Soft, moist & fluffy Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes. Made healthier with wholegrain flour & not too sweet. Because…you know? TOPPINGS!! (copious amounts of maple syrup are recommended! 😉)

There are pancakes, and then there are Gingerbread Pancakes. Soft, fluffy, moist, dark and full of warm and comforting gingerbread flavour.

A stack of these, with a knob of my vegan butter, and a generous drizzle of maple syrup is just perfection!

PERFECT FOR HOLIDAY BRUNCH!

This recipe is adapted from my Gingerbread Waffles recipe which I published a couple of years ago. It’s been so popular, but I know not everyone has a waffle maker  and so, here we are, with these Gingerbread Pancakes in plenty of time for the festive season. So many people last year made my Gingerbread Waffles for breakfast on Christmas morning. Hopefully this year, those of you without a waffle maker can enjoy these pancakes instead!

I make these Gingerbread Pancakes with spelt flour because it’s hearty nuttiness works so well with the ginger flavour. I absolutely love this sprouted spelt flour from One Degree Organic Foods. If you don’t have spelt flour feel free to use wholewheat or all purpose flour. Liquid quantities may need adjusting though so make sure you read my recipe notes.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PANCAKES

These Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes are so easy to throw together. It’s just a case of mixing the dry ingredients together, mixing the wet ingredients together, then combining the two.

I use my Cusinart Griddler  to cook my pancakes and don’t use any oil. You can use any kind of griddle or frying pan, but if your surface isn’t a great non-stick one you will need to use some oil to avoid sticking.

The trick to cooking vegan pancakes is to not have them on too high a temperature, and to let them cook slowly. That way they become fluffy inside. If you rush them, they sometimes end up a little damp inside and that’s never good where pancakes are concerned.

As you know, I do try to cook oil-free whenever I can, but I have included a tiny amount of oil in this recipe. There is no getting away from the fact that they work better with it. It’s just 1½ tablespoons but it makes all the difference. If you follow a strictly oil-free diet you can omit it, but the pancakes won’t be quite as fluffy.

GINGERBREAD PANCAKES TOPPINGS

I don’t include much sugar in the recipe because I prefer my pancakes to not be too sweet. Because…you know? Toppings!!!

When I get let loose with that bottle of maple syrup there is no stopping me 😂. I love the stuff!

If however you prefer your pancakes sweeter, feel free to add a couple extra tablespoons of sugar.

As for topping, there are so many that work. You could try:

• Vegan butter and maple syrup – Simplicity at it’s best
• Sliced banana – It works brilliantly with the gingerbread flavour
• Orange – Whipped coconut cream mixed with a little orange juice and zest. A little orange zest added to the batter would be fantastic too
• A quick glaze made from powdered sugar and orange juice (or lemon juice)
• Chocolate! While the pancakes are cooking in the pan, stud them with some chocolate chips before flipping them or serve them with chocolate sauce
• Poached pears or pear butter 😋

Stop already. It’s like 11pm and all I want to do is go and make Gingerbread Pancakes. I guess if I can eek this out past midnight though, I can class them as breakfast 😛🤣

I can’t wait for you to give these Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes a try! Rate the recipe below and leave a comment to let me know what you think and share your pics on Instagram using the #avirtualvegan hashtag!

4.86 from 7 votes

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Gingerbread Pancakes

Soft, moist & fluffy Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes. Made healthier with wholegrain flour & not too sweet. Because...you know? TOPPINGS!! 

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Recipe Type vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 3 servings (2 pancakes each)

Calories 429 kcal

Author Melanie McDonald

Ingredients

Ingredients

• Dry ingredients
• 173g / 1½ cups spelt flour , spooned into the cup then gently levelled with a knife. See notes for substitutions
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2¾ teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar , you may sub this for any other brown sugar

Wet ingredients

• 300 mls / 1 ¼ cup plant-based milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2½ tablespoons black strap molasses
• 1½ tablespoons liquid oil I used a light olive oil but coconut oil would also be good as would any other liquid cooking oil

Instructions

1. Put all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir well.

2. Put all of the wet ingredients into a jug or bowl. Stir until well combined.

3. Pour the mixed wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix using a spoon, until just combined. Do not over mix. A few small lumps are fine. You just want it to get to the stage that you can't see any dry bits of flour through it. Different brands of flour have different absorbencies. You want your batter to be a thick dropping consistency, like cake batter. If it's really, really thick, add a tablespoon or two more milk to thin it just a little. 

4. Preheat the griddle or pan to medium and leave the batter to sit until it comes to temperature. 

   OPTIONAL - Preheat the oven to it's lowest temperature with a plate inside to put the pancakes as you cook them. This will keep them warm until they are all ready. 

5. Pour about ⅓ cup portions of batter onto the pre-heated griddle/pan. Leave until small bubbles start to form on the top (usually about 4-5 minutes) then flip and cook for a further 4 -5 minutes. Once done, you can put them on the plate in the oven until you have finished cooking them all, then serve immediately. 

Recipe Notes

I use my Cusinart Griddler  to cook my pancakes and don’t use any oil. You can use any kind of griddle or frying pan, but if your surface isn’t a great non-stick one you will need to use some oil to avoid sticking.

These pancakes will also work with wholewheat or all purpose flour but you will probably find that you need to adjust the amount of milk used because different flours have different absorbencies. Start off with just ¾ of the amount I specify in the recipe when mixing the wet ingredients. Once you have combined the wet and the dry ingredients, add a little more milk as necessary. You need the batter to be a thick dropping consistency. Kind of like cake batter. 

As you know, I do try to cook oil-free whenever I can, but I have included a tiny amount of oil in this recipe. There is no getting away from the fact that they work better with it. It’s just 1½ tablespoons but it makes all the difference. If you follow a strictly oil-free diet you can omit it, but the pancakes won’t be quite as fluffy.

For a gluten-free option I THINK oat flour would work but I haven't tried it so can't guarantee. 

Nutrition Facts

Gingerbread Pancakes

Amount Per Serving (2 pancakes)

Calories 429 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10g 15%

Sodium 710mg 30%

Total Carbohydrates 72.5g 24%

Dietary Fiber 9g 36%

Sugars 123g

Protein 9.4g 19%

Vitamin A 4%

Calcium 49%

Iron 25%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.