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Chocolate-Banana Vegan Pancake Recipe (Gluten-Free)
Hosting a vegan brunch with a gluten-free friend? A gluten-free vegan breakfast can be daunting, but this vegan pancake recipe is here to save the day (and make you look like an amazing vegan chef and terribly thoughtful friend as well)! This vegan pancake recipe uses oat flour to keep it gluten-free and the banana, chocolate & walnut theme makes it fun and flavorful. Banana pancakes never looked better, right?!
The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Pancake Recipe!
As the gluten-free population of my friend set grows, so does my repertoire of suitable recipes. I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical at first but as it turns out you can have your gluten-free (pan)cake and eat it too. This vegan pancake recipe is a tweak on the Orange-Scented Waffles recipe I’ve been working on for my upcoming cookbook (stay tuned – Spring 2021). For this recipe, I swapped out all-purpose flour for oat flour. If you haven’t tried oat flour yet, I think you’ll find it’s a pretty tasty substitute.
Using Flaxseed Eggs in Your Vegan Baking
Flour aside, the real trick in vegan baking is to use a flaxseed egg as a binding agent. If you haven’t tried this before, a flaxseed egg is a combination of flaxseed meal and water. After a few minutes, the combination of the flaxseed meal and the water becomes a gelatinous substance that, when baked, works as an egg would in vegan baking.
You want to know what’s even better? Flaxseeds are really good for you! They’re loaded with protein, fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, if you subscribe to nutritionfacts.org’s Daily Dozen philosophy (as I aspire to do) you’ll find that flaxseeds get a category all on their own. That’s right – out of all the foods in the food kingdom to make a list of twelve, flaxseeds make the cut.
How to Top this Vegan Pancake Recipe
If I am being honest, I’m not sure you can top it. I mean, it has chocolate syrup. Seriously though, there are a million different ways to top these gluten-free vegan pancakes and make them special. Maple syrup is always a good choice. Or how about Chia Seed Strawberry Jam? For this recipe though, I decided on sliced bananas, crushed walnuts and a homemade chocolate syrup.
This vegan brunch item can almost double as dessert, but it’s actually not a gut bomb at all. Most of the sweetness comes from the bananas and maple syrup, an unrefined sweetener that you’ll find in many of my recipes. And that chocolate syrup – that’s simply melted semi-sweet chocolate chips with a touch of coconut oil for consistency.
When shopping for chocolate chips, don’t be fooled by cocoa butter on the ingredient list. It might have butter in the title, but this ingredient is dairy free and vegan. Cocoa butter is the fat extracted from cocoa beans. To avoid burning your chocolate chips as you melt them, I recommend microwaving them in small time increments and stirring as you go. If you try to do it all at once, you’ll for sure end up with burned bits of chocolate.
What’s in My Kitchen to Make This Banana Pancake Recipe Easier?
Want to know what tools and resources I keep on hand to make my vegan cooking even easier? Here’s a short list of what helped me create this blog post and recipe. For the complete list, visit my Shop where you can find the kitchen gadgets I like as well as a list of books that I recommend.
Reusable, Upcycled Napkins
Before I get into cooking, I want to share these napkins. I found these on Etsy over a year ago and, not only do I LOVE them, I buy them as gifts for nearly everyone I know.
These napkins are upcycled and reusable, allowing you to not only avoid throwing away paper products but to also reuse fabrics – a small but significant way to cut back on water, dyes and chemicals used in the production process.
These napkins are so darling (they come in lots of different patterns and colors) and they’re machine washable. I just throw them in with whatever load of laundry I’m doing. They don’t wrinkle easily, so a quick fold will have them back on your table doing what they were meant to do… be reused!
Waffle Iron
A waffle iron is a kitchen gadget splurge for sure! As far as I am aware though, you can’t really make waffles without a waffle iron.
This waffle iron justifies itself, also coming with pancake plates. This easy set up makes the perfect pancakes (and waffles) every time.
Did someone say burrito? That’s right! My family will often drag out this waffle maker and use it to grill their burritos panini-style. I’ve also used to it make mess-free latkes. How’s that for a kitchen gadget that keeps on giving?
Glass Measuring Cups
These iconic Pyrex liquid measuring cups are a staple in any kitchen. I love them because they’re multi-sized, durable and can easily go into the microwave for making things like homemade chocolate syrup for my Chocolate Banana Vegan Pancake recipe or for getting coconut milk to its fully liquid state before combining in it a recipe like my Savory Mushroom Bisque.
Refillable Oil Spray Dispenser
I’ve tried a lot of non-aerosol oil dispensers over the years. Most of them were disappointments, either because they delivered a direct stream of oil instead of a mist before becoming clogged or because my hand would cramp so badly trying to hand pump out a few measly drops. These dispensers are game changers though. I have the set of two, one that keeps olive oil and a second that I filled with grapeseed oil. They help me to use a fine amount of oil when I only need a small amount.
Chocolate Banana Vegan Pancake Recipe (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 cups oat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 3/4 cups oat milk
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 banana sliced
- 1/2 cup walnuts choppes
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Make the flaxseed egg by combining the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Allow to rest for 5 minutes while your waffle iron preheats.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
- Combine the flaxseed egg, coconut milk, 1 tsp coconut oil and maple syrup in a separate bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. The batter should be thick, but pourable. If the batter is too thick, add more water. If the batter is too thin, add more flour.
- Add the batter to your waffle iron. Cook the pancakes until golden brown. About 6 minutes.
- Add the chocolate chips and ½ tsp of coconut oil to a small glass liquid measuring cup. Microwave the chocolate chips for 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until thin and syrupy.
- Slice the banana and chop the walnuts.
- Top your fresh-off-the-griddle pancakes with sliced bananas, chocolate syrup and chopped walnuts.
About Herbivore’s Kitchen
Herbivore’s Kitchen is a blog run by me, a plant-based home chef and aspiring food photographer. I switched my and my family’s diet to a plant-based diet after learning about the health benefits of going vegan. Making this change has prompted a variety of food and holistic-lifestyle related questions that I explore through this blog. I talk about how to pick and prepare the most nutritious foods, to how to reduce waste at home, to how to live a more sustainable lifestyle while on the road.