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These fluffy oat milk pancakes are a weekend staple in our house. They’re soft, thick, and packed with vanilla flavor—the kind of pancakes that feel cozy but come together fast. All you need is one bowl, a handful of pantry staples, and about 20 minutes. This recipe is right up there with other breakfast favorites like my vegan French toast and vegan buttermilk waffles—simple, classic, and always worth making.
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: These pancakes are eggless and dairy free, but aren’t bland by any means. These have just the right amount of sweetness and vanilla flavoring.
- Texture: Soft, thick and fluffy thanks to a bit of baking powder and soda!
- Simple Ingredients: You only need a few pantry friendly ingredients for these pancakes!
- 1 Bowl Batter: No one likes dishes, so go ahead- mix up the batter in one large bowl!
Why We Love These Dairy Free Pancakes:
Weekend pancakes are a must in our house—both my husband and I look forward to them all week. And this recipe never disappoints. They’re super quick to mix up, but still have that cozy, diner-style feel we crave. Perfect with a drizzle of syrup or a spoonful of nut butter. Simple, classic, and always a hit.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ingredients Highlights & Some Substitutions
This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients to create the soft, thick and fluffy pancakes with the BEST flavor. This recipe is adapted from my vegan thick and fluffy pumpkin pecan pancakes. A few swaps and we have a super easy, vegan pancake recipe with oat milk!
Oat Milk
The core wet ingredient in these pancakes is oat milk, which replaces regular dairy milk in traditional fluffy pancakes. I highly recommend using a full-fat oat milk for the best texture and flavor—something creamy and rich works great here.
That said, I’m a firm believer that the best oat milk is the one you already love and have on hand! A few of my favorite unsweetened oat milks for this recipe are:
- Chobani Original Oat Milk
- Oatly Original or Extra Creamy
- Silk Extra Creamy Oat Milk
If you don’t have oat milk, feel free to use another plant based milk instead. Coconut milk or soy milk are both great options that still yield soft, fluffy pancakes.
Vegan Butter
I like using melted vegan butter in these pancakes because it adds the best flavor and helps them brown up evenly. That said, you can easily swap it for coconut oil, vegetable oil, or even olive oil if that’s what you have on hand. My go-to vegan butter is by Violife—it melts beautifully and tastes great. (You can check out all of my favorite vegan butter brands for baking here!)
Applesauce
While the applesauce is technically optional, it does play a helpful role in this recipe. It acts as an egg replacer and helps hold the pancakes together—especially useful if you’re making larger ones.
If you don’t have applesauce on hand, you can swap it with another fruit puree like pumpkin or banana, or even use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water). You can check out some of my favorite vegan egg substitutes here!
Maple Syrup
A bit of syrup adds much needed flavor and sweetness to the pancakes. This can be swapped with another liquid sweetener or even brown sugar. If using a granulated sweetener, you may need to add 1-2 more tablespoons of oat milk to help thin the pancake batter.
flavor combinations & add-ins
This recipe is for a classic pancake, but don’t be shy about adding in some extra flavor. Below are a few ideas:
Helpful Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Non-Stick Pan or Griddle
Step By Step Guide
🎥 *Video Tutorial is In the Recipe Card Below!*
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together. Mix well so there are no clumps of baking powder. Make a well in the center.
Add the oat milk, vegan melted butter, vanilla, maple syrup, and applesauce (if using). Mix the wet ingredients with the flour mixture until just combined and it forms a very thick but pourable batter.
Spoon about ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the heated skillet at a time.
Cook the pancakes for 3 minutes (or until brown) on each side. Wait for small bubbles to form in the center of the pancakes, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
Serving the Oat Milk Pancakes
These pancakes are SO delicious hot off the griddle with a classic smear of vegan butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. But they’re also tasty with a variety of other toppings like fresh fruit or nuts.
They’re easy enough for a weekday breakfast but also perfect on a Sunday or Saturday Morning, especially when jazzed up with some of these toppings.
Here are a few more ideas of what to put on top of your pancakes:
- Fresh Berries– blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
- Apple Curd or Apple Butter
- Pineapple Jam
- Vegan Mascarpone
- Gingerbread Syrup, Strawberry Syrup, or Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Agave Nectar or Vegan Honey
Storage Tips
These pancakes store super well in the fridge, so you can definitely make these as part of a meal prep.
- Fridge or Freezer: Wrap the leftover pancakes in plastic wrap and place them into a freezer proof bag or airtight container. They can be stored in the fridge for about 4-5 days, or in the freezer for about 2 months.
- Reheating: Pop them in the toaster for a few minutes, or place them back in a heated skillet with some vegan butter.
Helpful Tips from Emily’s Kitchen
Below are a few tips for the best, fluffy vegan oat milk pancakes!
- Cook on Medium Heat or Medium Low Heat:
If you have an electric stove with a number scale from 1-10, this will be around heat setting 3. - Batter Consistency:
A few lumps are okay, but it shouldn’t be super lumpy. The longer the batter sits after mixing the wet and dry, the thicker/fluffier the pancakes will be since the dry ingredients have more time to be able to absorb the liquid. - Watch Them While They Cook:
Keep an eye on the pancakes during the cooking process: when bubbles form, they’re ready to flip! - Try Not To Overcrowd The Pan:
I’ve found cooking only 2 or 3 pancakes (for a standard 12” skillet) at a time makes them cook more evenly and makes them easier to flip.
these create the best flavor & texture!
FAQ
Yes, absolutely! This recipe is customizable. You can add in a banana to make banana oat milk pancakes or blueberries to make blueberry pancakes.
What replaces the eggs in pancakes?
No eggs are technically required for this oat milk pancake recipe, however you can add applesauce in if you have it on hand. Eggs typically help bind the pancakes and help leaven them. I’ve tested this recipe with and without applesauce.
The version with applesauce held together better, making it easier to create larger pancakes. If omitting the applesauce, try to only use ¼ cup of batter per pancake, so they’re easier to flip.
More Dairy-Free Breakfast Classics
Easy Oat Milk Pancakes – Thick, Fluffy & Dairy-Free
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned from the bag and leveled off
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ – 1 ⅓ cups full fat oat milk, see notes
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce or other fruit puree, optional – like banana or pumpkin (equivalent to 1 egg)
Instructions
- Video Tutorial is Below the Notes Section!
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-low heat. Optional: Add a tablespoon of vegan butter, vegetable or coconut oil if not using a non-stick skillet.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together. Mix well so there are no clumps of baking powder. Make a well in the center1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- Add the oat milk, melted vegan butter, vanilla, maple syrup, and applesauce (if using). Mix with the flour mixture until just combined and it forms a very thick but pourable batter.If the batter is too thick, add an extra 2-4 tbsp of oat milk until the batter reaches a pourable consistency. It’s okay if the batter is a bit lumpy.1 ¼ – 1 ⅓ cups full fat oat milk, 2 tbsp melted vegan butter or vegetable oil, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup, ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce or other fruit puree
- Spoon about ¼ cup of batter onto the heated skillet at a time. Cook the pancakes for 3 minutes (or until brown) on each side. Wait for small bubbles to form in the center of the pancakes, then flip, and cook the other side.
- Serve with maple syrup, pecans, coconut flakes or fresh fruit.
Video
Recipe notes
- Applesauce: This is optional- it helps hold the pancakes together better. If omitting, it’s best to make smaller pancakes (about ¼ cup of batter) so they’re easier to flip. It could also be substituted for 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp of water).
- Oat Milk: Flour absorbs liquid differently depending on the weather, temperature, and elevation of your kitchen. Add more oat milk as needed until the batter reaches a very thick but pourable consistency.
- Cook on Medium Heat or Medium Low Heat: if you have an electric stove with a number scale from 1-10, this will be around heat setting 3.
- Batter Consistency: A few lumps are okay, but it shouldn’t be super lumpy. The longer the batter sits after mixing the wet and dry, the thicker/fluffier the pancakes will be since the dry ingredients have more time to be able to absorb the liquid.
- Cooking Pancakes: Try not to overcrowd the pan! I’ve found cooking only 2 or 3 pancakes (for a standard 12” skillet) at a time makes them cook more evenly and makes them easier to flip.
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