Vegan Granola-filled 'Buttermilk' Pancakes

Vegan Granola-filled 'Buttermilk' Pancakes

The other day I was hunting through the cupboards in the kitchen, wanting granola, but having no vegan yogurt, and avoiding making nut milk, since the cat is terrified by the sound of the blender and had decided that this morning she was not letting me out of her sight.  I saw the maple syrup, and the idea was born - vegan granola pancakes!

We had plenty of granola leftover from making my usual seed and nut packed recipe earlier in the week, so these took hardly any time to whip up, and came out incredibly light and fluffy!  I really liked the depth of flavour that the granola gave to the pancakes...especially the popped amaranth.  

You'll notice that there are two key ingredients missing from the pancake batter - oil and sugar.  Since the granola had plenty of coconut oil in it, and a bit of maple syrup already too, I decided to see what would happen if I left these out, and the result was a very tall, fluffy, moist, and not overly-sweet pancake.  If you're suspicious, by all means try adding some coconut oil and a teaspoon of sugar, but I think you'll find it really doesn't need it.

All in all, an excellent alternative to regular pancakes or granola with yogurt, and one that I'm sure we'll be making over and over again!

Vegan Granola Pancakes

Total time: about 15 minutes, if the granola is already made

Serves: makes 8 medium (but very tall) pancakes

300 ml (1 1/4 cups) of nondairy milk 

1 tsp vanilla 

2/3 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup white flour

1 cup demi-whole wheat flour (or 3/4 cup white flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2/3 tsp salt

1 heaped cup granola (see my recipe for granola here)

Coconut oil for frying

First, mix the nondairy milk with the vanilla and vinegar and set aside to form the 'buttermilk' while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.  In a large bowl, whisk the two flours, salt, and baking powder together.  Mix in the 'buttermilk' and let sit while you prep your pan (medium-high heat, melt enough coconut oil to lightly coat the pan), then, when the coconut oil is hot, quickly stir the granola through the batter until just combined.  Using about a 1/3 of a cup of batter per pancake, fry on each side until golden - approximately 2 minutes.  Top with leftover granola and maple syrup, and indulge yourself!