Start your day off right with a stack of delicious vegan apple pancakes! These pancakes are thick, hearty, and infused with warm flavors. The recipe is simple, made in a blender, and ready in 20 minutes.
Have a jar of opened applesauce sitting at the back of your fridge? Don’t let it go to waste; turn it into some delicious applesauce pancakes! They are the perfect cold-weather breakfast that is cozy, comforting, and incredibly satisfying.
Moreover, these pancakes are highly versatile and can be served with sweet and savory toppings. Personally, I love pairing them with a side of silken tofu scramble , vegan Italian sausages, or a cup of protein hot chocolate to make a high-protein breakfast.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- A great recipe to use up leftover applesauce
- Super thick, fluffy, and hearty
- Wholesome, nutritious, and packed with fiber
- Freezer-friendly, making it great for meal prep
🌾What you will need
📃Ingredients notes/substitutions
- Oats - Both quick and rolled oats will work. Use a certified gluten-free one if needed. Store-bought oat flour will also work, but be sure to use an equal amount by weight.
- Milk - I am using soy milk, but other plant-based milk like almond, oat, or cashew milk will also work.
- Applesauce - Both store-bought and homemade applesauce will work. Just make sure it is unsweetened.
- Maple syrup - Can be substituted with another liquid sweetener like agave or sugar-free syrup.
🔪How to make
Grind your oats in a high-speed blender until they turn into flour.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until everything is well incorporated. Add a splash of milk if the batter is too thick.
Pour ¼ cup of batter into a preheated pan. Cook until bubbles start to form and the edges look dry, around 2-3 minutes.
Flip it over, and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side. Repeat until the batter is used up. Top with toppings of choice and enjoy while warm.
✔Helpful tips
- Making pancake batter without a blender - Instead of oats, use an equal amount of oat flour or all-purpose flour by weight. Using a small whisk or fork, mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until well incorporated.
- Adjust batter consistency - Adjust the consistency of your batter by adding more milk or flour. A thicker batter will yield fluffier pancakes, while a runnier batter will produce thinner pancakes.
- Use a good non-stick pan - I highly recommend using a non-stick pan and a flexible spatula to make this recipe, as it will make the cooking process much easier.
- Cook on medium-low to medium heat - This ensures that pancakes are properly cooked without getting burnt.
- Don’t flatten pancakes - While cooking, do not pat or press down pancakes with the spatula. This will deflate the air bubbles in the pancakes, yielding flat and sad-looking pancakes.
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✨Variations and add-ins
Jazz things up by adding some fun add-ins to these vegan applesauce pancakes! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Spices - This recipe only calls for ground cinnamon, but feel free to add others! Some spices that work great in pancakes are pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and allspice.
Chocolate chips - One of my favorite add-ins when craving something more indulgent! I usually use the Enjoy Life chocolate morsels, which are vegan.
Apple - Try adding one grated apple to the pancake batter. Reduce the amount of milk added to ⅔ cup, adding more afterward if needed.
Flour - The oat flour can be substituted with spelt, all-purpose, or whole wheat flour. You will only need 1 ½ cup of flour.
🍓Toppings and serving ideas
- Maple syrup + butter - the classic combo!
- Nut butter of choice - coconut almond butter, cashew butter
- Peanut butter and jam
- Fruits - stewed apples, blueberries, sliced bananas
- Sweet spreads - chocolate hazelnut spread, cookie dough hummus, chocolate hummus
- Savory sides - Vegan bacon, scrambled tofu, seitan Italian sausages
❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge - Leftover vegan applesauce pancakes can be refrigerated for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Freezer - Allow pancakes to cool completely. Then, store them in a freezer container or zip-top bag, layering a piece of wax paper between each pancake to prevent them from sticking together. They can be frozen for 3 months. Pancakes can be directly reheated from frozen.
Reheating - Pancakes can be reheated in the microwave at 30-second bursts until pancakes are hot. Or, you can heat them in an oven preheated to 180C/ 350F for 8-12 minutes. Pancakes can also be heated up in a toaster.
❔Commonly asked questions
If your vegan applesauce pancakes turned out to be dense and chewy, check if your baking powder is still good to use. Place a small amount of baking powder into some hot water. Bubbles should start to form immediately. If not, it is time to purchase a new one!
Your pancake batter might also be too runny, yielding flat and thin pancakes. You can quickly fix it by whisking in more flour.
If you've been experiencing problems with your non-stick pan, it could be due to it being old or damaged. Over time, the non-stick coating can wear off or become damaged if not handled properly.
It is highly recommended that you consider getting a new pan. However, in the meantime, you can grease the pan with more oil to see if it helps alleviate the issue.
As these applesauce pancakes are made from oats, they are naturally free from gluten. However, cross-contamination might occur during processing, and it is recommended that you get a brand that is certified gluten-free if needed.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Applesauce Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups oats (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 cup plant milk
- ⅔ cup applesauce store-bought or homemade
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Grind your oats in a high-speed blender until they turn into flour.2 cups oats
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until everything is well incorporated. Add a splash of milk if the batter is too thick.1 cup plant milk, ⅔ cup applesauce, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Grease a non-stick pan with a small amount of oil and heat it over medium-low to medium heat.
- Pour ¼ cup of batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles start to form and the edges look dry, around 2-3 minutes.
- Flip it over, and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side. Repeat until the batter is used up.
- Top with toppings of choice and enjoy while warm.
Notes
- Making pancake batter without a blender - Instead of oats, use an equal amount of oat flour or all-purpose flour by weight. Using a small whisk or fork, mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until well incorporated.
- Adjust batter consistency - Adjust the consistency of your batter by adding more milk or flour. A thicker batter will yield fluffier pancakes, while a runnier batter will produce thinner pancakes.
- Use a good non-stick pan - I highly recommend using a non-stick pan and a flexible spatula to make this recipe, as it will make the cooking process much easier.
- Don’t flatten pancakes - While cooking, do not pat or press down pancakes with the spatula. This will deflate the air bubbles in the pancakes, yielding flat and sad-looking pancakes.
Reheating - You can either reheat frozen pancakes in the microwave in 30-second bursts, in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 8-12 minutes, or in a toaster.
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Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Dara says
Thanks so much for this recipe! These are fantastic, and I think I've been making them since you originally posted the recipe. 🙂 I really could go on and on about the merits of these pancakes.
1. Made from oats, so naturally gluten-free and very hearty.
2. Depending on what you use for toppings, they don't send your blood sugar flying through the roof.
3. This is the only meal my toddler will eat without coercion.
4. and it's really easy to put together, just throw all the stuff in a blender.
The only con for me is that I personally hate standing over the stove to make pancakes, and since these pancakes can burn quite quickly... multitasking is out. Also, I add a little more liquid than the recipe asks for and keep the heat pretty low (especially if using a cast iron skillet).
I've tried to make a sheet pan version of these - they weren't nearly as good. If ever you figure out how to make that happen, you'll be my hero forever.
Thanks again!
Katherine says
The flavor is amazing. I am not a pancake experts, so it took me a while to figure out the thick vs thin batter and the right temp use. I would go thinner on the batter than you think, as the oats absorb the liquid over time. I will make again with more plant milk.
Tina Gonnermann says
I always cook pancakes in a 350 degree oven on a parchment lines cookie sheet. Just keep an eye on them and flip them over the same as you would in a fry pan. They turn out wonderful and you don't need oil.
Meesha says
Thanks for sharing! I am glad to hear that. 😁
Cheryl says
My husband never liked pancakes, always said they were “too heavy”, but I had leftover applesauce and decided to make this recipe. Not only did he love them, but he has had me make them three times since! Last night we made a triple batch and he plopped blueberries into each pancake as it cooked on the griddle. Once they cooled we bagged them and put them in the freezer and he eats them most mornings with a little butter and maple syrup. Simple to make, vegan, heart healthy, and the best tasting pancakes we have ever had.
Meesha says
Thank you for your kind comment! I am really thrilled to hear that.😁
Yls says
Delicious and easy to make! I was so happy to find a healthy pancake recipe without bananas!
Meesha says
Really happy to heat that😊
Sherrie Frayer says
These sound great, but they are not oil-free if you coat the pan with oil. In a good non-stick pan, could they cook without the oil?
Meesha says
Yes, they can be made without oil. Just make sure to use a good pan!😁
Teresa Toscani says
Made this for breakfast this morning & it was easy to prepare, quick and very yummy! I added some fresh rasberries & blackberries to top with a drizzle of extra maple syrup! So delicious will definitely make again!!!!