So you didn’t order that dairy-free box of chocolates in time, and aren’t willing to pay an arm and a leg for over-inflated flower prices. But, what about a more thoughtful and affordable gesture like breakfast in bed? Any mom or loved one will be delighted by a stack of these fluffy yet wholesome and guilt-free whole wheat vegan pancakes … and you will be thrilled with how easy AND cheap they are to make!
When I make this recipe into vegan waffles, I typically adorn them with homemade nut butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a light drizzle of honey.
But for vegan pancakes, some maple syrup is always in order. To keep it on the healthy side, I usually add sauteed apples, cinnamon, and finish off the stack with a generous sprinkle of freshly ground flaxseeds. I’ve included instructions for Alisa’s Vegan Pancakes Topping (pretty nutritious) and Tony’s Vegan Pancakes Topping (just a wee more indulgent) in the notes of my whole wheat vegan pancakes recipe below.
Special Diet Notes: Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free/ non-dairy, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
- 1 Cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (Note: I made these pancakes at high altitude (6500ft), where everything gets a little extra “lift.” If you are at 3000 ft to sea level, I recommend increasing the baking powder to 1-1/2 Tablespoons. Yes, it may seem like a bit, but it helps to replace the lift that usually comes from eggs!)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sweetener (I used Palm Sugar, but you can use Sucanat, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, etc.)
- 1 to 1-1/4 cups milk alternative, room temperature if using coconut oil (I used Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons oil (I used melted coconut oil, but extra-light olive oil, grapeseed oil, or your favorite baking oil will do)
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, and set aside.
- In a measuring cup, combine the sweetener, 1 cup of the milk alternative, and the oil. Whisk in the reserved flour mixture.
- If the batter is too thick or becomes too thick as it sits, add up to ¼ cup of additional milk alternative (I live at high altitude, where things rise more, so I used the full 1 and ¼ cups for the pancakes, but you may not need that much). Keep in mind that egg-free pancake batter works better when it is a little thicker than egg-containing pancake batter.
- Prepare your skillet with some cooking spray, and preheat it over medium heat.
- Pour the batter into the skillet to create your desired size of pancakes (I make dollar-sized ones because I am so bad at flipping the bigger ones!). Cook over medium heat, reduce heat to medium-low if the skillet gets too hot (I have this problem with our electric stove).
- The pancakes will bubble as soon as the batter hits the pan, ignore those bubbles. The batter will smooth out after 30 seconds. Wait until you see bubbles break at the surface again, then flip. Cook for about about 1 minute on the other side. Remove from the pan, and pour in the next batch of batter.
- Repeat until all the batter is used up, and you have a few plates of scrumptious pancakes!
- Top as desired (see my notes below for suggestions).
Tony’s Pancake Topping: To the other half of the cooked apples, I add 1-1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup and 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed. It was still a nice pourable maple syrupy topping with big, soft apple chunks. The flax goes pretty well un-noticed by my husband.
For Waffles: Everything is the same, but I use only 1 cup of milk alternative, even at high altitude. The thicker batter works better on waffle irons. Simply prepare the batter and follow the directions for your waffle iron. They freeze and re-toast beautifully!
This recipe is Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, Peanut free, Soy free, Low sugar, and Low fat.
52 Comments
Alisa, these pancakes were the best vegan pancakes I’ve come across. Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed the recipe ?
Amazing recipe. So fluffy and tasty, unlike a few other vegan pancake recipes I tried. I’m so happy to finally have great whole wheat pancake recipe!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
My son can not have dairy or eggs, we just tried your recipe and my boys and I loved it! We used vanilla soy milk instead! Thanks for posting that!!
Awesome! So glad you all enjoyed it!
This recipe worked perfectly at 5000 ft! I used one cup milk and 1 1/2 T oil for waffles and they are crispy yet tender. Thank you!!!
Marvelous! So glad the recipe worked out well for you Torina and thank you for your feedback 🙂
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Thought I’d leave a rating and a comment because I love this recipe and have been using it for months! I usually double the recipe and add 1/2 cup of hemp seeds. Whatever leftovers we have, we freeze and retoast them, and they still taste wonderful! Tonight we’re having them for dinner in our house (son’s request) with peanut butter and banana slices on top 🙂 so good! Thanks!
That’s fantastic! Thank you so much for your feedback JeanMari.
Would these work without the oil? I am looking for a vegan waffle recipe that doesn’t contain any oil. (heart disease patients)
Thanks
I don’t recommend it without the oil, but you can make the pancakes w/ applesauce in place of the oil. I wouldn’t try making waffles without the added fat.
Waffles need oil and sugar to create that crispy texture on the outside.
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