Vegan And Gluten-Free Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe

Pancakes are an American classic and rightly so — these warm, delicious griddle cakes have been gracing our weekend breakfast and dinner table for years, making it perfect for families. The typical version includes milk, eggs, and butter which makes a great pancake, but doesn't work for those following a vegan and gluten-free lifestyle. 

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for vegan and gluten-free cinnamon oatmeal pancakes and says, "I'm taking it back to basics here and using wholesome, healthy ingredients in this recipe. Instead of using a store-bought nut milk, we are making our own with raw cashews and water. We are also using organic rolled oats, and blending them into flour. The list of the health benefits that oats bring us is long, and including them in breakfast makes for a great start to the day." Keep reading to learn how to make these healthy and delicious pancakes.

To make this recipe, we'll need some raw, unsalted cashews. "If you can't find these in the packaged nut area at the store, you can find them in the bulk section at a health food store. You want to avoid getting them roasted and salted because this will affect the taste of our pancakes," Hahn tells us. 

The remaining ingredients are rolled oats, ground flax seeds, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, water, avocado oil, and vanilla extract. "If you are new to buying flax seeds, make sure to buy them ground (also known as flax meal). You can buy them in seed form, if you have a small grinder at home to break the seeds down. As an alternative, you could use chia seeds here in place of the flax seeds if you have those on hand," Hahn shares.

To make the homemade cashew milk, pour the raw cashews in a small bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let them sit for 30 minutes to soften, then drain and discard the water.

Since we are using whole oats instead of oat flour, pour them into a blender or food processor, and process until they are a fully broken down into a fine flour. Then, add it to a medium bowl with the ground flax seed, coconut sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.

Start by blending the drained cashews and water into a smooth liquid. Pour this into a large bowl, and add 1 ½ tablespoons of the avocado oil, along with the vanilla. Stir to combine, and then add in the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine, and then let it sit for 10 minutes to thicken. "The flax seeds combined with the liquid will act as our egg, and thicken the mixture as it sits," Hahn remarks.

Drop in 1 teaspoon of the oil into a large frying pan or griddle. Depending on the size of your cooking vessel, you may have to work in batches. Scoop out ¼ cup of the batter per pancake, and pour into the hot pan. Cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. As you pull them out of the pan, keep them covered so they stay warm. These pancakes will be more dense than pancakes made the traditional way, but they are even more delicious. Top with dairy-free butter and maple syrup, and enjoy your healthy pancake breakfast.