pantry staple: fluffy vegan pancakes

Vegan recipes are challenging in a different way — how does one omit butter, dairy milk and eggs, and still make a delicious banana cake? Check out my post on vegan banana cake. Ever since, it has been my go-to recipe for banana cake.

So I did it again, this time for pancakes. It took me a few attempts and some tweaks here and there before I was satisfied with the result.

Check out my tips at the bottom of this post. Pancakes are one of my favourite breakfast items to make. They also remind me of slow and quiet Sunday mornings. Somehow, just flipping those circles of pale batter on the hot skillet and watching bubbles form on the surface feels therapeutic.

Recipe for vegan pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 to 1 cup soy milk (or any other dairy-free milk, such as almond milk)
2 tsp of lemon juice/apple cider/vinegar
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Steps:

Sift together dry ingredients. Add in sugar. Gradually stir in soy milk. Add in oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Let batter stand for about 10-15 minutes (you can place it in the fridge). Preheat pan, drop in 1 – 2 ladles of pancake batter (see tips below). Wait for bubbles to form before flipping it over. It is done when nicely browned.

Serving suggestions:
– Serve with maple syrup, bananas and peanut butter. You can add some cinnamon powder in the batter.
– Serve with ice cream (or vegan/soy ice cream if you are a vegan)
– Serve with Greek or natural yogurt (if you aren’t a vegan)

Some useful tips:
1. Drop the batter from a height of at least 10cm, so as to trap more air to yield that fluffy texture
2. Add some vinegar or lemon juice into the batter for fluffy pancakes
3. Be careful not to over-mix when adding the dry ingredients for a softer texture. Having lumps in the batter is not an issue — you want those lumps!
4. Ensure that the pan is HOT. Otherwise, they will be undercooked and gummy. To check if the pan is hot, you will be able to hear a sizzle the moment the batter hits the pan.
5. Wait for those bubbles. When making pancakes, if the temperature is right, you should see bubbles on the surface at around the 2-minute mark. Flip and cook for about 1.5 minutes on the other side.

Enjoy!