Vegan coconut and cinnamon pancakes with ‘aquafaba’

The night before my husband’s birthday, he asked me if I could make him pancake breakfast the next day. Pancakes are his all-time favorite food, but I had never made sweet breakfast kind before, (because he’s quite specific about how pancakes should be and always makes them the way he wants) so I panicked. If it was any other day I could probably be more relaxed about it, but it was for my husband’s birthday. The possibility that I might mess up his favorite comfort food on his birthday was terrifying. But somehow I managed to pull off simple yet very yummy pancakes without any dramas the next morning. And ever since that day I couldn’t stop thinking about different things I can do for pancakes and started experimenting. A recipe I’m sharing today is the most successful one so far.

I am not a vegan, or even a vegetarian but I have always been curious about vegan cooking, especially for sweet dishes that you often need to substitute dairy and eggs. I had quite a few failed attempts substituting egg white, and I finally asked for help on food52 hotline and got fantastic tips on ‘aquafaba’. It’s basically the chickpea cooked water you can find in the same can. As I mentioned on my previous post, I am obsessed with chickpeas. Who knew the liquid I always threw away can be the best vegan substitute for egg white! Although it was a bit of arm workout beating it with an electric hand mixer, I was quite satisfied with the result. And I even got an approval from my picky pancake eater 😉

• Prep time: 5mins
• Cooking time: 50-60mins
• Makes 10 little pancakes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup. all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup. light coconut milk
• 2 tbsp. water
• 2 ½ tbsp. coconut oil
• 3/4 cup or 1 can. chickpea water
• handful of unsweetened coconut flakes
• fruit of your choice & maple syrup to serve

1. Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.

2. Mix in coconut milk, water and coconut oil.

3. Drain chickpea water into a big bowl, big enough for at least 2 – 2 ½ cups of beaten egg white/ aquafaba.

4. Beat it for 4-5 minutes or until you get fluffy cloudy consistency.

5. Gently fold beaten chickpea water into the batter.

6. Scoop 1/4 cup (a little less than a ladleful) of pancake batter onto non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium-low heat.

7. Cook until brown for 2 – 2 ½ minutes on each side, depending on the heat.

8. Serve pancakes with coconut flakes, fruit of your choice and generous drizzle of maple syrup. Enjoy!