Let's be real here: I feel like I basically had cake for breakfast. And I pretty much did.

Anyone else struggle with keeping pancakes warm before you serve them in a stack? I know you can do the plate in the oven thing, but I just have never bothered. With these, I actually preferred them to be room temperature with the refrigerated cashew cream in there- it really made it taste like cake. These vegan + gluten-free buckwheat pancakes would be an amazing Christmas breakfast to make for your family!

I'm pretty picky about my pancakes, and this is why I think I like buckwheat pancakes. They have a more complex, flavorful profile than many of the generic plain pancakes out there. There is nothing worse than a pancake that looks really yummy, then when you bite in, it's like soggy cardboard with zero flavor- amirite??

Overall, the recipe is very healthy and nutrient dense with the nutrient-rich buckwheat, flaxmeal, hemp milk, and cashews, but it's not exactly light on the carbs, so save it for a training-heavy day!

I wanted to make these vegan, so I used a flax egg and hemp milk buttermilk rather than your usual egg and milk ingredients. You could just use nut milk or coconut milk too, if hemp is not your thing. I've had cashew cream in a lot of desserts and dishes out at restaurants, but somehow never got around to making this at home- stupid me, because it is absurdly easy. I love vanilla bean cashew cream, so the next time I make this, I'm going to get my hands on some pure vanilla bean paste to really make the flavor pop!

Warning: When you make the batter, you might be like, "what on earth is this gray goop (especially if you're using dark buckwheat) Minna told me to make?! But I promise, it is magical gray goop. I think I subconsciously didn't take a photo of the batter because I didn't want to deter you... just kidding, I just seriously blanked. Maybe. 

These are a mix of photos from my iPhone and on my DSLR, since I was with a friend who I didn't want to keep waiting for the pancakes too long :)

Vegan Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes with Cashew Cream

*serves 2 hungry people

Ingredients

For pancake batter:
1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour
1/4 cup Millet Flour
2 tbsp Arrowroot Starch (Tapioca works too)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened Hemp Milk (or nut milk / coconut milk)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract
1 Flax Egg (1 tbsp ground Flax meal + 3 tbsp water)
Coconut Oil for the griddle

For Cashew Cream:
1 cup raw Cashews, soaked overnight/drained & rinsed
~1/3 cup Water (pending on consistency preference)

Recipe

1. Make the cashew cream by combining the cashews and water in a blender and pureeing until smooth. 1/3 cup of water was just right for me, but if you like it runnier, add more water; if you want it thicker, add less water. Cover and stick in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Make your flax egg and put it in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to congeal.

3. In a small bowl, stir lemon juice into hemp/nut/coconut milk to make a "buttermilk". Let sit and slightly curdle.

4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flours, starch, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk until very well combined. Pour in buttermilk mixture, vanilla extract, and flax egg and whisk gently until consistent. 

5. Heat up a griddle (my absolute affordable favorite here) or skillet on medium-high heat (the pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles/evaporates on it). Dab coconut oil to grease the griddle, and pour pancakes on in circles slightly bigger than your palm. They are ready to flip when bubbles reach the surface and the surface looks like it's just firming up.

6. After cooking all the pancakes, layer a bit of cashew cream in between each pancake, top with desired fruit and pure maple syrup if you wish!