Vegan pancake recipes from Deliciously Ella: Kimchi, spinach and triple chocolate

f you’ve been struck down with lemon and sugar fatigue, we have some alternative suggestions for you to try this coming Shrove Tuesday (16 February) from Deliciously Ella.

Ella Mills, 29, is renowned for her plant-based recipes. Staring down your first pancake day as a vegan? There’s no need to be any less indulgent, as almond milk and coconut oil take the place of cows’ milk and eggs in these recipes, with no compromise on taste.

For those with a sweet tooth, we have triple chocolate pancakes (made with maple syrup) and, for those who are a feeling a little more experimental, why not turn your hand to kimchi or spinach pancakes?

2 tbsps of plant-based yoghurt

3 plum tomatoes, quartered

4 garlic cloves, peeled & diced

A large handful of fresh spinach

Make the garlicky tomatoes by placing a pan over a medium heat and adding a drizzle of olive oil. Once warm, add the garlic, tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Mix well and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes break down and begin to bubble. At this point, stir through the spinach and leave to wilt. Once wilted, remove from the heat and leave to one side until needed.

Place the spinach for the pancakes in a bowl and pour over 200ml of boiling water. Leave the spinach to wilt for a few minutes.

Once the spinach has wilted, spoon the water and spinach into a blender, along with the gram flour, lime juice, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Blitz until the mixture comes together to form a smooth mixture.

Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once warm, pour in half or a quarter of the spinach mixture and leave to cook for 5 minutes until the bottom feels as if it has cooked.

Use a spatula to flip over the pancake and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Spoon onto a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter.

Once ready to serve, top each pancake with a dollop of yoghurt, half of the garlicky tomatoes, and a pinch of chilli flakes. 

Triple Chocolate Pancakes

A handful of dark chocolate chips

1 tbsp of melted coconut oil

Make the chocolate sauce by placing all of the ingredients into a pan over a low heat. Cook until it has melted into a smooth sauce. You can add a little more almond milk if needed until you reach the consistency you like best.

Stir all the pancake ingredients together to form a smooth, thick batter. If it feels a little thin, leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes.

Warm a tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat. Once warm, spoon in a large tablespoon of the pancake batter into the pan, using a wooden spoon to spread out the mixture.

Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes until golden, before turning and cooking on the other side for 2-3 minutes. Repeat until the pancake mixture is finished.

Serve the pancakes on a plate, drizzled with the chocolate sauce.

300ml coconut milk [from a carton]

2 tbsps of toasted sesame oil, plus more for the pan

100g roughly chopped kimchi, plus any of the liquid

2 tbsps of toasted sesame oil

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded & finely sliced

Place the coconut milk, flour, sesame oil, chilli powder, sesame seeds and salt into a large bowl and mix well until smooth. Once smooth, stir through the kimchi.

Place a pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of sesame oil. Once warm, spoon equal amounts of the liquid into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden on one side.

Flip over and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side. Repeat until all of the mixture has finished.

Mix together all of the sauce ingredients and serve with the pancakes.