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Fluffy Cornmeal Pancakes

June 28, 2020 by Catherine Perez 9 Comments

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Super fluffy, vegan cornmeal pancakes for a delicious and nutritious breakfast. Enjoy on the weekend or meal prep in advance for the week!

Stack of pancakes topped with strawberries, plums and peaches.

Let’s just cut to the chase. Pancakes are amazing, but fluffy vegan pancakes are that next level. These whole grain, fluffy cornmeal pancakes are everything I could ask or hope for in pancakes. Soft and fluffy, perfect crumb, and delicious taste from the cornmeal inside. You can mix and match what you fold into these, personally I love strawberries in my pancakes, but other berries, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips work wonders as well.

Why add berries to your fluffy cornmeal pancakes? 

It’s such an easy way to get some extra fruit in your day. Berries and other fruits offer so much from a nutritional standpoint. They help sweeten and flavor your pancakes without having to add nearly as much sugar. You also get a boost in fiber and other antioxidants within the batter. Having pancakes that are flavorful and makes getting in things like fruit fun is a win win all around. The best part for me about this whole recipe is how you can truly add in so much nutrition without it having to compromise or ruin taste. As great as healthy things can be, no one will want to eat them if they taste terrible.

Top shot of pancake stack with strawberries, peach, and plum.

How to make fluffy cornmeal pancakes

  1. In a bowl mash up a banana with your whisk, then add in your flax egg and water. Whisk everything together well and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Stir in apple cider vinegar, vanilla, salt, and sugar and mix this in well.
  3. Add in your reacting agents, the baking soda and baking powder. Whisk and allow liquid to fluff up and thicken.
  4. Add in all remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Fold in strawberries. Make sure to avoid over mixing.
  5. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter on a pre-heated griddle and cook for about 3 minutes on both sides.
  6. Serve pancakes with more fruit, nuts, nut butters or syrup on top.

Whole grain pancakes drizzled with maple syrup dripping from the sides.

Tips for making fluffy cornmeal pancakes

  • Apple cider vinegar is the key for getting your baking soda to react and create air bubbles for your pancakes. These air bubbles help to make your pancakes light and fluffy.
  • If using frozen berries and you want to prevent the berries from bleeding color into the batter, sprinkle your berries with some flour before folding them into the batter.
  • Use finely ground cornmeal or corn masa flour. These flours will help produce a nice and less heavy batter.
  • Make sure your batter is somewhat thick. A thick batter will produce a much more fluffy pancake then a really thin batter. If your batter doesn’t appear thick, allow mixture to sit for a few minutes to allow the flour to naturally thicken. If still not thick, add 2-3 tbsp of white wheat flour and fold in.
  • Avoid over mixing your batter. Over mixing will cause your resulting pancake gummy. Whisk batter a few times, and if some lumps of flour remain, it’s okay. It will still cook through when it’s on the griddle.

How to substitute for certain ingredients

  • If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar or lemon juice.
  • If wanting to make these pancakes with gluten free flour I would use 1/2 cup oat flour and 1/2 cup rice flour to replace the white wheat flour and use 1/4 cup less liquid.

Stack of cornmeal pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and topped with strawberries.

Need more pancake inspiration? 

  • Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
  • Coconut Peach Pancakes with Grilled Peaches

Cornmeal pancakes with strawberries folded in and stacked.

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Whole grain pancakes drizzled with maple syrup dripping from the sides.

Fluffy Cornmeal Pancakes

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Super fluffy, vegan cornmeal pancakes for a delicious and nutritious breakfast. Enjoy on the weekend or meal prep in advance for the week!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp sugar or maple syrup
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup corn meal
  • 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup fresh strawberries (diced)

Instructions

  1. Preheat a griddle or greased pan. In a mixing bowl, add banana and with a whisk or fork mash banana until mostly smooth.
  2. Add in flax seed and water and give mixture a good stir and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Next add in apple cider vinegar, vanilla, salt, and sugar and mix this in well.
  4. Add in baking soda and baking powder then stir well again and you will notice the mixture react and start to fluff up.
  5. Add in flour, cornmeal, cinnamon and milk and mix to form a thick batter. Try to avoid over mixing your batter.
  6. Fold strawberries into the batter and set to the side.
  7. When griddle is ready, scoop 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto griddle surface. Avoid spreading out too thin and cook for 2-3 minutes or until bottom of pancake is golden.
  8. Flip and cook other side for 2-3 minutes as well. Repeat using remain pancake batter. Remove from heat and eat.

Notes

  • If batter is not thick, allow to rest for 5 minutes so flour can absorb liquid better.
  • If you wish to make a version that is gluten free, you can use a mix of 1/2 cup oat flour and 1/2 cup rice flour with 1/4 cup less milk.

Keywords: cornmeal, pancakes

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Then let me know what you thought! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats

★ Catherine

Super fluffy, vegan cornmeal pancakes for a delicious and nutritious breakfast. Enjoy on the weekend or meal prep in advance for the week!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Madalyn

    July 26, 2020 at 3:14 pm

    These are absolutely delicious…perfect fluffy and just the right amount of sweet…I’ve got tons of cornmeal left and will be making again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      August 3, 2020 at 10:58 am

      So glad that you enjoyed these! Definitely a fav for breakfast. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Susan

    July 29, 2020 at 8:32 pm

    Sounds delicious. Going to try this weekend. Do they freeze well?

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      July 30, 2020 at 7:11 pm

      Yes they do! I always freeze leftovers and pop them into the toaster oven.

      Reply
  3. Ishika

    December 4, 2020 at 11:12 am

    I love this recipe and I keep coming back to it! I am horrible at flipping pancakes, but these were perfect and so delicious. So happy that they are vegan and use simple ingredients. I would eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      December 11, 2020 at 5:07 pm

      This is the best kind of comment to receive! Thank you for making these and continuing to make them. You made my day. 🙂

      Reply
  4. SK

    January 22, 2021 at 8:18 pm

    So delicious! I let the batter rest in the fridge for about an hour while I ran an errand and when I cooked the rest they came out even fluffier!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      January 25, 2021 at 9:41 am

      I’m so thrilled and what a great thing to know that they will get fluffier the longer it sits. 🙂

      Reply

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I’m Catherine, registered dietitian and plant based eater. I share tips and recipes for making  balanced plant based meals easier and more delicious. Learn more about me.

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46 shares