These plant-based pancakes made with sweet butternut squash are topped with bright homemade cherry compote. Plus, they’re naturally gluten-free and delicious for breakfast or even dessert!
These butternut squash pancakes are a true treat. They’re sweet and taste decadent, but are made of healthy, plant-based ingredients. They make a fun breakfast treat for a weekend morning. But I sometimes like to serve them as a healthier dessert option.
Everyone can spoon their desired amount of cherry compote to top their butternut pancakes, which makes this recipe a fun DIY meal for all ages.
How to Make Vegan Butternut Squash Pancakes
These vegan butternut squash pancakes look (and taste) like a gourmet breakfast. But lucky for the chef, they’re simple to throw together.
And you don't need any fancy ingredients. This is a great pantry-staple recipe that comes together in 20 minutes.
You’ll start by making a plant-based buttermilk alternative. Almond milk and apple cider vinegar combine to make a tangy addition to any vegan baked good. Without any dairy, you’ll get a delicious tang in your pancakes that always surprises eaters.
Let the vegan buttermilk mixture sit for a bit to get nice and tangy.
Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients for your pancake batter. You only need flour, cinnamon, sea salt, baking powder, soda, and a pinch of nutmeg for this recipe. To keep your pancakes gluten-free, opt for gluten free all-purpose flour.
If you’re not avoiding gluten, regular all-purpose flour will also work in this recipe.
The dry ingredients get mixed with butternut squash purée, a dash of maple syrup, and a splash of vanilla extract. Mix in your plant-based buttermilk, and you’re done!
Creamy, tangy and healthy plant-based butternut squash pancake batter ready to get cooking!
This recipe makes about 6 pancakes, but if you’re feeding a hungry crowd, you can easily double it.
How to Make Easy Cherry-Pear Compote
While the butternut pancakes are downright delicious on their own, Cherry-Pear Compote on top really makes this dish shine.
And the best part is how simple the fruit sauce is to make. Simply cook down frozen cherries, raspberries, pear and a bit of maple syrup. Stir in a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) at the end to thicken, and you’re done.
It’s best to let the mixture come up to a boil after adding the cornstarch. This helps ensure you’ve cooked off any starchy taste in the sauce.
This easy compote is a dream with butternut squash pancakes. But don’t limit yourself! I love to drizzle cherry-pear sauce on ice cream, swirl it into baked goods, and even use it instead of frosting to dress up homemade cakes.
Once you taste the bright cherry flavor, you’ll see why. And if you have new ways to use cherry-pear compote, don’t forget to tell me about them in the comments!
Are Vegan Butternut Squash Pancakes Healthy?
This recipe packs a serious health punch. There’s no guilt when you start your day with this vegetable-packed breakfast.
For starters, butternut squash is packed with vitamins E and B-6, which can be lacking in some plant-based diets. Plus, the winter squash tastes naturally sweet, but only contains 4 grams of sugar per cup. That’s why you only need a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup to sweeten these pancakes.
Even the cinnamon in these pancakes brings antioxidants, and is shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
So just in case you needed further reason to add these plant-based Butternut Squash Pancakes with Cherry Compote to your menu, you shouldn’t now!
More Easy Plant-Based Breakfast Recipes
If you love these pancakes, be sure to try these other tasty vegan morning meals:
- Breakfast Parfaits made with rice
- Mini Tofu Quiches made in a muffin tin
- Plant-Based Baked French Toast from Feasting at Home
- Healthy Granola from Fit Foodie Finds
Vegan Butternut Squash Pancakes with Cherry Compote
- Yield: Makes 2 Servings 1x
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Pancakes
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1¼ cups gluten free all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup butternut squash purée
- 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Cherry Pear Compote
- 1½ cups frozen pitted cherries
- ½ cup frozen red raspberries
- 1 pear, cored and chopped (skin on or peeled)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon organic cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Make the compote: Place the cherries, raspberries, pear, maple syrup and sea salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and continue to cook, stirring, until thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool.To make the pancakes, combine the apple cider vinegar and almond milk in a medium bowl. Set aside to curdle.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add the squash purée, maple syrup and vanilla extract to the almond milk mixture. Fold in the flour mixture, stirring to combine fully.
- Heat a cast iron griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil. When hot, use a ladle to spoon the pancake batter onto the griddle. You should have six pancakes, depending on the size of your ladle. Cook until the pancakes are golden brown on the bottom, about 3-5 minutes,, then flip and brown on the other side, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve the pancakes with vegan butter, a drizzle of maple syrup and a heaping spoonful of cherry compote. Enjoy immediately.
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