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Big Stack of green onion pancakes topped with avocado and onions.

Savoury Green Pancake Recipe (vegan)

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 8 pancakes
Author: Tracy Halasz

Ingredients

Pancake Ingredients (both versions)

  • 1 tablespoon oil (optional)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 7-8 cups spinach, rough chop
  • 2-4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • 1-2 fresh green chilies, thinly sliced (optional)

Pancake Batter (ap flour version)

  • ¾ cup self-rising flour* (recipe in Notes)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ⅔ cup milk (plus more for thinning)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Chickpea Pancake Batter (gluten free version)

  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dry oregano
  • 1 teaspoon coriander spice
  • salt and coarse black pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons tahini
  • ¾ cup water (plus more for thinning)

Spicy Drizzling Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari)
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Optional Garnishes

  • 1-2 avocados, cut into chunks
  • 1-2 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • cilantro, chopped
  • 1-2 green onions, sliced
  • toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Making the Sauce and Garnishes

  • Place all sauce ingredients into a jar with a lid and shake to incorporate. Set aside.
  • Chop any veggies you choose for the topping, eg. tomatoes, avocados, etc.

Pancake Ingredients (both options)

  • Rough chop spinach, slice green onions, chop cilantro, and green chilis if using.
  • Add oil to the bottom of a cast iron (or non-stick) heavy bottom skillet, heat over medium-high until it shimmers. Skip if oil-free.
  • Add garlic, green onions, and jalapenos if using. Season with a good pinch of coarse ground sea salt.
    *use a splash of water as needed if oil-free
  • Cook over medium-high heat for a minute or two while the onions sizzle and cook.
  • Stir in the spinach until it wilts (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in cilantro, and transfer to a bowl.

AP Flour Pancake Batter Version (self-rising flour recipe in Notes)

  • In a medium mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, milk*, apple cider vinegar, S&P, whisk until smooth.
    *Any plant-based milk will work, I've used oat and soy.
  • Stir in the green onion-spinach-cilantro mixture.
  • Batter Tip: the batter is medium thick, if it's too thick, add a tablespoonful of milk or water to thin out (but not too much!).

Chickpea Batter (gluten-free option)

  • Add chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, spices (onion powder, dry oregano, coriander spice, s&p) to a medium bowl. 
  • Add the tahini and ¾ cup water* - whisk until fully incorporated.
  • Stir in the green onion-spinach-cilantro mixture.
  • Batter Tip: If too thick, add a tablespoonful of water at a time until thick pancake batter consistency is met.

Frying the Pancakes

  • Heat a tablespoonful of oil* in a cast iron or heavy bottom frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. (Use non-stick pan if oil-free.)
    *or spray with cooking oil
  • Add a 2-4 tablespoon scoop of batter to the pan, cook for about 2 minutes until puffed up and golden. Other visual cues: the edges will start to look cooked and you may see bubbles form on the surface.
  • Flip and cook until golden on the other side. Another 2-3 minutes.
  • Transfer to a serving plate then continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used up.
  • You may need to add more oil each batch if you are using a cast iron.
  • For the oil-free version, use a non-stick pan and skip the oil.

To Serve

  • To serve, pass extra green onion slices, chopped cilantro, avocado chunks, cherry tomato halves, and a bowl of spicy sauce for dipping or drizzling.

Notes

This recipe makes around 8-12 pancakes (depending on the size).
*Small Batch Self-Rising Flour Recipe: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisked together.
I recommend trying both versions of the pancakes. They are very different in texture and flavour - both are super yum.
Prepare all the ingredients ahead of time - chop the onions, garlic, spinach, cilantro, avocado, etc. Also, make the sauce and place in fridge before mixing the batter.
The pancakes cook up quickly so you'll be happy that everything is prepared ahead of time (it's a good use of time).
Store any leftovers in the fridge and then just warm up in a pan (or the microwave if you have one) when you're ready to serve.
These pancakes are just as delicious the next day warm or cold. They make a great sandwich: slather hummus on one pancake, pile on some leftover baked tofu slabs or baked sweet potato slices, tomato slices, cucumbers, avocado slices, red onions, or pickled onions, sprouts, a drizzle of the spicy sauce and top with another pancakes - scrumptious!