Avocado Pancakes – Sweet and Savory Versions
These vegan avocado pancakes blend mashed avocado straight into an oat-flour batter, then split it into two bowls so you get a sweet version with maple and vanilla and a savory version with black pepper and cayenne. The avocado replaces eggs and butter, giving you a tender, naturally creamy pancake from one simple base.
If you have read my previous recipes, you may have noticed my out-in-the-open love for avocados. There are so many reasons to love them, and since I would like to spread that love far and wide, I wanted to use avocados in something less common as a way of proving how versatile this fruit can be. Yes, I am talking about avocado pancakes, and if you haven’t tried this before, I will need you to trust me on this: they are amazing.
For me, pancakes are always a treat, be they sweet or savory. I remember when I was a kid and my mother would make pancakes, I would just eat them with plain sugar. Yes, I was one of those kids. While I wouldn’t recommend that now, since we all know we should limit our sugar intake, it’s still a nice memory of my close relationship with pancakes. That is why I give you both versions here: have them as breakfast or as a dessert, sweet or savory, from the very same batter.
This Recipe Works If You Need
- An egg-free, dairy-free pancake where avocado does the binding and the enriching, no eggs or butter required.
- One batter that gives you two breakfasts: a sweet stack with maple and vanilla, and a savory one with pepper and cayenne.
- A way to use up a single ripe avocado that has gone soft and creamy and is past the point of slicing cleanly.
- A nutritious and healthy breakfast that hides half a cup of baby spinach where no one will taste it.
- A gluten-free option, since you can swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Two pancakes from one bowl. You make a single base batter, divide it, and flavor each half differently, so a sweet tooth and a savory craving are both covered without making two separate recipes.
- Avocado does the heavy lifting. Mashed avocado adds richness and a soft crumb the way butter or egg yolk normally would, which is what keeps these pancakes tender without any dairy.
- Naturally green and nutritious. Half a cup of baby spinach goes into the food processor with everything else, so you get an extra serving of greens with no spinach flavor fighting the avocado.
- It comes together in the food processor. Everything goes in, you pulse until smooth, and there is no separate whisking of wet and dry. I always like to keep things simple, and this recipe is no exception.
- Flexible for gluten-free. The base is mostly oat flour, and the small amount of all-purpose flour can be a gluten-free blend, so the recipe adapts easily.
Ingredient Notes
Avocado is the heart of this recipe, so choosing the right one matters more than anything else. The secret to these avocado pancakes is actually picking the perfect avocado, and the best way to check ripeness is to gently squeeze it in your palm: it should yield to soft pressure without feeling mushy or leaving a dent. You want it ripe and creamy enough to mash smooth, because a hard, under-ripe avocado will leave fibrous lumps in the batter and add no richness. One avocado is all you need here.
Oat flour makes up the bulk of the batter at 2 cups and keeps these pancakes soft with a gentle, oaty flavor. If you cannot find oat flour, you can grind rolled oats in the food processor until fine before adding the rest, which is convenient since the batter is processed there anyway. Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you are cooking for someone with celiac disease.
All-purpose flour, just half a cup, gives the batter a little structure alongside the oat flour so the pancakes hold together when you flip them. Use a gluten-free blend here if you need the recipe to be gluten-free, and the pancakes will still cook up well.
Almond milk is the liquid that brings the batter to a pourable, scoopable consistency. One cup is the starting point, but oat flour can vary in how much it absorbs, so judge by the batter rather than the measuring cup. Use unsweetened almond milk so the savory version does not turn out faintly sweet.
Baby spinach adds half a cup of greens that disappear into the batter once everything is pulsed smooth. Use fresh, tender baby leaves rather than mature spinach, which can be tougher and more bitter. It tints the pancakes green and boosts the nutrition without changing the taste.
Maple syrup and vanilla extract are what turn one half of the batter sweet. Two tablespoons of maple syrup and half a teaspoon of vanilla go into one bowl, giving you a dessert-style pancake. Real maple syrup, rather than a flavored pancake syrup, gives a cleaner sweetness.
Black pepper and cayenne flavor the savory half. Black pepper and a pinch of cayenne, plus a little more salt, take the other bowl in a completely different direction. The cayenne is just a pinch, so it adds warmth rather than real heat; add it gradually if you are sensitive to spice.
Vegan butter or coconut oil goes in the pan to cook the pancakes. Either works; coconut oil adds a faint sweetness that suits the sweet version, while vegan butter is more neutral. You only need enough to coat the skillet so the pancakes release and brown.
Tips
- Pulse, do not over-process. Pulse the avocado, flours, baking powder, salt, almond milk and spinach just until the batter is smooth. Stop as soon as the spinach has broken down and the color is even, because over-working a flour batter develops gluten and gives you tougher, rubbery pancakes.
- Divide before you flavor. Split the batter between two bowls first, then add maple and vanilla to one and pepper, cayenne and extra salt to the other. If you flavor before dividing you lose the whole point of the sweet-and-savory split.
- Let the pan get properly hot. Wait until the vegan butter or coconut oil has melted and the skillet is hot over medium heat before you scoop. A pan that is too cool gives pale, dense pancakes; you want them golden brown in 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Watch the surface to know when to flip. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on the first side and flip once the edges look set and the underside is golden. Avocado batter is denser than a standard pancake batter, so resist flipping too early or the center will still be raw.
- Keep the heat at medium. Medium heat lets the inside cook through before the outside burns. Too high and you will get a dark crust with an underdone middle, which is the most common mistake with a thicker batter like this one.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make it gluten-free. Swap the half cup of all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend and use certified gluten-free oat flour. The recipe is built for this swap.
- Change the plant milk. Any unsweetened plant milk works in place of almond milk: oat, soy or coconut milk will all bring the batter to the right consistency.
- Lean fully sweet or fully savory. If you only want one kind, skip the dividing step and flavor the whole batch in one direction, doubling the maple and vanilla for sweet, or the pepper, cayenne and salt for savory.
- Top them to match the mood. Serve the sweet pancakes with maple or date syrup, and the savory ones with salty vegan yogurt and your favorite toppings.
Storage and Make Ahead
These pancakes are best fresh off the pan, but they keep. Once fully cooled, stack them with a little parchment between each one and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. Because the batter is made with avocado, the cut surface can dull slightly in color over time, so I would not push storage much beyond that. Reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat or in a toaster to bring back the golden edges; the microwave works but softens them.
To make ahead, you can cook the full batch, freeze the pancakes flat on a tray, then transfer them to a freezer bag so they do not stick together. Reheat straight from frozen. If you love starting the day this way, you might also enjoy my banana pancakes without eggs and my gluten-free vegan pancakes. And if you are an avocado fan like me, take a look at my savory avocado recipes for more ways to use this versatile fruit. As usual, if you decide to try this recipe, don’t forget to let me know how you liked them. I’m always happy to hear from you.
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Avocado Pancakes – Sweet and Savory Versions
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- ½ cup all purpose flour – use GF if needed
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 avocado mashed
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup baby spinach
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne
- vegan butter or coconut oil for the pan
Instructions
- Add the avocado, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, almond milk and baby spinach to a food processor. Pulse until you obtain a smooth batter.
- Divide the batter between two bowls.
- To one of them add 2 Tbsp maple syrup and vanilla extract
- To the other add black pepper, cayenne and more salt.
- Place a bit of butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once melted and hot, scoop the batter into the pan, dot each pancake and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Serve your sweet pancakes with maple or date syrup. Serve your savory pancakes with some salty vegan yogurt and your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
The avocado flavor is mild and mostly comes through as richness and a soft, creamy texture rather than a strong taste. In the sweet version the maple and vanilla round it out, and in the savory version the pepper and cayenne take the lead. A ripe avocado blends in smoothly so it reads as tender rather than green-tasting.
Yes, this recipe is fully vegan. The avocado replaces eggs as the binder and the richness, almond milk stands in for dairy milk, and you cook the pancakes in vegan butter or coconut oil. There is no egg, butter, or honey anywhere in the batter.
Use certified gluten-free oat flour for the 2 cups of oat flour, and swap the half cup of all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour blend. The recipe is built to take this substitution, so the pancakes still cook up well. Just check that your baking powder is gluten-free too.
Gently squeeze the avocado in your palm; it should yield to soft pressure without feeling mushy or leaving a lasting dent. That tells you it is ripe and creamy enough to mash smooth. A hard, under-ripe avocado will leave fibrous lumps in the batter and add no richness.
Avocado batter is denser than a standard pancake batter, so it needs gentler, slower cooking. Keep the pan at medium heat and give each side a full 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Too high a heat browns the outside before the center cooks, which is the most common cause of a raw middle.
Yes, that is the whole idea of this recipe. You make one base batter, divide it between two bowls, then add maple syrup and vanilla to one and black pepper, cayenne and a little more salt to the other. Serve the sweet ones with maple or date syrup and the savory ones with salty vegan yogurt and your favorite toppings.
Really loved the sour version, it’s super delicious. Thank you, Ruxandra!
You’re welcome! Glad you liked the recipe!