5 Ingredient FLUFFY Vegan Pancakes (ready in 5 minutes!)
These ultra fluffy and light vegan pancakes use only use 5 ingredients that you most likely already have on hand! In just 5 minutes, you’ll have vegan buttermilk pancakes that taste like diner pancakes!
Why you’ll love these super fluffy vegan pancakes:
If you miss diner pancakes as a vegan, then look no further.
These ultra fluffy and sweet vegan pancakes taste just like your favorite diner pancakes- only made with 5 ingredients, and no eggs nor dairy (you don’t even need an egg replacement!).
This the base recipe of my vegan pancake recipes. It’s based off of buttermilk pancakes, so we’re using vegan buttermilk (don’t worry, it takes 2 seconds to make, you don’t need to purchase it!) to achieve that flavor and texture.
The result: in less than 5 minutes, and only using 5 ingredients, you’ll yield perfectly fluffy, light, and delicious pancakes that are the best weekend vegan breakfast recipe (especially alongside this chickpea scramble for a balance of sweet and savory!).
This pancake recipe is also SUPER kid-friendly- of course! And if you like these pancakes, you should definitely check out my vegan blueberry pancakes, vegan banana pancakes, and vegan pumpkin pancakes!
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5 Ingredients for healthy vegan pancakes:
For these vegan gluten free pancakes, you’ll need only a few simply ingredients:
- Flour: I recommend using all purpose flour. Whole wheat flour will work, but they won’t be as fluffy. If you’re gluten free, gluten free flour that I used in this recipe is King Arthur Measure for Measure flour.
- Granulated Sugar: You can use organic granulated sugar, such as Florida Crystals, which is certified vegan, OR maple sugar is also really good!
- Vegan Buttermilk: one of my favorite baking tricks is to combine a non-dairy milk, like soy milk or almond milk for instance, with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to create a vegan “buttermilk!” You can use any dairy free milk here, and even use white vinegar as well- it’s just so easy! Just mix the two together, let it sit, and there you go- a homemade vegan “buttermilk!” This is the key to fluffy pancakes.
- Vanilla: most buttermilk pancake recipes don’t call for it, but I think vanilla adds a really nice sweetness to pancakes! Omit it if you like, but I will always be keeping vanilla in my pancake batter!
- Leavening agent: this is the baking powder. Because baking powder also contains baking soda, which will react with the vegan buttermilk, the pancakes will rise and become SUPER fluffy.
How come there isn’t an egg replacement?
Most vegan pancake recipes on the web require a vegan egg substitute for their pancakes. You actually really don’t need it! If you look at many pancake mixes on the market that you purchase in stores, all you really need to do is add water (or milk).
So why couldn’t the same be true for vegan pancakes?
Trust me, the vegan egg substitutes are really good these days. But for these pancakes, you can still yield
How to make vegan pancakes from scratch in just 5 minutes (overview)
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
Making gluten free vegan pancakes may sound intimidating, but it’s actually far from it!
Really, anyone can do this, even kids (with adult supervision ha!)! The part is, whether you’re using gluten free flour or regular flour, the process and ratios are entirely the same. I know, these healthy vegan buttermilk pancakes are that good!
How do you make vegan buttermilk?
I actually have a whole blog post on how to make vegan buttermilk. It’s so simple.
The first step to making the fluffiest vegan pancakes is to make sure that your vegan buttermilk is ready to go
To do this, simply mix together the soy milk (or any of the recommended dairy free milks) together with apple cider vinegar, then set it aside while you get the dry ingredients going.
After about 5 minutes, the dairy free mixture will begin to curdle, much like regular.
5 minutes to make your vegan pancakes:
Now that we have the vegan buttermilk created, you’ll need to actually make the pancakes! Almost forgot, didn’t you?! Getting all excited over vegan buttermilk ha!
To make the batter:
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.
- Add in the vegan buttermilk and vanilla extract, and stir it together really well with a whisk or spoon. You don’t actually need all of the clumps removed- they’ll actually help the pancakes rise!
Then we prepare to cook the pancakes! For this part, I highly recommend getting a pancake griddle. They are the easiest of kitchen tools to use, and honestly, if you’re a pancake lover like I am, it’s a worthy investment (usually between $30-$40!).
That way, you can cook 12 pancakes on a pan, and really crank these flapjacks out.
OR you can use a regular pan, which is also easy, just won’t fit as many pancakes on there. Either way, heat your preferred tool up and melt a little cooking oil (I like avocado oil or coconut oil here) and pour about a scant 1/3 cup of batter onto the pan.
Cook for 2-3 minutes depending on how hot your surface is, until the bubbles form on top, then flip to cook for another 20-30 seconds.
Repeat until you have no more batter left and then serve!
How to adjust the serving size for these pancakes:
Don’t need as many pancakes, or maybe serving for a larger crowd? Not a problem! The recipe below will usually serve about 3 people. I have a button that can scale up for more people as needed.
But maybe you need less than the amount even one recipe makes.
Here are the measurements to make these vegan pancakes for 1 instead:
- 1/3 cup (42 g) flour
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) vegan buttermilk
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 tsp vanilla extract
What to top vegan pancakes with:
My favorite part of the process is obviously the toppings! A stack of flapjacks, short or tall, basically becomes your canvas for any flavor combination.
You could go simple, like with a pat of vegan butter and a drizzle of real maple syrup, or even add chocolate chips to that combo!
Or you could go even more classic, with coconut whipped cream and blueberries. These pancakes can easily transform into vegan blueberry pancakes by just adding blueberries to the pancake batter.
You could also go for a PB & J combo, using fresh jam and a drizzle of peanut butter.
Some more pancake topping ideas:
- Strawberries and coconut cream
- Cashew butter
- Cinnamon, vegan butter, and maple syrup
- Bananas and maple syrup
- Vegan chocolate chips and bananas
How to store leftovers
If you actually want to make the whole batch, and then freeze them to have whenever, you can absolutely do that! Simply make the pancakes as is, then allow them to fully cool.
Place the leftover vegan butter milk pancakes into an airtight container or freezer bag, and try to get as much air out as possible. Then place them in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’d like to enjoy them, simply allow the pancakes to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then preheat the oven to 350F, and place the desired amount of pancakes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to be heated for 5-6 minutes. Then serve!
You are just going to love making these easy vegan buttermilk pancakes! They’re so simple and quick to make on the weekend, and just taste like the classic, which is perfect for the pickiest of eaters!
If you give them a go, let me know in the comments section below, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find the recipe.
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy pancake flipping!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print5 Ingredient FLUFFY Vegan Pancakes (ready in 5 minutes!)
- Prep Time: 2
- Cook Time: 3
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 5 large pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These ultra fluffy and light vegan pancakes only use 5 ingredients that you most likely already have on hand! In just 5 minutes, you’ll have vegan buttermilk pancakes that taste like diner pancakes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegan buttermilk
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour*
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cooking oil for pan
Instructions
- Make the buttermilk: Combine the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar, and let it sit for a minute while preparing the dry ingredients. This is the vegan buttermilk.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Pour in the vegan buttermilk and vanilla extract, and whisk to combine. It’s okay to have clumps of flour in there. Too smooth of batter, and your pancakes won’t rise!
- Heat a pancake griddle or pan with a little cooking oil (I like avocado oil or coconut oil).
- Pour just under a 1/3 cup of pancake batter for each pancake and cook for 2-3 minutes on one side until bubbles form on the top, then flip to cook for about 20-30 seconds on the other side, until golden brown.
- Remove from the griddle and repeat for the remaining batter.
- Serve with chocolate chips, maple syrup, vegan butter, berry jam, fresh fruit, or any preferred toppings!
Notes
Flour: You can make these pancakes gluten free by using King Arthur Measure for Measure mix! For oat flour pancakes, check out my easy vegan oat flour pancakes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 pancakes
- Calories: 193
- Sugar: 7.4 g
- Sodium: 58 mg
- Fat: 1.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.8 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I love homemade pancakes! These look so delicious and fluffy – perfect for weened brunch!
Aw thank you Natalie!! I hope you love them!! Yours looked AMAZING, I cannot wait to try!!
Can i use banana rather than applesauce?
I haven’t personally tried this, but I do have an oatmeal banana pancakes that’s gluten free and vegan as well! I’m sure the banana would work but I can’t personally vouch for it for this particular recipe 🙂 If you try it though, please let me know how it goes!! 🙂
Oh wow that stack is perfection! I know what I’m doing this weekend 🙂 Also, love the HP shoutout. So much magic in these photos 🙂
Aw Thank you so much!! That means the world to me!
Hi Britt! I am excited to try this recipe. But in the directions, it calls for adding ‘melted butter’ …but there is no butter listed in the ingredients. Can you please tell me how much melted butter to add. And since these are ‘vegan’ pancakes, I assume a butter substitute, like Miyokos, would work??
Thanks!
Hi Ellen!
Oh I’m so sorry for that, that is an error! When I updated the recipe, I removed the melted vegan butter because I later found it too heavy. Just omit 🙂 I top mine with Miyoko’s actually though! And it’s very good! (P.S. if I ever just say butter, I always mean a plant based/vegan version! I apologize for that confusion!)
Perfect! Thanks for the clarification and your quick reply!!
Absolutely! I hope you loved!
Oh, also… sorry if I missed this in the post, but where did you get that beautiful pink plate???
thanks!
Oh of course! I got this plate at Anthro 🙂 The best!
I made these last night and they are so delicious! Unfortunately my stomach does not love when I have grains so I was curious if you’ve ever tried this recipe using a combination of paleo flours such as almond or coconut and what ratio to use? Thanks!
AW I’m so happy to hear that you loved them, but so sorry about your stomach!! I have tried them once before with almond flour only, and they didn’t hold together that well- still very delicious, but they were definitely delicate! If I were to do it again, I would add in 1/2 mashed banana and a tsp of arrowroot powder or cornstarch to help them stay together more!
We loved these pancakes! Will officially be a go-to in our house! Along with all Britt’s other pancake recipes, this one is one of my favs now! Such great flavor and so FLUFFY!!!
Aw I am so incredibly happy to hear this!!! Truly, just made my day! Thank you so much for trying these recipes, enjoy!!!
It has been my go to pancake recipe to make and my family absolutely love it! When we have guests in the house I make them as well, and the guests always ask for the recipe after tasting the delicious pancakes:)
Aw this is so wonderful to hear!! Glad everyone loves it 🙂 Thank you so much for this wonderful review! Enjoy!!
These were a big hit with the kids, ages 3 and 1. I used full fat oatmilk and sunflower oil for cooking and both worked great!
Aw my goodness! So wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for the review, so happy everyone loved them!!
Hi!! I loved them! However, they were not fluffy at all. They were gummy and sticky on the inside.
Any suggestions?!
Thank you!!
Tara
Hi Tara,
I’m so sorry to hear that! That was either an issue with your baking soda or powder (either could have been inactive) or you over mixed the batter. I would test the baking soda and powder separately with some acv or lemon juice and see if it reacts. Otherwise, it was too much mixing!
I’ve just discovered my new go-to! I had a different pancake recipe where I’d written on the top of the page “Favorite!” I erased that today, printed out your recipe and wrote at the top “My Absolute Favorite!” So little effort required for such an amazingly fluffy, delicious, evenly golden brown result! I did add 1/4 tsp of salt to the dry ingredients. I also tossed some blueberries and banana pieces into the batter. I’ve made two of your recipes thus far (coffee cake on Thanksgiving morning). So looking forward to trying more. You’re part o’ the family now! 🙂
Omgsh this is wonderful!! Seriously just made my DAY! Thank you so much for such a wonderful review!! Actually made a batch of them myself this morning 🙂 ENJOY!
Seriously, the best pancakes I’ve had in a very long time. I made the gluten free version using Bob Red Mills 1:1. They were so soft and made my kitchen smell so sweet. I look forward to trying Britt’s other pancake recipes!
This is so wonderful!! Thank you so much!! Enjoy 🙂
10 out of 10! These are the easiest, most delicious, and fluffy vegan pancakes I have ever had and they do truly taste like a diner’s! I cannot recommend these enough if you’re a pancake person! Best part is they are done in under 15 minutes!
Made these this morning. They were good. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 flour (blue bag). Used your amounts for one person but modified a little.
I used 1/4 cup of the flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp coconut palm sugar, 3 dashes of salt from the shaker, 1/4 cup soy milk (Trader Joe’s), and 1/4 tsp vanilla.
The batter was thick, and even tho I used half the baking powder, they rose nicely. I was left with wanting a few more bites! So next time will use the 1/3 cup flour and milk to get those few more bites. For my topping, for one person, I made a cherry topping using 2.5 oz frozen cherries, 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Put in pan and heated till thickened. So good.
These are so good!! So easy to make and quick!! But just wondering if the sugar is necessary? Or if we can substitute with coconut sugar? Thank you!
Oh you can totally use coconut sugar! I’ve done the before, and it’s lovey! Enjoy 🙂