Healthy & Easy Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes (no eggs, no milk, no banana)
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In this article you will find Healthy & Easy Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes. It is so easy your kids could make it and so fluffy & cheap there is no reason to not make this recipe a part of your weekly meal plan!
Originally Posted: June 25th, 2020
If you want to start your day with a healthy breakfast, then you’ll love this oatmeal pancake recipe! Just add some berries and maple syrup and you have a super easy weekend breakfast!
Or, if you prefer more flavored pancakes try these Apple Pancakes, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, or Pumpkin Pancakes! (Don’t worry, they’re all vegan!)
In fact, I make this these vegan oatmeal pancakes every Sunday morning for my husband and three girls.
With only 5, really cheap, ingredients, and the fact that everyone loves them; it’s a no-brainer, and one less meal I have to plan each week!
Keep reading to find which 5 cheap ingredients you need to make these.
Ingredients
Oat Flour: No need to buy expensive oat flour from the store (unless you want to or need to, such as if you need to make sure it’s gluten free). You can simply grind old fashioned oats in a high speed blender or food processor, it’s as simple as that!
Grinding the oats into oat flour yourself is one way this recipe is so cheap to make!
Oat flour will also make these pancakes more filling, because of the fiber, and satisfying.
Brown Sugar: I like to use brown sugar in this recipe because it tends to have a few more nutrients than white sugar (which has basically none).
Baking Powder: Try to get aluminum free baking powder if you can find it! You can’t make this recipe without some type of baking powder. This is what helps make the pancakes rise and become so fluffy!
Applesauce: Applesauce in this recipe replaces the oil you would normally find in a pancake recipe, making it a bit healthier, with less fat content! It also helps the recipe be more whole food plant-based.
I like to buy the individual snack size applesauce cups, but feel free to buy a larger container or use some homemade applesauce, as long as it’s not chunky applesauce. (If you’re looking for a chunky homemade applesauce, for enjoying all by itself, make sure you check out mine linked in this sentence!)
Water: You need more liquid than just applesauce to get everything to stir. I like using water, as it’s super cheap and one of the best liquids in the world! And, if you’re trying to lose weight, it adds 0 calories.
Along with not having to worry about anyone who has allergies to specific nuts, seeds, or other foods non-dairy milk is made of; water is simply the best choice all the way around!
Substitutions & Additions
I have made these quite a few times! (Probably somewhere in the 100’s with making them almost every weekend for the past 3-4 years!)
So, I know a thing or two about how you can make them a little bit differently if you normally buy a different type of flour or sugar and don’t want to buy something special for this recipe.
All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour works wonderful in place of OR combined with oat flour. This would be a good alternative if you’re family isn’t used to oat flour, or if you’re weaning yourself or family to eating more plant-based (rather than processed and refined grains).
When replacing oat flour with all purpose flour, use 1 1/2 cups flour INSTEAD of 2 cups. All purpose flour absorbs liquid a little bit easier than oat flour does.
When using both oat flour and all purpose flour, use 1 cup of each.
Granulated Sugar: This type of sugar can easily replace the brown sugar with a 1:1 ratio with no issues whatsoever!
Other Sugars: Just like with subbing in granulated sugar, you substitute the brown sugar with other types of dry sugars with a 1:1 ratio. Coconut sugar has been tested with great results. Try not to use turbinado sugar, as the grains are too large.
Oil: If you’re not a fan of applesauce in your pancakes, feel free to sub in oil. This is what my husband and oldest daughter prefers.
Vegetable oil, canola oil, and melted coconut oil all work great. Use the same amount of oil as applesauce that the recipe calls for. I, however, will always opt for the applesauce, as I strive to eat as whole food plant-based as possible.
Non-Dairy Milk: You can sub in your preferred non-dairy milk for the water, same amount as the water, with similar results. It will raise the price of the recipe, but it’ll also add in some more nutrients.
Add-ins: Chocolate chips, berries, diced apples, or whatever other add-ins you want, go for it!! Just be sure to keep add-ins to 1 cup.
Also, if you want to keep the pancakes round, and not lumpy shaped, add whichever add-ins you want to the pancake after pouring the batter onto the pan, don’t add them into the bowl of batter.
How to Make the Best Oatmeal Pancakes
Alright, so I may be a little biased when I say they are the best, but what can I say! They are so simple my 7 & 10 year old can make them.
Plus, they don’t have bananas as an ingredient. As much as myself and girls love bananas, my husband hates them and won’t eat anything with bananas in them, except for my banana bread.
Step One: Gather all of the ingredients.
Step Two: Mix together all of the dry ingredients; oat flour, baking powder, and sugar.
Step Three: Add the applesauce and water; mix well until there are no lumps.
Step Four: Grab a pan and set it on the stove to medium heat. Allow the batter to sit during this time, to give the oat flour time to absorb the water.
Step Five: Pour about a quarter cup of the batter onto the pan and cook until there are bubbles at the top. Once there are bubbles at the top of the pancake, flip and let cook on the other side.
Step Six: Repeat until there is no batter left.
Step Seven: Once done, let cool slightly and enjoy with blueberries & maple syrup!!
Honestly though, by the time I get to sit down and eat them, they are cold…which is why I generally eat them while standing and cooking for the rest for my family.
Pancake Expertise Tips
I’ve made quite a few pancakes since becoming a mom (almost 11 years ago!), and I have also trained to be a professional food photographer & food stylist, so I know a thing or two about making the best, most fluffiest pancakes ever!
And, I’m going to spill all my secrets to having the fluffiest, most delicious pancakes ever right here (it’s not as hard as you might think!):
- Make sure the pan is hot before placing any batter on it. If you’re in a rush, start heating the pan on the stove before making the batter; I know from experience that it’s a lot easier to heat the pan up while making pancake batter, rather than trying to be patient, failing, and then having the first couple pancakes fail because the pan wasn’t fully heated!
- It is perfectly fine for the batter to feel thick, but not so thick that it won’t spread at all when pouring it on the pan.
- DO NOT flip the pancake until it has bubbles all over it! We only want to flip it once, so make sure not to flip it early.
- DO NOT press the pancake down onto the pan once you flip it! I used to do this all the time when I first learned to make pancakes and ended up with super flat pancakes that usually stuck to the pan. So let’s not have you make the same mistake as I did!
- You’ll know that the second side is done cooking when the edges of the pancake at the bottom are golden.
- Don’t forget to make it fun! Feel free to have fun and make Mickey Mouses, hearts, or anything else if you’re feeling creative!
How to Serve
Once you’ve made these easy oatmeal pancakes, it’s time to serve!
You’ll want to serve them warm (even if that means you’re eating while still making them, like I usually do!).
Then comes all of the fun toppings! This is where your, and your kids, creativity/cravings can come into play…or not, up to you.
Toppings Ideas:
- Maple Syrup
- Berries
- Banana
- Peaches
- Mango
- Any other fruit you happen to have that’s ripe
- Other syrups (chocolate, strawberry, caramel?)
- Chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips
- Sprinkles
- Whatever else you can think of!
This pancake recipe is super versatile! You could make it every month for a year and have it taste completely different each time simply by how you serve it and what you top it with!
How to Store
Fridge: You can store these in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat in the microwave in 15 second increments. But, freezing gives better results (any type of pancake can get a little soggy in the fridge).
Freezer: This is the best way to save leftovers! You’ll want to let the pancakes cool completely before adding them to a baking sheet (with parchment or silicone baking sheets) and placing them in the freezer.
Let them sit in the freezer, uncovered, like this until they are completely frozen. Then add them to a freezer safe bag or container until you are ready to eat them.
Reheat in the toaster or microwave! It’s as simple as that. That is why I like adding this recipe to my weekly meal prep.
FAQ’s
In general, it depends! For this recipes, yes, absolutely! The lack of oil, butter, and eggs – things you’ll find in regular pancake recipes, makes these healthy. And then with using oat flour instead of all purpose flour; this is probably the cheapest, easiest, healthy breakfast that you’ll be able to make that your kids won’t stick their noses up at!
Can you imagine?! There is a healthier way to eat these pancakes than just with plain simple maple syrup; add berries!
Berries are chock full of healthy anti-oxidants and other nutrients, so adding them to these pancakes will make them even better for you! Plus, they’re delicious, and what kid doesn’t love berries!
(They love them, but they can be a little bit pricey with the way kids will eat them. I recommend getting frozen and heating them up if berries aren’t in season when you need them.)
Yes! You can eat these pancakes when trying to lose weight, just eat the same amount of non-starchy veggies with them (I’ve recently been obsessed with air fried zucchini!).
Unfortunately, since spending the last year and a half as a food photographer for other bloggers, I’ve gained a bit of weight (I’m a pro at photographing cookies now, though!).
Luckily, I don’t have to give up any of the foods I love (because I’m also a recipe developer and love making unhealthy recipes healthy), like this pancake recipe!
That is a great question! I actually have not tried that yet, but it makes sense that it will work. My only concern is that the oats won’t grind into a flour as much as they should if you add all the ingredients to the blender.
OR, that blending everything in the blender will make the oat flour absorb the liquid too much and you’ll have a hard time getting the batter to pour.
You can try it if you want, but I would recommend blending the oats into a flour and then mixing everything in a bowl (I know, more dishes, but it’s tried, tested, and works every time that way.)
I usually make two to four batches when meal prepping. Using my cast iron griddle really helps cut down on time making these (I can make about 6 at a time on that).
We usually eat an entire batch for breakfast fresh on Sunday, and then they last for the next couple of days (sometimes the whole week) between myself and 3 girls.
More Vegan Pancake Recipes You’ll Love
- The Best Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes Recipe
- How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Easy Vegan Snowman Pancakes [For Christmas Morning!]
- Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Banana Pancakes
- Vegan Mini Pancakes
Healthy & Easy Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes (no eggs, no milk, no banana)
Shawna ClapperEquipment
- bowl & spoon
- griddle or pan
- flipper
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats ground into flour (or buy oat flour)
- 1 ½ tbsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp applesauce (can sub with veggie oil)
- 1 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Get your pan on the stove (or griddle) ready and turn to medium heat.
- Mix together the oat flour, baking powder, and sugar.
- Pour the applesauce and water on top of the dry mixture, stir well. Allow the batter 5 to 10 minutes to thicken if it feels too runny.
- Pour a quarter cup of the batter on the pan at a time.
- Let the top show bubbles, then flip. Once the edges on the bottom start to golden, remove from pan to eat.
- Let cool slightly, then enjoy!
Thank you! I hate oatmeal but was in a tight squeeze for flour so I made these for breakfast for my family and they came out VERY good.
I blended my own oats, sifted the flour because I didn’t want it to… oaty (lol). I gradually added the water to my desired consistency and I ended up using about 1 1/4 cup water, added dark chocolate pieces and a generous amount of honey instead of brown sugar in addition to some salt.
Came out great, thank you!
Best recipe ever when you’re on a budget and trying to be healthy, really whipped these up in no time by putting all the ingredients into a blender and just pulsing until everything was combined. The recipe even stayed in the fridge overnight and it was incredible the next day. Very quick and accurate measurements thanks a bunches!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe!! It’s one of our favorite easy breakfast recipes.
These turned out great! They were nice and fluffy.
I’m so happy you like them!!