Made with whole-grain oat flour, these easy vegan pancakes will keep you full and happy all morning! They're fluffy, moist, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and made with just 5 ingredients. Free from gluten, oil, soy, nuts, and refined sugar.
I know this might sound bizarre, but I've never been much of a pancake person. I think there are a few reasons, but basically, it boils down to growing up in a very healthy-eating household.
When Mom did make pancakes they were whole-wheat, and my young taste buds weren't impressed. And if we went out for Sunday brunch (anyone remember the Shoney's breakfast bar?), I always went straight for biscuits and gravy and cheesy scrambled eggs.
Not only did I not fall in love with pancakes as a kid, once I grew up I realized my body doesn't like starting the day with a massive pile of bread. I mean, for me, traditional pancakes are pretty much a blood sugar nightmare. However, my husband is a huge pancake fan, and I really wanted to create an easy, healthy, delicious pancake recipe that both of us would enjoy. Oats to the rescue once again!
Even better? Naturally creamy "lite" coconut milk adds just enough fat to make these pancakes filling, super moist, naturally sweet, and totally irresistible. No butter, eggs, or oil needed.
Ingredients
I love recipes that are simple and straightforward, and I know most of you do, too. So you're in luck because healthy pancakes don't get much easier than this! Here's what you'll need:
- 2 cups oat flour - I like to blend rolled oats in my Vitamix for this, but you can also use store-bought (look for certified gluten-free oats, if needed)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder (not soda)
- 1 ⅓ cups light/lite canned coconut milk - I don't recommend substituting other non-dairy milks; the specific fat/liquid content of light coconut milk works best as this recipe is written.
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
And that's it. So simple and sooooo good. The vanilla really shines through even though we're using coconut milk. In fact, if you want VERY vanilla pancakes (and you have a money tree growing in the backyard) you can increase the vanilla to 4 teaspoons.
Amount/Servings
This makes eight 4 ½-inch pancakes. Since pancakes are best fresh, if you're cooking for 1 or 2 people, you can easily scale the recipe down by half.... or just go ahead with the full batch if you're feeling extra hungry!
You can also store leftover pancakes for several days in the refrigerator, or freeze them for later.
Tips for Cooking Pancakes
For those of us who don't make pancakes very often, it can take a couple of tries to really get the hang of it. That's totally normal!
There's a bit of an art to getting the heat just right. Plus, as you try different pancake recipes, with different types of flour and fat/sugar content, it can throw off everything you think you know. Patience is important.
For these oat flour pancakes, here's what you're looking for:
The edges should look set and there should be bubbles across the entire surface of the pancake before you flip it. See photo above. This may take a few minutes.
If the heat is too high, the outside of the pancake will brown before the middle is done. And if the heat is too low, well, you won't really get a lovely golden exterior without overcooking them.
Don't be afraid to adjust the heat slightly based on how the first pancake cooks. But also try not to constantly change it throughout the whole cooking process. The idea is to dial it in.
A Note About Substitutions
As mentioned above regarding coconut milk, I recommend trying the recipe exactly as written. There are about a million-and-one ways to make pancakes, and no shortage of recipes on the internet. So if you don't have oats (or oat flour) or light coconut milk, it may be best to find a different recipe for now.
In recipes like this that contain just a handful of ingredients, it gets more difficult to make successful substitutions. I'm not saying they won't work with a different milk or flour or sweetener, but they WILL be different than intended.
Now that I've finally fallen in love with pancakes, I'm sure I'll be sharing many more recipes soon, with a wide variety of flours, milks, and additions. Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd ever get excited about pancakes, and I'm so glad it's finally happened, ha!
I hope you love these Coconut Milk Oat Flour Pancakes as much as we do. If you try the recipe be sure to leave a comment and rating below to let everyone know how they turned out.
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More oat flour recipes:
Oil-Free Oat Flour Banana Bread
Apple-Cinnamon Oat Flour Scones
Spiced Tahini Oatmeal Cookies
Breakfast Mug Muffin
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthier Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Coconut Milk Oat Flour Pancakes (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour (180 g) Make your own by blending rolled oats until fine.
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ⅓ cups canned lite coconut milk Shake can very well before opening.
- ¼ cup maple syrup Plus more for serving.
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In a small bowl combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. The maple syrup is heavy and will sink to the bottom, so stir the mixture well then immediately pour into the dry ingredients. Whisk just until there's no visible dry flour. Let stand 5 minutes.
- Preheat a non-stick skillet or electric griddle over medium heat.
- Once the cooking surface is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, pour a scant ⅓ cup of batter onto the pan/griddle. Personally, I prefer to cook oat flour pancakes at a slightly lower heat than all-purpose flour pancakes. You may need to adjust the heat slightly during cooking to get it just right. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear across the top and the underside is golden. Cook for another 90 seconds to 2 minutes or until cooked through and golden on both sides.
- Serve warm with maple syrup and any other toppings you enjoy, such as vegan yogurt, butter, fresh berries, or nut/seed butter.
Hi, I'm Lori. I share approachable vegan recipes, everything from gluten-free and oil-free recipes to decadent, veganized classics!