Name: Vegan Peanut Butter Pancakes w/ Peanut Butter Caramel
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup soy milk; 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice); 1 cups rolled oats (or quick cooking steel cut oats); 3 tablespoons chia seeds; 2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter; 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce; 1 cup pitted dates; 1/2 cup soy milk (or plant-based milk of choice); 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 4-6 tablespoons water (to thin your caramel to the desired consistency)

Mouth-watering vegan peanut butter pancakes with peanut butter caramel are what dreams are made of. This utterly delicious breakfast with its addictive PB caramel topping will quickly become your go-to pancake recipe.

Peanut butter pancakes in a stack on plate with triangular wedge cut out.

This recipe was originally published in February 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.

Pancakes are one of my favourite weekend breakfasts. There’s something special and satisfying about a delicious pancake stack.

This version is not only delicious, but it’s protein-dense, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and oil-free, too!

For more fantastic vegan pancakes check out our collection of the BEST Vegan Pancakes with tons of breakfast and brunch options, but also a savoury dinner pancake!

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Ingredients + Substitutions
Instructions
Storage
Expert Tips
More delicious vegan pancake recipes
📖 Recipe

Ingredients + Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make these delicious vegan peanut butter pancakes.

Boiwls of oats, milk, chia seeds, baking powder, applesauce and peanut butter. — *See recipe card for quantities.*

Soy milk + apple cider vinegar: Combining soy milk with apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) creates a vegan buttermilk substitute. The result is beautiful fluffy vegan pancakes. 🙂 If you cannot have soy, you may use almond milk instead.
Oats: Use rolled oats OR quick cooking steel cut oats. Oats have been said to aid in lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels, making them a healthier ingredient when compared to wheat flour.
Chia seeds: These add healthy fat, and a boost of iron, calcium, and fiber, to these tasty protein pancakes.
Baking powder. Make sure your baking powder is active for maximum lift. Jars of baking powder that have been open in the pantry for 6+ months start to lose their effectiveness.
Peanut butter: Use natural PB, the kind that contains JUST peanuts without added oil, or sugar.
Apple sauce: Choose unsweetened to keep these refined sugar-free. The applesauce works to replace the oil and the eggs. Two for one deal here. 😉

Instructions

(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Blend the oats and chia seeds and stir them into a large bowl with the baking powder. (photo 1)

Bowl of milk and peanut butter being whisked.

Once your soy milk has curdled, add the peanut butter and applesauce to the same bowl and mix. (photo 2)

NOTE: Don’t worry if the oats and seeds don’t blend perfectly. If a few chunkier pieces remain after blending it still works well.

Pancake batter inside large mixing bowl.

Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until combined. (photo 3)

Ladle the pancake batter onto your preheated griddle or non-stick pan and cook on both sides until done. (photo 4)

For the PB caramel topping

To make the caramel, just add the dates, peanut butter, non-dairy milk, and cinnamon to a blender and process until smooth. Thin it out with some water until you reach your preferred consistency.

NOTE: If you don’t have a strong blender, soak your dates in boiling hot water for 15-30 minutes first. Then drain and add to your blender with the remaining ingredients. The soak time will soften the dates, making them easier to process.

Serve your pancakes with a few tablespoons of your homemade caramel sauce and sprinkle with chopped walnuts or peanuts and sliced bananas, if desired.

Stack of vegan peanut butter pancakes with peanut butter caramel on top.

Or, if you’re skipping the caramel topping, you may use maple syrup, date syrup, chopped nuts of choice, fresh fruit, nut butter or seed butter, or any of your favourite pancake toppings.

If you need a side, these air fryer hash browns pair nicely with these too. 🙂

Storage

Pancakes taste best when freshly made, but these also make great leftovers. Store them in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days. You may reheat in the toaster.

The caramel topping will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 1 week and tastes great cold or warmed up.

To freeze these peanut butter pancakes, wait until they are cooled to room temperature first. Then store them in a freezer-safe airtight container or ziptop bags and keep them frozen for up to 3 months. You may pop these in the toaster to heat through, from frozen for a simple make-ahead breakfast.

Expert Tips

Make sure your griddle is hot before cooking your pancakes to prevent sticking and to avoid greasing your pan. You can test this by splashing the griddle with a sprinkle of water to see if it sizzles.
If you don’t have a strong blender, soak your dates for 15-30 minutes in boiling hot water and then drain them, before making your caramel topping.
Make sure to use ACTIVE baking powder. Once your baking powder is open and sitting in the pantry for 6+ months, it may start to lose its rising power.

More delicious vegan pancake recipes