Brrrrr…… Fall has officially begun. It’s chilly this morning. There’s a strong wind coming off of Lake Michigan and it’s icy. And, the leaves have begun to turn gold, red, bronze, and orange. The changes in the weather and the scenery can only mean one thing. Pancake season has also officially begun. Let’s kick off the season with some old fashioned fluffy vegan pancakes with spicy apple compote. Yum!
There are a lot of pancake recipes on the web right now, many of them gluten-free. If you can’t eat gluten because of health issues, you won’t be able to eat these old fashioned pancakes because they’re made with all-purpose flour. But don’t walk away just yet, because you CAN eat the spicy apple compote that we smothered on top of our hot cakes. And truthfully, that compote is a meal in itself. Scoop a heaping spoonful or two into a bowl of hot oatmeal, so good!
These pancakes are heavenly. So thick and light and fluffy. Exactly what a good pancake is supposed to look like. I'm not a fan of flat pancakes that have a glue like texture. No thank you. If you agree, then you're going to love these fluffy old-fashioned pancakes.
Just look at how those bad boys blew up on the griddle. FLUFFY to the max! If you could have seen how psyched we were as we watched the batter puff up you would have rolled your eyes and shook your head in disbelief. I mean, seriously, it’s wasn’t like we had just harnessed fusion energy, although you would have thought we had by our excitement.
How to Make Light and Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
This recipe is simple, and making these old fashioned fluffy vegan pancakes is easy because the batter won’t fight with you. It doesn’t want to be flat and gluey, it wants to look like this.
To make these vegan pancakes all you’ll need to do is whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, vanilla, canola oil, lemon juice, and almond milk together. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients and mix until just moist and then pour onto a hot cast-iron (makes the best pancakes) griddle (affiliate).
Watch them start to fluff up and bubble on top. When the sides are firm and the bottom is golden brown, flip them and wait until the other side is golden brown and the edges are completely dry and firm.
This recipe will make six large or twelve small pancakes.
The spicy apple compote is also easy and fast to make. All you’ll need to make enough compote to smother those pancakes are two green apples (the sour flavor of green apples makes a delicious compote), cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, brown sugar, and Grand Marnier. If you don't have Grand Marnier, you can use a little orange juice.
Finely dice the apples. Like this.
Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a sauce pan and sauté the apples and the spices until the apples start to release their juice, then deglaze the pan with the Grand Marnier. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the apples soften. If you need to add a little water to prevent the apples from scalding, go ahead. Just don’t add too much because you don’t want a runny compote.
Your kitchen will smell amazing and your mouth will begin to water as the aroma of the green apple compote begins to permeate your kitchen.
When the old fashioned vegan pancakes and the spicy apple compote are done, bring them together and start eating. Add some pure maple syrup if you like, because. Maple syrup.
If you don't have a cast-iron griddle I highly recommend getting one. Nothing cooks food like cast-iron.
Click on the photo to purchase this reversible griddle.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
OLD FASHIONED FLUFFY VEGAN PANCAKES WITH APPLE SPICE COMPOTE
Equipment
- stove
Ingredients
- FOR THE APPLE COMPOTE
- 2 green apples peeled, cored, and finely diced
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon Grand Marnier or orange juice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground sea salt
- FOR THE PANCAKES
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon canola oil plus enough to cover the griddle
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened plant-based milk we don’t suggest using coconut milk.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 ½ cups plant based milk together and set aside.
- FOR THE APPLE COMPOTE
- In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 teaspoon of coconut oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the apples and toss to coat. Stir in the 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon sea salt and stir to combine. Cook for approximately five minutes or until the apples begin to release their juices and they begin to stick to the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with the 3 tablespoon of Grand Marnier/orange juice and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add a little water if necessary to avoid scorching the apples. Simmer until the apples are soft and the sauce is thick. Approximately 20
- FOR THE PANCAKES
- Lightly oil and heat a pancake griddle on medium heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon sugar (optional), 2 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt until completely combined.
- Add the the ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoon canola oil to the bowl with the milk and whisk until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Don’t over mix or the batter will get tough and won’t rise well.
- Use a ladle or a large spoon to pour the batter onto the hot griddle. Cook for approximately two minutes or until the tops are bubbling, the sides are firm, and the bottom is golden brown. Gently flip the pancakes over and cook for another two minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and the sides are fully cooked and firm.
- Top with warm maple syrup and the apple compote.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Manjela says
These pancakes are yummy and fluffy. I did however reduce the amount of baking powder and baking soda. I used 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 baking soda. They still turned out perfect. I find too much baking powder gives a weird metallic taste...
Linda Meyer says
Hi Manjela! Thank you, we're so happy you like them. We use aluminum-free baking powder, which takes away that awful metallic flavor. 🙂
monica says
These are the best pancakes I've ever had/made! Thank you for this recipe!! I modified the recipe ever so slightly. I omitted the vanilla since I used vanilla flavored almond milk and added 1tsp of apple cidar vinigar to the milk to create a "buttermilk" and I didn't use any oil. They came out so big and fluffy and AMAZING. Thank you again! I will have to tell everyone about your recipe!!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Monica!! That's so nice to hear. 🙂 We're so happy you liked them and are thrilled that you're going to tell your friends about them. Thank you so much!!
sharon says
Absolutely delicious! Just made these for breakfast and my picky husband said this is a "must save" recipe. New to vegan eating and miss our old breakfast items. This is a lovely recipe-THANK U for posting it.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Sharon! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know. We're thrilled that you and your husband enjoyed our recipe. It's always our pleasure to share our favorite recipes with our readers. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 🙂
Vanessa Leal says
My kids loved these, they're 9 and 3. Im not much of a pancake person and these tasted like pancakes to me. I think I might not have cooked long enough because when I started to chew them they were a bit mushy but I still ate them. I used a boxed coconut milk which wasn't enough so I used a canned coconut milk, which was a Little thicker and it had a strong coconut smell. Even though it had a strong coconut smell the pancakes did not taste Like coconut at all. Over all pretty good pancakes, thank you so much for this recipe. This will be my go to recipe.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Vanessa! Thank you for the kind words. I'm so happy your kids loved them! 🙂 Cooking pancakes takes practice, the more you make them the easier it will be to tell when they're done in the center. You also want to make sure that the temperature is just right, too hot and you burn the exterior, too cool and the center will be mushy. I'm happy the canned coconut didn't alter the flavor, good to know.
Briana says
These look absolutely delicious! I must make them tomorrow? I do not have any Grand Marnier though... would the compote turn out without it?? Or is there something I can substitute?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Briana! Yes, the Grand Marnier adds a rich orange flavor. If you have oj or oranges you could add a few tablespoons to the compote. Enjoy!
erin says
Hi Linda! My first attempt in vegan pancakes! I thought they turned out pretty good but the batter was really thick even after I added an extra cup of almond milk. Kind of biscuit like! Would high altitude affect the recipe?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Erin, yes, the altitude can definitely make a difference in the batter. It always takes me a few tries to get pancakes to work out when we ski in Colorado, they usually turn out flat and dense until I figure out the correct amount of leavening. Try reducing the baking powder and baking soda by about 1/4 of the amount. You still may have to add more almond milk, but they should turn out like pancakes, not biscuits. 🙂
Amber says
These were SO good!!! This is the third time I've tried to make vegan pancakes. The first 2 recipes I tried came out dry and almost biscuit-like. This recipe was PERFECT! So fluffy, just like regular pancakes!!! The apple compote looks really good too! Instead of that, I sprinkled the pancakes with cinnamon while they were cooking and sliced up fresh banana on top. Man, I could eat these every day. Great job!!!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Amber! I love hearing this! This is my favorite pancake recipe, and you'd never know they're vegan. I love that you sprinkled cinnamon on top and then added slices bananas. Perfect.
Lauren says
The recipe doesn't seem to specify how much sugar for the pancake batter, just that you whisk it in with the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Lauren! Thanks for pointing that out. 1 teaspoon of sugar for the batter, but it's optional for those who are watching their sugar intake. Let us know what you think and have a great weekend!