These light, fluffy, vegan pancakes sprinkled with smoky, sweet bacon-flavored walnut crumbles and pools of maple syrup are pure perfection.

I'm a breakfast person so I love a big stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes on the weekend. I'm also a Canadian girl so I love mine swimming in an ocean of maple syrup. I mean, who doesn't?
Easy, Delicious Vegan Pancakes
This recipe for vegan pancakes has a delicious twist - spicy apple slices. But that's not all, I also added some incredible, salty sweet maple bacon-flavored walnut crumbles. These pancakes are going to blow your mind, they are so super addictive and delicious!
Vegan Pancake Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make these simple but delicious pancakes:
- Plain, unsweetened dairy-free milk: It's easy to make pancakes dairy free. These days there are so many non-dairy milk options, you've got your choice of almond, oat, rice, soy, cashew, and many more. If you'd like to make your own, dairy-free milk, try this Delicious Almond Milk recipe.
- Vegan butter: Butter adds lots of flavor and texture to the pancakes. Choose your favorite dairy-free butter or sub in a neutral oil as a replacement for butter in pancake recipes or for frying.
- Leavening: Pancakes do not need eggs to be fluffy. The baking powder and vegan buttermilk work together to create fluffy, tender pancakes.
- Maple-Bacon Flavoured Crumbles: All the flavor and texture of bacon without the bacon!
- Spicy Apples: Apple slices tossed in maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger and simmered until tender add a ton of Fall flavors to the pancakes.
How To Make Fluffy Pancakes
Similar to bread making, the fluffiest pancakes will benefit from two rises! The initial rise is activated when the wet ingredients are mixed with the dry ingredients. The baking powder reacts with the apple cider vinegar. So don't over mix the batter (there will be a few lumps). Let the batter sit for a minute or two and watch as small air bubbles form in the batter.
The next rise is activated when the batter is placed in the hot skillet. Don't touch the pancakes once they are poured, wait for the bubbles to form on the surface of the pancakes - approximately 2 minutes or so. Flip only once (this is when you will see the pancakes rise right before your eyes). It's a beautiful sight - like magic! Leave them undisturbed for another couple minutes until golden brown. Repeat until all the pancake batter is used up!
A small amount of hot oil in the skillet will give you a crispy surface on the outside of the pancake with a tender, fluffy texture inside. Absolutely perfect (but if you are oil free, use a non-stick pan and the pancakes will still turn out beautifully)!
Kitchen Management
- For this recipe, I added bacon-flavored walnut crumbles. They can be made ahead then reserved for right before serving.
- While the walnuts are cooling, prepare and cook the apples so they are ready to go when the pancake batter is mixed.
- Once the crumbles and apples are ready, mix the batter, heat the pan; and it's time to make pancakes.
More Vegan Breakfast Ideas
Here's a few other delicious breakfast recipes to try: Vegan Scrambled Eggs, quick and easy Vegan Granola, Savory Chickpea Pancakes, Curry Tofu Scramble, Incredible Vegan Pancakes.
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Easy Vegan Apple Pancakes w/ Walnut Bacon Crumbles
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INGREDIENTS
Maple-Bacon Walnut Crumbles
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar*
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce (tamari)
- 1 cup walnuts
Spiced Apple Slices
- 1 cup apples, peeled, sliced
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or use brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- pinch salt
Pancake Batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup plant-based milk (soy, almond or oat)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- butter and maple syrup for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
Maple-Bacon Walnut Crumbles
- Stir the marinate ingredients together in a small bowl. Add walnuts and stir to coat.Tip the walnuts and marinate into a small skillet over medium heat. Stir until the walnuts are coated. Continue to stir and cook until everything thickens and gets sticky and crispy. Spread the nuts out on a cutting board to cool. Once cool, rough chop.
Spiced Apple Slices
- Peel, core, and slice one apple* (¼" thick). Toss sliced apples with maple syrup and spices in small bowl. Cook over medium heat in the same skillet you will use for the pancakes. Continue cooking and stirring until the apples have softened and are coated. Remove from heat, place back in the bowl. Rinse out pan.*I've used Honeycrisp and Granny Smith and both were slightly tart and delicious. Use any apple you have on hand.
Vegan Pancake Batter
- In a large liquid measuring cup or bowl, mix together the milk and lemon juice - let it curdle for 5 minutes (this is your vegan buttermilk). Then stir in the vanilla and maple syrup.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined (don't over mix - there will be a few lumps). Let the batter sit for a minute or two so the baking powder has time to activate.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. For each pancake, place 2-3 apple slices next to each other in the pan. Pour ¼ cup pancake batter over each pile of apples. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake (1 - 2 minutes) and the edges start to look cooked. Flip the pancake and cook until golden on the other side. Repeat with remaining apples and batter.PRO TIP: I used a long (double burner) griddle and was able to cook 4 pancakes at a time.
How to Serve
- Serve with butter, maple syrup, bacon walnut crumbles, and any leftover spiced apple slices or your favorite fruit (banana slices and raspberries are delicious).
NOTES
This recipe is from simplyceecee.co food blog. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images or republish this recipe without prior permission. Thank you.
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