Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Bring warmth and comfort to breakfast with these Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes. They’re soft, fluffy, and topped with a maple-glazed apple compote!

While you can never go wrong with Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes for breakfast, why not change things up and make these Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes instead? Their sweet and tart apple flavor is perfect for fall and is made even better when topped with cinnamon and maple-coated apples.

As a shortcut, these vegan pancakes are made with a vegan-friendly boxed pancake mix. Simple, right? This way, there’s no need to get messy with flour, baking powder, or the typical pancake batter ingredients.

These apple cinnamon pancakes capture all of the magic of vegan apple pie in one easy breakfast recipe. They’re the best way to start the day!

Jump to:

• Ingredients needed
• How to make vegan apple cinnamon pancakes
• Tips and variations
• More pancake toppings
• Storing
• Hungry for more vegan breakfast recipes?
• Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients needed

All of these ingredients should be easy to find and may even be in your pantry already:

• Pancake mix - This is an easy vegan pancake recipe all thanks to the boxed pancake mix. I used Pearl Milling Company Original Pancake Mix (formerly known as Aunt Jemima pancake mix). It’s vegan-friendly, but if you use a different brand, check the package to make sure the ingredients are free of eggs and dairy. The recipe will work just as well with a homemade pancake mix - use my buttermilk pancake recipe but replace the yogurt with applesauce.
• Soy milk - Any unsweetened dairy free milk will work.
• Applesauce - The pancakes get their signature apple flavor and moisture from unsweetened applesauce. Feel free to fold shredded apples into the batter if you really love the sweet and tart flavors. If you don't have applesauce, use mashed banana, vegan yogurt, or two flax eggs instead.
• Vegan butter - You need it for the pancake batter and the apple topping.
• Apples - Apple compote is topped over the pancakes. Since this is a fall recipe, use any variety of seasonal fall apples you like! Macintosh are my favorite. Granny Smith, however, tend to take longer to soften, but this can be mitigated with an extra splash of water in the saucepan.
• Cinnamon - Cinnamon is not only used to flavor the apple topping, it is also added to the pancake batter for extra warm flavors.
• Brown sugar - To help caramelize the apples. You can use coconut sugar instead or omit the sugar and only use maple syrup.
• Maple syrup - Used to coat the apples after they cook.
• Lemon juice - For brightness and balance in the apple compote.

How to make vegan apple cinnamon pancakes

Step 1: Make the apple compote topping. Add the chopped apples, vegan butter, sugar, and cinnamon to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often. Once the apples are tender, take the saucepan off of the heat and stir in the maple syrup and lemon juice.

Step 2: Make the pancake batter. Whisk the pancake mix and the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Try not to overmix it (a few small lumps are ok!). Let the batter rest while you heat up the skillet.

Step 3: Cook the pancakes. Heat some oil in a skillet or griddle. Once it’s hot, pour ¼ cup worth of pancake batter onto the skillet. Cook until you see bubbles form all over the surface and the edges begin to firm up. Flip, and cook for a few minutes on the other side. Repeat until you run out of batter.

Step 4: Serve. Plate the pancakes and top them with a scoop of the apple compote and any other toppings you love (see more ideas below). Enjoy! For full ingredients and instructions see printable recipe card below.

Tips and variations

• Don’t overmix the batter. Only mix the pancake batter until you no longer see streaks of dry flour. Overmixing will lead to flat and dense pancakes.
• You only need to flip pancakes once. You’ll know they’re ready to flip when you see bubbles forming all over the surface and the edges begin to firm up.
• As you cook the rest of the batter, keep the cooked pancakes warm by placing them on a baking sheet in a 200ºF oven.
• For gluten free apple pancakes, use your favorite gluten free vegan pancake mix instead.
• Instead of applesauce, use pumpkin puree and add a pinch of pumpkin spice to make vegan pumpkin spice pancakes.

Not a huge fan of apples? Make this recipe with mashed pears and pear compote or mashed banana and caramelized bananas on top instead of the apples.

More pancake toppings

The apple compote topping makes this apple pancake recipe! But if you want to make this an extra special breakfast, feel free to add even more toppings, like:

• Vegan whipped cream
• Maple syrup
• Vegan caramel sauce
• Powdered sugar
• Candied pecans
• Chopped nuts
• Blackberries or blueberries
• Apricot preserves

Storing

Make ahead: Save a little time by making the pancake batter or apple compote the night before serving. Store them in separate airtight containers overnight, then cook the pancakes and reheat the apples the next morning.

Store: Wrap the leftover pancakes in foil or place them in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. The apple compote will keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge as well.

Freeze: Let any leftover pancakes cool completely before placing them into a ziploc bag or freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. I don't recommend freezing the apples as they tend to become mushy once defrosted.

Hungry for more vegan breakfast recipes?

• Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
• Vegan Cranberry Muffins
• Easy French Toast
• Vegan Pumpkin Bread
• Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Enjoy everyone! Happy Day! Please feel free to comment below and give this recipe a rating. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

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