Foolproof Vegan English Pancakes. Quick & easy to make & great for dessert or brunch! They are beautifully freckled and so good straight from the pan, served glistening with fresh lemon juice & sugar.
I could not let Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it's more affectionately known, go by without sharing a recipe for traditional Vegan English Pancakes.
I have quite a few pancake recipes here on AVV (like my Gingerbread Pancakes and my Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes), but they are all American style pancakes. Being a Brit I thought it time I shared the pancakes I grew up eating every year, without fail, on Pancake Day and any other day my Sister and I could persuade my Mum to make them.
How are English Pancakes different to crepes and American Pancakes?
English Pancakes are very different to American Pancakes. They are flat, much bigger and do not use any raising agent. Because of this they are thin (but not as paper-thin as a crepe) and they are not cakey in texture like American Pancakes.
Although traditionally English Pancakes do not use raising agent, they do have egg in the batter and eggs provide a little leavening action. That is why in this version I use aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) and a little bit of baking powder. They both work together to do what eggs would otherwise do.
My Vegan English Pancakes are just as good as their non-vegan counterparts. They are beautifully pliable and soft with crispy lacey edges. Their surface is freckled with little brown spots and they have a subtle vanilla flavour.
How to make Vegan English Pancakes
Vegan English Pancakes are really easy to make. Here's how:
- Mix everything together to make a thinnish batter then leave it to rest for at least 10 minutes, although longer is fine
- Heat a large fry pan/ crepe pan over a medium/high heat and once it's really hot add some oil
- Quickly pour in enough batter to cover the whole base of the pan and swirl it around to coat evenly
- Leave for a minute or or so then turn it over and cook on the other side
- Remove and repeat
It's traditional to flip the pancake in the air to turn it over. I however have had, and witnessed, far too many pancakes accidents so am boring and use a turner in the pan now. In the past I have had many pancakes meet their death on the kitchen floor and my Mum once launched a pancake in mid-air and it stuck to the ceiling ????.
To flip or not to flip...that is the question.....I will let you decide. It's a very personal decision...just don't blame me if it all goes wrong!
If all goes right though, and they don't end up on the floor or the ceiling, this is what you have to look forward to ????
How to serve English Pancakes
The traditional way to serve English Pancakes is with fresh lemon juice and sugar. Sprinkle the sugar all over the pancake, squeeze lemon juice over it, then roll it up and sprinkle a bit more sugar on the outside. I know I'll get comments all over about the refined flour and the sugar. Unfortunately they aren't the healthiest thing in the world but they are so good and a great treat every once in a while.
If you don't want to be quite so traditional there are all sorts of different ways to serve Vegan English Pancakes. My son's favourite way to eat them is with jam spread all over them then rolled up. You could do the same with homemade Vegan Lemon Curd. You could also fill them with fresh fruit, chocolate spread, banana and chocolate, coconut cream or drizzle them with maple syrup. You can even omit the vanilla from my recipe and use savoury fillings. I've even been known to make a lasagne type dish with them instead of pasta sheets. Use your imagination and have fun!
This is why I am loving these Vegan English Pancakes:
- They remind me of my childhood
- Making them is such fun!
- They are super cheap and filling
- You can get creative with fillings and toppings!
- They freeze perfectly (just place a sheet of parchment between each one)
- And they are just as good as English Pancakes made with eggs!
For more vegan pancakes recipes, check out these great options:
- Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Gingerbread Pancakes
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten Free Pancakes
- Vegan Spelt Pancakes
- Healthy Oil-Free Pancakes
And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!
Vegan English Pancakes
Author:
Ingredients
- 210g / 1½ cup all purpose flour , plain flour in the UK
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 9 tablespoons aquafaba , (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 420mls / 1¾ cups milk of choice *
- 2 tablespoons mild olive oil **, plus extra for frying
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the flour to a large mixing bowl along with the salt and baking powder. Mix to combine them.
- Add the aquafaba, oil and vanilla to the bowl, then gradually add the milk whisking as you go to work out any lumps (a few little tiny ones won't hurt). Once all the milk has been added and the batter is smooth, set aside and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes. DO NOT use a blender to mix the batter. Over-mixing will affect the texture of the pancakes.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan or crepe pan (mine is 10 inches wide - if you use a smaller one you will get more pancakes, a larger one a few less) over a medium high heat until very hot, then add a drop of oil and swirl it around the pan to coat. The better your pan the less oil you can get away with using.
- Pour into the middle of the pan, enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan. I have a large frying pan and needed just less than ½ a cup. You need to do this quickly, then lift the pan off the heat and swirl it so the batter coats the entire bottom of the pan.
- Leave the pancake to cook for between 30 seconds to a minute. Turn back a little outside edge to look under and flip or turn it when lots of nice brown spots have appeared. Cook for a further 30 seconds to a minute until that side is spotty too then remove from the pan.Please note that it is completely normal for the first pancake of the batch to be a bit of a flop. It never turns out as well as the rest. Its job is to season the pan and it is compulsory for the chef to stuff their face with it while they cook the rest of the pancakes ;O)
- Repeat until all of the batter is used. If your pan isn't a great one like mine you will need to add a tiny drop of oil before cooking each one. I wipe the oil around my pan carefully with a piece of kitchen paper (be sure not to burn your fingers).
- You can feed the pancakes to the waiting hoards as you cook them, or you can keep a plate in a very low oven and place each pancake in there as they are cooked so they keep warm until you are all done.
NOTES
If you did, be a ☆ and let me know what you think by rating it and commenting below. Tag me on Instagram too. I am @avirtualvegan and my hashtag is #avirtualvegan ________________________________________________________
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Fiona says
These are easier to flip than most vegan pancakes we've tried making, but they are not a hit with my family who all found them way too greasy. It was also very, very difficult to get the lumps out. Next pancake day we'll go back to a much more simple recipe without the oil and aquafaba (it takes seconds to make in the blender... no lumps!) which is always a hit with vegans and non vegans alike.
A Virtual Vegan says
If they were too greasy it sounds like you added too much oil to the pan. My tip included in the recipe for wiping the oil around the pan with some folded-up kitchen paper works really well to avoid this. If you add the liquid gradually whisking as you go it shouldn't be difficult to get the big lumps out of the batter. A few small lumps are fine and you don't need to worry about them. I don't recommend making pancakes like this in a blender as you will develop the gluten too much and make them a lot less tender. Hope that helps!
Beth Atkins says
Hi there, do I need to do anything to the chickpea water before adding it to the recipe or does it go straight in?
Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
The aquafaba just goes in as it is.
Pamela Williams says
What could I do to replace the oil? I don’t do oils of any kind. Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
These pancakes will be difficult to make without oil. They are so big and thin and you need to be able to move/slide them around the pan easily to flip them over. The oil is what helps you do that. Without oil they will likely just stick and be impossible to handle. The heat of the oil also contributes to how well they turn out. You could probably omit the oil from the batter without making ahuge difference and cooking them might work with lots of spray oil and a good nonstick pan but I haven't personally tried it.
Michele Hodgson says
Such a good recipe - thank you!
Bryony says
Tastes exactly like they should. Great texture and taste. Very easy. This is my go to recipe for pancakes. Thank you!
jordi says
I'm wondering if there's a substitute for the Aquafaba for this recipe?
A Virtual Vegan says
It's necessary to get the great soft texture. I wouldn't recommend using anything else.
Astrid says
Really good recipe.
Made it with oat milk and water from a butter bean tin.
Worked beautifully!
Thank you so much for sharing.
Daria says
Every time I open a can of chickpeas I make these pancakes. They are so easy and so delicious, my daughter loves to melt chocolate chips in the middle, roll them up and top with a bit of maple syrup...my grandkids I put pb & jam! So many possibilities, love all her recipes!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Daria! I'm really pleased you're all enjoying them!
laura says
These pancakes are amazing! The best vegan pancakes I've tasted. The texture is perfect! I use almond milk (rude health) because I love the taste x
laura says
I forgot to star rate so I've done this in the reply xx haha x
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Laura! Glad you enjoyed them!
Maggie says
Hi. I tried these for the first time today. The first pancake out of the pan was a disaster but by the last one, they were coming out perfect. Very tasty and nice texture. I served with some frozen mixed berries I had warmed up in the microwave to make a “sauce”. This recipe made a total of 6 pancakes for us, based on the size of my pan, and with 2 of us it was a perfect serving of 3 each. (Well, the 1st one was a mess, so it would have made a total of 7 if that one had not been discarded.
I have a question though: after whisking together the dry ingredients, I added in the oil, aquafabra and vanilla and stirring it all together it because a big lump of sticky dough. When I started drizzling in the “milk”, it was difficult to separate the dough into a nice batter and I was never able to get rid of some (a good amount) of the dough lumps. Is there a better method for mixing? Could the oil, aquafaba and vanilla be whisked into the plant milk first and then that liquid concoction be combined with the dry ingredients? I would love to make this easier next time. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Maggie. It's completely normal when making English pancakes for the first pancake to not work well. It is always the case no matter what you do and what pan you use. The first pancake in effect seasons the pan. It distributes the heat evenly and absorbs excess oil on the surface of the pan so the subsequent ones cook better. It's kind of a sacrificial pancake and is always my little treat before I move on to make the rest ;O)
As for mixing the batter, the instructions don't say to mix the oil, aquafaba and vanilla in to the flour. It just says to add them to the bowl. You don't start mixing until you are adding the milk. Otherwise the whisk will get all clogged up and it will get lumpy as you found. That's where you went wrong. You could mix the oil etc into the milk before you start if you want to though. It won't make any difference.
Hope that helps!
Amber says
I’ve made them three times now with Oatly Barista and they are pure perfection! Just like a french crepe (what we eat in the UK)
Mel says
These are so nice- thank you!
Kat says
We've been in covid-19 lockdown since March (in the UK) & I asked the kids what might make them feel good this morning. "PANCAKES!" was the overwhelming response! So I gave these a try... I found that they weren't quite right after resting for 10 minutes, but after half an hour delivered a beautifully perfect crepe!! I used oat milk and served up with dairy free chocolate spread & banana. Thank you for a brilliant recipe!! (& the kids love them too!)
Lilach says
These are fabulous ? Second time we've made these, first for pancake day, now for our Easter Sunday breakfast. So so good and easy to make! We had a peanut butter - banana filling, and cinnamon butter with chopped apple.
A Virtual Vegan says
They sound delicious! Glad you're enjoying the recipe!
Jeanette says
I have always loved English pancakes with lemon juice and sugar, so I was keen to try these since becoming vegan. I found them very thick the first time I cooked them. I made them just for myself so there was batter left over. I thinned this down with more soy mild, but they still cooked up quite thick, not what I was used to for English pancakes. I will try the recipe again to see if I can replicate the traditional recipe.
I do love most of your recipes.