Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes

Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes are easy to make and deliciously spiced. Made with whole wheat flour, carrots, and walnuts, these pancakes are the perfect weekend or Easter brunch. Enjoy with warm maple syrup, vegan cream cheese frosting, and chopped walnuts.

You all have my precious little 9-year old daughter to thank for this recipe. We were sitting on the couch together and she said, “Daddy, you need to make a carrot cake pancake recipe for your blog.”

How could I say, no? And, what a great idea! Turning our favorite classic dessert into a pancake. Now, we can finally justify having carrot cake for breakfast any day of the week.

These vegan carrot cake pancakes are made with shredded carrots, whole wheat pastry flour, warming spices, and just like real carrot cake.

Did I mention they are also filled with walnuts, raisins, and topped with an amazing cashew cream cheese frosting? Well, they do.

If you’re starting to drool it’s ok. You’re in good company.

Bonus: This is a great way to get more veggies into your child’s diet. Carrots are super healthy and filled with lots of nutrients and fiber. But, your kids will be convinced they’re getting to eat dessert for breakfast.

You can enjoy this recipe for a special occasion like Sunday or Easter brunch. But, they’re easy enough to enjoy every day of the week for a light and healthy breakfast.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Vegan carrot cake pancakes are made with simple wholesome ingredients. They’re also completely oil-free.

• Milk: use your favorite unsweetened dairy-free milk. I prefer almond milk or soy milk.
• Acid: apple cider vinegar when combined with the milk and baking powder works to make the pancakes light and fluffy. Don’t leave this out or the pancakes could turn out fairly dense.
• Carrots: you can’t have carrot cake with out carrots, obviously. Finely grated carrots add flavor, texture, and even sweetness just like in real carrot cake.
• Vanilla: pure vanilla extract adds a depth of flavor for sweeter recipes. It is to a sweet recipe what salt is to savory recipes.
• Flour: whole wheat pastry flour is my favorite. Organic unbleached all purpose flour works great too.
• Baking Powder: responsible for the bubbles in the batter, and for making the pancakes light and fluffy. Be sure you use baking powder and not baking soda. I also use a low-sodium baking powder to keep the sodium down.
• Sweetener: use any non-liquid sugar not made with animal byproducts like American made table sugar. Organic cane sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar, and maple sugar are good options.
• Spices: cinnamon and nutmeg are the warming spices that give carrot cake its signature flavor. You don’t need much, 1 teaspoon of each is perfect.
• Walnuts: I love the texture walnuts add to these vegan carrot cake pancakes. However, you can eliminate them if you are wanting to keep even lower in fat.
• Raisins: these can used as a topping or included in the batter. In this recipe, I incorporate them directly into the pancake.

Instructions For Making Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes

Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes are easy to make and absolutely delicious. Perfectly spiced, full of flavor, and the best weekend brunch.

1. Preheat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat.
2. Whisk together the milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sweetener, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir until everything is well combined, but don’t over mix. A few lumps are ok and the batter might be slightly thick. Let the batter rest for at least 5 minutes to set up.
4. Add the grated carrots, walnuts, and raisins then stir to combine.
5. Spoon ¼ cup of batter onto the skillet and cook for about 1 minute until small bubbles form and the edges look a little dry. Flip with a spatula and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Set the pancakes aside as they cook and repeat with the remaining batter.

Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting

These vegan carrot cakes pancakes were made for cream cheese frosting. This part is purely optional but I wouldn’t skip it if you have the time.

The recipe is super simple and quick. Check out the ingredients:

• ½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup shredded coconut
• ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or plant-based milk of choice
• 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

Once you have all the ingredients simply toss them into your blender and process until everything is smooth and creamy.

Drizzle over your pancakes and top with walnuts, more shredded carrots, and warm maple syrup. Amazing, right?

How To Serve Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes

This is the perfect recipe for Sunday brunch or Easter. And, they are excellent on their own. But, I tend to like a little something savory on the side with sweeter recipes.

Try serving up these carrot cake pancakes with one of these healthy and delicious plant-based sides.

• Tofu Bacon
• Best Vegan Tofu Scramble
• Easy Vegan Frittata
• Spicy Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties

More Vegan Pancake Recipes

• Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
• Best Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
• Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
• Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• Banana Oat Blender Pancakes
• Peanut Butter Pancakes
• 5-Ingredient Easy Vegan Pancakes

Notes and Tips For Perfect Carrot Cake Pancakes

• Don’t over mix the pancake batter or the pancakes will be too dense.
• Use oat flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix to make these pancakes gluten-free.
• Be sure and let your skillet completely heat up.
• Leave out the walnuts if you want to lower the fat.
• Allow the batter to rest for at least 5 minutes before making the carrot cake pancakes. This will help to lighten up and give you fluffy pancakes.
• Leave out the walnuts if you want low-fat pancakes.

I hope you enjoy these Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes. Please leave a comment below with a star rating. And, be sure and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work. Enjoy!

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