If you are looking for a light and fluffy dairy-free pancake, look no further than this easy Oat Milk Pancakes recipe. It’s as decadent and delicious as a pancake made with milk and butter, but perfect for those with dairy allergies or sensitives.
Maybe you are lactose intolerant, have a dairy sensitivity or breast-feeding a baby with a milk protein allergy. If so, that doesn’t mean you need to skip out on your favorite things like light and fluffy pancakes. In fact, the rise of alternative milks has made it easier than ever to make simple substitutions for dairy. For this recipe we use oat milk, which we find is nearly equally rich and creamy as regular milk.
Video: How to make Oat Milk Pancakes
Ingredients that Matter
Other than a couple swaps, this is a fairly traditional pancake recipe:
- Oat Milk. Made simply by extracting whole oats’ plant materials in water, this plant-based dairy alternative has become increasingly popular in recent years. Compared to other dairy alternatives, oat milk is relatively new with some believing the first oat-milk beverage was in the early 1990s in Sweden. But wherever it began, it’s now just about everywhere! We suggest using unsweetened oat milk to control the sweetness of the pancakes.
- All-Purpose Flour. We’ve made pancakes with all sorts of flour, including whole wheat, whole wheat pastry and even rye flour, but we prefer regular all-purpose flour as it provides the right amount of structure yet low enough in protein to make light and fluffy pancakes. And most importantly, we recognize most people have all-purpose flour already in their pantry, so no need to buy special flour.
- Oil. Instead of using melted butter like we do in buttermilk pancakes, we use a vegetable oil (peanut oil, to be precise), to keep these pancakes dairy free. You can also use melted coconut oil or even a vegan butter alternative, if you’d prefer.
- Eggs. This recipe is not vegan because it has eggs, but you can certainly swap in chia or flax eggs, if you’d like.
- Sugar. A couple tablespoons of sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to our pancakes, but it also helps with browning.
- Baking Soda. Speaking of browning, we use a baking soda to encourage browning as well.
- Baking Powder. We use 4 teaspoons of baking powder, which may seem like a lot, but it’s the perfect amount to provide lift to the batter, making light and fluffy pancakes.
- Vanilla. A splash of vanilla extract makes pancakes taste special. We have used almond extract in the past, and while that makes for a unique pancake, we can’t deny that vanilla is the perfect flavor for pancakes.
- Salt. A big pinch of salt helps bring out the flavors of the other ingredients in the batter. Don’t skip the salt, but if you are watching your sodium levels, you can cut it back to ¼ teaspoon.
How to make oat milk pancakes
If you’ve ever made regular pancakes, then this will look pretty familiar.
Start by whisking together in a medium bowl the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Whisk together until smooth the wet ingredients: oat milk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently mix, using a folding motion to mix until lumpy, but cohesive. All the batter to sit for 10 minutes while you preheat a cast iron skillet, griddle pan or electric griddle to medium heat.
Brush a bit of oil on the skillet (or griddle) and add ¼ cup of the batter. Cook until bubble form and pop on uncooked side of the pancake, about 2 minutes.
Flip the pancake and cook until golden brown on the other side, another 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a sheet tray and serve immediately. Or, if you want to serve the pancakes at the same time, transfer the cooked pancakes on a sheet tray to a 250°F oven while making batches of pancakes. Serve with fresh fruit and warm maple syrup.
Why Choose Oat Milk
Like other plant-based milk alternatives, one of the biggest advantages of oat milk is the impact on the environment. There’s plenty of research suggesting the dairy industry has a negative impact on the environment, thanks to all that methane (read: cow farts), but for your sake, we suggest reading up on this topic at reputable news sources.
We are interested in oat milk, mostly, for two things: how it tastes and how close is it to milk in recipes. And for those two points, oat milk is a winner! Some brands have full-fat versions of oat milk that have a similar creamy texture to whole cow milk.
Of course the biggest benefits of oat milk is that it’s dairy free! And, yes, you can absolutely use oat milk to make pancakes. We think oat milk gets as close to pancakes made with cow milk as possible. Oat milk is also high in fiber, relatively low in sugar, cholesterol free and high in vitamins and nutrients, especially fortified versions.
How To make this recipe gluten free or vegan
To make this recipe gluten free, simply swap out the all-purpose flour for a one-to-one gluten-free flour option
To make this recipe vegan, swap out the two eggs for either flax or chia eggs (for each egg, stir together 1 tablespoon of ground flax or chia with 2 tablespoons of water, then let it sit for 5 minutes).
Serving and Storage
We love these pancakes with simple maple syrup and fresh berries or bananas. Add a shmear of peanut butter or almond butter to add some protein, whipped cream or whipped aquafaba, or top with granola and yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt).
To store, transfer the pancakes to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F for about 5 minutes. You can also freeze these pancakes. Lay them flat on a parchment-lined sheet tray and freeze overnight. Then transfer the frozen pancakes to a freezer-safe zip-top bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
This recipe is ideal for meal prep, as well. We like to make a batch on Sunday morning for brunch, then refrigerate and enjoy at breakfast for at least the first half of the week.
Other Breakfast Recipes
PrintRecipe
Fluffy Oat Milk Pancakes (Dairy Free)
- Total Time: 30 min.
- Yield: About 16 pancakes 1x
Description
If you are looking for a light and fluffy dairy-free pancake, look no further than this easy Oat Milk Pancakes recipe. It’s as decadent and delicious as a pancake made with milk and butter, but perfect for those with dairy allergies or sensitives.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. table salt
- 1 ½ cups oat milk, unsweetened
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil, plus more for cooking
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- maple syrup and berries, for serving
Instructions
- Whisk together in a medium mixing bowl the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the oat milk, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir with a spatula until lumpy but cohesive (about 10 stirs total). Set aside for 10 minutes.
- While the batter rests, heat a large cast iron skillet, griddle pan or electric griddle over medium heat. Brush with oil then add ¼-cup of the batter (you may be able to fit 3 pancakes in a large skillet or more on a griddle, but don’t overcrowd the pan) and cook until golden brown and bubble form and pop on the uncooked side of the pancakes, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, another 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a sheet tray and serve immediately or keep warm in a 250°F while cooking the rest of the pancakes. Repeat with remaining pancakes. Serve warm with maple syrup and berries.
Notes
- Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, place in a 350°F oven until warm, about 5 minutes.
- To freeze, place on a parchment-lined sheet tray and freeze overnight. Then transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To make this recipe vegan, swap the eggs for chia or flax eggs (for each egg, stir 1 tablespoon of ground chia or flax in 2 tablespoons of water and set aside for 5 minutes).
- To make this recipe gluten free, simple swap the all-purpose flour for a one-to-one gluten-free flour alternative.
- Prep Time: 15 min.
- Cook Time: 15 min.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Sautee
- Cuisine: American
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