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.
Made these the other day exactly according to the recipe, except I folded in some blueberries at the end. My friends raved about them! They are indeed fluffy, sort of like an ihop pancake but without the heaviness that makes you feel sick afterwards. This is the best pancake recipe I’ve ever tried. I made these on a cast iron skillet, which browned them really nicely. 😀
FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THESE FLUFFY: Make sure you are read and actually follow all of the tips in italics at the end of the recipe. I know from years of experimenting with pancake batters that these things really make a difference.
I’m eating these right now, topped with blueberries, banana, walnuts and maple syrup. I missed Pancake Day due to illness last week, these are well worth the wait! (and the 6 mile run this morning to earn them :P)
Made these today with strawberries and maple syrup on top. Yum! Somewhat addictive, in fact.
I just ate an entire batch! These pancakes are super fluffy and satisfying!
For those asking about the flax seeds – I used 1/2 tbs chia seeds instead (measured them whole at 1/2 tbs, then ground them). Let the batter sit for closer to 20 minutes. Also used rice milk instead of the almond. It was our first attempt at making them and they were delicious and fluffy.
I have just finished making two of these pancakes and am stumped…Why does the center not get done? I have had this issue with all of the vegan pancakes recipes I’ve tried. Suggestions??
Pre vegan & after, these are the best damn pancakes!!! You are a Goddess, Isa! (And anyone having issues, if you read all of the tips, then I am baffled. Worked perfectly, both times I’ve made them. Super easy, too.)
Thank you SO MUCH. I’ve been trying to make fluffy “American style” pancakes (like the ones I see in films) for a year and a half with no success. A year and a half! Then I had the idea to Google a recipe using flax seed and I came across your recipe. These are exactly what I was looking for! Amazing! The first vegan pancakes (or any pancakes, for that matter – I’ve been vegan all my cooking-life) I’ve ever made that were actually fluffy, thick, perfectly and evenly cooked through. My omni boyfriend approves of them as well and I can’t wait to make them when my sister comes to visit (we don’t have pancakes in my native country, so my ideal was 1996’s Matilda’s breakfast scene).Thank you again!
Thank you for posting this recipe. My family loves them….maybe a little too much. I found your recipe last year and I have been forced to prove my love to my family by making these every Saturday and Sunday. 🙂 I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose flour and they don’t come out puffy like yours but it doesn’t matter because my family still begs for them. I mix in different fruits every weekend and use Stevia instead of sugar. There are a hit. Thank you so much.
Just made a batch of these with a little bit of grated orange zest! Not too strong of an orange flavor, just more of an ‘orange scent.’ Best pancakes ever!! Beats all vegan and non-vegan 🙂
I tried this recipe this morning for my family and it was great! You honestly would not have known that they were dairy free. Love them!!
Awesome recipe!! I made these pancakes the morning after a house party for my birthday. A friend uncovered some food coloring and we made green and purple pancakes to add a little sense of humor to breakfast. My fiance and I were the only vegans in the group and my hungover buddies loved them. I didn’t make any changes to the ingredients (though I used vanilla almond milk instead of regular) and was able to double the recipe without any issues. I see a new tradition starting with our parties from now on!! Thanks!
Great recipe, I don’t know if you can get ground flaxseed here, but I used oat bran and fine milled oats. Still tasted great and they were still puffy 🙂 thanks for the recipe!
I just made these and they are FLUFFY!!! soo good too, I used mashed banana insted of flax and vinegar and only 2 tblspns of oil in the mix and they turned out great! I also spread a littly peanut or almond butter on em with my maple syrup. highly recommend it.
Can someone advise please? Have made the recipe three times and the insides are always still gooey though the outside is browned? Do I need to water down (gasp!) the batter? Change the pan? Is it the diff altitude in Montreal? Would appreciate any tips!
Possibly too hot heat? Too thin a pan?
If you double the vanilla and frost them you get CUPCAKE PANCAKES!
Haha, good to know!
Super tasty and I even forgot the sugar! Big hit with the kids. Soooo puffffy!
Ahhhh…fuck. I just made these with Baking SODA; now they taste funny.
HeyIsa! I love this recipe! Any tips to making it gluten free please? my girlfreind is vegan AND gluten free! X
These are DELICIOUS!
My 11 year old brother is possibly the pickiest eater, and never admitted to liking my homemade non-vegan pancakes. I made these this morning, though, and he loved them! He ate 4 🙂
These are amazing with the addition of frozen blueberries! (They are probably great on their own too, but I couldn’t resist adding blueberries both times I made this recipe).
THESE WERE THE BEST PANCAKES I’VE EVER MADE!!!!! You have changed my life!! 😛 😛
Making these right now (and um… I admit I wanted to be the 300th comment)
Just made these… Wow. Real American-style pancakes!
Question: I was wondering if it will matter if I reduce the salt a bit?
BEST pancakes ever!!!
I have always made my pancakes from scratch, thin-style as I could not tolerate the thick, doughy, gut-bombs served in so many restaurants (or from Bisquick in my pregan days)
THESE are my new GO-TO pancake. The foaming action + copious amount of baking powder + letting the batter sit and puff makes them as light as my stand-bys, but with the most amazing, fluffy texture, and reminded me and my 17-year-old somewhat of a doughnut.
INCREDIBLE! Love the comment above, “thank you for being born.” AMEN!
Hello
what flour could i sub the one used in the recipe to make it gluten free?
These were so good!!! Best vegan pancakes ivd had
fab. and they work very well in the waffle iron.
I made these today and served them to my very picky pancake-loving husband. He did not want to try them initially, but did and, after a few moments of silence, said “Okay, these are really, REALLY good. You have to make more!” I agree and I’m generally not a pancake fan. Another amazing recipe. You never cease to amaze me with your voodoo vegan cooking skills! Thank you so much Isa!!!!
Hi Isa Chandra! I love your site! Would you be able to use flax meal in place of grinding the flax seeds? I have a lot from the wheat-free chocolate chip cookies I made (using your recipe! Everyone loved them and no one could tell they were vegan/wheat-free!) and want to make use of what I have.
Yes! Flax meal and ground flax seeds are the same thing, so you’re good to go!
As if to prove how awesome this recipe is I screwed up twice and it still tasted awesome. I halved the recipe which was fine but I missed a step and ended up only mixing the flax and vinegar (with a tiny bit of soy I rescued from the well). So mistake one. Mistake 2 burning one of them really badly (well, on a scale of burning things I suppose I burned it really well but you get my drift). Still, I peeled the good side from the burned side and ate the 2.5 pancakes I had somehow managed to make and they were delicious (although I’m now very full!). I had them with maple syrup, sliced strawberries and blueberries. Will definitely repeat the recipe and avoid my errors in future!
I have made these before. WARNING: These are very temperamental! The first cooked batch came out terrific. I made another batch. All the same ingredients, all of the same procedures..FLAT..FLAT I SAY! Still yummy but as the saying goes they were as flat as an pancake=/
Be careful everyone, these pancakes can be a bitch.
These are the best pancakes ever! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Mine turn out flat and raw in the middle 🙁 Why?!?! 🙁