We LOVE Pancake Day in this house and you really don’t need to miss out on this tradition, or the fun, as it is easy to adapt recipes to make dairy-free pancakes. I always make my own dairy-free pancakes. However, I picked up a couple of pancake shaker mixes while I was out, just out of curiosity. I think it is easier to make your own pancakes but there is no reason why you shouldn’t use them.
About Dairy Free Pancakes
It’s really simple to make dairy-free pancakes from scratch. I should imagine you will have most of the ingredients in your store cupboard. It is a straightforward pancake recipe but I substituted soya milk for cow’s milk. I honestly do not think you can tell the difference. You don’t need any special equipment either as you can just use a mixing bowl and a whisk although you can also use a blender or food processor if you wish. It produced approximately 15 thin crepe-style pancakes that are so traditional on Pancake Day in the UK. The fun part is thinking about all the toppings you can have with them!
Dairy Free Toppings
Every family has traditions, and I was brought up with pancakes served with lemon and sugar. These days tons of dairy-free toppings are available. Below are just some suggestions of what you could serve with your dairy-free pancakes.
- Lemon and sugar
- Bacon and maple syrup
- Lotus Biscoff spread
- Honey
- Golden syrup
- Soft fruits such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries
- Strawberries and dairy-free cream (Elmlea plant-based double cream can be whipped or try Heavenly cream in a spray can)
- Icing sugar
- Jam or fruit compote
- Violife Coco spread
- Jim Jams dark chocolate spread (Contains nuts. Not suitable for milk, nut and soy allergies according to the label)
- Dairy Free Caramel Sauce
Dairy-Free Pancake Shaker Mixes
I bought two pancake shaker mixes largely out of curiosity but also as one of my daughter’s friends is gluten-free. I purchased the Asda Free From Pancake Shaker. It’s a dairy-free gluten-free pancakes mix and you can just add your choice of milk alternative. The other one is the M&S Plant Kitchen Pancake Shaker Mix. If you are looking for dairy and egg-free pancakes then these vegan pancakes then might be for you but the label does carry a warning that it is NOT SUITABLE for those with a dairy or egg allergy. It is also recommended on the label that you use oat milk for the M&S pancake mix.
Personally, I found these shaker mixes more effort than actually making the batter in the first place but you might prefer to use one. You need to shake the mixture well before you add any liquid. You need to shake again once you have added the liquid. In our case, it took several minutes for it to be fully mixed. I actually found that after the specified minute there was still lots of dry mixture stuck in the bottom of the shaker and I had to use a long-handled ice cream spoon to get into the bottom, loosen it and shake it again. Despite plenty of shaking, I found both mixtures quite lumpy and passed both mixtures through a sieve before cooking.
I preferred cooking the Asda Free From Pancake Shaker as I found the M&S Plant Kitchen Pancake Shaker Mix was too thick and I had to slacken the mixture with some more liquid. I think the Asda pancakes looked and tasted better too.
Cooking Your Pancakes
The same principle applies to cooking your pancakes if you followed the dairy-free pancakes recipe or if you used the pancake shaker mixes. You will need a non-stick frying pan approx 18-20cm in diameter (approx 7-8 inches). The size of the pan will determine the number of pancakes you end up with. The pan will need to be very, very hot. Either add the tiniest drop of sunflower oil or vegetable oil to the pan and let it heat up really well or wipe the pan with a piece of kitchen roll that has oil on it. Once the pan is super hot then add some pancake batter. You want enough to cover the bottom of the pan but not too much. Somewhere between 1 – 2 tablespoons should be roughly enough, depending on the size of your pan. Once the batter is set and you see plenty of tiny bubbles rising to the surface, you can turn your pancake over and finish cooking it on the other side.
You can keep your pancakes warm while you continue cooking the rest by putting a heatproof plate on top of a saucepan with a little simmering water in it and covering with a large saucepan lid. Just lift the lid to add more pancakes as you cook them.
Pancake Recipe - Dairy Free Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 sieve
- 1 whisk or fork
- 1 non-stick frying pan approx 18-20cm
- heatproof spatula
Ingredients
- 100 g plain flour
- 2 large eggs
- 300 ml soya milk (or other dairy free milk)
- 1/2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil plus extra for frying
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Making batter by hand.
- Sieve 100g of plain flour in a mixing bowl
- Add the pinch of salt and give it a quick stir to mix.
- Add two beaten eggs to the flour and mix to a rough paste with the whisk.
- Add half a tablespoon of your chosen oil to 300ml of dairy free milk.
- Add a small amount of the liquid to the flour and egg mixture and mix in.
- Continue adding small amounts of liquid at a time and mixing with a whisk. If you add small amounts at a time you should end up with a lump free batter, ready for cooking.
Making batter with blender or food processor.
- Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl and add to your blender together with the eggs, dairy free milk and oil.
Cooking
- Add the tiniest drop of oil to a frying pan and heat until very hot. Alternatively, add some oil to a piece of kitchen roll and wipe the pan with it.
- Once the oil is very hot, add between 1-2 tablespoons of the batter to the pan. Gently swirl the pan so the batter coats the base of the pan and let cook until the batter starts to set and tiny bubbles rise to the surface. This will be approximately 1 minute depending on how high your heat is, how much batter you added to the pan and how thick your pancake batter is.
- Once you see lots of tiny bubbles and the batter is setting, then using a heatproof spatula turn the pancake over and cook the other side. You can lift the edge to see if it is cooked and turning a little golden in colour in places.
- Keep cooked pancakes warm on a heatproof plate covered with a saucepan lid over some simmering water until you are ready to serve.
- Serve with toppings of your choice and enjoy!
Notes
