s also versatile, so you can customize it to your family’s tastes and preferences or what you have available in your pantry. Use regular flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten-free flour. Add vanilla, cinnamon, or even vegan chocolate chips for extra flavor.
As written, this recipe makes only six pancakes, so double or triple it if you’re feeding a hungry crowd. It’s perfect the morning after a slumber party.
6. Light and Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
Pancakes are super yummy, but they can leave you feeling sluggish and full. Try this light and fluffy recipe if you want to enjoy the delicious taste without the less pleasant after-effects.
These are great to make ahead and freeze. Whip up a big batch on the weekend and freeze leftovers to enjoy as part of a balanced breakfast throughout the week. You’ll add baking powder to the ingredients and let the batter rise for a few minutes, which gives them their fluffy texture.
7. Easy Vegan Pancakes
If you’re looking for a recipe in European measurements, look no further. Like the New York Times in the United States, the BBC in Great Britain has a wealth of recipes from their various cooking shows and test kitchens. These pancakes are one of our favorites.
You’ll need self-rising flour to give them their fluffy texture. If you don’t have that on hand, use all-purpose flour with a leavening agent, such as baking powder and salt.
FYI, Brits sometimes refer to “soy” as “soya,” which is the name of the bean. That’s how it’s written in this recipe. Don’t worry; it’s the same thing.
8. Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes
In recent years, the world of gluten-free baking has made great strides, and vegan, gluten-free treats are more delicious than ever. You won’t miss the wheat in this gluten-free, vegan pancake recipe.
You will need to make a gluten-free flour blend containing sorghum flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch. You can make a big batch of it and store it in an airtight container for use in other recipes as a flour substitute. This recipe also contains variations for making fluffier or thinner pancakes if that’s your preference.
9. 100 Calorie Fluffy and Sweet Vegan Pancakes
Some people adopt vegan diets to help them lose weight. If that’s you, this is the perfect recipe. Not only is it vegan, but it’s extra light since each pancake has only 100 calories. You can eat a whole stack without wrecking your diet.
It also uses other healthy ingredients, such as wheat flour and unsweetened soy milk. You can substitute a lower-calorie milk alternative, but soy milk is thicker and more flavorful, so it won’t be as good.
10. Zesty Orange Chia Pancakes
This pancake recipe incorporates superfoods and more sophisticated flavors. These pancakes are also gluten-free. The chia seeds act as a thickening agent, but they’re also great for fighting heart disease and packed with fiber.
The orange juice and orange zest give them an intense citrusy flavor. If you want to dial it back, reduce the zest rather than the juice since you need the liquid to balance the dry ingredients. They’re delicious with syrup, or the recipe author suggests serving with freshly-sliced kiwi.
11. Gluten-Free Banana Oatmeal Quinoa Pancakes
This recipe is hands-down one of the healthiest on this list. The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn’t even try to mimic the traditional animal and wheat-based ingredients in pancakes but takes a unique spin using vegan and gluten-free foods.
The banana acts as both a binder and makes them light and fluffy. Use very ripe or even over-ripe bananas for best results. The quinoa gives them an infusion of protein to help power your morning. The recipe calls for stevia powder rather than sugar, along with the banana, making them even more healthy.
12. Triple Berry Sheet Pan Pancakes
These pancakes were made with fruit lovers in mind. The recipe goes way beyond blueberries or using fruit as a topping and instead bakes strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries right into them.
The cooking method used here is also unique. Instead of standing over a stove flipping individual pancakes, you cover an entire sheet pan with pancake batter and bake it for about ten minutes. You can even broil it at the end for a lovely browned shell.
That makes it ideal for feeding a crowd, and everyone gets to eat together. We highly recommend this delectable vegan pancake recipe if you’re hosting breakfast or brunch.
13. Green Onion Pancakes
Pancakes don’t have to be sweet, and this green onion recipe proves it. These are not traditional pancakes; you roll out the dough into rounds, sprinkle the green onions, and then fry them up in the pan.
These pancakes are Chinese in origin and have lots of seasoning in the batter, including onion and garlic powders. They are a bit labor-intensive, so set aside some time to make and enjoy them. If you like savory pancakes, check out number 19 on this list, spinach pancakes. Both recipes prove how versatile pancakes can be.
14. Blueberry Muffin Pancakes
This recipe provides a different take on two favorite breakfast treats, blueberry muffins and blueberry pancakes. They’re light and fluffy, flat, and get fried in a pan like pancakes, but they taste exactly like the best blueberry muffin you’ve ever had.
Besides blueberries themselves, this recipe calls for a few less common ingredients, including flax meal (to substitute for eggs), agave nectar, and raw sugar. They aren’t the healthiest option, but they’re perfect if you’re looking for a breakfast treat.
15. Vegan Potato Latkes (Pancakes)
Latkes, or potato pancakes, are a traditional Jewish dish often served at Hannukah. But with this recipe, you don’t need to wait for the holidays to enjoy them. To make them, you’ll need potatoes, flour, onion, spices, and plenty of oil for pan-frying them.
Latkes are delicious on their own or with an array of toppings, such as applesauce, vegan sour cream, sauerkraut, chives, pickled jalapenos, chutney, or other fruit toppings and jams. Serve them as a main dish or an accompaniment to others. Make them extra thin if you like them crispy or a little thicker if you want a soft interior.
16. Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
For a decadent dish, try these fantastic vegan cinnamon roll pancakes. Unless you visit a vegan bakery, you’ll have trouble finding vegan cinnamon rolls, but these pancakes are perfect for satisfying that craving.
To prepare them, you’ll need to make the cinnamon filling and pancakes separately. The cinnamon filling gets piped from a plastic bag and has to be placed in the refrigerator to harden. Preserve some to squeeze on top of the pancakes before serving.
The only odd ingredient you’ll need is evaporated can juice crystals or granulated sugar. Other than that, you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen, including almond milk, vegan butter, and flour.
17. Loveliest Lemon Vegan Pancakes
The lemon flavor in these pancakes isn’t overpowering; you add just enough lemon juice and lemon zest to give it a slight tang and extra flavor. The subtly sweet lemon taste adds a bit of sophistication to a traditional children’s favorite.
The trick to these pancakes is to pre-heat your skillet and allow it to return to the right temperature between pancakes. Fry them low and slow, so they cook evenly throughout.
The recipe isn’t specific about what kind of flour you should use, so you can use whatever you have on hand, including gluten-free flour.
18. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes
There’s nothing quite like pumpkin-flavored treats in the fall, and these pancakes are the perfect warm treat on a crisp morning. They’re impossible to resist when you add the melty chocolate chips and some maple syrup.
You’ll need a half cup of pumpkin and a half cup of very ripe banana as well. These are healthier than you may expect since they use whole wheat and buckwheat flours. You’ll need lots of spices and less usual ingredients, including pumpkin pie spice, coconut sugar, and applesauce as a binder.
Try peanut butter or nut butter, syrup, additional chocolate chips or vegan chocolate spread, or caramelized nuts for toppings.
19. Spinach Pancakes
Above, we listed green onion pancakes as a savory option, and spinach pancakes also hit the spot. If you’re looking to jazz up a dinner side or make a healthier choice at breakfast, these pancakes have more than a serving of veggies. They don’t taste too much like spinach, either.
In addition to fresh baby spinach, you’ll also need flour, flaxseed, dairy-free milk, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, and other household staples.
Use them to make a delicious breakfast sandwich, or serve them to kiddos on Halloween or St. Patrick’s Day, because who doesn’t love green pancakes? Bonus: these are naturally dyed.
20. Gingerbread Spice Vegan Pancakes
If you’re looking for a unique pancake recipe for the holidays or even Christmas morning, these festive gingerbread spice vegan pancakes are perfect. You’ll need flour (any kind), gingerbread spice, brown sugar, baking powder, sea salt, and vanilla coconut milk to make them.
The recipe on the website calls for ginger preserves and syrup as a topping, but you can top them with anything you want. You can even make the filling from the vegan cinnamon roll pancakes recipe above, which is delightful on these and tastes like frosted gingerbread.
21. Six-Ingredient Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
This simple recipe requires only six ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen as we speak: just flour, baking powder, salt, non-dairy milk, vegan butter, and vanilla extract. It’s perfect when you want to make a fun breakfast for your family on the fly.
When you mix the batter, make sure that you don’t stir too much. It should still have lumps in it when you start cooking.
22. Five-Minute Vegan Pancakes
It doesn’t get much simpler than this recipe, which is ideal for cooking for a crowd. You can make these quickly and easily, so you don’t have hungry guests waiting for the next batch to finish.
You can use any kind of flour or sugar you have on hand, but the recipe calls for soymilk, and you should use it rather than other non-dairy milk alternatives because soymilk is thicker and more flavorful than other types.
23. Vegan Almond Flour Pancakes
If you prefer alternatives to regular flour for flavor or health reasons, these are great since the recipe is designed for almond flour. You’ll also need a ripe banana, almond milk, flaxseed, and other ingredients.
This recipe comes with several variations. Our favorite is adding a little bit of almond extract to bring out the nutty flavor. Serve with almond butter to play up the almond to the maximum.
24. Vegan Chocolate Banana Pancakes
Banana pancakes are a quintessential treat, and nothing tastes better with banana than chocolate. Malibu Farms is a popular restaurant in southern California, and they shared this recipe for one of their favorite vegan breakfast dishes with Vogue.
In addition to other ingredients, they also include tofu and quinoa, so they’re packed with protein. You’ll hardly believe how healthy these are when you taste them.
25. DIY Vegan Pancake Mix
Last but not least on our list is this super simple pancake mix. While many grocery store pancake mixes don’t have animal-based ingredients, they call for them to prepare pancakes. Not this one, though. Make this delicious mix and keep it on hand whenever a pancake craving strikes.
Easy Vegan Pancake Recipes, Final Thoughts
Adopting a vegan lifestyle doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite breakfast foods, including pancakes. Whether you want traditional flapjacks, gourmet and decadent pancakes, or even savory pancakes, there’s something for everyone on this list. Cook them up in the morning this weekend and enjoy a delightful breakfast with the family.