Recipe: How to Make Vegan Banana or Apple Pancakes With Juice

This recipe never fails to make delicious vegan banana pancakes. It uses fruit juice so it is moist and healthy. It can be made with ripe bananas or sliced apples. Try it with either or both for a fruit pancake bonanza.

Banana Pancakes

Wet ingredients

1 cup apple juice

4 tsp light oil (canola is fine)

Dry ingredients

1.5 cup Flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 chopped banana (no banana? use a diced apple)

Mix all the dry ingredients with no particular vigor. Then, mix the wet ingredients (including the fruit) with a vigor proportional to your desire to have chunky, lumpy, or flat pancakes.

Then get out your skillet. Turn on the heat to the middle setting. Put a tablespoon of oil in the pan. Now, while the pan is getting warm, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Stir them together until you don't see any chunks of flour any more, just smooth consistent deliciousness. NOTE: If the pancake batter seems too thin, add flour. Too thick, add apple juice.

Then, using a small cup or measuring cup or even a ladle, if a ladle is handy, drop some batter in the hot pan. Let it cook until there are bubbles throughout the surface of the cooking pancake. Then, flip it and cook for another 15-30 seconds. Do not flatten pancakes when turning. You can always do the lift-and-check to see if it's ready to take it off the heat. I like to put them on an oven-safe plate and keep them warm in the oven on its lowest setting.

Serve with syrup and butter.

NOTE: You can scale this recipe to match the number of bananas you have on hand. I know sometimes I need to use up three of four bananas, and I scale this recipe to match. But what to do with all those pancakes? Well, pancakes freeze nicely in a ziplock bag. Freeze enough for breakfast and warm them in the microwave on a microwave safe plate. So go ahead and cook enough for next weekend.

Beverage

If this is just your average Sunday brunch, you can pour some orange juice and feel special enough, but if this is an occasion, you might need to class that orange juice up with a little champagne. It's called a mimosa, and it is delicious.

Why would a non-vegan want to make vegan pancakes? The short answer is because they are easier, but in addition to their extreme ease, this recipe is also healthy. A cup of apple juice has vitamin C. By replacing milk and eggs with juice and fruit, the recipe also ends up being lower in fat. Here you are: a recipe for banana pancakes that is lower in fat and easier to make than other recipes. Who could ask for more?

1. Use good-quality ingredients.

2. Use the right amount of leavening: Use the right amount of baking powder or baking soda to make sure the pancakes are fluffy and light.

3. Mix the batter just enough: Overmixing the batter can make the pancakes tough, so mix just until the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Let the batter rest: Let the batter rest for a few minutes before cooking the pancakes. This allows the gluten to relax, which makes the pancakes more tender.

5. Use a non-stick pan or griddle: A non-stick pan or griddle will make it easier to flip the pancakes and prevent them from sticking.

6. Cook at the right temperature: Cook the pancakes over medium heat. If the heat is too high, the pancakes will burn before they cook through.

7. Flip the pancakes at the right time: Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear on the surface and the edges start to look set.

8. Use oil to grease the pan: Using butter or oil will give the pancakes a nice golden color and prevent them from sticking.

9. Add flavor: Add some vanilla extract, cinnamon, or vegan chocolate chips to the batter to give your pancakes a delicious twist.

10. Experiment with toppings: Try different toppings such as maple syrup, fresh fruits, or vegan whipped topping to add some variety.