It’s no secret we’re peanut butter fans around here, especially when it comes to peanut butter and pancakes. Swoon!
We love our Peanut Butter Cup Pancakes and Peanut Butter Flaxseed Pancakes. But this version was specifically designed to be higher in protein (and gluten-free!) to keep your energy high till lunch.
Not only are they fluffy, flavorful, and delicious, but these pancakes also come together in just 1 bowl and 20 minutes! Quick, healthy breakfast, here we come!
The base of this recipe is a flax egg, vegan “buttermilk” (made from almond milk and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice), maple syrup for natural sweetness, and vanilla.
Peanut butter and coconut oil come next, providing a little protein and healthy fat to keep you feeling satiated. And oat flour adds plenty of fiber, plant protein, and whole-grain goodness.
We prefer cooking these pancakes in a lightly oiled cast-iron skillet for best results (see cast-iron tips in our Instagram Story Highlights!).
The result: pancakes that are perfectly browned on the outside and fluffy on the inside!
For extra deliciousness, we like to serve these topped with fresh fruit, a drizzle of maple syrup, and more peanut butter (mmm, peanut butter!). Of course, we could also see these being delightful with vegan butter, sliced banana, or coconut yogurt!
We hope you LOVE these pancakes. They’re:
Fluffy
Delicious
Healthy
Simple
Packed with fiber
& Protein-rich (17 g / batch!)
These would make the perfect lazy weekend breakfast or batter to make ahead and enjoy as you need it throughout the week. Who said pancakes couldn’t be a weekday thing?
If you’re into peanut butter, check out these 31 Delicious Peanut Butter Recipes. And if you’re a pancake lover like us, try our 1-Bowl Vegan Banana Oat Pancakes, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes, and Toasted Coconut Pancakes!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
1-Bowl Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- 2 Tbsp water (to make flax egg)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp natural salted peanut butter* (crunchy or creamy // or sub almond butter)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or sub olive or avocado oil // plus more for greasing griddle)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour (ground from gluten-free rolled oats)
FOR SERVING optional
- Vegan butter
- Peanut butter
- Sliced banana
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- Prepare flax egg by adding flaxseed meal and water to a large mixing bowl and letting it sit for a minute or two to thicken.
- To a measuring cup (or small bowl), add almond milk and apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and stir gently to combine. Set aside to “curdle.”
- To the flax egg, add maple syrup, vanilla extract, peanut butter, and melted coconut oil and whisk to combine.
- Slowly add in almond milk mixture while whisking. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine.
- Next, add oat flour and stir until just combined. Let batter rest while preheating griddle (about 5 minutes). The batter will be thick once it rests, but that’s a good thing! However, if it’s too thick for your liking, thin with a little almond milk and stir.
- Preheat an electric griddle to medium heat (about 350 degrees F), or use a large skillet on the stovetop (seasoned cast iron works great!). You want the surface to be hot but not screaming hot — oil shouldn’t smoke when it makes contact with the surface.
- Once hot, lightly grease your griddle with coconut or avocado oil and pour on scant 1/4-cup measurements of the batter. Flip when bubbles appear in the middle and the edges are slightly dry, being careful not to burn. Reduce heat if browning too quickly.
- Cook for about 2 minutes more on the other side, then plate. Top with desired toppings, such as vegan butter or more peanut butter, banana, and a light drizzle of maple syrup.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers will reheat well the next day in the microwave or oven. See notes for freezing instructions.
Video
Notes
*To freeze, arrange pancakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until completely firm. Then store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Reheat in the toaster or microwave for best results.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Melanie says
These are the best pancakes I have ever made. Delicious!!
Whoop! We’re so glad you love these pancakes, Melanie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Helena says
Hi, I love the recipe, thank you! Do you think it’s ok to put the dough in the fridge, instead of freezing the pancakes? I’m not sure how much it would last.
Hi Helna, that should work! You may need to add a bit of liquid to the batter once you are ready to cook them if it has gotten too thick!
Sophia says
Hi! Is there anyway we could make these but put them in a waffle maker so their waffles?
Hi Sophia! We haven’t tried these as waffles, but let us know if you do any experimenting!
Tanya Scott says
The flavor was great but they absolutely crumbled apart in the pan as I was trying to flip them. I made them exactly as the recipe called for, using crunchy peanut butter, lemon water instead of apple cider vinegar. And grape seed oil in electric skillet.
Suggestions?
Hi Tanya, it sounds like they were too dry. Is it possible you used store-bought oat flour? We find homemade (ground from rolled oats) is less absorbent and works better. Hope that helps!
Michelle Marcus says
Hi, whenever I cook vegan pancakes using whole wheat flour or oat flour, it never seems to cook properly. The inside stays very dense and mushy, and it is not fluffy. I use a griddle and cook them for several minutes and they never get any more cooked on the inside. For this recipe, my only substitutions were oat milk instead of almond milk and some homemade macadamia nut butter since I didn’t have enough peanut butter.
Any suggestions? Could mixing the batter too much cause this? Do you recommend I try a cast iron pan instead of a griddle?
Hi Michelle, those flours will be more dense than all purpose flour, but it sounds like they are coming out especially mushy. Is it possible your baking powder is expired? Another idea would be to sub half whole wheat/oat flour and half all purpose.
Michelle Marcus says
Thanks for the suggestion! It’s possible the baking powder is too old, I will get a new box and try again. I will also try the sub you suggested.
Anon says
If I got gummy pancakes – like the middle didn’t taste cooked it was because I had too much wet to dry. But I’ve never had issues with old baking powder as long as it’s in date. Yesterday’s batch (different recipe to here, used mostly WW, some white and whole oats) game out gummy so I added 1tbsp* WW flour to soak up the liquid quickly and it worked straight away. The other thing to try is resting the batter for 15-30 minutes – flour absorbs some of the liquid in this time making them puffier. Especially important with whole wheat flour/soften’s the bran layer. Never made oat flour pancakes because I’m not GF. Hope that helps :)
Tatiana says
Delish!! I’m definitely not the best at making pancakes (a skill I’m slowly learning to perfect lol) but even with my lopsided pancakes, these we’re still delish!! I’ll definitely have to buy some fresh fruit for the next time I make them!
Woohoo! Love to hear this. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Tatiana!
Karyna says
So delicious. Love the addition of the peanut butter! I ran out of my oat flour so I used 1/4 cup 1:1 baking flour
Great! Thank you for the lovely review, Karyna! xo
Aidan says
SO easy and delicious, using simple ingredients I already had on hand! Thank you! :)
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Aidan. Thank you for sharing! =)
Emilie says
Can you freeze these pancakes?
Yeah, that should work!
maren says
I made these the other morning, I used homemade nut butter inspired from one of your recipes instead of peanut butter (a combo of almonds, walnuts, macadamia, and hemp seeds) it was so good, but I think I didn’t grind my oat flour fine enough because I was a little impatient. I found that the bottom would cook, but the top would still be liquid and it was hard to flip. After making a couple I added some chickpea flour and a touch more baking powder and they cooked better after that. Next time I will make a bigger batch, 3 pancakes for me and my partner didn’t feel like much, but it was surprisingly filling with the toppings I added (banana, blueberries, more nut butter, a little homemade granola and some more seeds) I will definitely try these out again with some adjustments, they were super nutrient dense and delicious.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Maren!
Eleni says
Perfect recipe. My two littles loved them. Served them with pomegranate seeds on top. I’ll be coming back to this one!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Eleni!
Jade says
Easy, tasty, satisfying brunch. Love this recipe :-)
Sherri Neil says
Another Yummy recipe Dana. I have not made pancakes in years. These turned out great. Added my fruit to mix. No syrup necessary.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Sherri! And love the add-in. Thanks for the lovely review!
Hope says
I used almond butter and added a tsp of cinnamon. I cooked them on a cast iron skillet and they turned out perfect! I also topped them with apples cooked in maple syrup and cinnamon. So delicious and filling!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Hope! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Sharise says
These. Are. Amazing! Will be my new fave pancake for a while. I kept it simple on first go with no modifications. I left my oat flour a little coarse, which made for a wonderful mentally-fulfilling toothsomeness. Topped with another Tb of peanut butter and maple syrup. Yum! Thanks of an easy, tasty recipe.
Whoop! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Sharise! xo
Ethan says
Taste was good but the texture was quite dense and not really fluffy.
Sorry to hear that, Ethan! Did you make any modifications? Was your baking powder fresh?
Isabella says
These pancakes are super yummy! But I did add vegan chocolate chips to them because chocolate chip pancakes are my favorite. But there was one issue and that was when I was making them they kind of started to fall apart….it’s okay they still looked great and tasted very good. I will definetly make them again!
We’re glad you enjoyed them, Isabella! As for them falling apart- maybe try letting the flax egg sit longer so it gets more of an “eggy” texture? Hope that helps!
Dana says
These didn’t taste good and were finicky to cook. I’ve liked other recipes from this site but this one just didn’t work
Hi Dana, sorry to hear that was your experience! Did you make any modifications?
Claire says
My first time trying an oat-based pancake recipe! Overall, the flavor was tasty and the texture was super light and fluffy! I served with defrosted wild blueberries :) I used DIY oat flour, 2% dairy milk, a chicken egg, and olive oil. (Omitted the vanilla since I didn’t have any.) Since my peanut butter was unsalted, I added an extra pinch of salt. The batter was a little runny, but that’s probably because I was too impatient to let it sit for 5 min, haha. I made 7 small pancakes, one at a time to simplify flipping. For my next batch, I think I’ll try 2Tbsp peanut butter and skip the tablespoon of oil.
Thanks for sharing, Claire! Letting the batter sit should help it thicken.
Jasmyn says
Just made these for my 8 month old and I to share. Ended up subbing AP flour for almond, egg for flax egg, water for almond milk and they turned out great! I poured all the batter into a larger nonstick to make a giant pancake and it worked fine.
We’re so glad you both enjoyed them! Thanks so much for sharing, Jasmyn!
Isabella says
I just made these and they were divine! I used a chicken egg instead of a flax egg and used oatmilk instead of almond milk. I also used PB2 powder (2 tbsp) because I ran out of regular peanut butter and they turned out light and fluffy and rich! I added sliced bananas, walnuts, and some chocolate chips to the pancakes while they were on the skillet which I would recommend you try! Very good, will be making these again for sure.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Isabella. Thanks for sharing!
Alyssa says
I was full all day from these! I plan to remake and add vegan protein powder to up the protein, but these were certainly a guilt-free and yummy way to enjoy pancakes. Thank you for the inspiration!
Alyssa
Nicole Madsen says
I made these for breakfast today. I make make different pancake recipes all the time, sometimes with applesauce, spelt, fruit…. My husband said, “these are the most unique and most delicious pancakes you’ve ever made!” So I thought I’d share that :-) we loved them. Thank you for this recipe.
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Nicole!!
Tia says
I made this recipe at high altitude so I used a regular cage-free egg and doubled the egg, doubled the baking soda, added a little extra almond milk and they were delicious! They were fluffy with a great peanut butter taste! Hoping this helps anyone who struggles to bake at high altitude :)
Thanks so much for sharing, Tia! We’re so glad it worked out well!
Meghan Machado says
I just made these and they are delicious! I make your pancake recipes all the time, and always try new recipes and they are always wonderful. I have to say though – the recipes usually make about 6 large pancakes, and about halfway through making these I noticed how small all of the measurements were and sure enough – there was only enough for 3 large pancakes with this recipe. Love the recipe and I can double it next time – but would love if it was consistent in size with the other ones!
Interesting! We must have made 6 smaller ones. We’ll see about adjusting the ingredients or serving size to be more accurate/user friendly.
Nick Agueci says
How can you call these “protein” pancakes? Am i missing something?
Hi Nick, we like to enjoy 3-6 pancakes per serving which yields ~9-18 g protein.
Virginia says
Hi, I want to make these for my son (without sugar) but am just wondering if it is possible to use greek yoghurt or normal milk instead of almond milk with the lemon juice/apple cider vinegar as he hasn’t been introduced to citrus or vinegars yet and is still a bit too young for that. Do you think I will still get fluffy pancakes?
Thank you so much.
We haven’t tried that, but it will probably work! We don’t think it will impact the fluffiness. Let us know if you give it a try!
Virginia says
Thank you so much for responding so promptly!
I ended up making these for my young son this morning and they turned out beautifully fluffy. He loved it! I ended up substituting the almond milk & lemon/apple cider vinegar with greek yoghurt and thinned it with a little normal milk. I also omitted the maple syrup and replaced it with 2 tablespoons of mashed banana so that there was a touch of sweetness. Loved them! Thank you.
Great! Thanks for sharing, Virginia!
Jo says
These are delicious! I’m trying to avoid nuts, so I used sun butter instead of peanut butter, and canned coconut milk instead of almond milk. They turned out fabulous! Good enough to eat with no toppings even. Thanks so much for a great recipe!!
Lindsey says
Can you use almond flour instead of oat flour?
Love your site!!! I’ve been baking up a storm since having my baby (and not leaving home much, ha). And your website is my go-to for all things vegan/gluten-free!! ?
xoxo! We haven’t tried this with almond flour. But if you do let us know how it goes!
Nisa says
Just finished having these for breakfast for the first time ever! It was easy to make & I enjoyed the flavor and fluffiness. I made these on my stove top and used the tip from one of your other pancake recipes – to lower the heat & cover the skillet for a few minutes, flip, and repeat. That worked perfectly, my pancakes did not break or were not too flat! They were fluffy and golden brown, beautiful! Only thing I would modify for next time is the baking
powder/soda. One of those two (or both?) ingredients left an after taste per bite. I am certain I did not add more than the recipe asked for. If I made these for kids, they would definitely get nitpicky over that after taste!
Thanks for sharing, Nisa!
Jessica A Coco says
Oh! That is the trick! I was wondering why my pancakes kept sticking to the pan and breaking!!
Josh says
When I make this mixture, I feel like I’m missing something as the texture of the mixture when cooking in the pan doesn’t fluff up, it stays almost too “soft” so trying to flip the mixture sticks to spatula. Don’t get me wrong, everything tastes good still, however, any help as to what I’m missing would be grateful.
Hmm, did you modify any of the ingredients?
Josh says
? It would be helpful to provide you with a yes. ??♂️ Instead of the oat flour (oats do not agree with my stomach) I added VivoLife Protein mix to add some more protein, which thickens it up. Should I still add say coconut flour or almond flour as well? Is it by not having the flour everything can’t bind or grow per say? I’m not sure how to describe verbally. Thx for your help and insight!
Anita Sabados says
I made this with an egg and buttermilk. Delicious and good texture which isn’t always the case with oat based pancakes. I like when I can have some variety to my breakfast but still keep it healthy! Great recipe.
Lu says
Hi, do you think chickpea flour would work instead?
I think that would add an odd flavor.
Rachel Muir says
I made this recipe today and boy were they good! Surprisingly peanut buttery given that there’s only a tbsp in there. :) The mixture was a little runny so I added a tiny bit of whole wheat flour before sticking them in the pan and they turned out great. Loving these protein-packed pancakes!
Kristin says
Could I use gluten free flour instead of oat flour?
I’m not sure, but if you give it try let us know how it goes!
Elham says
Can you use unsalted peanut butter? It’s all I have and I want these!
Hi Elham, yes that should work, though you may want to add a pinch of salt to the batter. Hope that helps!
Sarah D says
I don’t have any baking powder. If I didn’t use any, would it mess up the recipe?
They would basically be flat, gooey crepes without it. I highly recommend using a leavener.
Amber says
Hi, if using oat flour from the store rather than making my own oat flour, do I needed to cut back on the amount of oat flour used?
I don’t think so!
Amber says
Thanks! I ended up making these today and OMG SO GOOD. I am not vegan or gluten free but am trying to be more aware of what I put into my body and your blog has really helped with that! So far everything I have made has been a hit and has been really easy to make, which helps when trying out something new. Thanks again and keep up the great work! :)
Thanks so much for the kind words, Amber! We are so glad you are enjoying our recipes! xo
Natalie says
Hi! :) I’m not allowed to eat gluten and cereals (oats included). Is there any other flour I could use in this recipe?
Perhaps a gluten-free blend?
Mary Jo Lyell says
I am on a restricted diet so my breakfast choices are minimal. I love pancakes and have tried many recipes without wheat flour, egg and dairy but they never quite hit the mark until this one. These pancakes are delicious! I followed the recipe as written but I used olive oil as it was all I had at the time, and I used almond butter. This is my new pancake recipe! Thank you for the work you put into creating these recipes for us!!
Lovely – thanks, Mary Jo!
Cassie Autumn Tran says
I would TOTALLY have the whole batch of this recipe. No doubt. It looks TO DIE FOR! Can you add peanut butter powder into this recipe to elevate the peanut butter flavor? If so, how much would you recommend?
Yeah, I think you could sub up to 2-3 Tbsp of the oat flour for PB powder :D
Donna says
I used an egg instead of flax egg and almond butter instead of peanut butter. Unfortunately, my soda didn’t mix in well and I could taste it:(
I should of used a cast iron pan as my pancakes didn’t brown at all and were a little gummy. Not sure if it’s me or the recipe. I will try it again in a pan and maybe sift in the soda into the oat flour first.
Hi Donna, I’m wondering if whisking / sifting the baking soda would help. Alternatively, I suppose you could leave out the soda, increase the baking powder, and nix the apple cider vinegar. And yes, a cast iron seems to work best for me with this recipe (and most pancakes)!
Megan @ A Continual Feast says
So excited to try these! I am forever looking for new pancake recipes :)
Lena says
these are soooooo good. especially the crispy edges. the flavor and texture is perfect, they taste and feel healthy and comforting. I will make these on the regular. thank you
Yay- so glad to hear you enjoyed these, Lena! Thanks for the lovely review!
Allison says
This sounds amazing! Is there another flour to use in place of oat flour? I’m not eating any grains. Would coconut flour work or almond flour?
Hi Allison, we aren’t sure of a grain-free flour that would work in this recipe. If you eat eggs, these grain-free pancakes might be a better fit. Hope that helps!
Sharise Cunningham says
Delicious and so quick and easy to make. I used pea milk and made a Granny Smith apple and peanut butter compote as a topping. Not pretty, but yummy.
Yum! That sounds lovely, Sharise!
Katie Lee says
Hi! I love the texture and general essence of these, but I wish they had a little more flavor. Would adding a super ripe banana and cinnamon throw the recipe off? How can I enhance the flavor that is there? Thanks! Love your work.
It may, but you can always compensate with a little more oat flour to help compensate. If you were going that route, however, I’d probably recommend this recipe instead!
Francie says
May I use an egg with good results?
Yes! For reference, 1 flax egg = 1 small chicken egg. Let us know how it goes!
June says
Can I leave out the coconut oil?
June, I don’t think that would be a great idea – this recipe was carefully tested as it was posted and I think leaving out the fat would impact to the final result negatively. If you want to switch that out I’d suggest more nut butter.
Brooke says
Looks delicious but scrolling through the NINE banner ads to finally reach the recipe was super annoying. Seems like Dana is cashing all in on her page views— understandable in a sense, but don’t forget about the user experience, yeah?
Brooke – thanks for your feedback. We’ll definitely check in and evaluate how we can continue to make the user experience optimal!
Madison says
Hi, I’m not vegan, just gluten free, so I was wondering if I could use a normal egg instead of a flax egg, and normal milk instead of almond milk? Also, is oat flour necessary or can I sub in plain gluten free flour? Thanks so much!! I’m really excited to try this recipe :)
Hi Madison – I think those first two changes should work. Not using oat flour is kind of central to the recipe. However, I think it would work. Let us know how it goes!
Robin says
These are not high protein.
Kristin says
Can you sub oat flour for spelt or whole wheat? Does that substitution impact the ratios of the other ingredients at all?
I think that should work! Let us know how it goes. I’d say subbing in a 1:1 ratio.
Caroline says
Very good recipe. I substituted the oat flour with quinoa/buckwheat flower 50/50 and maple syrup with coconut aminos. Used a little more almond milk because batter became too thick.
Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing!!
Julie says
Can the flour be substituted for an other one, and which one?
I’m thinking a GF blend or spelt flour would be the best bet!
Sasha says
Can I use quick oats or even regular flour?
So quick oats won’t work, as they’re too textured. However, regular flour should work. Let us know how it goes!
Leah says
Would this work with regular flour?
I think so, yes! Let us know how it goes!
Wendy Raymer says
Another absolutely delicious recipe! Thanks, Dana! I took a picture after I had eaten half of my pancakes because I just dug in when they were hot, I couldn’t resist. :). These cook up so fluffy, which is not true of many vegan pancake recipes. Keep your wonderful recipes coming, my favorite site. :)
Ah, thanks, Wendy! Thanks for sharing!!
Samantha says
Can you use coconut milk instead of almond?
I’m very excited to try this recipe!
Hi Samantha, that should work well! Let us know if you give it a try!