Best Vegan Pancakes - Fluffy Buttermilk-Style Recipe!

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Making perfect vegan pancakes is as much about technique as it is about ingredients. This recipe shows you how to make extra fluffy, dairy and egg-free buttermilk pancakes every time.

And if you love pancakes, be sure to check out my vegan Bisquick pancakes or these oat milk pancakes next.

a platter with pan fried vegan pancakes made with dairy-free buttermilk topped syrup and butter pats. — fluffy and soft vegan buttermilk pancakes

Why You’ll Love These Vegan Pancakes

These fluffy vegan pancakes are made with a simple vegan buttermilk for soft, tender, American-style pancakes with crispy edges. Below are a few of the reasons we love this recipe (and you will too!):

Emily’s Recipe Notes:

Flavor: Vanilla-forward and lightly sweet – good enough to eat without syrup.
Texture: Soft, fluffy, and tender with crispy buttery edges.
Ease: One bowl, with simple steps and under 10 ingredients.
Time: Ready in about 20 minutes.

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe uses a better vegan buttermilk made from soy milk, dairy-free yogurt, and vinegar. The yogurt adds fat, while soy milk provides protein for structure. Together when combined with baking soda, it creates a batter that behaves much closer to traditional buttermilk pancakes.

The batter is mixed just until combined and allowed to rest briefly before cooking. This prevents overdeveloping gluten and gives the flour time to hydrate, resulting in a softer crumb. See below for how over mixing affects the final pancake:

an image showing how overmixing affects the fluffiness of the pancakes. — correctly mixed batter (left) | over mixed pancake batter (right)

In the image above, you can see how airy and bubbly the correctly mixed batter is. This is what we want! Those air bubbles expand even more when heated and create the fluffiest vegan pancake.

When the batter is over mixed (image on the right above), the bubbles are knocked down and disappear which leads to a flatter pancake.

Ingredients

Ingredient Highlights & Some Swaps

Vegan Buttermilk

Made with soy milk, apple cider vinegar, and dairy-free yogurt. See my full vegan buttermilk guide for detailed ratios and substitutions.

Higher-protein milks (like soy) give better structure. Lower-protein options may produce thinner batter. If you are sensitive to soy, Ripple’s Pea Protein Milk or Good Karma’s Flax milk are good options to try instead of soy milk.

I used Forager’s Unsweetened Coconut + Cashew Yogurt but most dairy-free versions will work. You could even use my homemade vegan soy yogurt or this homemade vegan sour cream. If your yogurt is sweetened, omit the sugar in the batter.

Vegan Butter (or Oil)

Adds richness and tenderness. Neutral oil or refined coconut oil can be substituted. Just add an extra pinch of salt if using oil instead of salted vegan butter.

The fat is mixed directly into the batter, and you can also cook the pancakes in a small amount of vegan butter or oil for crispier edges and deeper browning.

Butter vs. No Oil Comparison

The image below shows the same batter cooked in the same pan two ways: the three pancakes on the left were cooked in vegan butter, while the pancakes on the right were cooked in a dry nonstick pan.

an image showing how cooking with oil affects the exterior texture of the vegan pancakes. — how cooking with oil or vegan butter affects texture

Cooking in vegan butter creates deeper browning, crispier edges, and a slightly richer, saltier exterior. Cooking in a dry pan produces a more even, classic diner-style surface with a softer edge.

I prefer the added flavor and crispness from butter, but both methods work well – it just depends on the texture you’re after!

Baking Powder & Baking Soda

Both are used to create a fluffy texture. Double acting baking powder provides reliable rise and is activated once when mixed with liquid and again when heated. Baking soda, on the other hand, reacts with the acidity in the buttermilk for additional lift and better browning.

How to Make the BEST Vegan Pancakes

Exact ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below!

wet ingredients poured on the whisked dry ingredients.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the vegan buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter.

the mixed vegan pancake batter in a large bowl.

Whisk just until combined — a few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix. Once combined, do not stir the batter again; only touch it to scoop into the pan.

a vegan buttermilk pancake cooking in dairy-free butter in a nonstick pan.

Scoop about 1/3 cup of batter into a preheated nonstick pan or griddle. You can cook in butter if you’d like (see the note in the section above).

the flipped fluffy vegan pancake on a nonstick pan revealing the crispy fried textured.

Once small bubbles form on the edges, flip the pancake and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.

A few Ways to Serve Them

My favorite way to eat these is of course served with maple syrup, fresh berries, sliced bananas, or vegan butter.

If you’re making a brunch spread, they’d be great paired with vegan tofu bacon, homemade strawberry syrup, or other unique toppings like this apple curd.

Vegan Breakfasts

Best Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties

Tofu Recipes

Smoky Tofu Bacon

You can also fold blueberries or chocolate chips directly into the batter. Or gently press banana slices into the top of the pancake batter once it’s cooking in the pan. For a seasonal option, I definitely recommend trying my vegan pumpkin pancakes vs. adding extra liquids or purees to the batter.

a stack of vegan pancakes with a bite cut out revealing the fluffy texture. — so fluffy!

Storing the Pancakes

You can store the cooled pancakes in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. I personally love freezing a big batch of these so I can heat them on at a moments notice on the weekend. You can reheat them in a toaster or skillet (or a microwave at 50% power).

Because this recipe contains baking soda (which reacts immediately with the dairy-free buttermilk), I don’t recommend refrigerating the pancake batter for longer than 30 minutes or so. After that, the pancakes won’t be as fluffy.

a stack of vegan pancakes with syrup being poured on top. — pancakes must be topped with lots of maple syrup of course!

Top 3 Tips for Perfect Pancakes

Don’t Overmix: I feel like I’ve said this 3 times in this post, but it’s just so important! Mix just until no dry patches remain. Overmixing leads to dense, flat pancakes.
Measure Flour Accurately: Too much flour makes batter thick; too little causes spreading. Spoon and level or use grams. Humidity can affect absorption – if batter spreads too much, whisk in 1–2 tablespoons flour.
Don’t Skip the Buttermilk or Baking Soda: The buttermilk provides acidity for fluffiness and tenderness. Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh – if they bubble immediately when added to vinegar, they should be good to go!

the ultimate vegan buttermilk pancakes with syrup. — the only vegan pancake recipe you’ll need!

Some Common Questions

Can I use just plant milk and vinegar instead of yogurt?

Technically yes, but the batter will be thinner. Yogurt adds body, acid and fat to the batter which makes the pancakes softer and more tender. If omitting the yogurt, you can sub in 2-3 tbsp of extra soy milk and increase the vinegar by 1 1/2 teaspoons.

What’s the best non-dairy milk for vegan pancakes?

Soy milk provides the most consistent structure due to its protein content. Other high protein plant milks can also be used.

Why did my pancakes turn out flat?

This usually happens if the batter is too thin or overmixed. If it spreads too much, whisk in 1–2 tablespoons of flour before cooking the next batch.