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 last weekend and making them again today. Added blueberries…. Yum! Super filling and super good!
There’s no mention of a higher cooking temperature. I read all of the tips and every one of the 300+ comments looking for any mention if a suggested temp after preheating my well-seasons cast iron skillet on med low over gas heat. Trying to follow the recipe to the letter the first time, my first two are still sitting on the skillet unflipped after 20 mins, looking like unbaked scones.
Well, honey, what are you doing reading 300+ comments? Just turn the heat up!
FYI – this is a great recipe, but your pancakes don’t have to look like that! for classic, light brown, perfectly even colored pancakes, wipe the pan with a paper towel after you spray it or add in oil. that makes the surface perfectly greased and you don’t end up with “rustic” looking tops like isa’s. (sorry – i love you isa!
No offense taken! But I love how these pancakes look. To each pancake, his own 🙂
I made these today and OH. MY. GOODNESS. sooo incredibly yummy! I’m going to put a link to this on my blog!
These pancakes are fantastic and are very puffy! My partner and I these every Sunday morning. Some times I substitute some of the white flour for whole wheat, and some times I use 1/2 apple sauce and half oil. They are great with and without these modifications. However, we always use much less salt (about 1/4 tsp) than is called for (1tsp). We made these once with the 1 tsp of salt called for and they tasted way too salty for us.
I see 329 people have already commented, but I had to add my opinion – they are AWESOME! So fluffy, like I’ve never been able to make my vegan pancakes before. My VERY omni in-laws were ready to say “yuck” to vegan pancakes, but no, they loved them too! Thanks!!!
BTW, here in San Francisco, we have a comedy show on Xmas called Kung Pao Kosher Comedy with mostly (all?) Jewish comedians. And it’s held, guess where? In a Chinese restaurant.
Amazing recipe! Just tried it this morning and my non vegan husband loved them! I was so impressed & will definitely keep this recipe & make them again real soon! Thank you!!
I made these once before and they became the household faves. I ended up making 3 batches. This time I decided to get ahead of my voracious eaters and double the recipe (I am minus two eaters today) and the pancakes didn’t puff the same as with 1x recipe. Therefore, I don’t recommend this shortcut. Flavor is still awesome!
I made these for lunch today and they were delicious!! I also made some with lemon zest in them at the suggestion of my 8yr old daughter who loves your page too 🙂 They were amazing as well. Thanks for sharing and for inspiring my little one to love the kitchen
This is the best vegan pancake recipe I have tried by a long shot. They’re super fluffy and light with just the right amount of sweetness. I only used a 1/2 tsp of salt and added blueberries and lemon zest and they were pure pancake heaven. Thanks Isa!
These are delicious! Biscuit like on the outside…warm and fluffy on the inside. As I waited for my batter to rest, I became worried thinking it looked like a frothy mess and I must have done something wrong. Nope! They are aaamazing and look just like the pictures! These will definitely be my go to for brunch! Thanks for the great recipe and tips!
Isa, these are hands down the absolute best pancakes I have ever made or eaten! I use the recipe exactly as stated which is a rarity for me but I am so glad I did.
So many compliments on them from non veg heads too 🙂
Yay, thanks!
This has become my go-to recipe for when I am the only one home for dinner. This recipe turns out perfectly every time as long as I am patient and let the cast iron do all the work.
Also, after making this recipe several times I have come to embrace my cast iron pan and I now understand how it holds heat and reacts.
Well, that warms my heart. If you learned all that, then my work is done here!
So glad Kelly @ http://vegankid.blogspot.com posted a link to these.
These were so delicious! I didn’t think I was going to have the patience to let the batter rest, but I’m so glad I did! Thank you 🙂
these pancakes are the best ones i have ever made! i added raspberries to mine, and my husband had chocolate chips in his…I altered the recipe by using Red Mills Buckwheat Pancake mix instead of the all purpose flour – these are SOOO good!!! Thank you for research that made these possible!!!
Simply Amazing!!
These were so lovely and light! I added a few frozen berries (it was all I had – home with flu and desperate for something tasty) and I don’t think it deflated the fluffiness. Thanks for yet another great recipe. x
First time I made these they tasted great, but didn’t rise and were gooey in middle. I use an electric griddle, so 2d time I raised the temp from 350 to 400. I use soymilk powder + water for the soy milk, so this time I also warmed the water a little (20 sec in microwave) before adding vinegar/flax seed, since I keep the flax seed in the freezer. I only used 1/4 cup water 2d time. I’m not sure which change worked but they were much fluffier the 2d time and more done in the middle.
I made these a couple weeks ago, and actually right now as I’m typing this.. absolutely the best pancakes I’ve ever had! Even my non-vegan boyfriend loved them. I used coconut oil instead of canola, just a personal preference. Seriously the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever had, and a delicious flavor. To top it off, its healthy! : ) Thanks for the recipe!
I just tried these this morning, and let me just say, THEY WERE DELICIOUS! They are fluffy and tasty, not too sweet, but perfect with syrup or fruit. This is a genius recipe, and I just say, Isa, that you make it easy to be a vegan. My dad, who was skeptical, even tried them and loved them. Score one for the Puffy Pillow pancakes!! : ]
These are perfect every time – I’ve made these enough times to say that with complete authority.
I just made these pancakes for our Saturday morning breakfast, and we both thought they were very good. I am new to Vegan cooking, and so far, I am keeping this recipe. Great taste and excellent texture. I think it was the ground flax that adds to the overall flavor. Thank you!
Can I make this batter ahead of time as long as I use it within a couple of days?
These are amazing- my new favorites! No one would ever guess these are vegan. My new favs. Thank you!
Turned out great! I added matcha to the last pancake till it was the same color as the green tea cupcake batter from vegan cupcakes take over the world… Def. will do that again! Also tried a pumpkin version with 2/3 cup pumpkin and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spices and only 1/4 cup of the water…. Needed a much longer cooking time on a slight bit lower heat, but turned out nice…. May have to keep tweaking that version so if you have any ratios that work better please share!
These pancakes are loved by everyone I’ve ever fed them to: folks who don’t like pancakes; people who are suspicious of all vegan food on principle; friends who like both pancakes and vegan fare but have never found a vegan pancakce they enjoy. Everyone. They are beautiful and easy and I adore them. Thank you!
made and they look perfect, but they have a bitter aftertaste….
Isa these are literally the best pancakes I’ve ever had!! Love your book! Blogging about the pancakes now to spread the word!
This is now officially my go-to pancake recipe and it never disappoints! I fly solo so I cut it in half and always have one leftover to break up the usual oatmeal-or-yogurt w/ granola workday breakfast rotation. The fluffiness isn’t compromised by changing up the flour used, either– a mix of barley and spelt works wonderfully! Thank you for the recipe (and for all the others in Isa Does It, which is making another dreary New England winter so much more bearable!).
hi, these were tasty but mine didn’t puff like yours.
mine looked like regular pancakes.
what did i do wrong?
I just made these, well, actually I am still making them right now. They are SO delicious and fluffly but full of body–I had to stop what I was doing to say so!
I got the recipe from Isa Does It! but figured it might be on here, too….
Love all the pictures in the new book.
Excellent pancakes! Their will be my new go-to recipe!
These are my go-to pancakes when my son and I are having a craving. Thank you!
Is it warm water or cold water?
Hi, although I did the right measurements and let the batter sit for 10 minutes, mine didn’t come out puffy….any reason why?
Before I made these pancakes, I was reading all these comments and I wondered, “How in the world can pancakes be so good?” After making these I finally understand. I was never really a pancake person until I came across this recipe. I love them, and my non-vegan friends love them, too! Even my mom, who used to smother her pancakes with syrup and butter, enjoyed these completely plain and was raving about how good they were! These pancakes are amazing. You are amazing.
These were mega thick and delicious…a perfect hangover cure. Next time I make them I think I’ll add cinnamon.
thnks your informations
Made these for breakfast this morning! I added a little more milk because the batter was soooo thick it was hard to scoop. But otherwise followed the directions exactly. Turned out absolutely amazing! Better than any pancakes I’ve ever had, and so easy!!! This will forever be my go-to pancake recipe.
These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had!! Very “pillowy” and nice flavour. Mine didn’t rise as high as the ones in the photo, but they were still way fluffier than any other pancakes I’ve made before. Thanks so much! Every recipe I’ve tried from this site has been fantastic 🙂