Apple cinnamon pancakes with applesauce

Pancakes are the gold standard for breakfast-in-bed or weekend brunch.

There’s something about adding a drizzle of maple syrup and diving into a stack, that makes you feel like Saturday has well and truly arrived.

And that’s certainly true of today’s apple cinnamon pancakes recipe.

There’s plenty of pancake puffiness, crispiness around the edges, and apple flavor from applesauce & diced apple inside. Plus, even more diced apple for garnish.

With whole wheat flour as the base, you get the added bonus of some protein, fiber, and whole grains.

It’s a breakfast that takes only 25 minutes to make. Yet it really feels like you’re treating yourself.

In this post:

Today’s apple cinnamon pancakes recipe comes from Dianne Wenz’s first cookbook, Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.

Dianne Wenz is a health and wellness coach, and a longtime food blogger at Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen.

Dianne and I have been real life friends & blogging buddies for many years. Plus, she’s played New York City tour guide with me on more than one occasion when I’ve visited the East Coast.

Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook contains 90 recipes that feature simple, whole food ingredients. The recipes range from basics to breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, dinners, and sweets.

I’m especially looking forward to trying the crispy artichoke tacos, cauliflower banh mi, mushroom po’ boys, and shepherd’s pie.

Dianne’s recipes are uncomplicated and feature widely available ingredients. Most of the recipes take half an hour or less to prepare.

Each chapter includes one beautiful photo, highlighting a recipe in that section.

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine almond milk or other non-dairy milk, applesauce, and maple syrup.

Combine the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Then stir until they are just combined.

Be careful not to over mix.

Finally, gently fold in finely chopped apple.

Lightly oil a large skillet, and bring it to a medium high heat.

Once the pan is hot, pour in a half cup of batter.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the edges look dry. Then flip and cook for one to two minutes on the other side.

Repeat until all of the batter is gone.

Dianne recommends topping the pancakes with diced apple combined with applesauce. But I went with a drizzle of maple syrup instead. (Ssh… Don’t tell!)

For easy pancakes on a weekday or holiday morning, make the batter the day before (or prepare extra batter the first time you make the pancakes).

Then it’s just a matter of pouring the pre-made batter into a skillet.

I like to balance the sweetness of pancakes with something savory.

Pancakes go well with any of the following:

• Crustless mini vegan quiche
• Chickpea scramble
• Vegan breakfast sausages

Wonder if you could freeze these pancakes? The answer is yes!

After making your pancakes, put a piece of parchment or freezer paper between each one. Then move them to freezer-proof container.

(I use round Pyrex dishes.)

They can be frozen for up to two months.

To heat, pop them in the microwave. Or warm them in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

This pancake batter can also be used for waffles.

When I made them I used all-purpose flour, because that’s what I had on hand that day. All-purpose flour doesn’t absorb as much liquid as whole wheat flour. So I reduced the non-dairy milk by ¼ cup.

Also, you want waffle batter to be a little thicker than pancake batter. (It needs to stay in place in the waffle maker.)

The apples cause the waffles to steam quite a bit in the waffle maker. So the waffles aren’t super crispy, but they’re still delicious!

And if you make enough for leftovers, they can be reheated in the oven, which makes them crispier.

I served them with tofu scramble and Field Roast breakfast sausages.

📖 Recipe

Apple cinnamon whole wheat pancakes

Author: Dianne Wenz

5 from 5 votes

These deliciously fluffy pancakes are loaded with apple and cinnamon goodness. Most people drown their pancakes with sugary syrup, but I think these are sweet enough as they are. I like to toss diced apple pieces with applesauce for my pancake topping. Any type of apple will work in this recipe, but I like to use Gala, Golden Delicious, or Honeycrisp.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: apple pancakes, hot cakes, vegan brunch

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
• ▢ ¼ cup applesauce unsweetened
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• ▢ 1 large apple finely chopped
• ▢ Neutral flavored oil (such as grapeseed or avocado)

Instructions

• ▢
  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
• ▢
  In a small bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, applesauce, and maple syrup. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until they are just combined. Don’t overmix the batter. Gently fold in the apple.
• ▢
  Lightly oil a large griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, spoon ½ cup of the batter onto the griddle. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until small bubbles appear on the top and the edges look dry. Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cover the pancakes so they stay hot while the rest are cooking.

Notes

Make-ahead tip: Did you know that pancakes can be frozen? Just place a piece of wax paper or freezer paper between each one and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. To heat them up, microwave them on high for 1-½ minutes, or cook them on a baking sheet in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

From Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook, by Dianne Wenz, published by Rockridge Press. Copyright © 2019 by Callisto Media. All rights reserved.

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Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 685mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 288mg | Iron: 2mg

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook for the purposes of this review. As always, the thoughts & opinions are my own.