Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes

We do love pancakes in our house! No weekend will go without them in one way, shape or form.

Whether it's vegan crepes, buckwheat banana pancakes or now these fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes - they're on the menu!

In this simple recipe I'll show you how to achieve those beautifully thick, fluffy, American style pancakes with super simple ingredients you are likely to already have in your cupboards.

Oh and don't fret about vegan buttermilk. You can easily make it yourself in minutes and it only takes 2 ingredients.

✔️ Why should you try this recipe?

• Foolproof fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes recipe

• Quick and easy to make

• No unusual ingredients

• You make your own quick vegan buttermilk in minutes

• Thick, fluffy and oh so tasty American style pancakes

• They make great vegan breakfast or even dessert

• Great flavour and texture without dairy and eggs

🥘 Ingredients and substitutions

Plain (All-Purpose) Flour - As simple as that.

Baking Powder - Our main raising agent.

Baking Soda - Another raising agent. It will interact beautifully with the acid in our homemade vegan buttermilk to give us that extra bit of fluffiness.

Caster Sugar - I like to use caster sugar or golden caster sugar here as both are nice and fine but any sugar will do.

Vanilla Extract - For that lovely hint of vanilla.

Plant Milk - I would recommend soya milk here as in my opinion it makes best vegan buttermilk but oat or almond can be used too.

Apple Cider Vinegar - For making our vegan buttermilk. You could substitute it with white wine vinegar or lemon juice.

Neutral Tasting Oil - Use any neutral tasting oil you've got in your kitchen. I like to use cold-pressed rapeseed or light olive oil but sunflower oil will work as well.

🍽 Equipment

Large mixing bowl for mixing pancake batter.

Jug (preferably with a spout) for making vegan buttermilk and mixing in all the wet ingredients. I like using my glass 500ml Pyrex jug here (not sponsored).

Whisk for mixing both your dry as well as your wet ingredients. I like using whisk to aerate my flour instead of sieving it (personal preference).

Good non-stick frying pan. I like using my Salter carbon steel pan for these fluffy pancakes but any non-stick pan will do.

Metal spatula or pancake turner. I usually use metal spatula here as it works better with my carbon steel pan but if you are using regular non-stick pan then use silicone pancake turner or similar.

💭 Pro Tips

• Use soya milk + apple cider vinegar for best vegan buttermilk. Although other types of plant milk can be used, in my experience this combination will give you the best results.

• Mix your dry ingredients with a whisk. This will aerate them nicely and I find it works as well as sieving.

• Don't overmix pancake batter when combining dry and wet ingredients. As long as there is no visible flour you are good to go.

• Don't worry about the lumps in your batter, they're fine! Don't try to get rid of them as you will overmix it and your pancakes won't be fluffy!

• There is no need to rest your pancake batter. In fact, you should get frying those pancakes immediately to take full advantage of chemical reaction between baking soda and acid to get the fluffiness you're after.

🥡 Storing

These fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes keep really well in the fridge.

Make sure they're well covered or in the airtight container and use within 3 days.

We usually heat our up in the microwave but you could reheat then gently in a pan with some vegan butter or even in a toaster!

❄️ Freezing

Best way of freezing your pancakes is in an airtight container separated with some baking paper so that they don't stick.

Alternatively, you could use one of these reusable ziplock style bags ( I would still keep your pancakes separated so that you can easily remove even one at a time if you wanted to).

Make sure pancakes are completely cold before freezing!

Try and use them within 3 months for best texture after defrosting.

You can defrost them in the fridge overnight or in the microwave straight out of the freezer.

🍴Serving Suggestions

I like mine super simple with vegan butter and maple or date syrup plus some fresh berries or banana slices too.

There are, however, so many more options...

Try them with one of these...

Easy Strawberry Coulis

Stewed Rhubarb

Apple Puree

Stewed Pears with Cinnamon & Vanilla

Lemon and Elderflower Curd

Top them with your favourite jam. We love a generous spoonful of my Easy Blackberry Jam or Orange Marmalade.

Melted dark chocolate, some freeze-dried strawberries and toasted pecans would turn them into indulgent dessert.

Toppings galore!

❓ FAQs

🔪 How to make fluffy vegan buttermilk pancakes?

Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Start with making vegan buttermilk by adding apple cider vinegar to your chosen plant milk (I recommend soya milk).

Let it stand as you prepare your dry ingredients.

In a large bowl mix together plain (all-purpose) flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt.

I like to use a whisk here to get everything nicely aerated (saves on sieving).

Add wet ingredients into the dry ones and give it a gentle mix until just combined.

Don't worry about trying to get rid of the lumps, the less mixing the fluffier pancakes!

Get your non-stick pan nice and hot and add some oil if needed.

Once hot, pour in some pancake batter onto the pan (use jug, ladle or a measuring cup) and fry for 2-3 minutes or until you see little bubbles forming around the edges.

Check whether your pancakes are getting nicely coloured and flip them over to fry on other side for 1-2 minutes max.

Transfer to a plate and keep warm until you repeat the process with the remaining batter.

Get those toppings ready and enjoy!