Quick, easy and delicious, vegan carrot cake pancakes made with chickpea flour for a healthy breakfast option.

Stack of 6 thick carrot pancakes on a small plate. Fork rests on the plate.

Love carrot cake? You will love these fluffy and delicious carrot cake pancakes inspired by the classic dessert!

This easy recipe recipe features shredded carrot, chickpea flour, cinnamon and ginger and tastes just like carrot cake. Enjoy them any day of the week for a simple, healthy and hearty breakfast the whole family will enjoy.

Recipe Features

  • Quick and Easy: You’ll need just 5 simple ingredients and 15 minutes.
  • Dietary Needs: Gluten-free, nut-free, grain-free and vegan (dairy-free, egg-free).
  • Made with chickpea flour for an extra boost in nutrition. Each serving is under 300 calories and provides 11 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber!
  • Sneaky way to include veggies at breakfast.
  • Extra thick and fluffy with yummy carrot cake flavour.

Ingredient Notes

Visual ingredient list for making a healthy carrot cake pancake recipe. Each ingredient is labelled with text.

Complete list of ingredients with amounts and instructions is located in the recipe card below.

  • Chickpea flour. Be sure to use chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour, not gram or besan as those are different. Chickpea flour is readily available in well-stocked grocery stores or online. I suggest Bob’s Red Mill.
  • Grated carrot. You’ll need 1/2 cup of fresh, finely grated carrot for this recipe.
  • Baking powder. Baking powder helps the pancakes fluff up. The recipe will work without it but it makes them extra thick and fluffy.
  • Spices. The recipe calls for ginger and cinnamon but a dash of nutmeg is nice too!

This recipe is versatile as far as additional ingredients. Try adding 1-2 tbsp of rolled oats, raisins, shredded coconut, pineapple, walnuts or pecans to the batter or sprinkle a bit over the pancakes as they cook, before flipping.

Step-by-Step Photos

You can scroll down to find the complete written recipe. The section below includes step-by-step instructions with photos for a quick, visual reference.

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a whisk or fork so any clumps get broken up and the baking powder and salt get fully incorporated.

Dry pancake batter ingredients mixed in a mixing bowl with a whisk.

Step 2: Add the water and grated carrot to the dry ingredients and mix to fully combine. You don’t have to worry about over-mixing since the recipe contains no gluten.

Step 3: Let the batter rest for 5-6 minutes while you heat a non-stick skillet, crepe pan or pancake griddle to medium heat.

  • Dry pancake batter ingredients in a mixing bowl with grated carrot and water.

Step 4: Scoop roughly 1/4 cup portions onto the hot pan and cook until the edges appear firm and dry and some bubbles are popping up in the batter, about 4-5 minutes.

Flip the pancakes and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

  • One small cooked carrot pancake cooking in a hot skillet.
  • One small carrot pancake cooking in a hot skillet.

Serve the pancakes topped with maple syrup, coconut, walnuts or any other toppings you enjoy!

Stack of 6 thick carrot pancakes on a small plate. Fork rests on the plate.

Topping Ideas

Here are some carrot-cake inspired toppings to try:

  • Pineapple: Fresh, canned or thawed frozen pineapple works.
  • Coconut: Try shredded, flaked or toasted coconut.
  • Nuts: Chopped walnuts or pecans are good on top or added to the batter.
  • Raisins: These can be served on top or added to the batter.
  • Cashew Frosting: Try the cashew frosting from my raw carrot cake or cinnamon rolls for a special treat.
  • Dairy-Free Yogurt: Any kind works but I love thick, plain or vanilla coconut yogurt.
  • Syrup: Try maple syrup, agave or coconut syrup.
  • Nut Butter: Nut or seed butter like almond butter, tahini or cashew butter is yummy.
  • Date paste.
  • Chia seed jam.
  • Dairy-free whipped cream is always delicious for a treat!

FAQs

Can you freeze carrot cake pancakes?

Yes. The cooked pancakes freeze well. To freeze, let cool completely then store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. They can be thawed in the fridge or toaster for a quick breakfast or snack anytime.

To prevent them from sticking together, consider placing a square of parchment paper between each pancake or freezing them on a baking tray before transferring to a bag.

Do I have to use chickpea flour?

Nope. If you don’t have chickpea flour on hand, these can also be made with whole wheat flour, spelt flour, all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend such as Bob’s Red Mill.

What does chickpea flour taste like?

Chickpea flour has a pronounced beany taste when it’s raw, so don’t be alarmed if the raw batter doesn’t taste good.

The taste may vary from brand to brand as well and some can be more bitter than others. I’ve always had success with Bob’s Red Mill Organic Garbanzo Bean Flour.

Once cooked, the bean flavour dissipates and the pancakes taste super nutty, earthy and delicious!

Stack of pancakes with a slice taken out of them. A fork rests on the plate with a piece of pancake on it.

Here are some more fun and tasty pancake recipes to try:

For more carrot cake-inspired recipes, you might enjoy Carrot Cake Banana Bread, Carrot Cake Energy Balls or Carrot Cake Overnight Protein Oats.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.

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Stack of 6 thick carrot pancakes on a small plate. Fork rests on the plate.

Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Love carrot cake? You will love these healthy, fluffy and delicious carrot cake pancakes made with nutritious chickpea flour!

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Mix the chickpea flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger together in a bowl using a fork or whisk until everything is well combined and any lumps of flour have been broken up. If you’re using a dry sweetener, you can mix that in now as well.
  2. Add the water, grated carrot and liquid sweetener if you didn’t add a dry one, and mix well to incorporate. The batter will be thick and almost “foamy” as the baking powder reacts. 
  3. Heat a non-stick skillet or pancake griddle to medium heat while you let the batter rest for 5-6 minutes.
  4. Use a light coating of non-stick cooking spray in the pan if needed, then scoop roughly 1/4 cup portions of the batter into the pan.
  5. Cook each pancake until the edges look dry and firm and bubbles appear in the batter, about 4-5 minutes.
  6. Flip the pancakes and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat until you’ve used all the batter.
  7. Serve topped with maple syrup, cashew frosting or whipped cream, pineapple, walnuts, raisins and toasted coconut flakes or shredded coconut.

Notes

Sugar can be substituted with stevia or monk fruit sweetener for sugar-free pancakes.

Use exactly 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water for thick, fluffy pancakes or more for thinner pancakes or crepes.

You can make these protein pancakes by adding 1 scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder and increasing the water to 1/2 cup or a bit more depending on the protein used.

The recipe serves one (or 2 kids) but can easily be doubled or tripled for a bigger batch. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in sealed container or frozen for 3 months in a freezer bag.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 batch
  • Calories: 214
  • Sugar: 7 g
  • Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 40 g
  • Fiber: 7 g
  • Protein: 11 g

Keywords: healthy carrot cake pancakes, vegan carrot pancakes

Originally published July 1, 2019.