Apple cinnamon silken tofu pancakes with maple walnuts
These apple cinnamon pancakes use blended silken tofu and soy milk in place of eggs and milk, with grated apple in the batter and buttery maple apples on top, all ready in about 40 minutes.
Published .
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 3
- Protein
- ~17 g
- The vegan swap
- Blended silken tofu does the job of eggs, giving the batter body, richness and a tender, custardy middle without any eggy flavor.
- Make ahead
- Cool leftover pancakes on a rack, then refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze in a bag with parchment between them for up to 2 months. Reheat in the toaster or a dry skillet. The apple topping keeps 4 days in the fridge and warms up in 1 minute in a pan.
Ingredients
Maple apples and walnuts
Pancake batter
To serve
How to make it
Toast the walnuts
Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Tip them into a bowl.
Cook the maple apples
In the same skillet, melt the vegan butter. Add the apple slices, maple syrup and cinnamon and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and glossy, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and wipe out the pan.
Blend the wet ingredients
Blend the silken tofu, soy milk, oats, flaxseed, maple syrup, oil and vanilla until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
Mix the batter
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the blended mixture and fold just until no dry flour remains. Fold in the grated apple. Let it rest 5 minutes so it thickens and puffs.
Cook the pancakes
Heat the skillet over medium and brush with oil. Pour in 1/3 cup batter per pancake. Cook until the edges look set and bubbles pop on top, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat, oiling the pan between batches. You should get about 9 pancakes in 12 to 15 minutes. Keep finished ones warm in a 200°F oven.
Stack and serve
Pile the pancakes onto plates and top with the maple apples, toasted walnuts, hemp hearts and an extra drizzle of maple syrup.
Why this works
Silken tofu blends into a smooth, thick liquid that acts like beaten eggs. Its proteins set as the pancake cooks, holding everything together, while its moisture keeps the crumb tender. Ground flaxseed adds a bit of extra binding, and blending in the oats builds body so the batter does not spread too thin.
The grated apple melts into the batter for juicy pockets and natural sweetness, a nod to German apple pancakes. Resting the batter for 5 minutes lets the baking powder start working and the oats and flax hydrate, so the pancakes rise tall. Cooking the sliced apples separately in vegan butter gives you a caramelized topping without weighing down the batter.
Tips
- Keep the heat at medium. Tofu batter browns faster than egg batter, so a hot pan gives you dark outsides and gummy middles.
- Grate the apple right before folding it in so it does not brown or weep into the bowl.
- Do not overmix after adding the flour. A few lumps mean fluffy pancakes.
- Swap the walnuts for pecans or pumpkin seeds if that is what you have.
Questions about this recipe
Can I taste the tofu in these pancakes?
Nope. Silken tofu is very mild, and once it is blended with soy milk, maple, vanilla and warm spices, it just reads as a rich, tender pancake. Make sure you blend it fully smooth so there are no white specks.
What kind of apple works best?
A firm, sweet-tart apple like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn or Granny Smith holds its shape in the topping and adds bright flavor to the batter. Softer apples like McIntosh will melt more, which is still tasty, just saucier.