Dairy-Free Buttermilk Pancakes
Tall, tangy dairy-free buttermilk pancakes made with lemon-soured oat milk and dairy-free butter for that classic diner-style lift and flavor.
Recipe by Andrew Tibbs, the Non Dairy Dude
Published
Regular pancakes are fine. Buttermilk pancakes are the ones you actually crave, the kind with a little tang and enough lift that they puff up instead of laying flat in the pan. Once I cut dairy I figured that flavor was gone for good, but it turns out the tang doesn't come from anything fancy. It comes from acid hitting baking soda, and oat milk with a splash of lemon juice does that job just as well as the real thing.
If you want the simpler, everyday version without the tang, my regular dairy-free pancakes recipe is the one to grab on a weekday morning. This one's for when you want something closer to what you'd get at a diner: thicker batter, a longer rest, and a noticeably better rise from the baking powder and baking soda working together. Eggs and dairy-free butter still go in, since this is built to be dairy-free, not egg-free.
Stack these high with maple syrup and you're set, but they hold up fine next to something sweeter too. I've served a short stack alongside slices of dairy-free birthday cake for a lazy weekend brunch and nobody complained. If cookies are more your speed for dessert later, my dairy-free chocolate chip cookies use the same dairy-free butter trick this batter does.
Ingredients
Dairy-Free Buttermilk
- 1½ cupsUnsweetened oat milk
- 1½ tbspFresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cupsAll-purpose flour
- 3 tbspGranulated sugar
- 2 tspAluminum-free baking powder
- ¾ tspBaking soda
- ¾ tspFine salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 largeLarge eggs
- 4 tbspDairy-free butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tspVanilla extract
Cooking
- 1 tbspNeutral oil or dairy-free butter, for the pan
Serving
- ½ cupMaple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Make the dairy-free buttermilk. Stir the oat milk and lemon juice or vinegar together in a measuring cup and let stand for 10 minutes. It will not curdle as dramatically as dairy milk, but it should taste lightly tangy.
- 2
Whisk the flour, sugar, aluminum-free baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until evenly combined.
- 3
Whisk the eggs, melted dairy-free butter, and vanilla into the dairy-free buttermilk until smooth.
- 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently until the flour is hydrated. Stop while the batter is still slightly lumpy.
- 5
Let the batter rest for 10 minutes while the griddle heats. The batter should become thick, airy, and scoopable. If it is too thick to spread slightly on its own, fold in oat milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
- 6
Heat a nonstick griddle, large skillet, or well-seasoned cast iron pan over medium heat. Lightly grease with neutral oil or dairy-free butter.
- 7
Scoop 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges look set, the bottoms are golden, and bubbles appear and begin to pop on the surface.
- 8
Flip once and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the second side is golden and the centers are cooked through. Do not press the pancakes after flipping.
- 9
Transfer to a plate or a 200 F oven while you cook the remaining batter, greasing the pan lightly between batches as needed.
- 10
Serve warm with maple syrup, dairy-free butter, berries, or dairy-free chocolate chips.
How we make it dairy-free
- Cultured buttermilk → Unsweetened oat milk soured with fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Give it five minutes to curdle slightly before mixing it in. That's what reacts with the baking soda and gives you the tang and the lift.
- Butter → Dairy-free butter, melted and cooled a bit so it doesn't scramble the eggs when you whisk it in. It adds the same richness without flattening the batter.
- Pan butter for cooking → Neutral oil or more dairy-free butter for greasing the skillet between batches, whichever you've already got open.
Eggs stay in this one. The goal here is dairy-free, not vegan.
Tips & Variations
Yield note: This makes about 10 to 12 pancakes, depending on your scoop size.
Buttermilk versus everyday: Choose this recipe when you want extra tang, a slightly taller stack, and baking soda lift from soured oat milk. For a quicker pantry version, use the everyday dairy-free pancakes recipe.
Oat milk works especially well: Its body and mild sweetness make it a better dairy-free buttermilk base than very thin plant milks. Soy milk also works if you prefer a more neutral flavor.
Use aluminum-free baking powder: These pancakes use both baking powder and baking soda. Aluminum-free baking powder keeps the flavor clean and avoids a bitter finish.
Give the milk time to sour: Ten minutes is enough for the acid to season the oat milk and activate the baking soda later. It may look only slightly thicker, and that is fine.
Do not overmix: Buttermilk-style batter should look a little lumpy. Overmixing develops gluten and knocks down the tenderness.
Rest after mixing: The second 10-minute rest hydrates the flour and lets the batter puff before it hits the pan.
Do not press after flipping: Pressing pancakes with a spatula collapses the bubbles that make them tall.
Adjust the heat between batches: If the pan gets too hot, the outside browns before the middle sets. Lower the heat and give the pan a minute to calm down.
Chocolate chip option: Sprinkle dairy-free chocolate chips onto each pancake right after scooping the batter onto the pan so the chips stay evenly distributed.
Freeze leftovers: Cool completely, freeze in a single layer, then reheat in a toaster or low oven.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a different dairy-free milk instead of oat milk?⌄
Soy milk sours the same way and works well here. Almond and other nut milks can curdle a little thinner and give you a slightly less tender pancake, but they'll still work in a pinch.
Can I make the batter ahead of time?⌄
Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and store them apart in the fridge overnight. Combine them right before cooking, since the baking soda starts losing its lift as soon as it hits the soured oat milk.
How do I store and reheat leftover pancakes?⌄
Let them cool, then stack with parchment between them and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen in a toaster or a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Is this recipe nut-free?⌄
Yes, as long as you stick with oat milk and check that your dairy-free butter brand isn't nut-based. Some dairy-free butters use cashew as a base, so read the label if nut allergies are a concern.
Dairy-Free Buttermilk Pancakes · https://nondairydude.com/recipes/dairy-free-buttermilk-pancakes
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