Picture yourself eating these fluffy, coconut, vegan buttermilk pancakes. The aroma of maple syrup wafts through the air, and notes of coconut, browned hot cakes tingle the hair on your nose with comfort. You take your fork and knife and cut into layer on layer of light, pillowy, pancakes. Imagine how it feels to take a bite with three staked shortcakes on the prongs of your fork.
As soon as the pancakes hit the tongue you taste notes of the maple syrup, followed by a slightly nutty and rich coconut flavor. The texture is like a cloud. The pancake is so delicate that it melts into your mouth as you take several bites. So are you ready to experience this for real? Keep reading, and we will tell you just how to make these easy, delicious, vegan buttermilk coconut pancakes.
These fluffy vegan coconut pancakes are the best pancake recipe on the internet! They are easy to make, and can just as easily be customized with other mix-ins or toppings. They’ll be your new morning favorite. You are going to love how fast these are to whip up too. All you’ll need is one bowl to mix the ingredients, and one pan to cook the pancakes.
Brief History of Pancakes
Pancakes may be served at any time of the day or year with a variety of toppings or fillings. They have developed associations with particular times, and particular toppings in different regions. In Britain and the Commonwealth, they are associated with Shrove Tuesday, commonly known as “Pancake Day”, when, historically, perishable ingredients had to be used up before the fasting period of Lent.
Secret to Golden Brown Pancakes
The best way to get that perfect golden brown coloring, is to cook the pancakes in a hot pan at medium-low heat. If the pan is too hot, the pancakes will turn a burnt looking brown in just a short amount of time before cooking through the center.
Fluffy Vegan Pancakes Ingredients
We know what some of you might be thinking. Can you make vegan pancakes? The answer is yes, and they are just as delicious. Vegan pancakes are no different than normal pancakes. The process of making them is the same. For this recipe, we veganized it with a few substitutions. The milk is replaced with a homemade cashew milk.
But what about the eggs? Can you make fluffy pancakes without eggs? Absolutely. The baking powder is really what makes this recipe fluffy. And what about the fat from the eggs you ask? We replaced that with healthy fats from coconut oil and coconut flakes.

Vegan Buttermilk
Buttermilk has a very tangy taste, and naturally thick texture. This all comes from lactic acid. This sourness makes buttermilk important in helping keep baked goods light and moist. The acid of buttermilk, when in the presence of baking soda, reacts and forms carbon dioxide.
If you’ve ever made a pancake before, those bubbles that form in the batter and when making the pancake are carbon dioxide gas. The reaction of acid and baking soda make foods, like pancakes and other baked goods, light and airy. But the chemical reaction does not last long. If the batter with the buttermilk and baking soda is not used quickly, the batter will become dense and thick.
The acids content in buttermilk also helps break down gluten. This helps keep food moist and soft. The gluten in flour gives breads and baked goods their structure. But too much gluten protein will make food dense and chewy. Buttermilk softens the gluten and creates more tender textures.
For this recipe we made a vegan buttermilk to make these pancakes light, airy, and a tad bit tangy. In a small to medium mixing bowl add the cashew milk along with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Allow the mixture to rest for a couple minutes. The apple cider vinegar will curdle the milk. The curdling will be fully visible in the mixing bowl. This mixture of cashew milk and apple cider vinegar will serve as our vegan butter milk for this recipe.
It is possible to make vegan buttermilk beforehand and freeze it. Allow it to sit overnight and thaw before use. We usually just make enough for the recipe.
All purpose flour
The flour is what gives the pancakes their structure and form. Be sure not to over mix the batter. When mixing the batter, the gluten in the flour becomes activated. The gluten is the protein that holds baked goods together. If over mixed, more gluten will become activated. The end result is chewy dense pancakes.
Coconut Oil
Do you need oil to cook pancakes? Yes, or you need a really amazing non-stick pan. The coconut oil in the batter also helps the pancakes not to stick, so you are not left with a mess. We tried using a non-stick pan, but the batter was instantly giving us trouble and we had to add a bit of coconut oil. Now for those who want less oil, you could just simply use cooking spray instead.

Coconut flakes
Coconut flakes are so delicious when mixed into the batter. We also sprinkle coconut flakes on top of warm pancakes.
Cashew milk
We used homemade cashew milk for this recipe because of its creaminess. Any plant milk would definitely work for this recipe. Soy, flax, almond, and coconut are good options!
Apple cider vinegar
The apple cider vinegar helps curdle the cashew milk and make buttermilk.
Baking powder
Is a chemical leavening agent that creates a light, fluffy texture. Batters are not strong enough to hold in gasses like carbon dioxide made from vegan buttermilk for a long time. Baking powder acts as a leavening agent to help hold in these gases for longer periods of time.
Salt
For this recipe we used himalayan pink salt. Not only does pink salt have many trace minerals like calcium and magnesium, but it compliments the other flavors to make the pancake flavors well rounded.
Cane sugar
We used organic cane sugar for this recipe. The sugar not only sweetens the pancakes but helps with the browning when cooked. It’s important to note that pancakes, traditionally, are not very sweet. Maple syrup and toppings are the real sweet components to any pancake.
Vanilla
Vanilla and coconut are so yum together. Even when we make pancakes without coconut flakes we still use vanilla.
Toppings for Vegan Pancakes

Maple syrup
The real sweetness of the pancake. We love to drizzle maple syrup on our pancakes.
Fruit
We love to add fresh fruit to our pancakes. It really takes the whole experience to another level.
Rice whip
Lately we’ve been loving rice whip as a light sweetener. It’s perfect as a healthy cool whip alternative.
If you tried one of our recipes or found our articles helpful, let us know in the comments below how it turned out!
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Peace,
Luna & Nate
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per container
Serving Size2 servings
- Amount Per ServingCalories275
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 4.2g 7%
- Saturated Fat 3g 15%
- Cholesterol 0mg 0%
- Sodium 337mg 15%
- Potassium 458mg 14%
- Total Carbohydrate 30.5g 10%
- Dietary Fiber 1.8g 4%
- Sugars 3.9g
- Protein 3.8g 6%
- Calcium 22%
- Iron 18%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
I made these tasty pancakes for Sunday brunch, topped with raspberries and maple syrup. I needed about 1/2 cup of nut milk as the batter was pretty thick. I also lightly oiled the pan with coconut oil. I will make them again thanks for this recipe!
Hi Dede,
We are so happy that you tried these pancakes. We definitely recommend coconut oil or non stick spray as listed in the instructions. We needed a bit more milk for our batter as well. We always add just a bit as needed to make sure the pancakes aren’t too runny!
Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Luna & Nate
My wife made me these scrumptious pancakes for Father Day this morning! So fluffy and so delicious!
So glad you enjoyed them! Happy Fathers day!