These fluffy vegan quinoa pancakes are made with rich coconut milk and hearty quinoa that’s blended into the batter.
Monstrously giant pancakes and a teeny, tiny dinosaur. That’s where things are today. I’m okay with this. I’m making progress and I think I will have everything straightened out by this weekend. Anyone reading this post more than a couple of days after its initial publication is probably all “what’s she talking about?” I’m sure hoping that’s the case anyway…
One thing I can say about my temporary but new and unimproved layout is that the ginormous pictures certainly make me hungry. Maybe I didn’t visually inspect these pancakes adequately when I made them, ’cause damn, look at all those little crevices and syrupy glimmers. I can assure you that they do taste every bit as good as the images imply.
So, it’s all good. And as far as this recipe is concerned, well I guess it had to happen. It kinda represents two phases that I’m going through at present: (1) throwing quinoa in everything, and (2) throwing coconut milk in everything. As it turns out, the two go great together. Both can do fantastic things for your baked(ish, given that pancakes are the kind of cakes you don’t bake) goods. As for the quinoa, I’m pretty well seasoned at throwing that into baked(ish) goods, having a plethora of quinoa based muffin recipes on the blog at this point (see here and here, in case you’re curious). I initially started using it because it seemed like a healthy replacement for a portion of the wheat flour in my recipes, but now I just think it makes them moister, better textured, and just all-around tastier.
I suppose the same is true for coconut milk, though I’ve done less baking with this ingredient. Amid all the buzz about coconut being a superfood and an unforeseen healthy fat, I just love the stuff because it’s scrumptious. What I found here is that it makes already moist quinoa pancakes even moister and give the batter this amazing browning-ability. I don’t really know how to describe it, but if you scroll up or down to one of my massive pancake images, you’ll see that these cakes have a delicate golden brown hue. It tastes like it looks, which would be like a slightly caramely, lightly crisp, delicate outer shell, which I’m attributing to the fat in the coconut milk. The coconut flavor is subtle, so I went ahead and topped these with some shredded coconut.
Coconut Milk Quinoa Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour or sub all purpose
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
-
Stir flour, quinoa, sugar, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl.
-
Add water, coconut milk and vanilla. Stir just until blended.
-
Spray or coat griddle or skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.
-
Drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter at a time and cook until fluffy and golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes.
-
Top with shredded coconut and maple syrup.
This looks absolutely beautiful – love your blog!
Thank you so much, Lucie!
I was wondering if I could use a mashed fruit in place of the sugar. I try to use only natural sugars. Would you know by any chance if I could, and if so, how much? Thanks, looking forward to checking out your recipes.
Mashed fruit might change the consistency a bit. I haven’t tried this, but I bet you could get away with using something like a very ripe mashed banana if you cut down on the coconut milk by an amount equal to the volume of the banana…no guarantees but it’s a risk I’d be willing to take in my kitchen. Please let me know how it works out if you try it!
These look beautiful! I’ve never thought of using quinoa in pancakes before!
Thanks Claudia! Quinoa pancakes are my favorite – they’re moist and very filling. I hope you get a chance to give them a try :)
I’ve been trying to find eggless pancakes that actually look tasty, and these fit the bill! I can’t wait to try them!
Quinoa pancakes are definitely my favorite type of eggless pancakes – I think the quinoa adds some nice bulk and fluffiness that might otherwise be missing. I hope you enjoy these!
My first few turned out great. Then my next pours stuck to the pan. So I tried a different pan and a different fat (at first, I had oiled the pan with coconut oil – going with the theme. Then switched sunflower oil). Same thing happened.
But I keep thinking the must be sticking due to the fat. Then it hit me . . .
You are using canned coconut milk. Is that right?
I was using the refrigerated coconut milk in the health section of the grocery store. I am sure there must be a significant fat content difference, right?
Hi Heather! I believe there is a difference in the fat content – my understanding is that the refrigerated stuff is usually a blend of coconut milk and other non-dairy milks with less fat. You should still be able to get away with using the refrigerated stuff (or another type of milk for that matter) if you make sure to re-oil your pan as needed between cakes. Another issue I’ve run into is the pan getting too hot. This happens with some types of non-stick frying pans – it seems to hit a sweet spot after around 1-2 pancakes, and after that it overheats and you see some sticking and/or burning. If you think this is the case you might want to keep the heat a bit on the low side, even if the cakes take a bit longer to cook. I hope that helps!
Hi. Just checking on the baking powder measurement. My gut told me that it should be in tsp, but I followed the recipe with the tbsp measurement and it tasted like pure baking powder. Could you confirm?? Thanks!
Hi Danielle! I double checked my notes, and tablespoons is correct. This amount is pretty typical of vegan pancake recipes, and particularly a batch this large. Is it possible you used baking soda instead of powder? This would result in a much stronger taste.
Are you sure it’s 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder ?
Double checked, and yes. The recipe makes a big batch. :)
Can I freeze these after making them?
Yes you can! I usually place them in stacks with sheets of parchment paper in between, then seal up the whole stack in a freezer bag.
Ive made these a couple of times now, even made some and froze them so I can have quinoa pancakes whenever I want them! I was so excited about them that I made everyone that came over try them and they all loved it! I even shared the recipe with them because everyone was just so amazed at how delicious these taste, and they’re healthy too!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them! I’m a big fan of make-and-freeze pancakes too – it’s awesome to have nearly instant pancakes at the ready on weekend mornings. :)
Stupid question – canned or boxed coconut milk?
Totally reasonable question! Canned it what I use, but I’ve heard from some readers that had success with boxed. :)