Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes (With Maple Cream Cheese!)

Plate of carrot cake pancakes with maple cream cheese drizzle.

These vegan carrot cake pancakes are like eating carrot cake for breakfast—and that’s definitely a good way to start any day! They’re perfect for meal prepping and the cozy spiced flavour pairs perfectly with the maple cream cheese drizzle.

Carrot cake is my favourite cake of all time, so I’m always happy to incorporate that warmly spiced flavour into other recipes. These carrot cake pancakes, like my carrot cake energy bites and carrot cake muffins, take that flavour to breakfast! They’re thick and fluffy, full of warm cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and finished with a maple cream cheese drizzle that reminds me of something you’d get at one of those fancy brunch places.

Why These Carrot Cake Pancakes Are the Coziest Breakfast Ever

Ultra tender and warmly spiced, these pancakes are packed full of grated carrot that kind of melts into the batter, just like it does in carrot cake. I love keeping a freezer bag full of them on hand for quick breakfasts!

Dessert for breakfast. These easy vegan pancakes capture that classic carrot cake flavour in a form that’s acceptable for breakfast. (Although I have been known to eat slices of leftover vegan carrot cake for breakfast too.)
Fluffy and tender. Think you need eggs for fluffy pancakes? Think again! These vegan carrot cake pancakes cook up thick and tall.
Meal prep friendly. These pancakes freeze beautifully and you can pop them in the toaster straight from the freezer for reheating.

Ingredients for vegan carrot cake pancakes and maple cream cheese drizzle.

Notes on Ingredients

So many of the ingredients for these vegan carrot cake pancakes are pantry staples. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

Soy milk – We’ll use this to create vegan buttermilk. I recommend letting it come to room temperature before starting the recipe.
Lemon juice or vinegar – The other component for the buttermilk.
All-purpose flour – I’ve also successfully made this recipe with gluten-free flour. Just be sure it’s an all-purpose blend, not a single-source flour like coconut or almond.
Baking powder
Cozy spices – Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
Sea salt
Sugar – Maple syrup or agave are fine too if you prefer a more natural option.
Vanilla extract – Or vanilla bean paste if you want those little flecks of vanilla.
Vegan butter or oil – I love my homemade vegan butter for cooking.
Grated carrot – I do like grating my own carrot; I find that it’s much more moist than what you buy in packages at the store and that helps make it less noticeable in the batter.
Maple cream cheese drizzle – You’ll need maple syrup, vegan cream cheese, and non-dairy milk.

How to Make Carrot Cake Pancakes

Below, we’ll take a step-by-step look at the process of making this recipe.

Vegan buttermilk in liquid measuring cup. — Make the buttermilk.

Sifting dry ingredients into glass mixing bowl. — Make the buttermilk.

Make the vegan buttermilk. Stir the non-dairy milk with lemon juice or vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Mix the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt into a large bowl.

Liquid ingredients added to dry ingredients in mixing bowl. — Add the wet ingredients.

Carrot cake pancake batter in glass bowl with wooden spoon. — Add the wet ingredients.

Finish the batter. Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in the carrots.
Rest. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes to hydrate and thicken. (You can also rest during this time. Take a break! You deserve it!)

Carrot cake pancake in skillet before flipping. — Start cooking the pancakes.

Carrot cake pancake in skillet. — Start cooking the pancakes.

Cook the pancakes. Pour the batter onto a greased skillet set over medium heat and cook until bubbles form, then flip and cook through. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Prepare the drizzle. Whisk the maple syrup, vegan cream cheese, and milk until smooth.
Serve. Plate your carrot cake pancakes and drizzle on that fabulous maple cream cheese.

Pouring maple syrup over stack of carrot cake pancakes.

Tips and Variations

Here are a few more tips for making these carrot cake pancakes.

Make sure that you grate your carrots and not shred them. Shredded carrots won’t cook quickly enough and will leave the pancakes with a crunchy texture.
Don’t skip the sift. It really helps make the pancakes light, airy, and fluffy.
Stir in some add-ins. Fold in chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins for classic carrot cake vibes.
Turn this into sheet pan pancakes. Double the recipe and pour into a 13×18 pan. Add your desired toppings (fruit, chocolate chips, etc.). Bake for 15-18 minutes at 425℉/220℃ until golden brown. Remove, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes and then you can slice into the pancakes.

Serving Suggestions

To make these carrot cake pancakes a complete breakfast, serve them alongside tofu bacon, your favourite vegan breakfast sausage, or tofu scramble.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator: Store carrot cake pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze these pancakes by stacking them in a zip-top bag or a Tupperware container with a sheet of wax or parchment paper in between each pancake to prevent sticking.
To reheat: Warm the pancakes in your toaster oven, toaster, or oven until heated through, about 3 minutes on 450℉.

Stack of carrot cake pancakes with wedge sliced out to show texture.

More Vegan Pancake Recipes

Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan carrot cake pancake recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!

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Stack of carrot cake pancakes with maple cream cheese drizzle.

Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes

These carrot cake pancakes are fluffy, warmly spiced, and topped with an irresistible maple cream cheese drizzle. A cozy vegan breakfast!

Course 30 Minute Meals, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings pancakes

Calories 46kcal

Author Jessica Hylton

Ingredients

CARROT CAKE PANCAKES

1 cup soy milk 240mL or any vegan milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar 10mL
1 cup all-purpose flour 120g
1 tablespoon baking powder 14.4g
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1.3g
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 0.5g
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 0.5g
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2.8g
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (12.5g) any kind, or maple syrup or agave
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste, 5mL
1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil 14g + extra for the griddle/pan
1 cup grated carrot 110g, ensure they are grated, not shredded

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE

1 tablespoon maple syrup 15mL
2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese 30g, softened and room temperature
2 teaspoons non dairy milk 10mL

Instructions

CARROT CAKE PANCAKES
Mix the nut milk and the lemon juice or ACV together in a small bowl/measuring cup. Set aside for about 5 minutes – this will make the vegan buttermilk.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. The sifting really helps to make the pancakes fluffy.
Add the sugar, vanilla extract, melted butter/oil, buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and using a spatula, gently mix the batter until JUST combined. Fold in the grated carrots, again until just combined into the entire batter. It’s okay (and normal) to have some lumps.
Let the batter sit for at least 5 minutes to allow the ingredients to fully incorporate and absorb well together.
Heat a griddle pan or a cast iron skillet over medium heat and brush with oil or vegan butter.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan/skillet for one pancake. Wait until some bubbles start to form on top. Allow to cook for about 2-3 more minutes and then flip the pancakes over once the bubbles begin to pop on top. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes until batter is cooked through.
Repeat for the rest of the pancakes. Serve pancakes hot and drizzle with maple cream cheese on top and your favorite toppings.
Enjoy!

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE

Whisk all of these ingredients together until combined. Serve with pancakes. You can store in a separate container in the fridge too. If you want it thinner, add more non-dairy milk per ½ teaspoon, or if you want it thicker add more vegan cream cheese.

Notes

Refrigerator: Store carrot cake pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze these pancakes by stacking them in a zipped bag or a Tupperware container with a sheet of wax or parchment paper in between each pancake to prevent sticking.
To reheat: Warm the pancakes in your toaster oven, toaster, or oven until heated through, about 3 minutes on 450℉.

Nutrition