Fluffy Applesauce Pancakes Without Milk

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Thick and fluffy pancakes made with sweet applesauce and flavored with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. These pancakes are a great way to use up leftover applesauce from a busy apple season, and make the perfect weekend breakfast in the Fall!

This recipe is unique compared to traditional pancakes because they’re made without milk or any dairy. Applesauce is the main wet ingredient on the list, with a little help from one egg.

The results are thick and delicious pancakes, with fluffy interiors, and golden brown crisp edges. These are light, delicately flavored, and act as the perfect vessel for a healthy pour of New England’s finest maple syrup or a smear of thick peanut butter or almond butter.

How to make applesauce pancakes:

Makes 7 pancakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce (homemade or store bought)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil + more for cooking
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Use a fork or whisk to combine.

Next, whisk together the applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is fully combined and thick.

The mixture should pour off of a spoon easily. Add a little more applesauce to the batter to thin out the consistency if desired.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a 10” skillet set over medium heat.

Once the pan is hot, pour spoonfuls of batter, 1/4 cup at a time, onto the skillet.

Cook the batter for 2 minutes on the first side.

The pancakes are ready to flip when a few tiny bubbles form and pop on the top and outer edges of the pancake batter.

Flip the pancakes and finish cooking for 2 more minutes on the other side. Make sure to turn the heat down if the pancakes start browning too quickly.

The pancakes are done when they have risen, are golden brown with crisp edges, and the center of the pancake springs back when poked. Remove the pancakes from the skillet and serve immediately or transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and pop them in an oven set to its lowest temperature.

Repeat the above process until all the pancake batter is cooked. You may need to add an additional tablespoon of oil to the skillet between batches of frying.

The Best Applesauce to Use:

You can use either homemade applesauce or store bought applesauce–whatever’s easiest–as long as it’s unsweetened. Using unsweetened applesauce will ensure your pancakes don’t come out too sweet in the end.

I’ve also used cinnamon flavored applesauce (leftover from my daughter’s fruit pouches) and made delicious cinnamon applesauce pancakes! Both unflavored and cinnamon work really well, just try to get a brand with no added sugar if you can.

How long does it take to cook pancakes?

Over medium heat, pancakes will generally cook for 2 minutes per side. This will ensure a golden brown exterior and a fully cooked, fluffy interior.

For vegan pancakes (see below), you may need to add an extra minute of cooking time on the second side to ensure they’re cooked through all the way.

Can you make these pancakes vegan?

Yes! There is no dairy in this recipe anyway, so all you’ll need to do is swap the egg out and replace it with more applesauce!

Applesauce makes a fantastic egg substitute, because apples contain a lot of natural pectin, which works really well as a binding agent.

All you need to do is swap out the egg for 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. Ta-da! Vegan pancakes (of course make sure to read your labels to confirm all your other ingredients are certified vegan).

Making Pancakes Without Milk

I love these pancakes because instead of milk, we use applesauce for thinning out the batter.

This recipe does produce a thicker pancake batter, so just like you would with milk, feel free to add a little more applesauce to the batter to make thinner pancakes. By eliminating the cow’s milk, you can keep these pancakes dairy free AND sneak some extra fruit into your (or the kids’) daily intake.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your pancakes with a healthy drizzle of maple syrup, a pat of salty butter, and a little pile of shredded apples on top.

You can also sprinkle on a little homemade cinnamon sugar, in lieu of maple syrup, or spread on some apple butter or your favorite nut butter for a tasty snack on the go!

Storing Your Pancakes

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, simply take out the quantity needed and microwave the pancakes until heated through, or pop them in the toaster until warmed.

Freezing your pancakes

Cooked pancakes freeze beautifully! Simply prepare and cook your pancakes as the recipe above states. Allow them to cool completely and then move them to an air tight, freezer safe container until ready to eat! I also recommend placing some parchment paper in between each pancake to prevent them from sticking to one another.

When you’re ready to eat, remove the number of pancakes needed and allow them to thaw either in the fridge or at room temperature (covered). Once the pancakes have thawed, pop them in the microwave or the toaster and heat until they’re warmed through.

Meal Prep

Because these pancakes store really well, they’re an easy recipe to fit into your weekly meal prep.

Make a big batch of these applesauce pancakes over the weekend and store them in the fridge or freezer to have for the upcoming week! They’ll be perfect for a quick breakfast on the go or to give the kids on a busy weekday morning during the back to school season.

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