Vegan Protein Pancakes

These protein pancakes are going to change your mornings for the better. The batter comes together in under 10 minutes, and they're a delicious way to start your day off with some extra protein.

These pancakes are easy to whip up on a busy workday, or after the gym for a post-workout meal. And they're so delicious, the whole family will love them too!

What kind of vegan protein powder can I use to make protein pancakes?

I developed this recipe using an unflavored pea protein powder, but it will work with almost any vegan protein powder, including hemp, rice, and flavored blends. However, each type of protein powder may have a slightly different texture, or absorb moisture differently.

To make this recipe as consistent as possible, I recommend switching to metric measurements and weighing your protein powder.

You can also adjust the recipe a bit if your batter is too thick or too thin. It should be on the thicker side, but pourable. If it's too thick, add some additional plant milk. Too thin, add some flour.

If you do need to add plant milk or flour, make a note of how much you added. That way you can adjust the recipe directly in the future. It's better to add the right amount from the beginning because adding more later can result in overmixing, which can lead to dense pancakes.

If you're using a flavored protein powder that contains a sweetener, you may also wish to reduce or eliminate the sugar in this recipe.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Unsweetened almond milk: You can use any plant milk you like here, but I like almond milk because the consistency is usually pretty similar between brands. If you have a thicker type of plant milk, you may need to add more milk to achieve a pourable batter.

• Apple cider vinegar: This curdles the almond milk creating a flavorful "buttermilk." White vinegar works as well.

• All-purpose flour: The base of the pancakes, also provides some protein. You could use cake flour or whole wheat flour as well. Cake flour will provide less protein but create fluffier pancakes, while whole wheat flour will result in a grittier texture.

• Vegan protein powder: I used unflavored pea protein powder here; see the section above for more suggestions. I don't recommend increasing the amount of protein powder, or your pancakes may become too dense.

• Granulated sugar: I like to use raw turbinado sugar, but you can also use other sweeteners such as maple syrup, agave, coconut sugar, white sugar, monk fruit, or stevia. If your protein powder is sweetened, you may wish to reduce or eliminate the sugar.

• Baking powder: This is the key to creating fluffy pancakes, and because protein powder is so dense, you'll need a lot. If your pancakes are not fluffy, try increasing the baking powder.

• Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the pancakes. Leave it out or cut it in half if you're trying to reduce sodium.

• Sunflower oil: Makes your pancakes moist and delicious. You can use another neutral-tasting oil here if you don't have sunflower oil.

• Vanilla extract: Adds flavor to the pancakes.

Tips for Better Pancakes

Pancakes can be a bit tricky to get right, and protein pancakes are even more difficult. Here's some help if you're running into issues:

• Batter consistency: Your batter should be slightly lumpy, and thick but pourable. Since protein powders vary widely, you may need to add more flour or non-dairy milk to get the right consistency. Make sure your batter still has some lumps by avoiding over-mixing.

• Pan heat: If your pancakes are uncooked on the inside but golden on the outside, your heat is too high. I like to check the heat of my pan by tossing a few drops of water on the pan. If the water evaporates violently (splashing out of the pan), your heat is too high. If it takes more than 5-10 seconds to evaporate, your heat is too low.

• Weigh ingredients: Flour and protein powder can be difficult to measure accurately using cups. I recommend turning on the metric measurements and weighing these two ingredients for best results.

Topping Ideas

For these protein pancakes, I like to spread some cashew cream on top (half water, half raw, soaked cashews, blended into a cream), with blueberries, walnuts, and maple syrup. Here are some other ideas you may like:

• Vegan butter

• Fruit jams or jellies

• Caramel or chocolate sauce

• Vegan yogurt

• Nut or seed butter

• Berries (strawberries, raspberries) or chopped fruits (bananas, apples)

• Seeds (chia, hemp, sunflower) and nuts (pecans, almonds, hazelnuts)

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of pan is best for making these pancakes? I like to use either a non-stick pancake griddle or a pair of non-stick pans. The non-stick surface makes it much easier to cook and flip the pancakes, and having a larger surface means I can cook all the pancakes faster. Make sure you don't use a metal spatula with a non-stick surface, because metal can damage the coating.

Why are my pancakes uncooked inside? This is a sign that your heat is too high. Turn the heat down a bit and test the pan with the water method: toss a few drops of water on the pan and watch the reaction. If the water splashes out of the pan, your heat is too high. If it takes more than 5-10 seconds to evaporate fully, your heat is too low.

My batter doesn't look like yours, what should I do? Because protein powders have different textures and absorbancy, you may need to adjust the recipe a little bit to get the right consistency. Look for a lumpy and thick batter that's just thin enough to be poured. If you need to make your batter thinner, add almond milk; to make it thicker, add flour. I recommend noting how much milk or flour you needed to add so you can adjust the recipe in the future.

Can I add more protein powder? Protein powder is more dense than flour, so to keep the pancakes fluffy, I don't recommend increasing the amount of protein powder.

Why aren't my pancakes fluffy? Different protein powders have different consistencies, and yours may be more dense. To counteract that, add additional baking powder to your batter 1 teaspoon at a time until you end up with fluffy pancakes.

Do these pancakes taste gritty? These pancakes are not gritty when made with the pea protein powder I used. However, different protein powders have different textures, so your results may vary if you're using a different brand or type.

Can I add blueberries or chocolate chips to these pancakes? Yes! But don't add them directly to the batter. Instead, pour the batter onto the pan as you normally would, then immediately drop the berries or chocolate chips on top of the pancakes. You may wish to press them in slightly with the back of a spoon.