Easy Vegan Banana Pancakes

Ahh pancakes. Who doesn’t love them. I certainly do. So it’s no surprise (to those that know me) that the first recipe for this blog had to be for pancakes.

I teach two back-to-back yoga classes on Sunday mornings. 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM to be exact. I don’t like the idea of eating heavy right before teaching so I eat a light breakfast and go. Then, I take my dog for a power walk. By 2:00 PM, I am starving and ready for a delicious and satisfying brunch. This is where the lazy Sunday begins.

On most Sundays, I eat pancakes. My favorite way to eat them is soaked (yes, soaked) in pure maple syrup, with a big side of fresh fruit, and a piping-hot cup of coffee (no cream, milk, or sugar).

I’ve always liked my pancakes dairy-free, egg-free, and not too sweet. So I started playing around with making my own version of vegan pancakes and after much trial and error, these are my absolute favorite.

They are absolutely delicious. They are vegan, satisfying, light, and super fluffy. And, did I mention they are super easy to make? Well, they are.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ salt
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened, original almond Milk
• ¼ vanilla extract
• I medium-sized banana (ripe)
• About 3 tbsp coconut oil for frying
• Maple syrup for serving
• Fresh fruit (optional)

Instructions

• Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• In a blender, combine the milk, vanilla, and banana. Blend until smooth and liquidy.
• Pour the milk mixture in another bowl, then slowly add the dry mixture. Don’t over mix. A few lumps are fine. Also, the batter may be thicker depending on the size of the banana. If the batter is thick, add another tablespoon of milk.
• Let the batter rest for about 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat a non-stick pan with some coconut oil. It should be warm enough but not smoking hot.
• Use a ¼ measuring cup to add pancake batter to the pan. Flip when you see bubbles (including around the center), and when edges are somewhat firm. About 2 minutes on each side.
• Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Makes 8 medium-sized pancakes (2-3 servings)

*Note: make sure that the banana is at room temperature. I say this because some people bring the bananas into the fridge when they are starting to ripe.

A few tips…

• Always let the batter rise. About 10 minutes, or at least 5 minutes.
• Make sure the pan is warm enough. I used to always hear people say that the first pancake always comes out ugly. Now I know why. The pan is not warm enough.
• Flip once, and only once.