Vegan Chocolate Protein Pancakes (Gluten-free!)
These Vegan Chocolate Protein Pancakes are so delicious, they will remind you of rich, chocolatey cake! They are SO good, yet are oil-free, gluten-free and healthy plant-based breakfast!
Servings: 5 pancakes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (40g) raw buckwheat flour (please see post for info, don't use toasted, it is too strong!) SEE NOTES below for sub info
- 1/4 cup (28g) superfine blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons (16g) cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon (6g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons (27g) Sprout Living "Chocolate Maca" protein powder (SEE NOTES below)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (150g) room temperature unsweetened almond milk (I use the Malk brand, it's so creamy and amazing and no additives)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (30g) pure maple syrup or agave
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- I use this scale.
- I use this nonstick pancake griddle. It is amazing.
If you order any of their products, you can save 20% by using my code "thevegan8"
NOTE
- Just like with baking, I always strongly encourage the use of a scale with pancakes. Pancakes, since they are cooked so quickly and are vegan, getting precise measurements is so important so that the texture turns out right. You do NOT need to even use cups to compare the weights, just use the scale, bowl and my gram weights listed.
Instructions
- I make my own raw buckwheat flour in my Vitamix. It only takes a few seconds and is much easier than trying to find the right kind of buckwheat flour. Additionally, if making homemade, (see picture above in the post) make sure you are not using toasted buckwheat, as the flavor will be overpowering. To make, simply add about a cup of buckwheat groats to the Vitamix and blend, starting low, increasing to high, for several seconds until completely fine. Measure out 40 grams only for the recipe. If using store-bought buckwheat flour, it is important to use the beige light-colored buckwheat flour and not the gray-colored one. That texture and flavor is too strong.
- To a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Add the liquids and whisk gently until smooth. The batter will be thick and a bit gooey. The gooey texture comes from buckwheat flour, but do not worry, the cooked pancakes are not at all gooey, they are soft, moist and a perfectly cooked texture. Don't be tempted to add more liquid or that can add too much moisture and make the pancakes dense/undercooked in the middle.
- Let the batter sit 10 minutes, without exception. Cooking the batter immediately will result in the center being dense and undercooked. Letting the batter rest allows the baking powder and starch to absorb well, so you get fluffy results. Adding batter to a pan that isn’t hot, also will not cook them through as well. Do not skip this step.
- While the batter rests, at the same time, preheat the pancake griddle or stovetop pan over medium-low heat, closer to low heat, so that the pan is nice and hot once the batter is ready.
- I like to use an ice cream scoop for perfect size pancakes, but if you don’t have one, use a 1/4 measuring cup. Smooth out the tops if needed. Cook the first sides of the pancakes for about 4 minutes, OR until the top is looking dry all over and a few bubbles have formed. Don't flip them over too soon before they are looking dry on top or the centers won't cook through.
Notes
FLOUR: Please note that the absolute best flavor and texture comes from using the buckwheat flour. I did test a batch using superfine oat flour (you will only use 32 grams if using oat flour) as well (Bob's Red Mill) and it was fairly good, too, BUT the texture is not as good or the flavor. So, please keep in mind that I recommend the buckwheat flour. It makes them taste stronger and richer in chocolate flavor and a better cooked-through texture. But if you must use the oat flour, just note they will be more dense. Also, with oat flour, mix the batter gently with a spoon just until mixed and do not overmix, as overmixing oat-based batters can result in more dense/gummy results.
IF YOU DON'T NEED GLUTEN-FREE: You can sub the buckwheat flour for all-purpose flour if you don't need them gluten-free. They are not quite as fluffy as the buckwheat flour, but are still good.
PROTEIN POWDER: FYI, I cannot vouch for the results if using another protein powder. They are all made entirely different with different ingredients and can greatly alter the result.
Nutrition
Serving: 2pancakes | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7.4g