Warm Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
These Warm Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes are the perfect, healthy twist to kick start your day! Completely fluffy, airy, and oil-free, these pancakes are truly irresistible---especially with the burst of Fall spices and bold apple flavor. Made in just a few short steps and under 25 minutes. Gluten-free option available.
Servings 6 pancakes
Ingredients
Apple Pancakes:
- 1 cup organic All-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp all spice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup Almond milk (You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
- 2-3 Tbsps pure maple syrup (See Notes!)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted butter (I use Earth's Balance)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Apple puree (See Notes!)
Caramelized Apple Topping:
- 2 Tbsps vegan butter
- 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled + sliced
Instructions
- Start by whisking together the organic all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, all spice, and sea salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add the Almond milk and apple cider vinegar and whisk together until well combined. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Next whisk in the apple puree into the milk-vinegar mixture until well incorporated. **NOTE: The mixture will thicken, that's OK!** Add vanilla, maple syrup, and melted butter and continue whisking.
- Now, add the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until well combined. NOTE: Batter shouldn’t be too runny or too thick. Try to find it somewhere in the middle. **Try not to Over-mix.**
- Add a thin slice of vegan butter to a heated medium skillet and pour 1/3 cup of batter unto the surface of the skillet. Cook for about 1-2 minutes (until batter begins to bubble) and gently flip pancake to it’s opposite side, cooking another 1-2 minutes. Be sure to gently press down on pancake to ensure that center cooks through.
- Once cooked and lightly brown, remove pancake from heat and repeat steps until all batter is used.
- In the meantime, make your Caramelized Apple topping.
Caramelized Apple Topping:
- In a saucepan on medium-high heat, add the butter and heat until melted. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt and stir until combined and everything begins to bubble, about 2-3 minutes. Add sliced apples, tossing everything until apples are well covered and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. **NOTE: Sauce should thicken and become "caramelized" within this time without burning.** Once done, remove from heat and serve immediately.
- To serve, stack pancakes onto one another and add Caramelized Apples and lightly drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.
- Bon Appetite!
Notes
SWEETENER: If you choose to opt out of pure maple syrup, you can always substitute with Agave as well.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: To make these pancakes GF, I recommend using a GF Flour Blend (Bob’s Red Mills has a great version!). **NOTE: If the batter is too ‘thin + runny’, simply add additional GF flour, 1/4 cup at a time.**
APPLE PUREE: In a saucepan, add diced apples (about 2 medium ones), 1 tsp lemon juice, 2-3 Tbsps organic brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and cook on medium-high heat, stirring until they release their juices and things begin to bubble. Continue cooking until apples have softened. Add a pinch of cinnamon. Once completely softened, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Now, add apples to a high-powered blender and blend until mixture is fully pureed, about 1-2 minutes (having chunks are fine, if desired). Continue with recipe.