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These easy fluffy Dairy Free Pancakes are so delicious–no one will miss the dairy. Make a simple dairy free variation of buttermilk in just minutes! You can still have simple fluffy pancakes for breakfast without the dairy!
This post was originally published in September 2017. Process photos and additional copy were added in April 2020.
Dairy free pancakes with buttermilk? That seems impossible, right?
It is possible! You can get fluffy, golden brown, restaurant quality pancakes but without the dairy!
If you love pancakes, try these zucchini oat flour pancakes, banana oat blender pancakes, whole wheat blueberry pancakes, or apple cinnamon pancakes!
Why You Will Love These Dairy Free Pancakes:
- Light and fluffy even without the dairy! Whether you have an allergy or are cutting out dairy from your diet, these milk free pancakes will make sure you never miss the dairy!
- Simple ingredients. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary so you are likely to have all of the ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator right now!
- Super quick to make. They whip up in no time. Very basic steps and overall prep make for easy homemade pancakes the whole family will love.
- Great for meal prep and freezer friendly. If you like making big batches of pancakes and then eating off of them throughout the week, this dairy-free pancake recipe is a great option. Easily store them in the freezer for grab and go breakfast for months too!
How do you make buttermilk pancakes without milk?
Did you know that if you combine vinegar and almond milk or dairy free milk, you can make a substitute for buttermilk? Well you can! The combination has the same result that adding buttermilk would have. So there, problem solved.
This trick can actually be done with regular milk as well.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this solution. Now you can have fluffy buttermilk pancakes even if you don’t have actual buttermilk!
Recipe Ingredients:
- almond milk: Any non-dairy milk alternative should work aside from canned coconut milk. Cashew milk, almond milk, soy milk–I can’t wait to try these dairy free pancakes with my latest obsession: oat milk! I mean, I am in love with oat milk lattes so in pancakes and with maple should be great! Canned coconut milk is too thick to work with, so if you want coconut, use the coconut milk beverages you find in the refrigerated section.
- vinegar: You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to make the buttermilk. I have also seen that lemon juice can be used to make the buttermilk substitute but that one I have yet to try.
- sweetener: I like my pancakes a bit on the sweet side. 3-4 Tablespoons of white sugar may be too much for you and that’s fine, you can lighten it up a touch if desired.
- flour: I prefer all purpose flour in this recipe for a classic pancake taste. Use 1:1 all purpose gluten-free flour blend for gluten free pancakes.
- eggs: large eggs, at room temperature for best results
- vanilla: use vanilla extract for the best flavor. You can add a touch of almond extract or maple extract for some fun ways to vary the flavor.
- oil: I prefer canola oil in my pancakes. It gives the right texture without an overbearing flavor. Olive oil and coconut oil are also good oils for pancakes, but I find both change the flavor too much for our liking.
- baking soda and powder: make sure both are fresh for the fluffiest pancakes
- salt: we prefer sea salt
Clearly you are ready for a big, delicious stack. It is pancake making time!
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- First up, make the dairy free buttermilk. Mix together the vinegar and almond or dairy free milk. Allow it to sit for about 3-5 minutes. It will start to curdle which is what you are looking for. You can slightly see the texture in step 2. You now have your “buttermilk” for your pancakes. (steps 1 and 2)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, “buttermilk,” and vanilla. Whisk to combine. (steps 3 and 4)
- Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sea salt baking powder and baking soda. Just a reminder: make sure both your baking powder and baking soda are both fresh. If not, you will not have the most fluffy pancakes. (steps 5 and 6)
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir to combine, but don’t over stir. Lumps are okay in this batter. This dairy free pancake batter is pretty thick. If it seems too thick, stir in an extra 1-3 Tablespoons of milk until it is to your liking. Pour them on the griddle and cook over medium heat! (steps 7 and 8)
Recipe Tips:
- When measuring the flour for these pancakes, make sure to stir the flour to aerate it before serving. Then spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level. Do not scoop the measuring cup directly into the flour or you may end up with too much flour.
- For EXTRA fluffy pancakes, you can beat the eggs until light and fluffy before adding into the recipe.
Storage:
To store leftover dairy-free pancakes, allow them to cool completely first. Then place in an airtight container or wrap them with foil and store for about 5-6 days.
I like to freeze ours personally. Again, allow the pancakes to cool completely to keep them from becoming soggy when storing. Place in an airtight container or freezer bag (placing a piece of parchment between each is a great idea or you can flash freeze them before adding to container.) Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating:
You can reheat your pancakes by popping them in the toaster if just heating up a couple or place in a 350°F preheated oven covered with foil for about 5 minutes.
You can opt to microwave your pancakes, but the results are not quite as good as the other two methods.
Why aren’t my pancakes fluffy?
Fluffy pancakes are the goal, right? But if you end up with flat pancakes, chances are, the batter was over mixed. Stirring the liquid and flour together too much results in the development of gluten– something you want in bread, but in pancakes, it can result in flat, rubbery flapjacks.
When making these dairy free pancakes, you want to only mix the ingredients until they are combined, small lumps are okay.
Serving Suggestions:
- You can never ever ever go wrong with classic maple syrup. That is always my topping but that doesn’t mean I don’t sway from the norm.
- Some whipped cream is great over top of these delicious pancakes–chocolate whipped cream or pumpkin spice whipped cream are both amazing!
- A big smear of a fresh jam or some sort of compote is a fun way to change up the typical stack.
- Sprinkle your favorite granola and a big dollop of dairy free yogurt on top with some fresh berries
- Top these air fried apples for another great option
Optional Add-Ins:
- fresh blueberries, or frozen, just thaw before adding to the batter
- chopped pecans, toasted for the best flavor
- chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips–chocolate chip pancakes are a must for me!
- sprinkles
- swirl in a drizzle of peanut butter or another nut butter before adding to the frying pan
- stir in few tablespoons of pure maple syrup or brown sugar for a richer flavor
- add chopped bacon to the batter
Other pancake recipes:
- Whole Wheat Blueberry Flax Pancakes
- Zucchini Oat Pancakes
- Super Fluffy Pancakes
- Banana Oat Blender Pancakes
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Fluffy Dairy Free Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 c milk of choice, I used unsweetened almond milk
- 1 T apple cider vinegar, white vinegar will work as well
- 1 3/4 c flour, gluten free all purpose flour will work as well
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 T sugar or desired sweetener
- 2 T oil (I use canola)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Combine milk and vinegar and whisk. Allow to sit for about 3-5 minutes.
- Whisk eggs, vanilla, canola oil, sugar, and 'buttermilk.' (vinegar milk combination.)
- In another bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
- Slowly stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Try not to over stir. There will still be lumps.
- Oil a skillet and heat desired size pancakes until edges begin to bubble around the edges.
- Flip and heat several minutes until browned to the desired level.
- Serve with your favorite pancake toppings.
Notes
- When measuring the flour for these pancakes, make sure to stir the flour to aerate it before serving. Then spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level. Do not scoop the measuring cup directly into the flour or you may end up with too much flour.
- For EXTRA fluffy pancakes, you can beat the eggs until light and fluffy before adding into the recipe.
- Freeze these dairy free pancakes in a freezer safe bag or container. They will stay fresh for about 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love trying new pancake recipes and this one looks amazing! I often use nut milks for my pancakes, so I’m sure my family will enjoy them!
Hope you love them!!
Pancake skewers with fresh fruits? What a genius idea! By the way I am really hooked on trying this “buttermilk” made from plant milk. I usually drink pay milk but I guess it will work just fine. I work weekends so this will be my lazy Tuesday breakfast lol
Lazy Tuesday pancakes—I LOVE IT!!!
I didn’t realize you could make dairy free buttermilk! (mind blown) These pancakes look so light and fluffy! They would be good for any meal of the day if you ask me.
Yes. It’s sooooo a thing!!
I love that this is dairy-free! A great way to start the day and we love our pancakes around this house.
Sometimes you don’t have he real stuff so an alternative is great!!!
Most often I combine vinegar and milk to make buttermilk. If I buy it, I usually throw some out because it expires. These pancakes look so fluffy. Perfect for the weekend brunch.
Yes! You can make it with regular milk as well. The best!
ooh buttermilk pancakes are my fave! Love how fluffy these look! These will have to make an appearance at brunch this weekend!
Enjoy my friend!!!
Dairy-Free for the win in my mind!!! 🙂 These look sensational!
I couldn’t believe the fluff I got without the dairy!!
I had no idea you could make dairy-free buttermilk. I’m so excited to try these!
A fun little trick and you can make it!
This is a great base recipe to start with and tweak as needed to personal preference. My pancakes have never cooked so quickly or been so fluffy. Very impressed with this technique. I split the recipe in half, and for gf multigrain pancakes I recommend using 1/2 c Bob’s red Mill 1:1 GF flour, 1/4 c ragi millet flour (from Indian grocery, it’s GF), 1/8c ground flaxmeal, 1/4t cinnamon, 1/2t pink sea salt, and a pure powdered stevia dusting over all that for dry ingredients and for wet suggest 3/4 of ripe banana, 1T coconut oil, 2 eggs, 2T maple syrup, 3/4t vanilla, and 3/4c unsweetened almond milk & 3/4 t white vinegar. I did let the buttermilk sit as suggested as well as the entire batter once blended. I’m amazed at the texture difference from my other experiments.
Thank you so much Mary for all the info!! I know my gluten free readers will especially love this. I really appreciate your feedback!!
Don’t judge me, but I made these for dinner… (I never eat traditional ‘breakfast’ foods for breakfast – think black bean burgers, chickpea salad sandwiches, Indian food, etc.) I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the unbleached all purpose, and they’re amazing and guilt-free! I topped my short stack with some baked apple slices and cinnamon. Thanks for making great & easily customizable recipes for anyone!
Ha, you are my kind of girl! We eat breakfast for dinner often. Good to know about the substitution of the Whole Wheat flour. Thanks!!!