Happy Saturday, readers! We made these fairly healthy vegan pancakes for breakfast this morning! I adapted Andrew Olson’s recipe for “The Perfect Vegan Pancakes” into this supercharged version that features the generous flavours of cacao nibs and orange (zest + juice). They turned out fantastic and, quite honestly, proved to be one of the best things to wake up to in the morning!

No eggs or dairy here, for those of you looking to cut down on your intake of animal produce. The recipe calls for the old flaxseed + water trick in place of eggs. For those who don’t know, it creates a gooey mixture that acts as a vegan-friendly binder in recipes. Also, instead of butter, grapeseed oil is used, although you can use coconut oil instead for added complexity in flavour.

There is no sugar in this recipe. Only the natural sweetness of freshly squeezed orange juice is added. The incorporation of orange zest and cacao nibs invite a unique grainy texture to the pancakes, as well as a good dose of vitamins and minerals. Sure, we know plenty about cacao nibs and their superfood status, but believe it or not, there are benefits to eating orange peels too!

These are small and cutesy little pancakes – pikelets, if you will. With all the cacao nibs and zest thrown into the mix, the batter ends up being pretty viscous and will not spread too much when ladled onto the frying pan, which is just as well since we’re after thick pancakes. While they don’t exactly turn into puffy pillows like those Fluffy Breakfast Pancakes with Lemon & Honey we made awhile back, these mini pancakes are still pretty good for a filling, guilt-free breakfast.

Zesty Orange-Scented Pancakes with Cacao Nibs {vegan}
adapted from Andrew Olson’s perfect vegan pancakes.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of sea salt
zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons cacao nibs*
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds**
3/4 cup soy milk (or your favourite non-dairy alternative)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

** I used TRU RA’s Cacao Nibs. They’re organic, cold-processed and vegan!
** I used Melrose Organic Golden Flaxmeal. The golden variety tends toward a more subtle flavour in baked goods, whereas brown flax might leave too strong an aftertaste.

Preparation:

1. To prepare the flax egg, combine the ground flaxseeds with 2 1/2 tablespoons of filtered water in a small cup. Stir and set aside to thicken.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange zest and cacao nibs. Mix well, set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the soy milk with the apple cider vinegar, then stir in the grapeseed oil and the flax egg.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients and gently stir together until just combined. Do not mix too thoroughly – lumps in the batter is fine.
5. Lightly grease a frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Once fairly hot, ladle a small amount of batter (up to 1/4 cup) onto the middle of the pan and turn heat down to medium-low. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a preheated oven (set to about 50°C) while you fry up the rest.
6. Serve pancakes with your syrup of choice and some orange segments.