These lentil pancakes AKA vegan savoury pancakes make the perfect kind of dinner pancake! Packed with big flavour, protein dense and completely wholesome.
This recipe was originally published in June 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
Who says you can’t eat a great pancake for dinner? 😉
These vegan savoury pancakes are a super fun way to switch up your pancake routine. All the while, sneaking in tons of nutrients in a sugar free dish! If sweet pancakes are more your thing though, check out my sweet lentil pancakes, instead.
These are quick and easy to make, great on a busy weeknight, or go ahead and enjoy as a weekend breakfast.
Some added bonuses! They’re naturally gluten free, sugar free and oil free too!
Shall we?
How to make them
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Gather your ingredients.
Then put your split red lentils to soak. Do NOT sub for another lentil.
Use a heat proof bowl and cover the lentils with hot water from a kettle, or boiled on stove top and set aside for 30 minutes. (photos 1-4)
NOTE: Do not boil the lentils. Simply soak them in the hot water for 30 minutes, and then drain.
While waiting for the lentils to soak, slice your green onion and finely chop your spinach. You may do so in a food processor, or by hand. Your choice. Then set aside.
Now add your drained lentils along with all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the chopped spinach and green onion to your blender. Process until smooth. (photos 5-6)
Then add the spinach and green onion to the batter and blend for a second or two to mix it in, or use a spatula to mix it through. But DO NOT blend the veggies. (photos 7-8)
Now pour your pancake batter onto your hot griddle, directly from the blender spout.
Make pancakes that are roughly four inches in diameter. If your batter isn’t spreading much, help it out with the back of a spoon or ladle to spread these thin, for even cooking. (photo 9)
Cook for 4-5 minutes, until several bubbles have formed on top and the edges appear to be set. Then flip and cook another 3-5 minutes, until cooked through. (photo 10)
Serve them warm with more green onion or any of your favourite pancake toppings.
What to serve with savoury pancakes
I like these vegan savoury pancakes with green onion, vegan bacon bits and maple syrup for a sweet and salty combo.
Some other great toppings include:
- Sour cream or spicy mayo
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chives
- Onion gravy
- Guacamole
Can I freeze them?
Yes, just make sure to fully cool them to room temperature first. Then freeze in zip top bags or freezer safe containers for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
Do NOT sub the lentils! You must use SPLIT red lentils for this pancake batter to work.
Soak the lentils in hot water, but DO NOT cook them. You may soak in hot water for 30 minutes, or soak in cold water overnight. Either way is fine.
Mix the chopped veggies into your batter, but do not blend them or your pancakes will be green and the texture will be a little off.
More amazing pancake recipes!
- The Easiest Fluffiest Vegan Pancakes Ever
- Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Pancakes
- Blueberry Pancakes
- Banana Spinach Pancakes
- Pink Beet Pancakes
- Lentil Banana Protein Pancakes
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Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup split red lentils soaked in boiling hot water for 30 mins and then drained
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 + ⅓ cup unsweetened cashew milk or milk of choice
- 1 handful baby spinach finely chopped
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
Optional Toppings
- vegan bacon bits
- onion gravy
- guacamole
- cashew cream
- chives, green onion, parsley, or cilantro
- maple syrup
- sriracha mayo
Instructions
- Place your lentils in a heat proof bowl and cover them with boiling hot water from a kettle or stove top for 30 minutes, but DO NOT cook them. Then drain.
- Meanwhile, finely chop your spinach and green onion by hand or by using a food processor and set aside and preheat your nonstick griddle over medium/high heat.
- Add your drained lentils and all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the spinach and green onion to your blender. Process until smooth. Then add the spinach and onion and blend for 1-2 seconds, just to mix the veggies in, or use a spatula to stir them in. Don't blend the veggies.
- Pour the pancake batter directly from the blender spout onto your hot griddle and make pancakes that are approx. 4 inches in diameter. If the pancakes don't spread easily, gently press down the center of the pancake with the back of a ladle or spoon to make them thin and to ensure even cooking.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes until the edges appear set and several bubbles have formed on top. Then flip and cook another 3-5 minutes until cooked through.
Joy says
Your recipes are wonderful but I cannot eat nutritional yeast – both unfortified or fortified. What can I substitute?
I am asking not just for this pancake recipe but also many of your recipes. Thank you.
Rosa says
Hi Joy, nutritional yeast is used for added savoury flavour to most dishes, so you may use other spices you enjoy. That may vary on the exact recipe. In this case, I would increase the onion powder, garlic powder and paprika, and if you have mushroom powder, that would be a great addition. Enjoy!
Sandy says
I love this recipe! I don’t have a nonstick griddle, and after trying to do this in my stainless steel pan I knew that I needed to use something else. It stuck like concrete to the stainless. I got out my nonstick panini press and used the remaining batter and spread it out. After ten minutes it lifted out beautifully. Not fluffy like a pancake, not when I squished it down, but heavenly to eat. I used a steamed veggie sauce I made on top and it was delicious! I plan on making this again, and may end up purchasing a nonstick griddle to try to the pancake variety. Thanks so much!
Rosa says
So glad you enjoyed Sandy! Thanks so much for sharing your process with us. 🙂
Nancy says
These pancakes were so delicious! I usually have to modify the seasonings of a recipe, but the flavor was perfect just by following as is. The only issue was the batter was extremely runny the first time and wouldn’t cook properly, so we had to reduce the milk to 1 cup and added 1/2 cup of flour. With those modifications, we’ll be making this recipe super often!
Rosa says
Glad you enjoyed Nancy, thanks for sharing.
Sharon says
Hi Rosa,
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made these and we all really enjoyed them! I think apple sauce would be nice served with them.
*****
Rosa says
That sounds great, so glad you enjoyed Sharon!
Susan says
I made 1/2 batch. Which yielded 4 pancakes. They are truly savory. I sautéed shiitake mushrooms and shallots to top them. I will make them again
Rosa says
Those sound like delicious toppings, thrilled you enjoyed!
Charlene says
Will the batter do waffles?
Rosa says
Hi Charlene, I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear back from you. 🙂
Sara says
I was wondering the same thing! DId you try it??
Sara says
I made these as waffles and they were wonderful!!!
Swapped beet greens for the spinach, added chopped cremini mushrooms cause I love them, and used only about 1 cup of almond milk. Delicious and satisfying savoury waffles, yay!!
Rosa says
Ohh that’s great! Thanks so much for sharing, thrilled you enjoyed!
Rachelle Reyles says
Hello! Can I sub with green lentils?
rosa says
Hi Rachelle, I haven’t tried with green lentils so I’m not sure. Split red lentils stick together nicely to make a batter, not sure if green would produce the same result. If you decide to give it a try, please let me know how it works out.
Hannah says
Can I use tinned lentils instead of dry red lentils?
rosa says
Hi Hannah, I haven’t tried this recipe with canned lentils, but I believe it should work. Please report back if you try it this way. Enjoy.
Nina says
Any other sauce ideas for this? I don’t like spicy food and ketchup just doesn’t sound appealing on these. I think with a really fun sauce, I could get my family to be excited about them.
rosa says
Hi Nina, how about tahini or some roasted red pepper hummus? The pancakes are savoury (not sweet) but maple syrup also pairs well.
Julia says
Oh wow what a creative way to get more spinach into my little ones!! These look and sound delicious 😋
rosa says
Thanks so much Julia! Hope you enjoy.