The Fluffiest Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes (2024)

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Get ready for the Fluffiest Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes that you’ve ever had. They’re easy to make with just 7 ingredients in 30 minutes and guaranteed to hit the spot whenever you’re in need of a classic pancake stack. Chances are you have everything you need in the pantry to whip these up right now!

What is Vegan Buttermilk?

It’s simple: 1 cup plant-based milk + 1 tablespoon of an acid. That’s it! The trick is to mix the two together and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes. As it rests, the acid will curdle the almond milk (slightly thickening it) and cause it to develop a sour taste similar to that of buttermilk.

Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes are one of the best simple meals to make with pantry staples! Even if you don’t have any plant-milk on hand, you can always make some homemade milk with a handful of nuts or a scoop of nut butter and water in a high-speed blender. Check out our homemade almond milk post for helpful tips and tricks!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Flaxseed meal: One of our go-to vegan egg replacers is flax eggs. They are easy to make with ground flaxseed meal and are pantry friendly. You can use either golden or brown flaxseed, just make sure it is flaxseed meal, not whole flax seeds.
• Plant milk: The best vegan milks to use when making vegan buttermilk are soy milk and almond milk. We tend to use our homemade vegan almond milk because we almost always have it on hand, but soy milk is another favorite because it curdles quite well.
• Apple cider vinegar: In order to make vegan buttermilk, an acid is needed to curdle the milk. Our favorite is apple cider vinegar, but you can also use distilled white vinegar or even a tablespoon of lemon juice or lime juice.
• All-purpose flour: We wanted to make these pancakes as classic as possible and opted for Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour. We haven’t tested this recipe using a gluten-free flour blend, but if you’re looking for gluten-free vegan pancakes, check out our Blender Oatmeal Pancakes or our super easy 3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes.
• Baking powder: Reacts with the acidic vegan buttermilk and leavens the pancakes, making them the lightest, fluffiest pancakes.
• Cane sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness and softens the pancake batter. Sugar also helps the pancakes brown and makes them a perfect light golden brown. If preferred, opt for using coconut sugar. The pancakes will be darker in color and slightly less sweet, but it will still work well.
• Vanilla extract + salt: Adds depth of flavor and balances the flavor in the pancake batter.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Griddle or medium/large nonstick pan
• Spatula

How to Make Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes

1. Prepare a flax egg. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flaxseed meal and water together until uniform. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
2. Make the vegan buttermilk. In another bowl or large pyrex measuring cup, mix the cup of non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar together. Set the mixture aside to curdle, forming vegan buttermilk (about 5-10 minutes).
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients. While the flax egg and vegan buttermilk form, prep the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour, baking powder, vegan cane sugar, and salt until uniform.
4. Add the wet ingredients. Once the flax egg and buttermilk are ready, add those into the dry ingredients along with the vanilla extract. Whisk together until just combined but do not over-stir. If the pancake batter appears water, add 1-3 tablespoons more flour to thicken the batter (we typically add 2 additional tablespoons).
5. Cook the pancakes. Preheat a griddle or medium/large nonstick pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the non-stick pan or griddle and add the pancake batter 1/4 cup at a time. Once the edges begin to dry and bubbles appear on the surface, flip the vegan pancakes and cook for a few minutes more.
6. Serve. Serve your vegan buttermilk pancake stacks while warm as desired!

Add-ins and Variations

• Chocolate chips: Add a 1/4-1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips to the pancake batter.
• Fruit: Add a 1/4-1/2 cup of blueberries or thinly sliced banana to the batter to make banana pancakes or vegan blueberry pancakes!
• Whole wheat flour: If you’d like to up the nutritional content of your vegan pancakes, use 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.
• Add cinnamon: If you love the warmth and flavor cinnamon adds, you can add up to 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the pancake batter. Or, give our well-spiced Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes or Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes a try!

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy these classic pancakes for the ultimate weekend brunch, breakfast for dinner, or a weekday treat! We love them served with a pat of vegan butter, fresh berries, and maple syrup. You can also serve them with peanut butter, vegan chocolate chips, banana slices, and crushed peanuts for a peanut butter twist.

Don’t be afraid to make them your own!

Storage Instructions

These pancakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If freezing, spread the cooked and cooled buttermilk pancakes across a baking sheet, making sure they are not overlapping. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze for 2-3 hours, or until the pancakes are frozen completely solid.

Once frozen, place the pancakes into a freezer bag, such as a Stasher bag, or a freezer safe container.

Reheat leftover pancakes in the microwave, on a nonstick pan or on a griddle, or in the air fryer until warmed through.

Recipe FAQs

More Vegan Pancake Recipes You May Enjoy:

• Easy Vegan Banana Pancakes
• Blender Oatmeal Pancakes (Vegan)
• Fluffy Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes
• 3-Ingredient Vegan Pancakes (Gluten-Free)
• Fluffy Sweet Potato Pancakes (Gluten and Oil Free)

PS: Chris also made an amazing pancake recipe of his own — Savory Corn Pancakes w/ Cilantro Dill Cream Sauce. We battled it out on our YouTube channel, head over to the Vegan Pancake Recipe Challenge, and vote for the winner!

As always, please make sure you tag usonInstagram@sweetsimpleveganand @consciouschris and hashtag#sweetsimpleveganif you recreate any of ourrecipes, we love tosee your photos!

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Disclaimer:This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, but all of our opinions remain our own!