I’ve never met a vegan baked good I didn’t consider adding lemon and poppyseeds to. Lemon poppyseed cake? Of course, it’s a classic. Lemon poppyseed cookies? Unsurprisingly, also great. Lemon poppyseed pastries? Yes please! Lemon poppyseed ice cream? Haven’t found any yet but I bet it’s delicious. So on a chilly, foggy Sunday morning when I was craving something hearty and sweet for breakfast of course I was going to lemon poppyseed it up. I’ve been experimenting with a number of variations on vegan pancakes and since you can use a mixture of lemon juice and plant based milk to replace buttermilk this was already primed for lemon poppyseedizing.
I was thrilled with how this came out. They cook like drop scones, sitting high in the fry pan rather than spreading out. This means when you eat them they are tall and fluffy while still moist on the inside. Do not skimp on the fresh lemon juice squeezed over the top of the pancakes along with maple syrup, it gives it such an amazing lemon boost. The only downside of the whole experience was discovering my husband had eaten all the extra ones while I wasn’t looking! Guess I’ll have to make another batch….
Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Plant-based milk
- 1-2 Lemons
- 1/4 cup Vegetable oil use a neutral oil like canola or peanut, not olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- 1/8 tsp Baking soda
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp Poppy seeds
- 2 tbsp Plant-based butter for frying
Instructions
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and poppy seeds to a bowl, then grate in the zest of one lemon. Whisk to fully combine the dry ingredients.
- Measure out a cup of the plant-based milk then add 1/4 cup of lemon juice – this is about one medium/large juicy lemon but you might need a second lemon if it's not quite a quarter cup. Mix the milk and lemon mixture, then let it sit for 5 minutes or so until good and curdled. Then add in the oil and whisk to fully combine (you don't want the oil sitting in a layer separate from the milk).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients then stir to combine.
- Preheat a non-stick fry pan on medium heat, and add about 1/2 tbsp of butter for every 2 pancakes you're cooking (i.e. if you have a frypan that will fit four pancakes, use 1 tbsp. If you have a frypan that will fit all 8 pancakes, use all 2 tbsp of the butter).
- Once the butter is melted and starting to sizzle, add a hearty dollop of pancake batter. It won't spread much, but you can form it into a roughly circular shape with a spatula or spoon.
- Cook cakes for 2-3 minutes per side, or until the base is a golden brown. If cooking in batches, place the finished pancakes on a baking tray in a warm but off oven.
- Serve with maple syrup and lemon juice. Enjoy!
