Make your breakfast special with these healthy but very delicious, beautifully soft, very fluffy, oil-free vegan pancakes.
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I couldn't be one of those people who eats the same thing for breakfast everyday. It would drive me insane. It is my favourite meal of the day and I always make sure I have time to sit down and enjoy it properly before my day gets properly underway.
Pancakes aren't something I eat often but every now and again a craving hits.
In the past, if I have been home alone, I have avoided making them as I usually end up with far too many just for me due to the fact that most recipes are designed to feed multiple people.
I also only have one small pan that is good enough for pancakes so when there are a whole bunch to make it takes a little while. As much as I like to make time to sit and enjoy my breakfast, I don't usually have the time to take ages preparing it.
Pancake cravings happened here a couple of weeks ago and I just had to have them. I got to thinking that if I sometimes wish I could make pancakes just for me, then plenty of you probably do too. That was when I decided to come up with a recipe that serves just one person.
I started playing around with a recipe and was getting great results, then I started getting emails from some of you guys asking for more oil-free recipes. The pancake recipe I had been practicing was pretty healthy as far as pancakes go, but it did include a little coconut oil. I decided to modify the recipe slightly to make the pancakes oil-free.
The recipe didn't take long to perfect and I am so pleased with it. These Healthy Oil-Free Vegan Pancakes For One are so soft, fluffy and delicious. You do not miss the oil in this recipe at all. They are every bit as good as pancakes made with oil and they are healthier with less calories!
When I was working on creating this Oil-Free Vegan Pancakes recipe, I asked on Instagram and Twitter:
"How many pancakes you would expect to get if you were making a recipe for one?"
It turns out that most of you are as greedy as me when it comes to pancakes and said three would be good. Some people said two was enough though. Because of the mixed response I have given measurements for making two or three pancakes. That way you can decide at the time you are making them whether you are just hungry enough for two, or greedy enough for three! ;O)
To be perfectly honest, two is enough to feel satisfied, but if you don't eat pancakes often, it's not going to hurt to push the boat out and eat three once in a while, especially when they are oil-free and healthy!
These are pancakes that you do not need to feel guilty about eating. As long as you don't go mad with butter and syrup they are actually pretty good for you.
I use spelt flour in these pancakes because I love the taste and because it is a much healthier option than white flour. If you have never tried spelt flour then I highly recommend you buy yourself a bag next time you are at the store. It is just fabulous for baking, and pancakes or waffles, with none of the heaviness that you might get with wholewheat flour. Readers have told me they work well with an all purpose gluten free flour too although I haven't tried that myself. You are welcome to try, or just hop on over to my Vegan Gluten Free Pancakes and give them a try instead.
If you don't have spelt flour to hand and want to try this recipe, then all purpose white flour works very well. Wholewheat flour did not give the same results in my trials. Don't get me wrong, they were ok and perfectly edible, but they were a little heavy and they didn't have quite the same soft and fluffy texture as they do when spelt or all purpose flour is used.
I have not included sugar of any kind in this recipe because I figure that whatever you add as a topping is usually sweet anyway. If however you do want your pancakes sweet feel free to add some to the batter. About one tablespoon should be enough.
These pancakes can be served with whatever you enjoy most but are particularly good with vegan yogurt, fresh strawberries, Vanilla Roasted Strawberries, vegan butter and maple syrup, easy frozen berry compote or my Blueberry Lavender Sauce.
For more vegan pancakes recipes, check out these great options:
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Gingerbread Pancakes
- Vegan English Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten Free Pancakes
- Vegan Spelt Pancakes
Recipe
Healthy Oil-Free Vegan Pancakes For One
Author:Ingredients
For 2 pancakes
- 42g / 1/3 cup spelt flour (all purpose flour (plain flour in the UK) can also be used)
- 1 level teaspoon baking powder
- a tiny pinch of salt
- 80mls / 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
- ¾ teaspoon chia seeds (White Chia seeds look best but black or white work equally well)
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For 3 pancakes
- 63g / ½ cup spelt flour (all purpose flour can also be used - use ½ cup / 62.5 g)
- 1 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 125mls / ½ cup + 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by putting the milk and chia seeds in a jug or bowl. Stir well.
- Add the vinegar and vanilla and stir again.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a separate bowl and mix to combine.
- Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir to combine (just enough to combine everything and so that you can't see any dry flour). DO NOT over mix or beat it. A few little lumps won't hurt. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Get a pan ready on a medium heat while you wait. I cooked my pancakes with no oil and you can too if your fry pan is a good nonstick one. If you are at all concerned that it might not be then use a teaspoon or two of oil to ensure the pancakes don't stick.
- Check your pan is hot and then spoon the pancake batter into it. Make the pancakes about 4 inches in diameter.
- Once the batter is in the pan turn the heat down to half way between medium and very low. The trick to good pancakes is not rushing them so be patient.
- Watch and wait until you see some bubbles start to form on the top of the pancakes.
- When you see bubbles flip them over gently and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and serve immediately.
NOTES
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Laura says
The conversions are not correct. I checked before making because I was confused. 63 grams is 1/4 cup. The 125 ml is 1/2 cup plus teaspoon but the recipe has a weird one in front of the half cup which made me think it was one and a half cups. Anyway, I checked it and made it accurately and the pancakes turned out well. Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
glad they turned out ok! The measurements are correct. 63 grams is about half a cup of flour. A full cup is 125 g. ¼ of a cup of flour weighs 31.25g. Those are standard flour conversions. Are you sure you're measuring correctly? In cups if you scoop you end up with too much flour. To correctly measure a cup of flour you need to aerate the flour with a whisk then spoon gently into the cup and level it off with a knife without shaking it down or compacting it. That's the reason I always recommend weighing ingredients like flour as with cups you will never have exactly the right amount and results will not be consistent.
And the "weird one" is a slash to divide the cup and grams measurements.
sumi says
i ran out of plant-based milk so i use normal dairy milk instead, and it didn't work, it was very dense, could it have been due to the milk?
A Virtual Vegan says
It's possible as obviously it's a vegan recipe and has never been tested with cow's milk. They are usually really light and fluffy if made as per the recipe.
Maureen says
BEST PANCAKES EVER!!! I’ve made these before but this time I had no spelt flour so used organic white whole wheat flour and added fresh blueberries to the batter just before making. Mel, your pancake recipes are all top notch and this one is the BEST in my opinion!
❤️?❤️
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Maureen!
Barbara says
Love this recipe!! Thanks :)
FSce says
I made them with
126g flour
• 2 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 125ml soy milk + ½ cup blueberries blended together
3 pinches of stevia glycosides (the white powder stpinchuff)
• 2 teaspoon chia seeds (ground up a little,so the seeds are half
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Sicilian lemon extract
Why does the batter need to rest for 10 mins ? (followed the instructions anyway)
Not sure if UK baking powder is different but I didn't heap the tsps (they came in ready measured sachets of 1 tsp) Mixed it very well with the flour so that wasn't an issue.
The pancakes had a strong taste of baking powder otherwise they were nice.
Not sure why have to let the batter rest for 10mins but I let it rest anyway.The vinegar changes the pH & the blueberry batter changes colour which is kind of fun from dark purple to a lighter purple.
A Virtual Vegan says
You didn't follow the recipe. That's why they didn't turn out perfectly. Blended fruit affects the texture of the pancakes. It doesn't work the same as plant milk as thye have a different chemical makeup. If you had put them into the batter whole you would have had a much better result.
As you noticed the blended blueberries will react with the baking powder if it isn't aluminium free and because the blueberries were blended the effect from that would be more noticeable. The chemical reaction doesn't just change the colour. It changes the taste too and makes it almost metallic (I think that's the best way to describe it). That's why they had a strong taste. Baking powder in the UK is the same as in Canada by the way and using heaping teaspoons as specified makes fluffier pancake.
The batter needs to rest for 10 minutes to give the gluten in the flour time to relax and make the pancakes more tender.
My recipes are tested very thoroughly by me and my recipe testers and if you follow them exactly you will get good results.
Hope that helps!
Barbara says
I have recently found out in recent vegan baking that using soy milk alond with apple cider vinegar allows it to curdle. While other non-dairy milks it does not work. So i am assuming they have us wait the 10 mins for the milk to curdle and the choa seeds to gel up as an egg replacer.
A Virtual Vegan says
No curdling happens in this recipe. You don't need to use soy milk. Any will do. The vinegar is there to help the pancakes fluff up not curdle the milk. The 10 minute resting time is to allow the gluten to relax in the flour which gives you more tender pancakes, and also as you said for the chia seeds to absorb some of the moisture and thicken things up.
Sarah says
woke up this morning craving pancakes and made this recipe. Super simple and satisfying! definitely will be making these again! Thanks Mel!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed them Sarah!
Alicia says
This was pretty good overall. I followed recipe correctly but had trouble with inside getting done. I kept them in pan flipping them over the course of 15 minutes and they were almost cooked through. I ate them anyway. Do you have suggestions? Alicia
A Virtual Vegan says
There shouldn't be any issues with them cooking through. Vegan pancakes benefit from a slower cook than non-vegan pancakes though, so try cooking them at a lower temperature next time. You don't need to keep turning them. Just wait until bubbles appear on the top then flip. Also, did you weigh the ingredients? If not the flour to liquid ratio might have been off. With recipes involving flour it is really important to weigh it and not use cup measurements as cups are nowhere near accurate enough. Every-time you fill a cup it contains a different weight of flour and it can really affect how recipes turn out. Digital kitchen scales are so cheap. You can get one for around $10.
Alice says
I made these for first time and they are delicious. This is first time that I've made pancakes on a gas stove and I did not have a stick free pan so I did use a little bit of avocado oil in pan.(I've made very few pancakes at all in my 70 years.) Thanks for tip on temperature adjusting during cooking. I used organic wholewheat flour and substituted a little bit buckwheat flour as I ran low on wholewheat. They were made a little heavier and dense because of this but the flavor was enriched. I served with maple syrup and sliced banana. **** I had an extra so put in frig. I pulled it out and heated in microwave for a few seconds. It needed no topping and was even more delicious. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed the recipe Alice!
Rachael Hawkins says
They were really good thank you fir such a great recipe so fluffy. I served mine with maple syrup and banana it was delicious.
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome Rachael and thank you for leaving feedback. It's much appreciated!
Av says
These came out so perfectly! I’ve tired other egg free pancakes that were completely flat and not good. These were so fluffy and delicious! I love that they are a 1 serving recipe too!
CC says
Wow! I am so pleased with this recipe. I have been looking for vegan pancakes and I am always surprised at how much oil or maple syrup/sweetners the recipes call for. When I made pancakes before being vegan I didn’t used to add sugar/syrup, as you said they are often topped with things that are sweet. This is the perfect recipe! So fluffy, no oil, no syrup or added sweetners, I am so happy! Thank you for sharing. =)
Allison says
I was on the hunt for a gluten free+dairy free+vegan pancake recipe. I figured I’d give this one a shot using Cassava flour, and I am so please with the way they turned out! I used the same amount of flour in the recipe but had to add an extra tablespoon of almond milk (eyeballed it.) They are fluffy and so different from what I normally make. I think the chia seeds really serve as the “gluten” taste that most pancakes have. Will definitely be making these more often. Thanks!!
A Virtual Vegan says
It's interesting to know that they work well with cassava flour. Thanks for letting me know! Watch this space because I tested a really simple vegan and gluten free pancake recipe on Friday. They turned out really well. I just need to make them again to photograph/video then they will appear here on the blog!
Allison says
Oh great!! I will be on the lookout.
Elise says
Just made these as a trial run for Christmas morning and topped them with some blueberries and almond butter. Oh my gosh!! They're so delicious, I'll definitely be making these as Special Occasion Breakfasts for years to come! Thank you so much :) <3
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome. I'm so pleased you enjoyed them!
yinying says
what if i dont have chia seed
A Virtual Vegan says
Chia works best but ground flax seed could be used instead.
. says
I've tried a fair share of vegan pancake recipes that were absolute disasters so I felt compelled to leave a review for this one because they turned out so good. All I had on hand was the boxed coconut milk, and I also added about a teaspoon of coconut sugar (no type of syrup necessary with that addition). I didn't even have measuring spoons so I eyeballed it and it still turned out great. I'm sure it would have been good without the sugar as I'm not a fan of overly sweet meals/baked good anyway.
Mikael Mortensen says
How did you calculate the calories?
If I type the ingredients in to Cronometer it comes to 309 kcal.
A Virtual Vegan says
With Cronometer. And I just rechecked it, just in case, and got the same on there and My Fitness Pal. Did you calculate for 2 pancakes? As stated on the nutritional label that is what my calorie count is for, and of course if you choose a different type of milk or a different flour selection etc to me then the results will be different. No 2 people will calculate it exactly the same. Please remember that the calories are just a guide. They can never be exact when relying on online calculators.
Mikael Mortensen says
No, I did it with 3 pancakes. 2 pancakes is for me 205 kcal.
I use soy milk, so maybe that's why.
But your right it is just a guide.
BTW, it's the best vegan pancakes I have tasted yet.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I'm so glad you are enjoying them! I always choose the Silk unsweetened cashew milk when calculating the calories because it's what I used to buy. I don't really buy it anymore but keep using it for consistency!
kimberly says
I honestly think Pancakes defeat me.. I have tried this recipe and the batter was runny, how long should I leave the CHIA seeds in the milk for? They tasted lovely, just more of a crepe. I used plain flour, and weighed out on a scale, never use cups
A Virtual Vegan says
You don't need to leave the chia seeds soaking in the milk for any amount of time. They only need to be there for as long as it takes you to put the other ingredients together in a bowl. This recipe has only been tested with spelt flour. Plain flour isn't mentioned as an alternative and different flours have different absorbencies so the liquid amount needs to be adjusted to suit. That is more than likely the reason the recipe didn't produce fluffy pancakes. If you want great results you need to follow the recipe exactly.