Pancakes are a delicious way to start your day, but it’s clear that they aren’t the healthiest breakfast option. If you’re looking for ways to enjoy this classic meal without milk or butter, you should consider making non dairy pancakes.
Whether you’re vegan, lactose intolerant, or simply don’t eat dairy, you can easily make the swap to non dairy pancakes — and hardly notice a difference. In this post, we’ll outline how you can whip up some delicious dairy-free pancakes and share what ingredients you can use in place of dairy.
Eliminating milk to make non dairy pancakes
It doesn’t matter if you’re making pancake batter from scratch or using the boxed stuff — many pancake recipes require you to add milk to your dry ingredients. Fortunately, there are some easy alternatives to lactose so that you can create non dairy pancakes.
One simple idea is to replace your traditional cow’s milk with a dairy-free milk substitute. If you don’t consume milk, chances are that you already have one of these alternatives in your refrigerator. Ingredients such as almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, and even coconut milk work well in pancake recipes.
It might sound odd, but beer is actually another liquid that you can use to make non dairy pancakes. As you cook, the beer will create tiny bubbles inside the pancakes that help them rise and give them a soft, fluffy texture. If you can, stay away from hop-heavy beers (like IPAs) so that the beer taste is less noticeable.
If you’re seriously pressed for time, you can even use water instead of milk. You won’t get the same rich taste or flavorful texture, but it will still get the job done.
Replacing butter in your pancake recipes
In general, people use butter in two ways when it comes to pancakes. First, butter is often melted down on the cooking surface and used to cook the pancakes. Not only does it bring a tasty flavor to the end product, but it also helps prevent your pancakes from burning and sticking to the pan.
In this case, it’s easy to swap out butter for a dairy-free ingredient. Items like olive oil, cooking spray, or coconut oil can be leveraged in place of butter to make your non dairy pancakes. These foods are rich in fat and should serve the same purpose as butter in this sense.
Secondly, people frequently lather butter on top of their pancakes before eating them to add a rich taste. In these instances, butter is merely used as a topping and can easily be replaced. Try jam, coconut butter, maple syrup, or similarly sweet condiments to add a bit of extra flavor to your meal. Plus, these foods contain less fat than butter, making them more beneficial to your diet (just watch out for sugar).
As you’ve gathered, just because dairy isn’t in your diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy pancakes. Instead, with these alternatives, you can make delicious non dairy pancakes. The best part? You won’t sacrifice the taste or texture of this beloved breakfast food.
For more cooking ideas and swaps, check out the Tastessence blog.
