Home » Recipes » Breakfast » Pancakes & Waffles » Lemon Pancakes With Poppy Seeds (vegan + gf)

Lemon Pancakes With Poppy Seeds (vegan + gf)

These healthy lemon pancakes are the perfect addition to your breakfast routine. They’re naturally gluten-free and vegan, but also light and fluffy, full of bright lemon flavor, and easy as can be!

These Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes have everything you want in a pancake, minus the eggs, dairy, and gluten. In fact, these just happen to be one of my favorite GF pancake recipes. They’re fluffy, lemony, and the poppy seeds add such a delightful little crunch.

(Don’t worry, if you’re not a poppyseed fan, you can totally leave them out and still enjoy this lemon pancake recipe.)

While I love protein pancakes, these lemon pancakes are my go-to when I’m making breakfast or brunch for guests, or just want something special to start my day. The citrusy flavor makes me think of lemon muffins or cake, but whipping up pancakes is a lot easier than making a cake!

Flour, milk, banana and other ingredients on marble countertop

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

  • Flax eggs or chicken eggs
  • Quinoa flour – If you have time, try toasting it first! Here's a tutorial for how to toast quinoa flour if you've never tried!
  • Almond flour
  • Arrowroot starch
  • Coconut flour
  • Baking powder
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Sea salt
  • Mashed banana – You’ll need a small banana for this.
  • Coconut yogurt – Feel free to substitute another plant-based yogurt.
  • Non-dairy milk
  • Almond oil – Or another light-flavored oil.
  • Lemon juice
  • Vanilla extract
  • Lemon extract
  • Lemon zest – You’ll need the zest of about 2 lemons. Zest them before you juice them.
  • Poppy seeds 
  • Fresh berries, coconut yogurt, and maple syrup for serving

Is Lemon Extract the Same as Lemon Juice?

No, lemon extract has a much stronger flavor than lemon juice. I highly recommend using both in this recipe (plus the lemon zest); using the juice and zest alone will give these pancakes a hint of lemon, but the lemon extract is what really gives them a pronounced lemon flavor that pops.

White plate with three lemon poppy seed pancakes topped with yogurt, blackberries and maple syrup

How to Make Lemon Pancakes

Ready for perfect gluten-free lemon poppy seed pancakes? Here’s what you’ll need to do.

An image of gluten-free flour for pancakes beside an image the flours being mixed together with a whisk

Prepare. Preheat a griddle over medium heat and whisk together the flax and water in a small bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Bowl of wet ingredients for pancakes beside an image of bilk and eggs being mixed with a whisk

Mix the wet ingredients. Beat the flax eggs, banana, yogurt, milk, oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon extract.

An image of pour wet ingredients into a bowl of dry ingredients beside an image of pancake batter with a whisk

Make the batter. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

An image of pancake batter with poppy seeds and lemon zest beside an image of lemon poppy seed pancake batter mixed together

Fold in the mix-ins. Fold in the lemon zest and poppy seeds.

An image of uncooked pancake on a white pan beside an image of a cooked pancake on a white pan

Cook the pancakes. Lightly coat the griddle with nonstick cooking spray or coconut oil. Ladle ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake; repeat until there’s no more room in the pan. Cook the pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until small bubbles begin to form around the edges. Carefully flip them and cook the other side for another minute or two, or until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve. Plate the pancakes and serve them warm with fresh berries, a dollop of coconut yogurt, and maple syrup.

Stack of lemon pancakes with poppy seeds on plate with maple syrup

Tips for Success

Lemon pancakes are easy to make, but these tips will help you make sure they turn out perfect.

  • Don't make substitutions. This recipe was tested with these exact flours and proportions, so if you make major changes, it's not guaranteed to turn out!
  • Cook over medium heat. Don’t try to rush it! If your griddle is too hot, the pancakes will brown too quickly on the outside before cooking through in the middle, and no one likes goopy pancake middles. 
  • Grease the griddle between batches. You'll need to lightly grease the griddle with oil between batches to prevent the pancakes from sticking and to help them brown evenly.

Serving Suggestions

Want more ideas for how to serve your lemon pancakes? I've got some!

Stack of lemon pancakes topped with yogurt, blackberries, and syrup being cut with a fork

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. When you're ready to eat them, reheat them on a lightly greased griddle or skillet over low heat until they're warmed through, or warm them up in the microwave.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

You can freeze lemon pancakes for up to 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, or just pop them in the toaster. I do this all the time with my pancakes and find that they make a really delicious pre-workout snack as I'm racing out the door to yoga in the morning. Just slather on some nut butter and I'm good to go!

Bite of lemon pancakes cut into triangles with a fork

More Healthy Pancake Recipes:

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

5 from 6 votes
Top these fluffy lemon pancakes with coconut yogurt and fresh berries for the perfect vegan, gluten-free breakfast!
author: Alyssa
yield: 14 pancakes
Pouring maple syrup onto stack of lemon poppy seed pancakes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat a griddle over medium heat.
  • Whisk together the flax and water and set aside to gel.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  • Beat together the flax eggs, banana, yogurt milk, oil, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon flavor, then pour into the dry and mix until a smooth batter forms. Fold in the lemon zest and poppy seeds.
  • Lightly grease your griddle with nonstick cooking spray or coconut oil. Ladle ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and repeat until you have filled your pan. Cook the pancakes until small bubbles begin to form around the edges, about 2 – 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 1 – 2 minutes longer until the other sides are golden brown. Repeat until no batter remains.
  • Serve warm with fresh berries, a dollop of coconut yogurt and pure maple syrup.

Video

Notes

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. When you're ready to eat them, reheat them on a lightly greased griddle or skillet over low heat until they're warmed through, or warm them up in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 0.7mg
cuisine: American
course: Breakfast, Dessert

Filed Under: