Lemon Poppy Pancakes (Vegan)

Fluffy and light golden vegan pancakes bursting with lemon flavor and tiny little poppy seeds. Delicious with lemon curd, fresh berries, or pure maple syrup.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Today is the perfect day to enjoy these cheerful pancakes. If I’m being honest, every day is a good day to eat pancakes. But not only is today the perfect day to make these for your special someone to let you know how much you adore them, but it’s also Sunday!

I enjoy eating pancakes or waffles on the weekend. I always have. I’ve already shared some of my favorites, including Banana Walnut Pancakes, Belgian Waffles, Chocolatey Chip Belgian Waffles, and Cornmeal Pancakes. Each recipe is egg-free, dairy-free, vegan, plant-based, and can be made gluten-free. Now this is yet another delightful breakfast worthy of your appreciation.

It’s also perfect for celebrating World Pancake Day coming up on February 16th! Did you know that there is a dedicated day for eating pancakes!? And yet here we are. Two days from now, you can eat these again in honor of this little known holiday! And if I’m still being honest, I think Pancake Day beats out Valentine’s Day every year! Don’t you agree?

These Lemon Poppy Pancakes are light, fluffy, and positively beaming – just like the morning sunshine with clear skies and fluffy white cumulus clouds. If you like the yen and yang of tart and sweet lemon treats and you enjoy a scrumptious lemon poppyseed muffin, you’re sure to love these pancakes. The flecks of poppy seeds speckled throughout each pancake are like little sprinkles – and sprinkles make me smile.

I love that these Lemon Poppy Pancakes are super easy, are bursting with lemon favor, have tiny sprinkles of poppy seeds, use pantry staple ingredients, and have the perfect texture – all without the use of eggs, dairy, refined sugar, or oil. If I’m being honest, I think they’re kinda perfect. You know you want some.

Let’s take a moment to chat about the ingredients. First, I like to blend flours. For one thing, you get a nice balanced texture and flavor in your finished product. For another, whole grain flours are much healthier and nutritious for us to consume; but they don’t always create the best or desired structure for baked goods.

For example, these pancakes. They have great structure, texture, are just the right balance between moist and dry, rise perfectly, and taste great! That’s why I sometimes use a 50-50 blend of whole grain flour and all-purpose flour. Also important, flours vary from one to another and they all behave a little differently.

I started using King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour years ago and really enjoy the texture it produces since it’s made from soft white wheat and contains less gluten in it, resulting in a lighter more neutral baked good compared to whole wheat flour. Sometimes I use 100% white whole wheat flour, but not always. These pancakes are great either way, but they will be lighter and fluffier if you use a half and half blend.

You can easily substitute the flour for a gluten-free baking blend if you follow a gluten-free diet. You may need to adjust the liquids. If your batter is too thick, simply add in a little more milk until you get the right consistency. I have not tried this recipe using almond flour or coconut flour. I’m a starch kind of girl.

These wouldn’t be Lemon Poppy Pancakes without some freshly squeezed lemon juice and poppy seeds! I like rolling the lemon gently on the counter before halving and squeezing the juice out. If you have a citrus juicer, that works even better. I use good old-fashioned brute strength.

To get a third of a cup, you’ll need to squeeze one or two lemons. It really depends on the size of your lemons and how much juice is trapped inside. Sometimes there’s a lot of juicy goodness hiding within the lemons. And other times, they’re kinda dry. If you prefer a stronger lemon flavor, feel free to amp it up to one half cup. Just reduce the amount of non-dairy milk by a couple tablespoons.

I also like using fresh lemons because the zest contains so much more flavor. This is because there are natural oils hiding inside the lemon peel. It’s much easier to zest the lemon before juicing it. But I don’t always remember to do this. More often than not, I tend to do things the harder way. So learn from me and zest your lemons before slicing them in half to juice them.

I like using one tablespoon of poppy seeds. I feel that this is just the right balance of speckling through the pancakes. Feel free to increase or decrease, depending on your preference and mood. Typically, vanilla is used to flavor pancakes, but vanilla would interfere with and subdue the natural flavor of the lemon, lemon zest, and poppy seeds.

I like to use a one half cup measuring cup to scoop up my batter and pour onto the preheated griddle; though I don’t use the entire contents of the measuring cup. It’s just less messy to use this half cup size for scooping and pouring. The results are much more uniform. You can make smaller or larger pancakes, depending on your preference. I usually can make about ten pancakes with a batch of batter.

One of the great things about these Lemon Poppy Pancakes is that they freeze very well. Make sure your pancakes are completely cool, and then wrap a paper towel around them. This will absorb any trapped condensation. Then place the pancakes in a freezer bag or container for up to two months.

Then when you want to enjoy these delicious pancakes, remove them from the freezer and reheat them by microwaving for 20-30 seconds or placing in a covered skillet on low heat. You can also put them in a toaster for a short stint, but be careful that they don’t overcook. meh.

Another awesome thing that I love about pancakes is that you can actually store leftover batter in the refrigerator for another day. Make the amount you want when you make your batter, and then cover the bowl and store in the refrigerator for up to two days. When you want to make pancakes, allow the batter to come to room temperature while you’re griddle is preheating.

It’s important that you use double-acting baking powder if you aren’t going to make your pancakes right away. Double-acting baking powder is activated twice – once when it comes into contact with liquid and again when it gets hot. I like using aluminum-free double-activated baking powder. I get a one pound bag for $3 here.

Please note that I do refill a regular baking powder can with the bag of baking powder – it’s so much easier to scoop out of the can since it has that little built-in leveling tool. It’s also easier to use while cooking and works better for photos.

I really enjoy eating my pancakes and waffles with pure maple syrup. Honest. But after playing with a few combinations with my cornmeal pancakes, I decided to try pairing these Lemon Poppy Pancakes with my Lemon Curd. I am in heaven! I mean, I basically get to eat lemon pie for breakfast. At least I think the combination tastes like lemon pie. It’s an indulgent breakfast treat. One that I enjoy immensely. It’s especially scrumptious and striking with red raspberries. Be still my heart. It’s a match made in heaven. Isn’t this a pretty combination?

My lemon curd is silky smooth, sweet, but not too sweet, and tart, but not too tart, and luscious. I love that you can make the lemon curd the day before you want to use it. It’s great on crackers, toast, waffles, pancakes, trifles, parfaits, and more.

Come to think of it, this is the perfect breakfast treat to surprise your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, a birthday, an anniversary, Mother’s Day…. hint hint hint…. These Lemon Poppy Pancakes are also great when the sun is shining and you just want to spoil yourself with bright and fluffy Lemon Poppy Pancakes.

I hope you enjoy this Lemon Poppy Pancakes as much as I do.  

I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

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Pancake Ingredients

• 1⅔ cups unsweetened plant milk*
• ½ cup apple sauce
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice** (1-2 lemons)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup all-purpose flour***
• 1 cup white wheat flour***
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
• Spray oil or vegan butter for griddle (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat electric griddle to 350° F or heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond milk, apple sauce, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients flour mixture. Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes.

1. Using a ½ cup measuring cup, scoop the batter and pour onto the hot griddle.  
2. Allow to cook until the edges are dry and bubbles form on the center, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Flip over and wait another 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.

1. Remove from the griddle.
2. Serve with lemon curd, fresh berries, or pure maple syrup.

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Notes

* You may use any non-dairy milk in these pancakes. All should work well.

** I also like using fresh lemons because fresh lemon juice and zest contains so much flavor. It’s much easier to zest the lemon before juicing it.

*** I like using a 50-50 blend of whole grain flour and all-purpose flour. You can easily substitute the flour for a gluten-free baking blend if you follow a gluten-free diet. You may need to adjust the liquids. If your batter is too thick, simply add in a little more milk until you get the right consistency.