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.
say boo! perfect pancake recipe. also, i know it looks weird, but it’s mardi gras.
Come to Chicago for Jewish Xmas! We have an awesome Chinatown which is packed with Jewish and Chinese people on Christmas Eve and day. Even though we live way out in the suburbs we always run into someone we know in Chinatown on Xmas!
Unfortunately, I did not get the rise on these like the picture.
Woke up after a very late New Years Eve and threw these together in no time flat. Even without my cast iron pan, these turned out beautifully. I smothered them in organic crunchy peanut butter, and am planning on experimenting with banana and chocolate chips for next time. Great recipe! My pictures had friends (even non-vegan ones) drooling 🙂
These were so yummy! Just like diner pancakes! (WHY CAN’T DINERS HAVE MORE VEGAN PANCAKES???) My bf said it was hard to believe there wasn’t butter in there… I missed the serving size and was bummed to only have 6 pancakes to share with the bf– especially because I burned a couple trying to find the sweet spot on our burner… I was a little afraid to check as they cooked because I wanted them to poof poof poof and didn’t want to disrupt the rising. Even burnt though, they still tasted fluffy and awesome. Could these work with WW pastry flour, too? And if I double or triple the recipe for guests, would the batter be okay waiting while the rest cook, or should I make the batches separately? Happy New Year!!! Thanks for the recipe!
no rise
so disappointed
i keep my flour in the freezer
could this be why
The one thing I’ve never done before that I DID with this recipe, is let the batter rest – that seemed to really get some bubbles/fluffiness going. Did you let your batter rest, Diane?
Oh wow! I heart pancakes, and have never managed to find an egg and dairy free recipe that recreated the perfect fluffiness of a traditional recipe. Next time I crave pancakes, I’m taking this baby for a spin! Thanks!
I just made these pancakes for breakfast. These were the best vegan pancakes I have ever made. I added blueberries to mine after I poured the batter in the pan. They were not quite as thick as the ones in the picture but still quite fluffy. Thanks for another great recipe!
did you use white all purpose flour,or can it be wheat or oat flour?
Lisa– if you do use wheat flour, I’d make sure it’s whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole grain flours are a lot heavier than all-purpose. I’m not sure that WW pastry flour works, but if a whole grain flour is going to work, that’s the one to try first.
Made these this weekend and they were delicious! I will use this recipe for pancakes from now on! Thanks Isa!
Looks like I know what I’m having for dinner! Yup, these look amazing. So glad I came across your site – Happy New Year!
ISA your awesome !!! these were by far the best vegan pancakes !!! i added some frozen blueberries n blackberries (my kids wanted smiley faces) and topped them with EB butter spread and cinnamon n sugar mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm if i wasnt so full after one i could eat these all night !!! thanx again!!!
Just making these now, they are a hit! Added frozen blueberries to one side as the other was cooking, and used all whole wheat flour – no problems 🙂
i’ve done jewish xmas in NYC and it kinda can’t be beat. now we do it dallas, and i gotta say…veritable who’s who of the jewish (and chinese) community in every chinese resturant in town. best part of the holiday! love the pancakes – i’ve made them in very similar ratios using gluten free flour mix since we are GFCF around our house. love your website – one of my faves for dairy free recipes! happy gregorian new year to you. 🙂
Made these for my girlfriend for a surprise special breakfast a few hours ago, and they are definitely the best pancakes I’ve ever done. We agreed this will be our new go-to pancake recipe for sure.
Gorgeous pancakes!
MMMMMMM,…I rarely eat pancakes but these thicker fluffy looking pancakes caught my eyes & mouth directly!
Yummie food! 🙂
These were delicious! I’ve been eating the leftovers, toasted with pumpkin butter as a mid-morning snack.
So so so so good. Did not have all purpose, still DELICIOUS with whole wheat. Fluffy pillows of comfort, indeed! Y’all have brought SO much joy my way this year.
I made these yesterday with applesauce instead of oil and used cooking spray instead of oil in the pan. I made the batter and let it rest, then started running errands and didn’t get back to cooking for like an hour…these pancakes were ginormous and amazing!! I don’t know if it was the extra “resting” time or if it would have been the same after 10 minutes, but these were the BEST vegan pancakes I have ever had. bravo!
I am not such a fan of pancakes, but these look amazing. I can totally see the compromise between me and my family: they get to eat home-cooked pancakes and we all get to eat vegan.
Just made them, fabulous!
Superb! They made a believer out of someone on the fence about pancakes, and to the other person obsessed with pancakes they were an absolute delight! Thanks for the recipe!
THANK YOU Isa! My families search for the good vegan pancakes has come to an end. These are a tad crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and they taste just like the non-vegan variety. Most vegan pancakes have this glue like consistency that sticks weirdly to the roof of your mouth not these. My boys LOVE their pancakes and this morning all I heard was MOM i WANT MORE PANCAKES so we had to make another batch. Looking forward to making and eating these again. Oh and make sure you spray your cup between pancake pourings you’ll want to make sure you use every last drop of the batter.
YUM!!! These do exactly what you said they would do, and they are delicious!! Thank you for the recipe.
I don’t know if you have ever been to That Was Vegan by Barb as listed above, but she has a Butternut Mac and Cheeze that is beyond belief….try it out………..
These were amazing! Best pancakes I’ve made: an infinitesimally thin layer of crispiness, enveloping a soft, sweet interior. Delicious!
These are the best! I made them the other day, and I was a little worried because the batter tasted very baking soda-y, but there was no trace of it in the cooked pancake. These are also HUGE, I could only eat 1 1/2 when I can normally be counted on for at least three or four. I also added chocolate chips, which I thought might deflate them a little but they were still lovely and pillow-y. Thanks, Isa!
Currently eating these bad boys. I am in pure love! I am going to try these with whole wheat flour next time :3
these are unreal! in the last batch we made we used a little bit of coarse salt and it was magic. they should be called magic pancakes.
I just got pancake batter on my iPad screen 😀 loooove these pancakes!!!
OK I LOVE pancakes and these are to die for!!!
It’s nearly 2am and this recipe made me crave pancakes so much that I immediately started making them. I feel like I’m in college again.
holy flapjack! these are the best vegan pancakes I have ever made! I added blueberries,,, amazing
These were amazing!!!!! I didn’t have ground flax seeds, I modified the recipe by adding an extra 1/2 Tbsp oil and added 1/3c water instead of 1/2 c. They were just as fluffy as the picture!!!
Pan-flippin-tastic! I went a health step further and did a cup of whole wheat flour with 1/2 cup of all-purpose, and they still rocked. The texture is unbelievable, and they were so irresistibly fluffy that the first one that came off the griddle went directly to my mouth. Something else, too; I didn’t have any apple cider vinegar on hand, so I used white vinegar and a teaspoon of(here’s the muy interasante part)coconut extract. I’m no cook, and most of my spontaneous substitutions end in yuckiness and/or tears, but THIS was a freakin’ gift from the vegan heavens. The coconut worked so well with the earthy taste of the whole wheat, plus the unbeatable cake like feel of the pancake, that I actually swooned like the York peppermint patty model from the commercial. I know this is a long one, but this recipe deserves all the accolades. It’s versatile, hardy, and just all around spectacular. THANK YOU ISA!!!!!
We tried these again, this time with a gluten-free flour mix (Bob’s Redmill). They worked well: not quite as puffy as with white flour, but still puffier than other gluten-free pancakes. We did have to add somewhere between another 1/2 cup and a full cup of flour to get the right consistency. Feel free to try these as gluten-pancakes – it worked for us!
*gluten-free
These were the BEST pancakes we’d ever made or had in this house!! They were super fluffy & light, and the taste was ridiculous. We added a tsp of cinnamon like you do in VwaV, and WOW!! We made them with your Smoky Maple Sausages & drizzled everything with Maple Syrup, and it was quite delightful. I’m ready for another cookbook. 😉
Woohoo!
P.S. We made them two mornings in a row! Both days off. Tradition is we always make pancakes with our 2 year old on my guy’s days off, but we normally only have to make them once because there are leftovers. Not this time!!
I made these for my daughter this week and WOW are they a winner!!! I will make this again this coming weekend…THANK YOU!
I just have to say that I’ve made these twice now—YUM! I’ve doubled the recipe each time, and the one change I made was to use 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour to 2 cups all purpose flour, and it works perfectly. Thanks for the ideal pancake recipe!
Just made them. Very, very good. I will try maple syrup instead of sugar next time. Didn’t want to mess with the recipe the first time around. I had been making pancakes from The Joy of Vegan Baking and that recipe calls for half a cup maple syrup, which gives another layer of flavor. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.