Vegan blueberry pancakes are fluffy, thick, naturally sweetened and absolutely scrumptious. You’d never guess that these healthy pancakes include nutritious ingredients like chickpea flour, oats, hemp hearts, chia and flax!
Now I will admit, I love pancakes, probably more than the average person. We make pancakes in this house a LOT. 🙂 Because of this, I really wanted to sneak in as much nutrition as possible into these fluffy blueberry pancakes so I can feel great about serving them to my family.
As an added bonus, this healthy breakfast is also wheat free, gluten free, oil free and nut free, making them suitable for many allergies and intolerances.
What’s so healthy about these blueberry pancakes?
I’m using nutrient dense ingredients here:
- A flax egg (made by combining a tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water).
- Soy milk + apple cider vinegar to make these taste like blueberry pancakes with buttermilk. It works!!
- Oats: I like quick cooking steel cut oats, but rolled oats also work well.
- Chia seeds for a boost of iron, calcium, fiber and omega-3’s.
- Hemp hearts for a protein boost and more healthy fats.
- Baking powder for fluffiness like any good pancake needs. Make sure your baking powder is active. If it’s been sitting in your pantry, opened, for more than 6 months, it may start to lose its effectiveness.
- Maple syrup to add a touch more sweetness. However, this is completely optional. I found the pancakes just as delicious without it. You may also sub date syrup or agave, if preferred.
- Blueberries are low in calories but high in nutrients and antioxidants. Often referred to as a super food, and for good reason. They’re among the most nutrient dense of all the berry family. Plus, they add lovely sweetness to these pancakes and other baked goods, without any refined sugar.
How to make healthy blueberry pancakes
Start by preparing your flax egg and set it aside. Then pour your soy milk and the apple cider vinegar in a bowl and let it curdle. This will take about 2-3 minutes and will help transform your breakfast into super fluffy pancakes.
Add the oats and the seeds to a powerful blender, like a Vitamix and process until a flour like consistency is reached. Or you may use another blender or food processor, it just might take a touch longer to grind them. Don’t worry if there’s a few flaky pieces, the flour doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth.
Once blended, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. To the same bowl, add the chickpea flour and baking powder and whisk to combine.
Now add your flax egg, “buttermilk” and maple syrup, if using. Mix until combined, without over mixing. A few lumps are perfectly fine, just mix until you no longer have dry flour bits.
Then fold in the blueberries very gently so they don’t break.
When your griddle is HOT, ladle the pancake batter to make roughly 3 inch wide pancakes.
Make sure the griddle is hot to prevent sticking. You can test this by splashing a drop or two of water and see if it sizzles.
The pancake batter is on the thicker side, and not runny so it won’t spread too much. You can gently spread them ever so slightly, but these pancakes taste best thick and fluffy.
Cook them for about 5 minutes before carefully flipping them over. Cook the reverse side for another 3-5 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
Serve them with more fresh blueberries on top or some sliced banana. These would also pair perfectly with some Blueberry Chia Jam.
Or you may add some chocolate chips, or maple or date syrup if you want them a little sweeter.
These easy blueberry pancakes will quickly become your go to weekend breakfast! They are:
- Fluffy and thick.
- Perfectly moist with no oil or butter.
- Naturally sweet with a touch of tart, depending on the ripeness of your blueberries.
- Loaded with nutrients from chickpea flour, oats and seeds.
- Suitable for a vegan, gluten free, or even whole food plant based diet.
- Absolutely mouth watering.
- Freezable! Perfect for make ahead breakfasts.
To freeze, let your pancakes cool completely and you may store in the freezer in a sealed container or bag. Then just pop one or two in the toaster each morning for a quick and easy breakfast on the go.
More scrumptious pancake recipes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes – Vegan & GF
- Lentil Spinach Pancakes [GF+Oil Free]
- The Easiest Fluffiest Vegan Pancakes Ever
- Easy Banana Spinach Pancakes
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Pancakes [Vegan + Oil Free]
- Lentil Banana Protein Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg
- 1.5 cups soy milk
- 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup quick cooking steel cut oats or rolled oats, gluten free if preferred
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp maple syrup optional
- 1- 1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Prepare your flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water) and set aside.
- Then add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to a bowl and set aside to let it curdle.
- Heat you non stick griddle until very hot.
- Meanwhile, add the oats, hemp hearts and chia seeds to a blender and process until it resembles a flour consistency. (Don't worry if there are a few chunkier pieces.) Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the chickpea flour and baking powder to the same bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Now add the flax egg, curdled milk and the maple syrup, if using to the bowl of flour and mix until combined without over mixing. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Ladle your batter on your hot griddle, making the pancakes roughly 3-4 inches in diameter. You may gently press the pancake down to help it spread a little as the batter will not be very runny. However, do not spread too much as these taste best a little thicker and fluffier.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes until golden and flip and cook for another 3-4 more minutes, until cooked through.
- Serve with more fresh blueberries if desired.
These are fabulous and filling. Topped with almond butter and extra berries! Made enough for quick breakfasts this week.
Yum. Love that you topped these with almond butter. So glad you enjoyed, thanks for taking the time to report back.