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.
Thank you, Chandra for this great recipe. We enjoy making and eating these. it’s a perfect Sunday morning (soon to be a) tradition at our house.
These are amazing! I was skeptical, but sold now and my family keeps requesting these. I am replacing my boxed pancake mix with these from now on. Thank you for your recipe. I look forward to making more things from your site 🙂
These were perfect. Light and fluffy. I added cinnamon powder and wild blueberries and cooked them with coconut oil. Best pancakes yet…
Hi there. Looking to make these gluten free. Any success with a particular flour?
I just made these and they are AMAZING!!! I subbed whole wheat pastry flour and refined coconut oil, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T (or tee?). I got 7 pancakes which was a pleasant surprise to get a bonus. They came out delicious and even looked as pretty as your pictures. I had one with a pat of earth balance and some maple syrup, and my second with a shmear of peanut butter and some microwaved frozen raspberries. My kids love them too.
These are amazing!
Hi, this is my first time commenting. I made these this morning for a friend trying to reduce their gluten intake so made some alterations ( my first time gluten free subbing) read alsorts of things not working gluten free or with certain flours but decided to take notes from your gluten free pancake recipe as well as sites like ohsheglows for inspiration then took the plunge. First off I halved the recipe as was for 1 person, I used 1/4 cup buckwheat flour 1/4 cup rice flour and the final 1/4 I first put in 1tbsp arrowroot then topped up with more buckwheat, I used 1 tbsp chia seed which i ground in coffee grinder instead of flax and added around 1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon. I poured just under 1/4 cups of batter in pan which made 6 pancakes and they did puff up, maybe not as much as in picture but looked pretty good + wafted cinnamon. I took piled on plate with a spread of crunchy peanut butter+ sliced banana in between each 1 drizzled maple syrup over the top and topped with a sprinkle of homemade coconut bacon. result = 1 very happy friend. with big eyes on the plate followed by noises of oooooo and mmmmmm. thankyou for your awsome recipes!
* I piled 3 on a plate
I’ve never posted anything before. These are the best pancakes (vegan or non vegan).
If you read and follow the recipe they will be perfectly fluffy and delicious!
Make sure not to over-mix and make sure to let the batter rest 10 min. It’s the most simple recipe and is now part of our Saturday morning family ritual.
I sub apple sauce for the oil for less fat since we eat them once a week…
This whole cookbook is wonderful but the pancakes are outstanding!
I’ve never posted here before, but Isa you’re a genius! I’ve made this recipe 4 weekends in a row and I don’t even really like pancakes that much! These are perfect. I keep trying some of the other fancier recipes you have, but this one really takes the (pan)cake for me! Thanks for sharing! =)
Amazing pancakes! I didn’t have ground flax (linseed) on hand, so I used LSA instead which has Flax but also, ground sunflower seed and Almond meal.
I also made a raspberry coulis type thing by stirring together frozen raspeberries, juice of half a lemon and added powdered stevia for sweetness.
Delicious!
I just wanted to comment on these as they are the best pancakes I’ve ever had!!! And that is saying a lot since pancakes are my fave food ever! My son suggested I add cinnamon to them one day and I put a full teaspoon into the flour mix… amazing! These freeze well too. I wrap them individually and microwave them until they thaw THEN i toast them in the toaster and they get their crisp exterior again. These will forever be in my freezer
My friend made these pancakes for me one morning and I loved them so I tried to make them this morning and they were the flattest pancakes I’ve ever made! I’m so confused. I watched her make them and followed the recipe to a T! The only thing I can think of is that my milk misxture wasnt too “frothy or bubbly” like the recipe said. Maybe my baking powder is expired? Maybe the soy milk I used is too thick or something? Or my ground flaxseed is a little different? I added extra flour and baking powder and it helped a little. So strange that I can get fluffier pancakes from other recipes when these pancakes are the fluffiest! I’m determined to figure it out though cause I’ve been dying to have them again!
Holy Moses! I can’t even put into words how amazing these were! Perfect way to spend a Sunday morning!
I had a lot of trouble flipping these pancakes the first couple of times I made the recipe. They would just fall apart. But I found that if I cover the pan while the pancake is cooking on the first side, it allows the top to get a bit more rigid and easier to flip. The only thing is, DON’T cover on the second side, or you’ll have a soggy, steamed pancake. No good!
Love this recipe!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this recipe (and so many others and your charming videos).
My baby has a possible egg and dairy allergy, and I knew that you would have a good pancake recipe that would suit everyone. These delivered, and more! We added some spelt flour so ours didn’t rise as much as yours did, but they were very tasty. I wouldn’t have guessed that they didn’t contain any eggs or milk, as they had very good flavor. Thank you!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I was looking to replace our old go-to with something more fluffy and these were amazing. We cooked them on an electric griddle and had no issue. Looking forward to this recipe becoming our new go-to! 🙂
I did the 3 1/2 Teaspoon a of baking powder, they turned out great but they had a bitter after taste. Is this ratio the right one? Thanks xo
I made these yesterday and doubled(!) the recipe and they turned out great (puffy, fluffy, perfect texture, not gooey or anything) except for a not so subtle soapy/salty taste and I used only 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and only 6 tablespoons of baking powder. If the amount of baking powder is correct in the recipe, I’ll have to switch to another brand and try using a little less maybe will work as well(?).
wow im sticking to my own recipe.. this shouldnt even be called a pancake. its like cookie dough
What’s up to all, the contents existing at this
site are actually awesome for people experience, well, keep up the good work fellows.
These are amazing- my new favorites! No one would ever guess these are vegan. My new favs. Thank you!
I’ve made these pancakes 4 times on separate occasions, and they always turn out absolutely perfect!
All my non-vegan friends/family claim that this is one of their favourite pancakes, which says a lot!
I love this recipe so so much! Thank you for sharing!
Ahhhmazing!! I just tried these and they rock! My fiance I’d allergic to….everything and we have had a hard time finding a good pancake that is dairy and egg free and you knocked this one out of the park! We even had to make them without flaxseed (another allergy) and they were still delicious! Thank you!!!
i tried these today and they turned out really bad. they tasted bitter and like baking powder. are you sure 3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder is right? that seems like a lot to me.
I made these this morning and they were disgusting. We changed oils because my husband thought that was the problem. As I predicted it was the batter. They were fluffy alright but tasted like a mouthful of baking soda. Is something missing from or inaccurate in the recipe? I love most of the recipes you do and bought three of your cookbooks. This recipe was an aberration.