These vegan whole wheat pancakes are a delicious, easy, and relatively inexpensive way (looking at you, brunch) to spend some time in the kitchen with family whipping up a healthy breakfast. The Chief Taste Tester liked these so much that he requested them for dinner the other night, and I happily obliged, because who doesn't like pancakes for dinner?!?
Tips & tricks
There a few things you can do to make great pancakes:
First, use a ripe banana. It mashes and blends more easily, which will make your life much better.
Next, make sure to use your batter right away! The leavening agents (the chemicals that make your hotcakes rise) activate the second they get wet, which is why sometimes you see pancake batter bubbling. I would not recommend storing this in the fridge for a couple hours. Make hte pancakes while the batter is fresh, and store later.
Now, think about your tools. Ideally you'd have a nonstick griddle or griddle pan. A nonstick skillet is also an option, though it will be a bit slower. If you don't have a nonstick pan or surface, try using a little bit of vegan butter for the first couple batches. After that, your pan should be good to go.
Finally, don't forget the toppings. For some reason, I'm a weirdo that doesn't like extra sugar with my pancakes. Growing up, my brothers loved their log cabin syrup, while my best friend Tori dipped hers in powdered sugar...heathens!
I like the fruit route - strawberries, blueberries, and banana slices are my favorites. Nuts like pecans and walnuts are also great.
And chocolate is always an option. You think I'd miss an opportunity to put chocolate in something? The Enjoy Life Mini chocolate chips work particularly well.
But Eliza...
I don't like whole wheat flour, can I use regular (all-purpose) instead? Sure, go for it. You do you! Your pancakes might be a little lighter and fluffier in flavor and texture.
Can I use baking soda instead? I wouldn't recommend it. Long story short, the chemical composition of these two leaveners is quite different, so unless you're willing to play around a bit, I wouldn't change it. You can find baking powder near baking soda at the store. Save it for the next time you make my best ever chocolate chip cookies!
I don't have a nonstick skillet or griddle, what can I use instead? A lot of butter. My nonstick is a little old, so my pancakes were sticking a bit in the beginning. For the first couple batches, add a small sliver of vegan butter to the pan. After the first couple rounds, the surface should be nice and slick. Don't forget to add a little before you flip the first rounds as well, otherwise you'll be back where you started.
Print
Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: ~10 pancakes
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 1 banana
- ¾ cup unsweetened plant milk (such as coconut or almond)
- 1 T maple syrup
- 1 T vegetable oil
- 1 splash vanilla extract (optional)
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Toppings/Mix-ins:
- Sliced banana
- Pecans or walnuts
- Chocolate chips
- Sliced strawberries
Instructions
- Heat a nonstick skillet to med-low heat.
- Mash the banana, and mix in other wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet. If you want to be super proper, mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add. Mine tasted fine throwing everything in the same bowl.
- Test your skillet's heat by flicking a few drops of water onto it, and when it takes 3-4 seconds to evaporate, the skillet is ready.
- Make a "tester" pancake: add batter to the skillet - ¼ cup worked well for 1 pancake. If your pancake sticks on the nonstick skillet, try using a little bit of vegan butter (such as Miyoko's).
- Add mix-ins - bananas, chocolate chips, and pecans were my favorites. Pro tip: it you know everyone in your house likes chocolate chip pancakes, go ahead and mix as few or as many as you want into the batter. Or wait until the end!
- When the edges start to set up (they'll look less shiny/liquid, and more solid) and/or the top of the pancake starts to bubble, flip. This shouldn't take more than 3-4 mins. Knowing when to flip/flipping pancakes will improve with practice.
- Give the pancake another 2-3 minutes, then taste test!
- Repeat steps 6-9 for the rest of your pancakes, adjusting the cooking time/size/toppings as needed
- Top with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and/or more of our mix-ins, and enjoy!
How-to video
The Hangry Chickpea
these whole wheat banana pancakes are fantastic! Made for my fam the other day and they went nuts.
★★★★★