I’m not a big fan of pancakes. Truth be known, I’m not a big fan of breakfast. I don’t eat eggs (and don’t even get me started on bacon, sausage or hashbrowns). To be clear though, I never ate any of those things—eggs, occasionally but only the whites—even before I became plant-based. Gastro Gabe however, once in a blue moon—which, thank god, only occur once every two to three years—does enjoy a “traditional” blue plate” breakfast but hey, I love him all the same. Anyway, when you start talking about Dutch Babies … powdered sugar … fresh squeezed lemon … well, that’s the one breakfast thing I really love. And so, I thought I’d see if there was a way to make a vegan version. As it turns out, there “kinda” is … well, there are some recipes out there that are 100 percent vegan but I have found that I just have to use egg whites for the binding agent so hence, here’s my recipe for “almost” vegan Dutch Babies.

Almost Vegan Dutch Baby Pancakes

PREP TIME: 15-20 minutes | COOK TIME: 30 minutes

• 1 stick plant butter, I use Mykos Cultured Vegan Butter
• 1 cup almond flour
• 7 egg whites*
• 1 cup coconut milk (or any plant-derived milk)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar
• Lemon wedges

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a cast iron skillet being careful not to burn it. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites and milk together, add vanilla and fold in flour. Gently pour mixture directly onto melted butter, place in a heated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes. Serve with sprinkled powdered sugar and fresh lemon wedges. And sure, you can use syrup and berries and all that jazz too, but I’m a minimalist when it comes to these sweet treats. Enjoy! *About the egg whites, I have seen some recipes that use aquafab and flax-based egg substitutes but I have yet to become a fan of either so I’m sticking with the whites, for now.

DISCLAIMER: Our recipes are just that, ours. Some are modified versions of dishes we’ve had elsewhere or old-favorites that contained animal proteins, while others are a concentrated effort of trial and error. But all are intended to be altered by you and made to suit your tastes. So if you want more garlic or none at all, go for it. You do you ; )