Easy vegan pancakes that are very fluffy and thick.

I have always found pancakes tricky to make. Before I was vegan, I had difficulty getting pancakes to turn out right, and the challenge continued once I started making vegan pancakes. They would be too thick, too thin, too chewy, or undercooked in the middle and overcooked on the outside. 

After much trial and error, I have found a pancake recipe that I like. If I make them this way, the pancakes are light, fluffy, and perfectly cooked. Using baking powder and a little baking soda, plus apple cider vinegar, makes them rise nicely. 

I measured the surface temperature of the grill when the pancakes turned out just right, and it was 450 degrees F (238 C), so now I stick with this temperature and it works well.

Tips for Good Pancakes

Ingredients

• Soy milk or almond milk work well, but you could also use water or another kind of plant-based milk. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk while you mix the remaining ingredients for a plant-based buttermilk. This seems to make the pancakes a bit fluffier.
• White sugar seems to work best. Brown sugar or coconut palm sugar can alter the colour of the pancakes but they will still taste fine.

Pancake Cooking Tips

• Avoid stirring the ingredients too much. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly first. Then add the liquid ingredients, stir until just combined, and STOP. This is important. When pancakes turn out tough or chewy, it is usually because I have stirred the batter too much, and removed the air bubbles that make the pancakes rise. Without these air bubbles, the texture is too dense. So make sure to just stir a little bit.
• Preheat the pan so it is very hot before cooking the pancakes. If using an electric griddle, check the instructions to find out which setting to use for pancakes (on mine, I use the highest heat setting). If using a frying pan, heat over medium heat (I use 5 or 6 out of 10). Check with a laser thermometer if you have one. Around 450 degrees F works well. A drop of water dripped on the hot pan should sizzle away in about 5 seconds when the pan is ready. If the pan is too hot, the pancakes will burn on the outside before cooking through. If the pan is not hot enough, the pancakes will not rise as well or brown nicely. 
• Spoon or pour the batter onto the pan fairly quickly so the pancake will cook evenly.

When are the pancakes ready to flip?

• Cook until the edges of the pancake are set (no longer liquid) and the centre has bubbles and is starting to become less shiny. This takes about 3 -5 minutes. See the pictures below. 

These pancakes are ready to flip.

This is what the bottom of the pancakes looks like when they are ready to flip.

• Flip the pancakes just once. Repeated flipping just makes them too dense. After cooking the first side for 3 – 5 minutes, the second side takes about 2 minutes, and then the pancakes are done. 
• Cooked pancakes can be kept warm in the oven at about 250 degrees F (a hotter oven will make them quite crispy). 
• Leftover pancakes can be refrigerated and reheated in the toaster.

The Best Easy Vegan Pancake Ingredients 

Flour

Baking powder

Baking soda

Salt

Sugar

Vanilla

Apple cider vinegar

Oil (canola oil or olive oil)

Soy milk