Many years ago, when I first met my dear friend, Yvette Hetrick, a foodie and entertainer extraordinaire, she rhapsodized about granola pancakes that she and her husband, Randy, would devour for weekend brunches in San Diego when they were dating. She has a memorable way of describing food and I was sold from her first mention.
After several attempts to reproduce those delectable granola pancakes with no luck, I finally gave up … until recently when a craving struck. My husband had some Bear Naked Granola in the pantry—part of his new healthier diet (he is NOT a vegan)–and I had some local strawberries fresh from the farmer’s market in the fridge that were begging to adorn some amazing granola pancakes. And this time, I was successful!
My fairly thick batter is the perfect consistency to support the granola. Be sure to serve the pancakes granola-side up so folks will know these are no ordinary pancakes even before the first bite!
Since families come in all shapes and sizes, this vegan granola pancakes recipe is perfect for celebrating Father’s Day–or any day–your way. As is, it serves one, and can be easily multiplied to serve two, three or more. Plus, you can use different granolas in each cake to suit everyone’s mood and tastes.
Special Diet Notes: Granola Pancakes
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally nut-free (depending on your granola and sour cream or yogurt alternative), peanut-free, optionally soy-free (depending on your milk, buttery spread, and sour cream or yogurt alternatives), vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (Betsy uses white whole wheat for whole grain)
- 1 teaspoon organic sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened or plain soymilk (substitute almond, coconut, rice or flax milk beverage for soy-free)
- 1 teaspoon dairy-free buttery spread (soy-free, if needed)
- 2 tablespoons favorite granola (break up any really large clusters)
- 1 tablespoon dairy-free sour cream alternative (or your favorite non-dairy yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Fresh fruit (a couple of strawberries, a few blueberries, etc.)
- Spray the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium to medium-high.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Whisk in the soymilk or milk beverage.
- Melt the teaspoon of buttery spread in skillet and swirl to coat.
- Make two pancakes using half of the batter for each, spreading just slightly to shape, if desired. Cook for a couple of minutes or until there is just a little gooey batter on top, but the pancakes are mostly done, as you want the granola to adhere to the top when you flip them, but you don't want the granola to burn when you cook the top side.
- Sprinkle each pancake with 1 tablespoon of granola, gently press it into the moist batter with a flattened hand, flip, and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute or until just done - do not scorch the granola.
- Remove the pancakes to a plate, granola side up.
- Spread one pancake with vegan sour cream, top with second pancake, drizzle with maple syrup, and garnish with fruit.
