Makes 6 Pancakes
Time: 30 minutes
I miss NYC the most during the holidays. Any holiday, really, but mostly on Jewish Xmas. If you’re not familiar with Jewish Xmas, it involves Chinese Food and a movie. I always celebrate with my mom, but your family member mileage may vary.
I’m not sure Jewish Xmas can really exist anywhere outside of NYC. While the rest of the country seems to shut down and sink into a comfy sleepiness, it’s a busy busy day in New York. Restaurants do some of their best business, the movie theaters are packed. You can’t truly experience it anywhere else, I guess it’s like American Mardis Gras in that way. Jewish Xmas without NYC is like Mardis Gras without Bourbon Street.
So what’s that got to do with pancakes?
Well, I started ruminating on the ghosts of Jewish Xmas past. In particular, I was trying to recall all the movies I’ve seen on December 25th throughout my entire life. My memory is painfully shabby, but I thought of one year where it was just my mom and me, and we saw Dan In Real Life starring Steve Carrel and Juliette Binoche. I don’t remember much about that movie except for one thing: the pivotal pancake scene.
Juliette Binoche was flipping these magnificent golden brown creatures on a griddle. I think she was pissed off about something, but all I could concentrate on were those puffy pillows of pancakes, perfectly golden brown, lined up like jewel cushions on display.
Ever since, I’ve been obsessing on a pancake like that. I’ve gotten the size and shape right, but often at the expense of the texture. Too doughy, or undercooked. I think my main failing was that I wanted to see air bubbles as the pancakes cooks, but when a pancake is that thick, it’s just not going to happen, and now I know that is okay.
Since there was no Chinese restaurant open, I set about finally getting these totally right: golden, almost crumpet-like in appearance, billowy and substantial but not inelegant. I used the recipe I’d been tweaking, but I got the brilliant and innovative idea to google “Thick Puffy Pancake” and realized I hadn’t been using enough baking powder. A little adjustment and voila — perfect puffs on pancakeness. The stuff of dreams! It was a true Jewish Xmas miracle.
They’re simple so don’t let these tips intimidate you. But I do want to share some lessons I’ve learned the hard way:
~ Don’t use an electric mixer for the batter. Overmixed pancakes tend to result in a dense pancake. I use a dinner fork to get everything mixed.
~ You have to let the batter rest for ten minutes or so. The vinegar and the baking powder need to react with each other and the gluten needs to settle in and rest.
~Don’t crowd the pan. Even in my big cast iron, I don’t make more than two pancakes at once.
~ Don’t use too much oil in the pan. It will result in a tough exterior. A very thin layer of oil is what you want and a spray can of organic canola oil works perfectly for this.
~ Preheat the pan for a good ten minutes. I use cast iron and put it on moderate low heat (right around 3 on my stovetop), but you will probably need to adjust a little to get the temp just right. Remember, the temp is not set in stone. Lower and raise in tiny increments as needed. Even turning the dial 1/4 inch can result in big changes.
~ Use a measuring cup (with a rounded bottom if possible) to scoop out the batter. And remember to always spray ithe cup between pancakes, to prevent sticking.
~ Once you drop the pancake in, refrain from futzing with the batter too much. But don’t be afraid to delicately nudge the batter a tiny bit with your fingers to get a more circular shape and more even cooking. But the batter should spread a tiny bit and puff up all on its own.
And now let the pancakes begin!
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center.
Measure the milk into a measuring cup. Add vinegar and ground flax seeds, and use a fork to vigorously mix the ingredients until foamy. This will take a minute or so.
Pour the milk mixture into the center of the dry ingredients. Add the water, canola oil and vanilla and use a fork to mix until a thick, lumpy batter forms. That should take about a minute. It doesn’t need to be smooth, just make sure you get all the ingredients incorporated.
Preheat the pan over medium-low heat and let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
Lightly coat the pan in oil. Add 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake, and cook for about 4 minutes, until puffy. Flip the pancakes, adding a new coat of oil to the pan, and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Pancake should be about an inch thick, and golden brown.
Rest pancakes on a cooling rack covered with tin foil until ready to serve. To reheat, place pancakes in on a baking sheet covered with tin foil in a 300 F degree oven for 5 minutes or so.
What can you substitute for a vegan wheat free (gluten ok) pancake?
Donna, I made them gluten free. All I did was substitute Bob’s Redmill Gluten Free Flour mix, but I had to add an extra 1/2 cup of it to get it thick enough.
I just made these for a 4 year old and they were scarfed down! Thanks for having some kid friendly recipes.
Pancakes have always been a family favorite, especially with my daughter. Now that she’s in college I always welcome her home with a pancake breakfast. These were amazing and I didn’t get the usual, “Are these vegan? What’s in them?” remarks. BTW, It’s funny that you mentioned the movie “Dan in Real Life.” My daughter was an extra in that movie, when she was 12. Seems so long ago!
Isa, I don’t know why these pancakes won’t get puffy for me! I tried the recipe twice, and each time I completely failed! I didn’t change anything from your recipe except that I don’t have a cast iron pan. The only other thing I could think of was that my baking powder is pretty old- could that make a difference? I found that the batter was pretty thin once I added the water- I almost feel like I should have left it out completely… Any thoughts?
The batter should be very thick, even with the water. Is it possible you’re mismeasuring? What kind of measuring cups are you using?
So I’ve now made these 4 times and this time I was out of Almond milk so I used Coconut milk. Loved it! Try it.
Made these for the first time this morning, and they were PERFECT! And so delicious!
Amazing! These are the first vegan pancakes I’ve made that aren’t gummy inside (and I’ve tried a lot of recipes before stumgling upon this website). Even my non-vegan family members liked these!
Just made these and they were a-mazing!!!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
Can I replace the milk with a fruit juice ?
I’ve made these twice and they’ve come out perfect everytime. I don’t want to make pancakes any other way now!
made these for the monthly brvnch my roommate and i host. what a hit!
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyokiaQptV1r643u7o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1328216106&Signature=GqjjLQxdiwLsoZcOuQECarFPukc%3D
YUM! These are my new favorites. I’ve been making the same (from scratch) pancakes for years, but I will be now making these. I’m glad I tried them!
I have to tell you. When I saw how fluffy these pancakes were and realised that I too could access such fluffiness, I literally tear’d up. They were just so beautiful. OK, so I must be getting close to that time of the month… but just the same, I’m making these babies for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks again.
Oh I’ve cried tears of pancake, too.
I’ve made these pancakes every weekend since reading this post. They are amazing. I won’t make pancakes any other way.
I am making these for the second time. Sooo good ! We added banana to ours. They just keep getting better. Thank you for the recipe!
I made these for my (non-vegan) family and they were so impressed. I have never had such a wonderfully fluffy pancake! They were also super easy to make. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
I made these, and liked them, but really hoped to LOVE them. I used whole wheat pastry flour–could that have kept them from being as fluffy as expected?
I made a batch of these and they are great . They a very much the lighter, fluffier type of pancake not heavy like others. The ingredient that surprised me was the apple cider vinegar, I’ve never heard of that in a pancake recipe. Definitely give this batter a try like the old commercial once said “they’re fluffy not stuffy”
OMG, these are so good! I make almost 3 times a week, my whole family, baby included, love them!! Mine dont get this puffy for some reason? I use whole wheat pastry flour, is that why? Regardless, I have to double the batch every time and there are NEVER any left. Also, I didnt have any “milk” one time, so I made banana milk, and these were so good, with that hint of banana flavor mixed in, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Thank you for giving us this totally awesome recipe!
I just made them for my birthday brunch, and they were a SMASH HIT!!!! probably the best pancakes i ever had! HIGHLY RECOMMENDABLE!!!
Yum! These are the best pancakes I’ve ever made. You’re right, the key is letting the batter sit! I never knew that. I’ve made them 3-4 times now and they’re consistently delicious. Non-vegan friends I served breakfast to were begging for the recipe. I’ve also made your pancakes in Vegan with a Vengeance which only came out so-so. This pancake recipe kicks ass! Thanks so much for sharing it.
Jeesum crow. I made these this morning. Brilliant! Had them with coconut syrup and smart links. Thank you for being born.
made these for dinner/dessert and added chocolate chips – mine didn’t puff up but they were fantastic nonetheless! topped them with sauteed bananas with cinnamon and brown sugar and chopped walnuts. so decadently delicious.
I made these yesterday for Pancake Tuesday, they were delicious 😀
Hi Isa,
Is the ground flax seed a must. Flax seed does not do wonderful things for my stomach. Sorry for the TMI. Thanks!
I can’t wait to try these. I’ve tried several vegan pancake recipes and they never compare to the Alton Brown “buttermilk and eggs and half a stick of butter” recipe my husband adores. Let’s see if I can convert him with these,
Once again: these are fabulous pancakes! They taste amazing! I also got crazy and baked some of them up like muffins, and that also turned out great!
I made these with three tablespoons of applesauce instead of flax and they turned out like delicious fluffy pancakes. But I havent compared it to the flax version.
Can’t wait to try your recipe. I’ve been using another recipe and they are the opposite of fluffy but they are incredibly Yummy. Found it here http://www.tammysrecipes.com/whole_wheat_berry_pancakes . Changed is slightly to make them vegan. Would love to read your take on them and how you’d alter.
Great recipe, but I mostly needed to say that as a New Orleans resident I think it’s always important to clarify that Bourbon Street is the LEAST interesting and unimportant spot to be at on Mardi Gras Day (or any bit of carnival season). Check out my friend Jordan’s article for more info http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-mardi-gras/2012/02/10/gIQAr2cLMR_story.html. Altho I don’t blame ya, lots of misinformation out there.
Best vegan pancakes recipe I’ve tried so far! Thank you!
These were super tasty but seemed a little dense – maybe I didn’t cook them enough? I made them in a “pig” pan from Urban Outfitters – about 1/2 cup of batter for each, then I just flipped them into another pan to cook the back. They worked more or less but I do think I should have cooked them more. I will use this recipe again! 🙂
Mine didn’t ‘fluff’ and my batter was a little watery like some of the other commenters. I was short on almond milk and used 1 C skim milk. Would that make a difference? I doubled the recipe, maybe I didn’t double right. Will definitely try again, though. Tasted good!
These turned out perfect!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
A word of warning: if you’re going to make these with bob’s red mill gluten-free AP flour, you will need more sugar. I made these with the two tablespoons of sugar specified in the recipe and they were nast. Not the recipe’s fault, it’s because BRM tastes like beans.
Yeah, not a fan of the stuff at all.
Thank you! Just made these for my 8 year old non-vegan pancake connoisseur, and he gave them the thumbs ups! Yay for kid-approved vegan recipes!
Made these again for the….at least 20th time. Looooooves! 🙂 Isa- cant wait to see your demo at Texas VegFest in a few weeks in Austin! Woot!!!
These didn’t turn out well for me at all 🙁 They were flat, oily, and didn’t cook on the inside. The only thing I did differently was not add flax seeds since I didn’t have them – would that make the difference? I also used coconut milk this time, but I did that the last time too and it turned out fine then. Sad little pancakes 🙁
Let me tell you, I have tried many, many vegan pancake recipes and this was by far the best. The apple cider vinegar and ground flax seeds were a great idea, and so was resting the batter for a long time. I will definitely make these again – thank you!
@ Samantha – the ground flax really is important since it basically replaces the eggs you normally find in pancakes.
My two boys are so in love with you right now! The pancakes are YUMMY! My husband and I are vegan, the boys are getting there-all our baking is now vegan, thanks in large part to you! A happy accident happened last time I made these-I only used 1 cup of flour (distracted by the pancake loving boys) and ended up with a fabulous sweet crepe, I imagine that leaving the vanilla out would make for a savory crepe. Thanks for a fabulous vegan Sunday morning!
i made these with whole wheat pastry flour and they worked….ok. but i don’t think it was the flour that didn’t make them quite as puffy. my milk/vinegar/flax seed mixture never really got “foamy” as described in the recipe. i beat that stuff for a while with a fork, nice and vigorous, so i’m not sure what would contribute to that. they were still really good and not as flat or thin as most vegan pancake recipes i’ve tried, albeit a bit dense and i was really careful not to overmix the dough, and i let it sit for a good 10 minutes.
Yeah, WWPF is going to make for a much denser pancake.