Quick & Easy Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes

Name: Quick & Easy Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour (properly measured); 2 tablespoons Organic Cane Sugar; 2 teaspoons Baking Powder; 1/4 teaspoon Salt; 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (see above); 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (or vanilla extract)

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These Quick & Easy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes are light, perfectly fluffy and simple enough to whip up for breakfast in less than 30 minutes!

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These thick, fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes are perfect for a quick & easy weekend breakfast and can be frozen and reheated to make weekday breakfasts more enjoyable and delicious. Top with vegan butter, maple syrup and any other desired toppings and enjoy!

Recipe Ingredients

This fluffy vegan pancake recipe is made with just 6 ingredients! All-purpose flour, baking powder and homemade dairy-free buttermilk creates the fluffiest, most perfect pancakes that everyone will love- vegan or not!

All Purpose Flour
Organic Cane Sugar
Baking Powder
Salt
Vegan Buttermilk
Cinnamon

Ingredient Notes

These are simply the best vegan buttermilk pancakes you can make! They contain just a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand and are incredibly customizable to fit your perfect pancake preferences!

All Purpose Flour: I used regular all-purpose flour for this recipe because truly, nothing beats a classic pancake but if you want to make vegan and gluten-free buttermilk pancakes, keep reading. You can also use whole wheat flour.
Organic Cane Sugar: I used regular organic cane sugar from Florida Crystals for these vegan pancakes. You can use coconut sugar or light brown sugar as well.
Baking Powder: This is what makes our pancakes light and fluffy!
Salt: Balance the flavors!
Vegan Buttermilk: Plant milk mixed with apple cider vinegar to create a buttermilk substitute and make our pancakes moist and give us that fluffy texture.
Cinnamon: Optional but delicious. Vanilla extract would also be great.

How to Make Vegan Buttermilk

Buttermilk is simply fermented milk. It is typically used in baking but can also be used in savory dishes. It’s a very versatile ingredient but it not vegan. Luckily, making your own vegan buttermilk is very simple.

This quick and easy homemade vegan buttermilk is perfect for non-dairy baking and a key ingredient to making these fluffy vegan pancakes.

All you need is two ingredients and 5 minutes!

Ingredient Notes

Plant Milk: Soy milk is best for making vegan buttermilk because it has a high protein content. I have found that coconut milk isn’t a good choice for making buttermilk as it won’t curdle. Oat and almond will work as well but might take a little longer to curdle or won’t curdle as much. You’ll need 1 cup.

Acidic Ingredient: Lemon Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar and White Vinegar are treated equal in this recipe- pick one. I tend to use apple cider vinegar. Use 1 tablespoon per 1 cup of plant milk.

Ratio

Simply whisk together 1 tablespoon of an acid with 1 cup of soy milk or other plant milk and allow to sit for 5 minutes to create homemade buttermilk. It will start to curdle and separate. Use immediately in the recipe of choice! To learn even more about vegan buttermilk substitutes check out this post by Delightful Adventures called How to Make Vegan Buttermilk.

Frequently Asked Questions

My vegan buttermilk didn’t curdle?

Sometimes oat milk or almond milk won’t curdle as much as soy milk. If you’re buttermilk didn’t curdle at all, the plant milk you used doesn’t have enough protein in it. But since there is still acid in the plant milk, you can still use it. Another reason could be that the plant milk was too cold. If this is the case, allow it to sit for another few minutes.

What else can I make with vegan buttermilk?

You can make waffles, pancakes, muffins, cornbread, tofu nuggets, scones, cakes… the list goes on! Any time a recipe calls for buttermilk, use this dairy free version instead.

How to Make This Recipe

Whisk together the vegan buttermilk. Let sit for 5 minutes to curdle. Buttermilk is 1 cup oat milk, soy milk or almond milk and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or lemon juice. For more information on vegan buttermilk, see above.

Whisk together the all purpose flour, organic cane sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium-sized bowl.

Pour the vegan buttermilk in to the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Avoid over-mixing. Lumps are ok!!

vegan buttermilk pancake batter mixed together.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. If the pan is nonstick, no need to add oil or vegan butter but you can if desired. Once the pan is hot, add 1/4 cup of batter and be patient while it cooks. It’s ready to flip when the edges look cooked and bubbles start to appear and pop. Take a peak and if it’s golden brown, flip! Cook the other side for about 1-2 minutes. Remove and continue cooking the remaining pancakes.

Serve your stack of perfect vegan buttermilk pancakes with homemade jam, maple syrup or fresh berries. Enjoy!

Egg Substitutes for Pancakes

Can pancakes even be made without eggs?? YES! There is absolutely no need for eggs when it comes to making the most delicious fluffy pancakes. So, eggs are usually added to pancakes to help bind them and to make them fluffier. Here’s a list of vegan substitutions to make the fluffiest pancakes egg free!

Popular Egg Substitutes:

Applesauce
Ground Flaxseed, mixed with water
Ground Chia Seeds, mixed with water
Mashed Banana
Vegan Yogurt
JUST Egg
Vegan Buttermilk

Tips & Tricks

This vegan buttermilk pancakes recipe is incredibly easy to make but that doesn’t mean things can’t go wrong. Keep these few tips in mind when making these vegan buttermilk pancakes and the end result will be fluffy, thick and delicious every single time!

Properly measure the flour. When scooping flour from the bag the flour tends to get packed into the cup and the pancakes will be dry. Properly measure flour by fluffy the flour with a fork and spooning in into the measuring cup and leveling off with a knife!

Avoid over-mixing! Lumps are fine when it comes to pancake batter.

Don’t flip the pancake more than once! If you handle the pancake too much, it’ll will become flat and dense. You want to allow it time to cook before flipping. You’ll know it’s ready to flip when the edges look cooked and bubbles start to appear and pop. Take a peak underneath and if it’s golden brown, flip!

Make the batter fresh! The baking powder reacts to the wet ingredients immediately so after time it will become less effective and you won’t end up with delicious and fluffy pancakes- not worth it!

Avoid overcrowding the pan! Make 1 or 2 pancakes at a time (depending on your frying pan) to avoid overcrowding them.

Use oil, not butter. Butter burns fast so you’ll have to wipe your pan down between pancakes to prevent the burning. If you’re using a nonstick pan, skip the oil and butter entirely. It’s really not needed.

Recipe Variations

These delicious thick and fluffy vegan pancakes are freezer-friendly, meal prep friendly and kid-friendly! Add in some chocolate chips, and blueberries or keep them plain. Everyone will ask for seconds!

Substitutions:

Make it gluten-free: Simply substitute the regular flour with a gluten-free all-purpose flour or oat flour.
Cinnamon: I prefer the addition of cinnamon but vanilla extract would also be good. Or add both!
Plant Milk: Soy milk is preferred as it’s the best to make dairy-free vegan buttermilk but I used oat milk and it worked out just fine. Almond milk will also work! Read more about vegan buttermilk above.
Sugar: I used regular organic cane sugar for this vegan pancake recipe but you can use light brown sugar or coconut sugar.

Toppings & Add-ins

You can’t skip a drizzle of Maple Syrup or Vegan Honey over the top along with a pat of vegan butter!
Chocolate Chips are always a delicious addition!
Fruit jams are a great addition. Swirl into the batter or dollop on top! I used my homemade 3-ingredient strawberry jam as a topping and it did not disappoint.
Fresh fruit like bananas, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are always a great topping option.
Vegan coconut whip cream, store-bought or homemade
Peanut butter or vegan homemade Nutella, super rich and delicious or crushed nuts like pecans, almonds or walnuts.

What to Serve with Pancakes

Fresh fruit or jam, store-bought vegan bacon or tempeh bacon, tofu scramble, vegan yogurt are all good sides to serve with these thick and fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes.

Storage & Reheating

The wonderful thing about this quick and easy vegan buttermilk pancake recipe is that it is completely meal prep & freezer friendly! If you happen to have leftover pancakes, simply follow the instructions below.

Storage: Cool the pancakes completely and wrap them in cling wrap. I like to put a small piece of parchment paper in between each pancake to ensure they don’t stick together. Store in the fridge for the next day or stick in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheating: Preheat the oven to 350F. Allow the pancakes to thaw for a few minutes and then reheat in the oven for about 5 minutes or until warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does buttermilk do in pancakes?

The acidity in buttermilk helps to create super soft and fluffy pancakes. I don’t recommend skipping the vegan buttermilk!

How do you make dairy free buttermilk?

Simply mix together plant milk and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Soy milk works best! See above for more details.

Can these pancakes be made gluten free?

Simply replace the all purpose flour with a gluten-free all purpose flour or oat flour.

Are these vegan pancakes freezer friendly?

Yes! Cool the pancakes completely and wrap them in cling wrap. I like to put a small piece of parchment paper in between each pancake to ensure they don’t stick together. Follow the instructions above to reheat pancakes from frozen.

Can the batter be made ahead of time?

No, the batter can’t be made ahead of time. The baking powder reacts to the wet ingredients as soon as they are mixed together. If you wait, your pancakes won’t be fluffy!

Are pancakes vegan?

The majority of pancakes contain buttermilk, eggs and can be cooked or topped with dairy butter so they are definitely not vegan but thankfully vegan buttermilk pancakes are so easy to make!

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If You Make This Recipe:

I would greatly appreciate if you share your review in the comments below and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating. I really appreciate it- it helps me out so much! Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!