Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes
These Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes are made in a few minutes in the blender with minimal ingredients – all gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free! These oat-based pancakes are lemony, loaded with flavor, and so easy to make. Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post!
Let’s talk PANCAKES. Dreamy, fluffy, lemony, absolutely delicious pancakes. While I’m not always a sweet breakfast girl, many times opting for avocado toast on some homemade bread, when I want a sweet breakfast, it’s almost always pancakes. Occasionally waffles too, but let’s be honest, cleaning a waffle iron can be a pain in the butt, so I usually go for pancakes.
Pancakes can take on so many forms and flavors, and they’re pretty much always delicious. These double chocolate pancakes always make me swoon, and I’m a major sucker for peanut butter, so these peanut butter pancakes are a favorite, but sometimes I want a more light & refreshing pancake. Enter, lemon poppyseed pancakes!
How do you make vegan pancakes?
I first developed my favorite pancake recipe while writing my gluten-free cookbook. It’s evolved into so many different iterations ever since, like my favorite peanut butter pancakes, these delicious double chocolate pancakes and the perfect-for-fall pumpkin pancakes. These Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes are the latest and greatest, and one of my new top favorites.
These vegan lemon pancakes are awesome because the batter is made entirely in the blender. You can just toss in all of the ingredients, blend until smooth, and then you’re ready to cook them. It couldn’t be easier. Since all of the ingredients are so simple, you’ll probably have all of them on hand already too.
To make these vegan lemon pancakes, you’ll need:
- Milk: any kind will work! I usually use oat milk, almond, or soy milk. You’ll need to use dairy-free if you’re looking to keep this recipe dairy-free or vegan. Soy milk is best for bumping up the protein content!
- Lemon Juice & Zest: you’ll want the juice and zest of about two lemons for maximum lemony, tangy flavor.
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats: my go-to oats since they’re certified gluten-free. This is SO important if you’re using oats in a recipe for anyone who eats gluten-free since oats are super commonly cross-contaminated. Of course, they’re also super delicious and organic :)
- Applesauce or Banana: I personally preferred these with the banana. However, the banana flavor comes through a bit more, so if you don’t love bananas, use applesauce which tastes pretty neutral.
- Maple Syrup: for a touch of sweetness! You could also use honey or another liquid sweetener of your choice.
- Baking Powder: it may seem like a lot of baking powder, but bear with me: you need this amount to get delightfully fluffy and delicious pancakes without any eggs!
- Salt & Vanilla: two of my favorite flavor friends!
- Poppy Seeds: for extra texture! If you prefer a classic lemon pancake, you can skip these.
TIP: To keep these pancakes warm while you make the rest, set your oven to its lowest setting and keep them on a plate in the oven, adding them to the plate as they come out of the oven!
Are oats gluten-free?
While oats are naturally gluten-free, they are very frequently cross-contaminated by being processed on the same equipment as wheat and other gluten-containing ingredients. That’s why I love using Bob’s Red Mill. Yhey have certified gluten-free oats that are processed in a certified gluten-free facility. This ensures that there is NO danger of cross-contamination for anyone who is celiac or highly sensitive to gluten. This is true of their oats, and all of their certified gluten-free products!
Can you make pancakes ahead of time?
Yes, you absolutely can! These lemon poppyseed pancakes are really great reheated. Sometimes, I make a double batch so I can have some on hand to eat the rest of the week.
I keep them tightly sealed in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, reheat them for about 30 seconds in the microwave. You can also reheat over the stove in a covered pan over low heat.
You can also freeze them easily. I’d recommend separating each pancake with parchment paper and sealing it in an airtight container or zip bag before freezing. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
Want more breakfast treats?
- Double Chocolate Pancakes
- The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Waffles
- Blueberry Banana Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Pancakes
Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 small pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes are made in a few minutes in the blender with minimal ingredients – all gluten-free and dairy-free! These oat-based pancakes are lemony, loaded with flavor, and so easy to make.
Ingredients
-
2/3 cup almond milk, soy milk, or unsweetened dairy-free milk of choice (use nut-free milk to keep these nut-free)
-
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice & 1 tablespoon zest, from approx 2 lemons
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats
-
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 1 ripe banana
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
-
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the almond milk, lemon juice & zest, oats, applesauce or banana, maple syrup, baking powder, kosher salt, and vanilla.
- Blend for 30 seconds until the oats are broken down and smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes to thicken up while you heat the skillet or griddle pan.
- While the batter thickens, heat up a skillet or griddle pan to medium heat. Once pan is hot, add a bit of coconut oil to grease the pan, and then add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until the edges look cooked, before flipping gently, and cooking for another 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat until all of the batter is gone, adding more coconut oil between each pancake if needed. If you’re using a griddle or large pan, you can do more than one at a time.
- Serve warm, with yogurt, lemon curd, maple syrup, fruit, and/or nut butter!
- If saving for later, store wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds.
I made the pancakes and they were great! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay so glad you’re loving them!!
I made these the other day and they were super fluffy and delicious! I put blueberries on top and tried some with lemon curd and the rest with just maple syrup – both options were great! I will be making these again for sure.
Sounds so fabulous – so glad you’re loving them, Ashley!!
These are absolutely fabulous, our new favorite!! ❤️
So glad you loved them, Carol!
So delicious. One of the best GF pancake recipes that I have tried…..and I have tried many! BONUS, they are super simple to make. Rachel you are great at what you do. Please keep doing it!!
SO glad you’re loving them, Carissa!! Thank you so much for the kind words :)
I made these and they were great. I made some changes because I’m always tempted to experiment! I also wanted a higher protein and fat content. In place of the second cup of oat flour, I used a combination of coconut flour, hemp flour, almond flour, and buckwheat flour. I used small quick-cooking oats and just mixed it by hand. I swapped coconut sugar for the maple syrup, and added some coconut yogurt, and about 1/3 cup of GF sourdough discard. I’m not vegan, so I added two eggs as well. Plus about a cup of blueberries to the batter at the end. They were fluffy and delicious! Thanks so much for all your recipes! They are stellar!
Sounds fabulous, so glad your experiment turned out so wonderfully! Sounds delicious with the blueberries and sourdough discard in there.
Hi Rachel,
These pancakes look delicious.
Would you have a substitute for oat? It just does not agree with me (also GF certified).
Thank you!
Isa
Hi Isa, another grain flour should work okay here, like sorghum flour or quinoa flour, though it may change the flavor/texture.
I discovered this recipe while hunting for ways to use an abundance of lemons from our tree. This is a wonderful recipe! We ate the pancakes until we couldn’t possibly stuff another one in. We’re not used to very sweet foods, so next time, I’ll tune down the maple syrup. Thanks for sharing it.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them, Diane! Thanks so much for the feedback.