Incredibly fluffy, cozy and filling, these vegan oatmeal applesauce pancakes makes the perfect fall breakfast! Only simple pantry staples needed and you can make them in 30 minutes. They are naturally oil-free and gluten-free too!
Applesauce is one of my favorite ingredient to work with! It is great as substitute for both oil and eggs, especially in sweet stuff like my eggless coffee cake and apple baked oatmeal. And, this vegan applesauce pancakes is my latest favorite!
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Great for using up leftover applesauce - Made a large batch of applesauce and have no idea what to do with it? Or, you have an opened jar of store-bought applesauce that has been sitting in your pantry for a while? Well, use it to make some amazing pancakes then!
- Incredibly moist and fluffy - Applesauce provides moisture to these pancakes without the addition of eggs or oil. Light yet filling, these oatmeal applesauce pancakes are perfect way to start your day.
- Simple and quick to make - Only a handful of ingredients are needed, and breakfast can be serve in 30 minutes.
- Great for meal prep - Did I mentioned that these vegan applesauce pancakes are freezable too?! Make a large batch and freeze leftovers so you will have breakfast ready to go on busy mornings!
🌾What you will need
📃Notes/substitutions
- Oats - Both quick or rolled oats can be used. Use a certified gluten-free one, if needed.
- Applesauce - You can either use store-bought or homemade ones. Check out this post on how to make applesauce if you are interested to make your own at home!
- Oil-free - Cook pancakes without oil on a good non-stick pan.
🔪How to make
Place oats into a blender and blend until finely grounded.
Add in plant milk, applesauce, baking powder, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract into the blender. Blend until a smooth batter forms. You might have to stop blending and scrap down the sides for a few times.
Preheat a non-stick pan or griddle and lightly coat it with some oil. Once heated, set heat to medium and pour ¼ cup of batter into the pan.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles starts forming and the edges are dry. Gently flip the pancake over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side until nicely browned.
Serve and enjoy your oatmeal applesauce pancakes while warm!
✔Helpful tips
- To make these oatmeal applesauce pancakes without a blender, use oat flour instead of oats, and mix everything together by hand using a fork.
- Pancake batter will be on the thicker side, but still pourable. If your batter is too thick, add plant milk, a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
- Use a good non-stick pan to cook and a flexible spatula to flip your pancakes, if possible. They will definitely ease your cooking process!
- Cook pancakes at medium to medium low heat. This is to ensure that your pancakes cook properly without being burnt on the outside.
- Only flip pancakes once to yield the fluffiest pancakes.
🍓Toppings/serving ideas
Here are a few serving ideas for vegan applesauce pancakes:
- Maple syrup and a small cube of vegan butter
- Nut butter - Use any nut or seed butter you fancy like peanut butter, cashew butter or even tahini. This homemade coconut almond butter is one of my personal favorite!
- Powdered sugar - A light dusting will be sufficient.
- Jam, berry compote or apple butter for extra sweetness.
- Fresh or frozen fruit - Berries, sliced bananas, chopped apples or even caramelized apples.
- Savory stuff - If you like that sweet and salty combo, pair vegan applesauce pancakes with some vegan bacon, breakfast sausage patties or vegan Italian sausages!
❔Commonly asked questions
Keep leftover vegan applesauce pancakes in a sealed container and it will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. They freeze well too, and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To freeze, first place pancakes in one layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until they are frozen. After that, you can transfer them into freezer bags or containers before freezing. This prevents them from sticking together.
You can either reheat frozen pancakes in the microwave for around 60 seconds, in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 10-12 minutes, or in a toaster.
Yes, you can definitely replace milk with water! Your oatmeal applesauce pancakes might slightly less rich in flavor, but will still taste amazing regardless.
If your vegan applesauce pancakes turned out to be dense and chewy, first 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!
Other than that, you might have flipped your pancakes too many times, causing them to deflate. Hence, flip them only once, if possible.
If this happens, it might be a sign that the non-stick coating of your pan has been damaged. At this point, it is recommended that you get yourself a new pan. In the meantime, you can try coating your pan with a little more oil while cooking pancakes.
🥞More vegan pancakes recipes
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📖 Recipe
Fluffy Vegan Applesauce Oatmeal Pancakes
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
- Place oats into a blender and blend until finely grounded.2 cups oats
- Add in the rest of the ingredients into the blender. Blend until a smooth batter forms. You might have to stop blending and scrap down the sides for a few times.1 cup plant milk, ⅔ cup applesauce, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat a non-stick pan or griddle and lightly coat it with some oil. Once heated, set heat to medium and pour ¼ cup of batter into the pan.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles starts forming and the edges are dry. Gently flip the pancake over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side until nicely browned.
- Serve and enjoy your oatmeal applesauce pancakes while warm!
Notes
- Pancake batter will be on the thicker side, but still pourable. If your batter is too thick, add plant milk, a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
- Use a good non-stick pan to cook and a flexible spatula to flip your pancakes, if possible. They will definitely ease your cooking process!
- Cook pancakes at medium to medium low heat. This is to ensure that your pancakes cook properly without being burnt on the outside.
- Only flip pancakes once to yield the fluffiest pancakes.
To freeze, first place pancakes in one layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until they are frozen. After that, you can transfer them into freezer bags or containers before freezing. This prevents them from sticking together.
Reheating - You can either reheat frozen pancakes in the microwave for around 60 seconds, in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for 10-12 minutes, or in a toaster.
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.
Tina Gonnermann
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
Thanks for sharing! I am glad to hear that. 😁
Cheryl
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
Thank you for your kind comment! I am really thrilled to hear that.😁
Yls
Delicious and easy to make! I was so happy to find a healthy pancake recipe without bananas!
Meesha
Really happy to heat that😊
Sherrie Frayer
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
Yes, they can be made without oil. Just make sure to use a good pan!😁
Teresa Toscani
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!!!!