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Fluffy vegan pancakes that call for just a few ingredients! They’re thick, light, and tender, and can be customized with maple syrup, fruit sauce, berries, whipped cream, and more! This recipe is easy to make and completely dairy-free and eggless.
These pillowy homemade buttermilk pancakes will be a perfect addition to your vegan breakfast or brunch table.
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If you don't have a recipe for vegan buttermilk pancakes in your collection yet, then this recipe is for you!
These pancakes are exactly what pancakes should be like: fluffy, warm, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They also taste just like regular pancakes, no one will know they're vegan.
You'll be using tangy vegan buttermilk to make these pancakes, but you may not know why and what it does in a recipe like this.
When buttermilk is used in pancakes, it enhances their flavour (by making them extra rich tasting) and it enhances the texture when its acidity reacts with the baking soda (by making them extra tender, soft, and fluffy, much like my vegan oatmeal muffins and vegan waffles which also use vegan buttermilk!).
You need just a handful of ingredients to make them, and if from-scratch pancakes intimidate you because you haven't been able to make them just right, I share plenty of tips below so you can make the perfect pillowy pancakes every single time.
Ingredients You'll Need
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
Flour - You will need all-purpose white flour.
For vegan gluten-free buttermilk pancakes: Easy! Make my vegan gluten-free pancakes but replace the dairy-free milk in that recipe with vegan buttermilk. Both recipes use the same amount of buttermilk, so follow the method in the recipe below to make it.
Dairy-Free Milk - This will be the base for your vegan buttermilk. I highly recommend using soy milk for the best consistency, but if you prefer or need an alternative, use almond milk and as a last alternative, oat milk. You can check out my full post on vegan buttermilk for more details. Whichever milk you choose, make sure it’s unsweetened and unflavoured.
Lemon Juice - This is the other ingredient you'll need to make the vegan buttermilk. I typically use lemon juice, but you can replace it with apple cider vinegar or plain white vinegar. And not to worry, whichever one you use, the flavour will not be detectable in the pancakes.
Sugar - Just a little is needed to add a touch of sweetness, some flavour, and even more tenderness to the pancakes. I use organic granulated cane sugar but brown sugar or coconut sugar can be used instead.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda - Make sure these ingredients are fresh and active, they’re essential for the pancakes to be fluffy, light, and airy. Neither of them can be substituted or left out since they contribute separate things to the recipe.
Vanilla Extract and Salt - Both will enhance the flavour of the pancakes, don't leave either of them out.
How to Make It
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)
Make the Vegan Buttermilk
The first step is to make the vegan buttermilk by combining the dairy-free milk and the lemon juice, stirring, and letting it rest so it can thicken up and become rich and tangy.
Prepare the Pancake Batter
Whisk all the dry ingredients together and when the vegan buttermilk is ready, add the vanilla extract, stir, and pour it into the dry ingredients.
Mix to create a thick batter, but don't overmix, it's okay if there are still some small lumps left. Rest the batter for 5 minutes so it can thicken and some of the lumps can absorb naturally. While it rests, heat the pan or griddle.
Make the batter right before you plan on cooking the pancakes, don't make the batter in advance.
Cook the Pancakes
A few tips before you start cooking the pancakes:
- Use a greased or non-stick griddle, a good non-stick pan, or a well-seasoned cast-iron pan to cook your pancakes (don't use a stainless steel pan or your pancakes will stick!).
- If you need to grease the pan or griddle, swipe on a small amount of oil before cooking the pancakes, you may need to reapply between pancakes depending on how your pan performs. Don't use vegan butter, it will burn, save it for topping your pancakes!
- A griddle will allow you to cook many at a time but using a pan will only allow you to cook one or two at a time. My preference is to cook one at a time in my cast iron pan. This, of course, takes a little longer but I think the pancakes turn out better since you can focus on each one as it cooks, there's no risk of the pancakes sticking together, and because cast iron heats evenly and retains heat very well.
Use a ladle or a ⅓ cup measuring cup to add the batter to the pan. You will know the pancakes are ready to flip when you see bubbles coming to the surface and popping, and the sides of the pancakes look dry.
TIP: If you aren't quite sure if it's time to flip, using your spatula, turn up a corner of the pancake and peek underneath. If it's golden brown, it's ready! If you flip too early, the pancake will stick to the pan and break apart.
After flipping each pancake, cook for another few minutes, then remove from the pan or griddle and set aside while you cook the rest of the batch. They only need to be flipped once.
NOTE: You will have to adjust the heat a few times while cooking the batch. Make sure the pan never gets too hot or they will brown too quickly and not be fully cooked inside.
TIP: Before you start cooking the pancakes, if your oven has a warm setting, turn it on. If not, preheat your oven to its lowest setting and place a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven. As each pancake finishes, place it on the baking sheet in a single layer while you finish the rest of the batch. This will keep them warm until you are ready to serve them.
Serve your fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and fresh berries or fruits, vegan whipped cream, or for something a little different, a fruit sauce, like one of these:
Storing Leftovers
The pancakes are at their fluffiest and best immediately after they have been cooked, but if you have leftovers, fully cool them and place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
You can also freeze them by placing them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and separating them with pieces of parchment paper so they don't stick together. They will last this way for up to two months. Reheat in your oven, microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven.
Tips for Success
- Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily.
- Measure your ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a scale to measure your flour (this is the one I have) and my weight measurements. Too much flour will make your pancakes dense and dry, too little flour will make your batter too loose and the pancakes will be chewy, gummy, and flat, not fluffy. Please read my article about how to measure flour correctly. This tip also applies to all other ingredients, make sure to measure them accurately to get the best results.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. These are important ingredients that give the pancakes their perfect texture.
- It's SO important not to overmix your pancake batter! Overmixing will result in tough, dense pancakes, so gently combine the wet and dry ingredients and remember that any remaining small clumps of flour are okay.
- If you'd like to add blueberries, chocolate chips or another add-in, don't mix them into the batter, instead, after adding the batter to the pan, sprinkle the add-in on top of each pancake, and gently press them in.
- Read this post from top to bottom before you start. I’ve included many tips and tricks to get things right. Also, read through the actual recipe before getting started.
- Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.
If You Make This Recipe...
Let me know by leaving a star rating and comment below and if you're on Instagram, you can also post a picture of your pancakes and tag me so I can see them! I’m @delightfuladventures over there.
If You Like This Recipe...
Then you may like these other easy vegan pancake recipes:
Thick & Fluffy Vegan Pancakes with Buttermilk
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups (438ml) unsweetened dairy-free milk (see note below)
- 5 teaspoons lemon juice (see note below)
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (38g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:
Make Vegan Buttermilk:
- Pour the dairy-free milk into a measuring cup or bowl.
- Add the lemon juice to the milk and stir.
- Set aside for 10 minutes.
Make Pancake Batter:
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract to the buttermilk and stir.
- Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix until all ingredients have combined, don't over-mix. Rest for 5 minutes.
Cook the Pancakes:
- Heat pan over medium-high heat for at least 2 minutes. (The heat may need to be adjusted a few times while cooking the batch.)
- Lightly coat the surface of the pan with a small amount of oil.
- Ladle ⅓ cup of the pancake batter into the center of your pan, cooking 1 at a time.
- Flip after roughly a minute and a half, when bubbles form all over the top of the pancake and the edges start to look dry. After they are flipped, cook for another minute and a half, or so.
- Repeat until the batter is done. If you find that the pancakes are browning too much or too fast, turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Serve with maple syrup or other toppings of your choice. (Suggestions above!)
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the information above, as well as the notes below before making this recipe.
- Be sure to use a very good non-stick skillet, a well-seasoned cast iron pan, or a non-stick griddle. You may need to re-oil the cooking surface in between pancakes to avoid sticking.
- Soy milk is highly recommended as it will give you vegan buttermilk with the best and thickest consistency that will be the most similar to regular buttermilk, almond milk is the next best choice. Make sure that what you use is both unsweetened and unflavoured.
- Apple cider vinegar or plain white vinegar can be used instead of lemon juice when making the buttermilk.
- Store leftovers for up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To freeze, cool them completely, separate with parchment squares, so they don't stick together, and freeze them for up to two months. Reheat in your oven, microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven.
- To make a vegan gluten-free version: Make my vegan gluten-free pancakes but replace the dairy-free milk in that recipe with vegan buttermilk. Both recipes use the same amount of buttermilk, so follow the method in the recipe above to make it.
- This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour or any other single gluten-free flour.
- Nutrition information is based on one of nine pancakes, each pancake made with ⅓ cup of batter, without maple syrup, toppings, or add-ins, and the recipe is prepared as written. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
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