Lemon poppy seed pancakes are like having dessert for breakfast! This lemony stack is golden and crisp on the outside and super fluffy and moist on the inside. The best part, they're easy, vegan, gluten free, and DELICIOUS!
These wonderful lemon poppy seed pancakes are inspired by my famous super moist lemon loaf with vegan cream cheese icing. We're even adding a deliciously sweet vegan cream cheese glaze! If you love lemon recipes, you MUST give these a try!
Ingredients needed
Lemon poppy seed pancakes may sound fancy, but they're actually super easy to make with simple ingredients. Here’s everything you'll need to make them:
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Lemon concentrate can have an overly sour taste.
- Baking powder: For that perfect fluff factor!
- Poppy seeds: Optional, but such an incredible pairing with lemon and we love the added texture they give the pancakes.
- Milk: To keep these lemon pancakes vegan and dairy free, we recommend using unsweetened almond milk or oat milk.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is best, so as not to overwhelm the lemon flavor.
- Vegan butter: Melted butter adds richness, moisture and irresistible texture in every bite.
- Flour: For best results use all-purpose flour or to make these gluten free, use King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. Please don't substitute any other flour such as almond flour, baking flour, etc.
- Cream cheese glaze: Instead of maple syrup, we love drizzling a simple mix of vegan butter, vegan cream cheese and powdered sugar over the top of the pancakes. So good!
How to make this recipe
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk your almond or oat milk, lemon juice, sugar, butter, and poppy seeds. Then, stir in baking powder.
- Mix in flour until combined. Set aside.
- Use an electric hand mixer or whisk to mix together vegan cream cheese glaze. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat, be careful not to allow the pan to get too hot as the pancakes will burn.
- Coat the pan with oil spray or vegan butter and scoop in about ¼ a cup of batter per pancake.
- Once bubbles begin to form on the outside of the pancakes, flip and they should be golden brown. Continue until all of the batter is used. You should have about 18 pancakes.
- Option to serve your pancakes with vegan cream cheese glaze and enjoy!
Expert tips
- Don’t over-mix the batter: Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients until you have a lumpy, just-moist batter. Lumps are good in pancake batter! If you stir the mixture until it is perfectly smooth, you’ll have a very dense, flat pancake instead of a light and fluffy one.
- Don’t press down on the pancake: If you use the back of the spatula to press down on the pancakes while they're cooking, it will cause them to flatten and it won’t help them cook any faster.
- Only flip once: Check to see if the pancake is done on bottom by just barely lifting it to take a peek. You don't want to flip them back and forth because they will deflate and become dense.
- Keep them warm: If you're cooking for a family breakfast, you can keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven until they're all done. Heat the oven to 200ºF, then transfer pancakes to a baking sheet or oven-safe plate and place in the oven until you're ready to serve.
Frequently asked questions
As mentioned above, don't over-mix the batter. Only mix the batter until it just comes together. Lumps are okay! We also recommend following all of the other tips, above.
If you have the time to let the batter rest for about 30 minutes before cooking, it will yield the best results. The resting time allows the flour to absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier.
These vegan lemon pancakes pair well with hash browns or breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, yogurt and much more!
Storage recommendations
- Leftovers: Leftover lemon poppy seed pancakes will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For the fridge, let pancakes cool completely and then place them in a zip-top baggie or airtight container. You can reheat in a toaster or microwave when you’re ready to eat.
- Freezing: Once these have cooled to room temperature, flash freeze them first on a large pan or plate. When they are slightly hard, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Flash freezing them first, separately, keeps the pancakes from sticking together.
- Reheating: To rewarm frozen pancakes, you can either heat them in a toaster oven, microwave, or a warm oven. No need to thaw them first!
More lemon recipes
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
Ingredients
Poppy Seed Pancakes
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened oat or almond milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon melted vegan butter
- 2 cup gluten free or regular all purpose flour If gluten-free, I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. Please don't substitute any other flour such as almond flour, baking flour, etc.
Vegan Cream Cheese Glaze
- 2 tablespoon melted vegan butter
- 2 oz vegan cream cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix your almond or oat milk, lemon juice, sugar, butter, and poppy seeds. Then, stir in baking powder.
- Mix in flour until combined. Set aside.
- Use an electric hand mixer or whisk to mix together vegan cream cheese glaze. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat, be careful not to allow the pan to get too hot as the pancakes will burn.
- Coat the pan with oil spray or vegan butter and scoop in about ¼ a cup of batter per pancake.
- Once bubbles begin to form on the outside of the pancakes, flip and they should be golden brown. Continue until all of the batter is used. You should have about 18 pancakes.
- Option to serve your pancakes with vegan cream cheese glaze and enjoy!
Notes
- Leftovers: Leftover lemon poppy seed pancakes will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For the fridge, let pancakes cool completely and then place them in a zip-top baggie or airtight container. You can reheat in a toaster or microwave when you’re ready to eat.
- Freezing: Once these have cooled to room temperature, flash freeze them first on a large pan or plate. When they are slightly hard, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Flash freezing them first, separately, keeps the pancakes from sticking together.
- Reheating: To rewarm frozen pancakes, you can either heat them in a toaster oven, microwave, or a warm oven. No need to thaw them first!
Nutrition
The recipes on Peanut Butter and Jilly can easily be adapted to fit a vegan lifestyle, a gluten-free lifestyle, or both depending on the ingredients you use. Please review the ingredients lists carefully and refer to our recommendations in the Notes of the recipe card to make this recipe compatible with your needs. Nutrition information provided is an estimate, and will vary based on specific brands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
Maryann says
Can you use agave or maple syrup instead of sugar in this recipe?
Jillian Glenn says
Hi there! I haven't tried it but I don't see why not!