Say hello to my new Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes – the pancakes that officially made me a “pancake person.” Now, don’t get me wrong, pancakes are a gift to this world, no doubt. But on any given day, I’d much rather have a smoothie for breakfast…that is, until now.
I created the easiest buttermilk pancake recipe that is going to knock your socks off. They are gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, and have the best flavor, thanks to a dash of almond extract. I cannot wait for you to try them!
And if you have kids…well, you can just thank me later, they will gobble them right up!
What you need to make the fluffiest vegan buttermilk pancakes
As you can see from the ingredient list, you only need a handful of ingredients to make these!
- Almond milk: In this recipe, you can use any non-dairy milk of choice. I use almond milk because that’s what I always have on hand in my refrigerator.
- Apple cider vinegar: You do need apple cider vinegar in this recipe. Any other vinegar will not work the same, so please save yourself the trouble of a failed recipe and use apple cider vinegar.
- Avocado oil: I love avocado oil because of it’s neutral taste. But you can use any other neutral-tasting oil. If you choose to use coconut oil, be sure to use refined coconut oil so the pancakes don’t have a distinct coconut taste.
- Almond extract: Now, I know we all have vanilla extract at home, but you might not have almond extract; and that is ok. You can leave it out entirely, but I do really encourage you to get yourself a small bottle. It adds the most special taste, and oddly, it does not taste like almonds – I feel like it taste like a sugar cookie!
- Gluten-free flour or regular all-purpose flour: Although we are not a gluten-free household, I do prefer making this recipe with gluten-free flour. I’ve linked all my favorite products for you in this blog post, so feel free to shop and support me!
- Cane sugar: I typically do not create recipes with cane sugar, because cane sugar is a refined sugar, which simply means that it is more processed. The reason I used it in this recipe is more for the color; the pancakes look like classic buttermilk pancakes. You can definitely substitute for coconut sugar, just note that your pancakes might be a darker color than the pancakes you see in this picture.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is essential to achieve the perfect fluff factor.
- Cinnamon: Just a dash of cinnamon is needed, so that the classic buttermilk pancake taste shines through! You can omit it all together, if desired.
The secret to making sure your pancakes turn out perfectly
Ok, so I am going to tell you the secret to making the perfect pancakes. The secret is to make sure you keep an eye on the heat level of your pan, to make sure the pancakes cook evenly and don’t brown too quickly.
When I make these pancakes, I recommend heating the pan or griddle to medium heat. And then after making a few pancakes, the pan is already hot, so I reduce the heat to medium low; and sometimes even to low heat. This way, the pancakes don’t burn and turn out super fluffy and perfect. The bottom line? Pay attention to the heat level as you work.
How to make your pancakes
- The first thing you need to do is make the “buttermilk” mixture, by whisking together the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar, and letting that mixture sit for about 5 minutes.
- In another bowl, you whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Then, pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, add the almond extract, and stir. Note, some clumps are ok!
- Heat a pan or griddle on the stove over medium heat (see my note about about watching the heat level of the pan).
- Grease the pan well so the pancakes don’t stick.
- Using a spoon or cookie scoop, form two pancakes at a time in the pan/griddle. I try to avoid doing more than two at a time, to allow the pancakes to spread. Plus, they are much easier to flip perfectly when the pan isn’t crowded.
- Then you need to keep an eye on them and be patient. Wait until you see little bubbles rise to the top before carefully flipping the pancakes to the other side, allowing to cook on the other side for another 30 seconds – 1 minute.
- Repeat the process until all of the batter is used.
How to enjoy these pancakes
My favorite way to enjoy these pancakes is with a splash of maple syrup on top.
Since they are not too sweet, feel free to enjoy that yummy maple syrup. Other delicious options include butter/vegan butter, fresh berries (like I did here), powdered sugar, greek yogurt, and even some nut butter!
Last thing…
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And, since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations so I can see them and repost on my IG stories! Enjoy! xx
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 ¼ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or other neutral tasting oil
- 1 cup gluten-free flour or regular flour
- 2 ½ tablespoons cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl or a glass, whisk together the almond milk, apple cider vinegar and oil. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
- Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, add the almond extract, and stir. Note, some clumps are ok!
- Preheat a pan/griddle on the stove over medium heat.
- Grease the pan well.
- Using a spoon or cookie scoop, form two pancakes at a time in the pan/griddle. Unless you have a very large pan/griddle, I find that if you make more than two at a time, the pan will be too crowded.
- Keep an eye on the and be patient! Wait until you see little bubbles rise to the top before carefully flipping the pancakes to the other side, allowing to cook on the other side for another 30 seconds – 1 minute.
- Repeat the process until all of the batter is used. Note, you might need to reduce your heat as you go, so the pancakes don’t burn.
Rate & review
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What others are saying
Hi Nicole, thank you for the amazing recipes! I’m just wondering, the recipe calls for all-purpose/regular flour, but in the paragraphs above you mention almond flour. Which flour should we use for the pancakes? Thank you! Can’t wait to make these!
Hi! I am not seeing where I mention almond flour! It’s definitely all purpose flour or gluten-free flour! Hope you love these! 🙂
Can I use rice, oat or almond flour, tapioca? or should I mix those?
I don’t buy already mixed one 🙂
AMAZING recipe! I haven’t had pancakes in years and these are easily becoming a weekend staple. Thank you Nicole!
Awww I love hearing that! Everyone deserves some pancakes. Thank you, Taylor!
This is a perfect recipe! I’ve made these pancakes for 3 days in a row and everyone who tries them say they’re the best pancakes they’ve ever had!!! Thank you!
Yay!! So happy to hear that Phoebe! Thanks so much for the love and the sweet review!
My batter did not thicken up at all. I even added more almond flour to try and thicken it up. Pancakes wouldn’t even cook as it was the consistency of water. 😔
I’m sorry to hear that, Sydney! It could have been the type of flour you were using. This recipe calls for all-purpose regular OR all-purpose gluten-free flour, so I recommend trying that over the almond flour.
Gee….no buttermilk.
Hi! This recipe does not contain actual buttermilk, as this is a vegan recipe and buttermilk is not vegan. 🙂 Rather, it is meant to taste like buttermilk pancakes! Hope this helps!
These are our go-to pancakes! They turn out perfect every time. The almond extract is a must in my opinion and is what sets these apart from your average recipe. The homemade vegan buttermilk makes them extra fluffy! So good just topped with vegan butter and pure maple syrup. Thank you!
YAY! Dominique, this makes me so happy to read this! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for leaving such a kind review. Your words truly make my day!!
These Pancakes are the BEST!!!!!! I’ve been making them a lot! but I don’t have almond extract so instead I used vanilla extract!
Vanilla extract is a great substitute, Dixie! Thank you so much for your review!