Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Basic Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes
In the past, if someone had told me that pancakes could be healthy I'd have probably thought they were more than a little delusional; after all, how could something as indulgent as pancakes be as good for the body as they are for the soul? In truth, a lot of traditional pancake recipes aren't very nutrient-dense as they're comprised of ingredients such as refined sugar and butter. However, I can assure you that this particular pancake recipe is the opposite. I've scoured recipe blogs aplenty and have undergone a number of culinary experiments (with more than a few less-than-impressive results!) in my search to find the perfect healthy vegan pancakes and I believe I've finally achieved them! They're gluten-free, extremely thick and fluffy, and are filled with nutritious ingredients designed to give you a supply of long-lasting energy to power you through your morning. Not forgetting the most important part, of course - they're absolutely delicious.
Basic vegan buckwheat pancakes topped with banana coins, raspberry compote, dessicated coconut and a sprinkle of Punch Foods' Meet Your Maca superseeds


Ingredients
Makes 5 - 6 small pancakes
  • 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed and 6 tbsp water)
  • 1/2 cup buckwheat flour 
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp lucuma powder (optional but recommended - I find it adds extra depth to the flavour as well as the added bonus of extra nutrients, and it thickens the batter up nicely without having to add more flour. If you don't have any lucuma feel free to use another tablespoon of flour instead if you want to achieve the same thickness)
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk of choice
  • Oil of choice (I use coconut) for cooking

Method

The first thing you need to do is make your flax eggs; to do this simply mix the ground flaxseed and water together in a cup and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to thicken up. If I'm planning on making pancakes for breakfast I tend to make the flax eggs the night before so they're in the fridge all night, which makes them extra thick in the morning - I find that this contributes to the thickness of the pancakes.

When your flax eggs are ready you can begin making your pancakes. Firstly, sift the flour, baking powder and lucuma powder (if using) into a large mixing bowl and stir it all together. Mash your banana into a pulp (you can leave out a few slices for decoration but make sure you use at least half of the banana in the batter) then add it into the bowl along with the non-dairy milk and flax eggs. Mix well until everything is combined - the consistency should be fairly thick, similar to that of cake mixture.

Heat your oil of choice in a frying pan over a medium heat; I have a non-stick frying pan so I only have to use a tiny amount of oil but you may need to use more if you don't have one. When the oil has heated up pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the centre of the pan and spread it out slightly with a spoon, forming a pancake shape. Let it cook for a minute or two, until bubbles start forming on the top, then flip it over and cook it for another minute or so. It should flip over easily - if it doesn't then it hasn't fully cooked (I learned this the hard way!). Repeat with the rest of the mixture, then add your toppings and enjoy!




You can read more about the benefits of buckwheat here.
SHARE:
Written by at
Tags , buckwheat pancakes, , , , vegan pancakes

24 comments

  1. Anonymous11 July 2014 at 12:30

    Do these pancakes work with any other sort of flour other than buckwheat? Maybe whole wheat flour, or oat flour? Just wondering, since it's hard to get buckwheat flour where I am. :)

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 12 July 2014 at 01:37

      Honestly I'm not too sure - I've had one person tell me they work wonderfully with oat flour but another person said they didn't work so I think it's just a case of trial and error with that! Wholewheat flour might work better though :) I'll have a bit of an experiment with other gluten-free flours at some point because I know buckwheat flour isn't readily available to everyone! xxx

  • Anonymous11 July 2014 at 12:39

    I love love love your blog and your instagram, by the way! All your pictures look so scrumptious, I can't wait to make some of your recipes!!

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 12 July 2014 at 01:35

      Awww thank you so much, that's so lovely of you to say! I'd love to know if you try some :) xxx

  • Anonymous12 July 2014 at 11:46

    what pancake pan do you use

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 13 July 2014 at 21:55

      A Tefal 24cm non-stick frying pan :) xxx

  • Anonymous29 July 2014 at 21:12

    Made them with dinkel flour (by accident). Delicious ! Thank you :)
    Christine

    Reply
  • Anonymous24 August 2014 at 16:43

    I was very excited for this recipe because there was no sweetener and no wheat flour. However, the pancakes did not cook the way the picture makes it seem. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't have a non-stick pan, but I used plenty of oil and they still stuck to the pan. They never really seemed to cook the way I expected them to - they were still very gooey after many minutes on the pan. Not sure what I did wrong but I'm very disappointed! :( (They did taste delicious, though.)

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 25 August 2014 at 23:21

      Oh goodness, I'm so sorry they didn't work for you! I always use a non-stick pan so maybe that's why it's easier for me to cook them? The temperature should be low-medium, maybe the heat was too low? Also if you try and flip them before they've cooked then they won't turn over easily - you've got to make sure they've cooked completely on the bottom! Again, I'm so sorry they didn't turn out right, I'm really not sure what I can suggest because they always work perfectly for me :( I'm glad they tasted good though! xxx

  • 1 September 2014 at 23:06

    Hi :) I made these today and they turned out perfect! Was wondering whether you think this recipe will work when making crepes/thin pancakes, say if I just took out the baking powder? x

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 3 September 2014 at 17:10

      Yay, I'm so glad! I always worry that my recipes won't work for other people haha. Oooh, I'm not too sure actually because I've never made crepes before! But definitely give it a go without the baking powder - would you be able to let me know if you try it because I'd love to find out if it works? :) xxx

  • Anonymous13 November 2014 at 07:01

    Will the recipe still working using chia instead of flaxseed in the vegan eggs?

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 16 November 2014 at 22:58

      Yep, chia eggs will work too! :) xxx

  • Anonymous14 November 2014 at 07:58

    Can you make the vegan eggs using chia instead of flax?

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 16 November 2014 at 22:58

      You can do, yes :) xxx

  • 18 January 2015 at 23:25

    hi Meghan! I have tried making other buckwheat pancake recipes before and they all have a really weird and dry taste. I used dark buckwheat flour, is there a significant taste difference between dark and light and do you use the light flour? sorry for all the questions! thank you :)

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 9 March 2015 at 03:17

      Hey lovely :) I'm not too sure to be honest, I've used three different brands of buckwheat flour so far and they've all looked/tasted exactly the same so I don't know what to suggest! I use wholegrain buckwheat flour but the colour is quite light; I can't actually taste the buckwheat when I have the pancakes so maybe there is a difference between types :) I'm sorry I haven't been able to be more helpful! x

  • 25 February 2015 at 14:00

    Heey :) Would love to try them, but I really don't like the taste of bananas...what can I use instead? :)

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 9 March 2015 at 03:18

      Hey sweetie! Anything with the same sort of texture and sweetness as mashed banana would do, so things like applesauce, pumpkin puree or steamed sweet potato would work :) I hope that helps! x

  • 2 May 2015 at 06:40

    Can you actually taste the banana or is it just for texture?

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 6 May 2015 at 11:11

      It's partly for texture and partly to add some sweetness! You can taste it slightly but it isn't that noticeable - if you really dislike bananas then you can use 1/2 cup fruit puree (such as apple) instead, plus a little bit of your choice of sweetener if it's not sweet enough for you :) x

  • 14 May 2015 at 20:06

    Flax eggs, is 2 tablespoons ground = 1 tbsp whole? is the recipe for one person? :)

    Reply
    Replies
    1. 22 May 2015 at 15:52

      2 tbsp ground flax seeds and 6 tbsp water make 2 whole flax eggs :) yep, the recipe is for one person! x

  • 21 June 2015 at 04:24

    Hi Meghan, I came across your recipe today and made the pancakes with flaxseed for lunch! It was sooooo good! Thanks for sharing and I'm glad I came across your lovely blog!

    Lennae xxx
    www.lennaesworld.com

    Reply

Newer Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
© Naturally Meghan . All rights reserved.
by