These are the kind of pancakes I’ve seen
The batter is thick and rises beautifully in the pan to create the soft and fluffy centre, the first thing you see when you cut into
A non-stick pan is essential to get that signature brown outside and to be able to flip them easily. I used a 20-inch frying pan which is small enough to keep the pancakes fairly round but has enough room to get in and flip them.
You can replace the aquafaba with milk (~50ml) if you don’t have it but you won’t get quite the same rise as with the whipped aquafaba folded through.
Resting the dough is essential as it lets the air bubbles settle to form the perfect smooth batter. I leave mine in the fridge for around 30 minutes, but you could get away with 15 if you can’t wait.
American Chocolate Chip Pancakes
A thick and fluffy American-style stack, these babies put the ‘cake’ in pancake
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 75 ml aquafaba chickpea water
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter
- 50 g caster sugar
- 275 ml non-dairy milk see notes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 50 g vegan chocolate chips + more for topping
For the topping:
- vegan whipped cream see notes
- maple or agave syrup
Equipment:
- non-stick frying pan ~ 20 cm
Method
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If you have time, drain and chill the aquafaba in the fridge either overnight or for a couple of hours before, to help get a thicker foam when you whisk it later.
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Add melted butter and caster sugar to a mixing bowl and beat to combine.
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Beat aquafaba in a jug or bowl for 30 seconds until frothy and then add it to the butter mixture, followed by the milk and vanilla extract.
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Whisk everything together well until it looks uniform and most of the sugar seems to have dissolved.
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Sieve the flour and 1 tsp of baking powder into a large mixing bowl, add the salt and then pour the wet mixture into the bowl. Stir everything together until well combined.
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Chill the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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When you are ready to start frying, gently heat up your non-stick pan to medium heat.
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Add another ½ tsp of baking powder and the chocolate chips to the batter and mix thoroughly.
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Add a ladle of batter to the centre of the pan and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles start to come through the top. Then flip and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes. If they are taking longer than this, turn up the heat slightly to medium-high.
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Repeat with the remaining batter until you have used it all. You should be able to make 8-10 pancakes about 5 inches in diameter.
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Once all the pancakes are cooked, serve onto plates immediately and top with syrup, vegan whipped cream and more chocolate chips. Dig in and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have a non-stick you will need some more butter to grease the pan throughout the cooking process and you will end up with a more mottled look on the outside, like a French crêpe.
I used Food Heaven Heavenly Whipped Spray Cream as it is the best tasting vegan whipped cream I’ve tried.
I recommend using soy milk as it has the most protein (to help the pancakes rise) but any plant milk will work.
