Dairy-Free Pancakes — Healthier pancakes that are soft, fluffy, and light! I loaded mine up with blueberries, but you can tailor this recipe to suit your preferences!
Fluffy Dairy-Free Pancake Recipe
If you think that dairy-free pancakes means you’re going to be eating lead balloons, think again. The pancakes are soft, light, fluffy, and are new all-time favorites.
In the past, I’ve tried making dairy-free pancakes and have ended up with items (can’t even call them pancakes) that ranged from thin and flimsy to dense and heavy. And all of them went directly into the trash.
I’ve had good luck with other blueberry and fruity breakfast items, and I’m glad I attempted dairy-free blueberry pancakes again.
For the wet ingredients, I used Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. I swear by this stuff. It only has 30 calories per 8 ounces, tastes great, and if I need a vegan milk, this is my absolute go-to.
All Silk products are dairy-free and gluten-free and I like that Silk is committed to and believes in the benefits of a plant-based diet.
I fried them with just non-stick cooking spray. No butter pools or puddles of oil needed. Pancakes are like sponges, just soaking in all those unnecessary fat grams and becoming dense and heavy.
The blueberries are sweet, juicy, and add such a nice touch. I never want plain pancakes again after having an abundance of blueberries in every bite of these fluffy stacks.
My daughter — who’s taste-tested her way through a couple cookbooks and years of blog posts — said these are my best pancakes to date. I happen to agree.
What’s in the Dairy-Free Pancakes?
To make this dairy-free pancake recipe, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- Egg
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Blueberries (optional)
How to Make Dairy-Free Pancakes
The pancakes are easy and follow standard pancake-making protocol. A bowl of dry ingredients, a bowl of wet, fold the wet into dry, fold in the blueberries, and fry them up.
If cooking the pancakes in batches (my skillet only comfortably holds 3 pancakes at a time), place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 175ºF to 200ºF oven to keep warm until all pancakes have been fried.
Top the pancakes with your favorite toppings. We love peanut butter maple syrup, vanilla maple syrup, mixed berry preserves, or even homemade peanut butter.
Can I Substitute the Coconut Oil?
To keep the almond milk pancakes dairy-free, rather than using melted butter in the batter, I used coconut oil. The pancakes don’t taste like coconut, but substitute with another oil if you’re concerned.
Can I Use Another Non-Dairy Milk?
I made this dairy-free pancake recipe with almond milk, but you’re welcome to use another unsweetened non-dairy milk if desired.
Tips for Making Almond Milk Pancakes
Note that I used frozen blueberries, but fresh work too! If using frozen, do not thaw them first because frozen berries bleed less.
The less you stir in the blueberries, the less they will run and bleed and turn the batter blue-green.
The pancake batter should be fairly thick. However, if your batter needs a bit extra flour or splash of almond milk so that it’s a nice scoopable consistency for scooping onto skillet, tweak as necessary.
Pin This Recipe
Fluffy Dairy-Free Pancakes
Healthier pancakes that are soft, fluffy, and light! I loaded mine up with blueberries, but you can tailor this recipe to suit your preferences!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 to 3 tablespoons liquid-state coconut oil (canola or vegetable oil may be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries (Optional. I used frozen and if using frozen, do not thaw because frozen berries run/bleed less; fresh may be used)
- maple syrup for serving, or your favorite topping (try Mixed Berry & Lemon Preserves, Vanilla Maple Syrup, or Ginger Molasses Maple Syrup
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the first 6 dry ingredients (through optional salt); set aside.
- In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, whisk to combine almond milk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Pour wet mixture over dry, and stir gently until just combined; don’t overmix. Batter should be fairly thick. If your batter needs a bit extra flour or splash of almond milk so that it’s a nice scoopable consistency for scooping onto skillet, tweak as necessary.
- Gently fold in the blueberries. The less you stir, the less they will run and bleed and turn the batter blue-green; set bowl aside.
- Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Using a 1/4-cup measure or large cookie scoop, scoop batter onto warm skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until small bubbles form on the surface and pancakes are set enough to flip. I cook covered for better results, but cook the way you normally cook your pancakes.
- Carefully flip over and cook for about 2 to 3 more minutes, or until done and cooked through.
- Tip- If cooking in batches (my skillet only comfortably holds 3 pancakes at a time), place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 175F to 200F oven to keep warm until all pancakes have been fried.
- Repeat the frying process with the remaining batter, wiping out the skillet with a paper towel in between batches or as needed. Add more cooking spray to wiped skillet before starting next batch.
- Serve with maple syrup or your favorite topping.
Notes
Storage: Pancakes are best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months and can be gently reheated in a toaster oven.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 397Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 265mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 2gSugar: 47gProtein: 4g
More Easy Pancake Recipes:
Thick and Fluffy Mini Pancakes — Your search for PERFECT buttermilk pancakes is over!! EASY, soft, fluffy, light, and the THICKEST pancakes I’ve ever made thanks to a special TRICK!!
Blueberry Baked Pancakes — Craving pancakes but not the work of standing at the stove flipping them? Make these EASY oven baked pancakes with only THREE ingredients!!
Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancake — This oven-baked pancake has the chewiness of crepes with the thickness of clafoutis, and making it is as easy as making pancake batter!
Buttermilk Strawberry Pancakes — These homemade pancakes are studded with diced strawberries and sprinkles. If desired, top a stack of these babies with homemade vanilla maple butter before digging in!
Apple Pancakes with Vanilla Maple Syrup — These apple pancakes are packed with cinnamon and other fall spices. Slather with butter and dunk them in some homemade vanilla maple syrup!
Soft and Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes — These pancakes are the perfect warm, comforting start to any chilly winter morning, and they’d be a great brunch or breakfast-in-bed treat!
Caramel Apple Sheet Pan Pancakes – Craving pancakes but not the work of standing at the stove flipping them? Make these EASY sheet pan pancakes!!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Bummer! Just made these for my son’s 4th birthday and they won’t flip in pan. They all broke apart. I’m an avid cook. So I’m dumping everything and cleaning pans to start over. And yes my pans were greased.
Not sure what you’re having trouble. It’s a very simple pancake recipe that follows the general rule of wet/dry ratios. Yes it’s dairy free but that doesn’t change things like for instance if you were using GF flour. That would indeed make things different. Not sure what to say but sorry they didn’t work out.
Made these today for the first time using almond milk, safflower oil, half whole wheat pastry flour, organic frozen wild blueberries. My 12 year old grandson loved them. Our new favorite pancake recipe now.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is your new favorite pancake recipe now!
Since I probably won’t be using an entire batch of pancakes in one meal, could I freeze leftover pancakes and do you have any tips on how to freeze them?
I would just freeze them in a large ziplock bag, maybe with a sheet of wax or parchment paper between them if you think they may stick together.
This recipe must be good luck, because for the first time my pancakes came out fully cooked and unburnt!I used Silk almond unsweetened original, canola for the oil, and earth balance spread for the pan-oil. Had to add a splash more milk in the mixing, maybe I under-measured at first, and I decided to drop the blueberries onto the cooking cakes, not fold them into the batter, for more even distribution. But they still turned out amazing. Also added a 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and ginger powder to the dry mix and mwah, heaven. Barely needs any maple syrup at all.
Glad your pancakes turned out perfect!
These were indeed soft and fluffy! I substituted whole wheat flour and used peanut oil. They turned out taller than pancakes I’ve made using other recipes; I was delighted. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
By far the best dairy free pancakes I’ve tried so far! Delicious and could not tell the difference! Thank you so much :-) I used coconut milk instead of Almond, really tasty!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! And glad they’re the best dairy free pancakes you’ve had!
I plan on trying these while camping next week, can I prep the batter ahead of time and just add the blueberries an a tad of liquid at cooking time? If so, how long would you say the batter is good for? Thanks!
No because the baking powder will activate when present with liquid, i.e. the egg and the oil, and you need to griddle them up right then and there. You’d be better off making one of my blueberry bars or another cake or bar recipe rather than pancakes.
Go to the recipes drop down at the top of the screen and search bars, breakfast, and cakes for various options. I have TONS of blueberry items if you want b.b. things in particular.
I made these for my newly dairy-free son (and the rest of our family) today, and they were a hit! BUT… I’m wondering if the quantity of sugar in this recipe is a personal taste thing, or a necessary for some chemical reaction due to lack of milk-sugars thing? I’m used to my standard buttermilk pancake recipe which calls for 1 optional tsp of sugar for roughly the same size batch, so the total of 9 tsp of sugars in this recipe seems like a ton (especially given the frequency and quantity of pancakes eaten by my guys!). We loved these, but I would feel much better about them if reducing the sugar would still work well. Thanks!
If you like less sugar, you can likely just reduce it. I don’t find that 3 tablespoons of sugar in a whole batch of pancakes is too much but as you said, everyone has their own personal preference. But then again if you made them as-is, and they were a huge hit, maybe you don’t want to reduce it or change things in any way :)
I’m just confused on how this is labeled, “dairy free”, or, “vegan”, when the recipe calls for eggs?
I don’t believe I said anywhere that the recipe is vegan. If I did, that’s incorrect. I just re-read the post a few times to check for any errors on my part but no, it’s not a vegan recipe and I don’t believe I ever said it was.
The milk is dairy-free and in the sense that eggs are not milk, cream, yogurt, etc. it is dairy-free.
Good morning! Thank you so much for this recipe. They look absolutely delish. I was wondering if you’ve ever tried these with coconut milk? My son is allergic to almonds and I use coconut milk for most things. Thanks so much! Catie
I haven’t but I’m sure it would be fine and I love coconut milk and the flavor…I bet they’ll come out great. LMK if you try it!
I have a child who has allergies to dairy, soy, coconut and tree nuts. We are always looking for recipes that a) taste good and b) accommodate her tummy and c) that everyone in the family can eat. These EXCEEDED all three requirements. Thank you so much. I feel a huge sense of satisfaction in serving these to my family. We used hemp milk because of the nut allergy, and I even accidentally forgot the margarine–they were delish!!
You have your work cut out for you with feeding your child with the allergies to dairy, soy, coconut and tree nuts. I know traces of ANY of those things usually cross-contaminate most anything and that you must have to be so careful with the ‘simplest’ of snacks, recipes, etc. So I’m glad you enjoyed these pancakes and that they exceeded all expectations! Even with forgetting the margarine :) Thanks for the great field report!
Amazing amazing amazing!!! Thank you for this incredible recipe :) It was so delicious!!!!!! :)))
So glad you enjoyed them!
Pancakes are delectable and healthy. Love your post
Your pancakes look amazing! I wanted to share that Silk has been re-labeled for Kosher standards which reveal dairy derivatives – for those of us who continue to be effected by those products labeled “dairy-free,” but contain dairy derivatives. Thanks.
Would it be a good idea to beat egg whites to soft peaks in order to make it even fluffier? Would that work with pancakes?
You could try that, although I didn’t find it necessary to go to the work, but be my guest and experiment and LMK how it goes and if you think it was worth the extra step!
I’ll never grow weary of looking at pancake photos…even though I cannot quite master the technique of creating beautiful breakfast fare myself. Ah, wish I had a plateful in front of me! :D
Hey Averie! I’ve seriously read over this blog post multiple times (and printed the recipe) just because the pancakes look so delicious. Is there a way to make these with whole wheat flour or do you not suggest it? Should I just get over my side of crazy and go for it? I’m thinking this is a yes. :) Or do you have any good whole wheat pancake recipes you suggest? Love your blog!
Whole wheat flour results in pancakes that are denser and not as fluffy and I really don’t recommend it in conjunction with an already dairy-free pancake. You’re asking for lead balloons. But I mean you can try it if you want to take the time/money to test it on your own! LMK the results!
These look great, Averie! I could use a delicious stack of them right now to tide me over until dinner time! ;) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning! :)
I read this at the wrong time of day… It’s about to be a breakfast-for-dinner kind of night! ;) Those were actually my favorite nights as a kid. My mom would make us pancakes (always shaped like Mickey Mouse because they just didn’t taste as good otherwise), and she’d let us douse them in syrup and still have a chocolate cupcake for dessert. Provided that we ate some fruit alongside our pancakes. Love how light and fluffy yours look, especially in those cutaway shots! You always take such gorgeous photos!!
I love anything blueberry and these pancakes are making me hungry!!!! Found your recipe over at Chef In Training and it looks incredible. We just launched a new recipe link-up party, Tickle My TasteBuds, that goes live every Tuesday. I would love for you to link this delicious recipe to our inaugural party. Here is the link —> Ihttp://bit.ly/1oNxekf
Thanks for stopping by – love Nikki and her parties!
I love how fluffy these are. That is a delicious combo of ingredients.
Gorgeous photos and recipe Averie! Thank you so much for featuring the vintage plate you purchased from me, it looks stunning! I have pinned this and can’t wait to try them!
Thanks for pinning and thanks for an amazing plate – it was tailor-made for these pancakes :) xo
I stopped using All-Purpose flour and prefer using one or two kinds separately, for some reason the texture with all purpose is always ends up being a bit too dense, maybe it’s for the gluten-free kind? I don’t use any wheat ingredients.. My favorite flour for pancakes if I want a soft texture I use gluten-free rolled oats flour, which I make myself by milling gluten-free oats in a Nutribullet with lower blade.
Are you using gluten-free kind of all purpose flour and it gives you soft texture? Maybe I need to increase baking powder amount and more/less liquid in the batter?
GF flour tends to be either dense, i.e. oat-based, or super light and airy, i.e. rice-based. They’re their own animal, so to speak. The blends can be okay, but you need to experiment with what GF blends work for you or create your own GF blend. There are tons of websites with info on how to.
I use regular AP. I prefer King Arthur AP and use it in almost all my baking.
The blueberry queen is TOTALLY into these pancakes!!
I had a feeling you may like these, my dear Blueberry Queen!
Greasy pancakes are the worst. They’re supposed to be fluffy! That’s why they’re called “cakes”! The less grease you can get away with, the better. These look delicious.
Holy mother of pancakes!!! I would totally take a class called “How to make the fluffiest pancakes and tall ass cookies by Averie!!” :-) xoxo
I heart you :) xoxo
This looks amazing!! I cant wait to try these. These pictures are absolutely gorgeous~ especially that first one, so dramatic. Yummy!
Thanks for the compliments!
I have been on such a pancake kick lately, and these look great!
Ummm!!!!! These pancakes are calling my name!!!!! I love almond milk and using them in pancakes with those luscious blueberries is just the BEST THING EVER!
Oh, my gosh, this is killing delicious! Love you recipe. Ideal for Sunday breakfast.
Blueberry pancakes are my favorite breakfast of all time – though leftover pizza was eaten way more often in my college years. Anyway, I’m loving this recipe Averie and your photos are so pretty. I need to try coconut oil in my next batch of pancakes!
I honestly rarely use any other oil anymore, Sally! Unless it’s savory, I’ll use olive. And sometimes I will still use canola like for a choc cake, but anything that’s breakfasty, sweet, muffin/cake-like, I always go with coconut! It’s my fave :) And cold pizza for breakfast and lunch…we must have gone to the same college :)
Honestly – I’m having food and food photography envy right now!
These look ah-may-ZING!
Anisa from The Macadames. xx
http://www.themacadames.com
What gorgeous looking pancakes, I’d never guess they don’t have buttermilk, or dairy of any kind for that matter! Pinned :)
Thanks for the compliments and for pinning!
These look so good. I love a morning with quietness and a stack of pancakes.
I am totally with you Averie, I like to save my calories and fat grams for where they count. This looks like a great recipe that would make the whole family happy! Love that almond milk too! Same kind I use ;)
Glad you’re a fan of that Silk, too!
I just made these for dinner – perks of the hubby being out of town ;) YUM! Thanks for providing so many dairy free options. I am VERY lactose intolerant and spent years taking lactase enzymes. I finally went dairy free last year and WOW the difference it has made in my overall health is amazing. I also love unsweetened vanilla almond milk and coconut oil. Two great ingredients! xo Kimmay
Thank you for making them the same day I posted them and so glad that they’re helpful. That was my goal with this post. For so many people, dairy isn’t an option, for whatever the reason. Glad these hit the spot and thanks for the feedback!
As much as I hate to sound like everyone else, these photos are stunning Av.
I need to make more recipes with blueberries.
Thank you for saying that! I appreciate it! I work super hard on that piece of it, with sticky syrupy hands everywhere and all over my camera, so it’s good to know that someone appreciates them :) xo
OMG I want to make a brunch with these so bad!!
Blueberry pancakes are such a classic! These look delicious!
Just gorgeous, love the glistening syrup!
Lead balloons and flimsy things unworthy of the title pancake: yes, I can relate! Thank goodness for this recipe because I had given up on pancakes! These are everything but flat!
Oh you know my perils and plights then with DF pancakes it sounds like :) But finally that’s all fixed!
Wow this looks sooo fluffy! Yum! Dairy free is a big plus. Would definitely want these for breakfast ; ) blueberry perfection <3
My mouth is literally watering just look at these pictures. Is this an appropriate time to quote Despicable Me? “It’s so fluffy I’m gonna die!!” That’s kind of how I feel looking at these pancakes.
Weird question for you: I made your vegan banana muffins for Easter a few weeks back that also used coconut oil, and they turned out great. However, I had one HECK of a time trying to get my jar of coconut oil open! It took two roommates and a lot of coaxing to finally get the top off the jar. I figured it was just sticky, so I wiped it off before closing the jar, but then when I went to open it again the same thing happened! I opened it awhile ago and have a lot leftover, so I don’t want to throw it all away! Do you ever have trouble getting jars of coconut oil opened, and if you do, do you know if there’s any good way to keep this from happening again?
That’s never happened to me and it sounds like a flukey jar and it could have been anything, just happened to be coconut oil. Some lids are just…strange! I’d chalk it up to just a random fluke. Glad you like the pancakes and the muffins. And you could always just pour your coconut oil into a scrupulously clean glass mason jar or other container to save yourself the trouble til it runs out!
It’s a breakfast perfection, Averie! Love that they are dairy free! Pinned!
Thanks as always, Anna!
Pancake perfection! I love blueberry pancakes, and these look like the ultimate dairy free ones!
These really do look fluffy and delicious! Who needs buttermilk? :)
I was kind of thinking the same thing! It took AWHILE but finally, got dairy-free down pat!
They look so moist and fluffy, I love this dairy free version!
Oh my goodness I’m dying Averie. I neeeeeed these!!
I love how thick, soft, and fluffy these are! They almost like buttermilk pancakes but with less calories- a win-win in my book. Silk is my go-to for nondairy milks as well; just no other brand can compare. Pinning these!
Thanks for pinning and glad you’re a Silk fan, too. Their milks are the best, aren’t they. I am never disappointed!
i don;t think i have ever seen pancakes that look that good. You have outdone yourself yet again and you just made breakfast the best meal of the day!
You’re so sweet and thank you!
These look so juicy and sweet! So tasty! Pinned
Thanks, Sommer!
I’ve already had my breakfast today but I sure could go for a nice, tall stack of these beauties! They look awesome.
I always make pancakes this way. Almond milk is a staple in my diet and I’ll always pick oil over butter. I know most bloggers would think I’m crazy but when a recipe calls for buttermilk, I usually sub almond milk with no issues at all.
I just have to say that for anyone reading this comment, please don’s sub almond milk for buttermilk in my recipes at your discretion because the recipe may or may not turn out! :)
But for these pancakes, thoroughly tested and the almond milk works great as it does is so many of my vegan baked goods that I’ve tested that way, too. Glad you’re a fan too, Laura!
I can’t believe how fluffy and delicious these look while being dairy free! Awesome recipe Averie! Love all the blueberries and dripping syrup :) Pinned!
Thanks, Chelsea, for the pin and compliments!
Holy cow. These pancakes look PERFECT! Blueberry pancakes are my favorite kind of pancake and I’m pretty sure I could demolish a tall stack of these in minutes flat. LOVE how thick and fluffy they look and I’m amazed that they’re dairy-free. That being said, it’s totally ok to have these for bfast every morning right? *wink* Pinned!
Wink, for sure :) And thanks for pinning!
These pancakes look so good…I use that same almond milk and love it. I love blueberry pancakes because you can get away with using less syrup since they are sweeter with the berries. I love maple syrup so anything to control its consumption is good. That plate is beautiful love the flowers.
Thank you for noticing the plate! It’s an antique and bought it on Etsy about 6-9 months ago, never knowing what I’d use it for but I thought it was just perfect with the colors for these pancakes :)
And yes about loving maple syrup…I am the SAME way :)
The texture of these looks incredible!! YUM!
And I assume you’re off your cleanse by now, unless it was a 7-day. At which point, you’re superwoman :)
Your pancakes always look fluffy and so uniform in size–the perfect stack to take a fork to. Blueberry pancakes are probably my favorite–they remind me of Sunday brunch when I was growing up.
Thanks, Paula. There are usually more than 1 or 2 or 25 pancakes made to get them just so :)
I can’t believe these are dairy free! They look so good :-)
Blueberry pancakes are my favorite. They are simple, classic and delicious. I LOVE that yours are dairy free and they look HUGE and fluffy, my kind of breakfast! Pinned :) Happy Tuesday Averie!
Thanks for pinning, Taylor! Appreciated :)
Good golly, those pancakes look divine!