These fluffy vegan applesauce pancakes consist of only 6 simple ingredients and make the most delicious healthy breakfast. There's no banana, no oats and no egg replacements involved!
These fluffy vegan apple pancakes make a great quick breakfast but can just as easily be enjoyed as dinner- who wouldn't like pancakes for dinner?!
For more breakfast recipes with applesauce see Applesauce Oatmeal, Applesauce Granola or Banana Applesauce Muffins.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a vegan pancake recipe without bananas, oats or flax egg involved!
- They are oil-free and lower in fat.
- It's a simple one-bowl recipe that doesn't require any special equipment.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Unsweetened Applesauce: I used canned applesauce but you of course also use homemade applesauce.
- Flour: We used white, plain flour, feel free to sub a gluten-free flour blend of choice for gluten-free pancakes.For pancakes higher in fiber you could swap out ½ of the flour for whole wheat flour.
- Milk: We used oat milk because it's naturally quite sweet but any unsweetened plant milk such as almond milk, soy milk or cashew milk will work.
- Maple Syrup: Acts as a sweetener but this is totally optional. Just skip if for sugar-free pancakes or if you use maple syrup as a topping anyways (highly recommended!).
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Vegan Applesauce Pancakes
This easy pancake recipe comes together in just one bowl and doesn't require any special equipment.
STEP 1: Dry Ingredients. Add flour, baking powder, salt to a large bowl.
Whisk until well combined.
STEP 2: Wet ingredients. Add in applesauce, non-dairy milk and maple syrup (optional).
Stir again with a whisk or spatula until you end up with a homogenous batter. Don't over mix, small lumps are fine!
Step 3: Cook. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add about ¼ cup of the pancake batter. Let cook on one side for about 2-3 minutes until you can see little holes (popped bubbles) forming and the bottom is slightly golden.
Flip pancakes and cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes.
Top Tips
- Equally sized: I recommend measuring out the pancake batter before adding it to the pan. For smaller pancakes, spoon out ¼ cup of the batter, for bigger pancakes use ⅓ cup. If you're somewhat a perfectionist like me, you can go a step further use a pancake ring or cookie cutter to achieve the perfect shape.
- Fluffy pancakes: Don't flatten the pancakes out after you've added the batter to the pan. Otherwise, you might end up with flat pancakes.
- Temperature: The right temperature is key for creating the perfect pancakes. Depending on your pan, go for medium-low to medium.
- Don't over-mix: Overmixing the pancake batter could result in gummy pancakes. Whisk together the batter properly but don't overdo it.
- Don't flip too early/too late: If you can see a lot of holes (popped bubbles) forming (see photo above), it's usually time to flip the pancake. However, I recommend double-checking! Slide a spatula under the pancake and lift an edge to see if it's golden brown, then it's ready to flip.
Variations
- Gluten-Free: Feel free to use a gluten-free flour mix for gluten-free pancakes. Don't use coconut flour or almond flour, they don't react the same as regular gluten-free flour.
- Refined Sugar-Free: Skip the maple syrup if you want to cut back on sugar as much as possible.
Optional Add-Ins
- Cinnamon: Add some delicious fall flavors to these pancakes by adding ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.
- Chocolate Chips: Choose your dairy-free chocolate chips of choice.
- Vanilla Extract: Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for some extra vanilla flavors.
Topping Ideas
- Applesauce: I love adding a couple of tablespoons of applesauce on top of the pancake stack before adding any other toppings.
- Caramelized Apples: By far our favorite topping for these vegan pancakes! They pair very well with the natural apple flavors.
- Fruits: Any chopped fresh fruit such as banana slices, apple slices or berries will taste great.
- Maple Syrup: a must-have topping for me- on any pancakes really.
- Nut Butter: such as Homemade Almond Butter or peanut butter make great toppings.
- Nuts: Add some chopped nuts such as almonds, pecans or walnuts for some extra texture and healthy fats.
Storage
- To store: Though these pancakes definitely taste best when consumed right away, you can store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- To reheat: Reheat in the microwave or in the oven. Spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook on very low heat until warm.
FAQs
It is actually, the applesauce adds some moisture and helps with binding. As a result, you can make thick and fluffy pancakes without eggs and without any oil or butter.
Yes, simply opt for your regular gluten-free flour of choice (don't use coconut flour or almond flour).
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Applesauce Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- tiny pinch of salt
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce *homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk of choice *oat milk, almond milk, soy milk...
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup *optional, see notes
Instructions
- Add all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Add all of the wet ingredients (applesauce, milk, maple syrup)
- Stir with a whisk or spatula until you end up with a smooth batter. DON'T over mix (small lumps are ok!)
- Heat some olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add ¼ cup of pancake batter and let cook for about 2-4 minutes until you can see little holes (popped bubbles) forming.
- Slide a spatula under the pancake and lift an edge to see if it's golden brown. Once the pancake is ready, flip and cook the other side for another minute or so.
Video
Notes
- Optional Add-Ins: dash of cinnamon, vanilla extract, chocolate chips
- Topping Ideas: applesauce, fresh fruit, nuts, nut butter, more maple syrup
- Gluten-Free: Feel free to use a gluten-free flour mix for gluten-free pancakes. Don't use coconut flour or almond flour, they don't react the same as regular gluten-free flour.
- Refined Sugar-Free: Skip the maple syrup if you want to cut back on sugar as much as possible and replace it with 1 tablespoon of milk.
Trisa says
These were a hit with my daughter! We made waffles. So yum.
Katie says
Thanks Trisa for your feedback! Happy to hear that your daughter liked them 🙂