The precise blend of baking powder, vegan sour cream, and soy milk, transforms into a thick yet airy batter bursting with buttery flavor. When cooked, the pancakes become perfectly crispy and golden brown, and yes, they even have that classic golden ring around the edges. But the interior remains pillowy and soft, with an incomparable fluffiness. If you’ve ever felt underwhelmed by flat, soggy, flavorless vegan pancakes, this is the recipe you’ve been waiting for. Classic American diner-style pancakes, but made vegan. Looking for classic French toast? You gotta try this my Vegan French Toast recipe!
Why this recipe works
Not your average pancake.
These pancakes involve a tad more work than your average vegan pancake recipe. They are, however, anything but average. A mix of vegan butter, vegan “buttermilk,” sour cream, and vanilla fills them with rich, buttery flavors. The flavor is so good that I sometimes just eat them plain with my hands like the animal I secretly am.
Fluffy. Crispy. Buttery.
You get the best of all worlds here: a pancake with a fluffy interior, a crispy exterior, and incredible buttery flavor. Baking powder, lemon juice, and protein-rich soy milk work together to create serious air bubbles in the thick batter. And a bit of sugar aids in caramelization. Once a scoop hits the hot oiled pan, the pancakes rise, fluff up, and crisp around the edges.
They’re filling, too.
It’s likely you’ll be quite full after only one or two pancakes. They’re the fluffiest pancakes ever and, with the addition of vegan sour cream and soy milk, very filling. I’m happy with just one pancake but even Max never eats more than two.
Tested meticulously.
We take pride in being thorough at RPL, and we tested this recipe at least 30 times (no exaggeration). We tried 4 different sour creams, 3 different yogurts as substitutes, tested without sour cream, tried whole wheat flour, used a nonstick pan and a stovetop griddle, and more variations than I can count. I’m confident if you follow the instructions and tips, you will be treated to WORLD CLASS PANCAKES!
Ingredient notes
Soy milk + lemon juice. When mixed with an acid like lemon juice or vinegar, soy milk curdles a lot due to its high protein content, yielding a super yeasty pancake batter that fluffs up fantastically when it hits the hot pan. And the acidity in the lemon juice helps break down the gluten strands in flour, lending a more tender crumb. Substitute: If you can tolerate soy, please use soy milk. If you have a soy allergy, creamy, full-fat oat milk is a pretty good alternative (we like Oatly and Califia Farms extra creamy oat milk). Vegan sour cream. The idea to add sour cream to the batter came after flipping through J. Kenji Alt López’s seminal book The Food Lab. The vegan sour cream plays a few roles: All purpose flour. The standard flour for almost any pancake recipe. Baking powder. A generous amount is key for a light and fluffy pancake. Double-acting baking powder starts reacting once it’s mixed with the liquid ingredients and acid, and again as it hits the hot pan. Vegan butter. For excellent buttery flavor, a requirement in any excellent pancake. Substitute: Melted refined coconut oil is a nice alternative; however, plain oil (e.g., canola oil) adds zero flavor so don’t do that. Organic cane sugar. You don’t need much. It (1) gives the pancakes enough sweetness that you need just a tiny drizzle of maple syrup for serving; and (2) encourages browning, leaving you with pancakes with a crispy exterior. Vanilla extract. Because a pancake recipe without vanilla is just sad.
Step-by-step instructions
Make sure the sour cream is at room temperature before you begin: measure it out and set on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes. If it’s too cold, it will be stiff and clumpy and won’t incorporate into the batter well. Make the “buttermilk”. Pour the lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Pour the soy milk on top, stir, and leave it to curdle. Start on the batter. Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Once the buttermilk has curdled, add the sour cream and vanilla. Use an electric mixer to mix on low until smooth. Melt the vegan butter, and while it’s still hot, pour into the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir the batter with a wooden spoon until just combined (lots of lumps are fine). Don’t overmix! Rest the batter for at least 5 minutes. It should feel almost like yeast bread dough when it’s done. Don’t stir after it’s done resting or else you’ll deflate the air bubbles! Cook the pancakes. Heat some coconut oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. You’ll know it’s hot enough when a small sprinkle of water sizzles in the pan. Cook a heaping ⅓ cup of batter at a time. The thick texture makes it hard to get perfect circles, but who cares! Cook until bubbles form in the center and the edges begin to dry out, 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Tip: Swirl the oil around in the pan after flipping to achieve super-crispy edges like this!
Tips for making the best vegan pancakes
The temperature of the ingredients matters. Stiff and cold vegan sour cream won’t incorporate into the batter as well as room temp sour cream. Measure it out and set on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes before you begin. Hot melted butter will get rid of any clumps left in the batter. Melt it right before you drizzle it into the batter so it can remain warm. Achieving the right batter texture. After resting for just 5 minutes, the pancake batter will have a thin top layer, but right underneath, it will look like a yeasty bread dough. This is the baking powder reacting with the acid (lemon juice) and the proteins from the soy milk. Note: This batter is much thicker from your average pancake batter, but it’s this combo that results in a fabulously fluffy pancake. Reminder: Do NOT stir the batter after resting—this deflates the air pockets » the pancakes won’t be as fluffy (the spatula below is just to show you the texture). For the crispiest edges. Use 1 teaspoon of oil per pancake and swirl it around in the pan. Refined coconut oil and avocado oil are our top choices because they can withstand relatively high heat (vegan butter, like regular butter, tends to burn a bit). It also leaves the pancakes with a gorgeous golden ring around the edges and a crispy exterior. If cooking two pancakes at once in a large skillet, use 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of oil. Keep the measuring cup on the side. If you let the cup rest in the batter, it will deflate the air pockets. Use a nonstick frying pan if you can. A good nonstick pan will get you great pancakes. This nonstick frying pan (affiliate link) is our absolute favorite and works better than any nonstick pan I’ve ever had. Every stove is different. I’ve tried to provide super detailed instructions, but as always, use your eyes too. You may need to lower the heat after the first pancake like I do, or after the second or third. We have a gas stove, so if you have an electric stove, you may need to monitor the heat level more closely, as gas stovetops are more responsive. Flip just once and at the right time. Flipping pancakes too early or flipping them back and forth will rob you of a uniform golden exterior and peak fluffiness. You’ll know the pancakes are ready to flip when the edges start to dry out (these pancakes don’t really form bubbles in the center, so don’t look for that cue).
Variations
While I encourage you to make this recipe as written the first time, once you experience its magic as intended, it’s fun to add mix-ins! For chocolate chips and blueberries, we recommend sprinkling them directly on top of each pancake instead of folding them into the batter for three reasons: (1) you can add the mix-ins to just a few pancakes in case some folks like their pancakes plain; (2) it helps with more even distribution of mix-ins in the batter; (3) it prevents over-mixing and then deflating the batter.
How to serve vegan pancakes
Serve them any way you like :) For a loaded Sunday brunch spread, serve alongside my Tofu Scramble and a big platter of fruit. Or with my Tempeh Bacon, sliced avocado, and roasted potatoes. Of course, there are plenty of toppings to choose from to take them up a notch:
They’re already buttery and full of flavor, which means you should only need a light drizzle of maple syrup. Or, top them with an extra pat of vegan butter. This is what Max does and he swears by it. Make them extra fancy with vegan whipped cream or a whipped topping and fresh berries. Or skip the maple syrup and use a berry compote instead, like this simple strawberry compote.
Watch: How to make the best pancakes
If you love these Vegan Pancakes as much as we do, please rate and review the recipe with your feedback below :) It’s always very much appreciated!
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