Peach Upside-Down Pancakes (vegan, nut-free, soy-free)

These vegan peach pancakes are like an upside-down cake that you can eat for breakfast! The vegan pancakes are light and fluffy with tender, sweet, caramelized peaches hiding under each one.

These are fluffy, simple pancakes, but I level them up by adding a layer of peaches and brown sugar on one side, so they are a peach upside-down cake kind of pancake. The peaches cook down and caramelize with the brown sugar, making this a decadently delicious breakfast.

This recipe is so versatile! You can make these gluten-free by using my gluten-free almond flour pancakes instead of the regular flour pancake batter here. Follow the same process for adding peaches to one side. 

You can also make these with other thinly-sliced fruit, such as pineapple, pear, apple, orange, etc. Or, you can make them into a plain pancake by omitting the fruit and the brown sugar and just cooking the batter. 

Why You’ll Love these Peach Pancakes

• fluffy pancakes with caramelized peaches
• easy, 30-minute breakfast or brunch
• so versatile! Use other fruits or make it gluten-free.
• naturally nut-free and soy-free as long as you use nut-free or soy-free non-dairy yogurt, butter, and milk as needed.

More Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients and Substitutions

• all-purpose flour – See notes for gluten-free. You’ll be making a totally different batter.
• tapioca starch – You can use cornstarch instead, if needed. A bit of starch lightens up the pancakes.
• baking powder, baking soda, and salt – To condition the batter.
• sugar – For sweetness in the pancake batter.
• cinnamon – Seasons the pancake batter and the peaches.
• non-dairy yogurt – Adds moisture and tang. Use nut-free and/or soy-free, if needed.
• lemon juice – Reacts with the baking soda to make these pancakes super fluffy.
• vanilla extract – To flavor the batter.
• melted vegan butter – Adds moisture and fat to the batter. Use nut-free and/or soy-free, if needed, or use oil instead.
• non-dairy milk – Adds more moisture to the batter. I like oat milk, soy milk or almond milk. Use nut-free and/or soy-free, if needed.
• peach – A peeled, sliced peach is key to these pancakes! You can use other fruits instead, like apples, pineapple, orange, etc. Or omit the fruit for plain, fluffy pancakes.
• brown sugar – Helps caramelize the peach slices on the bottoms of the pancakes.

🍑 Tips For Making The Best Peach Pancakes

• Cook these pancakes over medium or even a slightly lower heat, especially the peach side. 
• Cook these long enough for the peaches to cook down and so that the batter around the peaches is no longer soggy.
• Use a really good nonstick skillet here to prevent the peaches from sticking. If the peaches are sticking, it means your skillet isn’t as nonstick. In this case, mix the peaches into the batter instead.

How to Make Vegan Peach Upside-Down Pancakes

Make the pancake batter. 

Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix really well until combined. Then, in another small bowl, mix the wet ingredients really well. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and fold in gently. You don’t want to overmix the batter, because overmixing will cause the air to dissipate too much. There’ll be a little bit of aeration happening, because of the lemon juice and baking powder, and you want to keep that air in the batter for the fluffiest pancakes.

Let the batter sit for 2 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients and preheat the skillet. 

Make the pancakes.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat, and add a little bit of oil. Once the skillet is evenly hot, spread 1/4 cup or more of the batter in the skillet.

Place the sliced peaches on top to cover the pancakes, then mix the cinnamon and brown sugar in a bowl and sprinkle some of that on the peaches. 

Repeat for all the pancakes that can fit in the skillet, then cover the skillet with a lid. Covering the skillet will allow the pancakes to rise more, because of the heat being more focused inside the skillet. Once the pancakes are starting set on the edges, the batter will get bubbly in the middle, anywhere from 2 to 3 minutes.

Open the lid and flip the pancakes carefully, and cover with the lid again. Continue to cook for another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then check the bottoms of the pancakes. If the peaches are not golden yet, then continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. 

Once the peaches are golden and you can see that the batter is well set, then carefully remove the pancakes from the skillet and place them on your serving plate with the peach side up or down, whichever way you like.

Repeat for the remaining batter, then serve with vegan butter and a warm maple syrup drizzle. Since these are pretty sweet, you won’t need too much maple syrup. You can also serve with a whipped non-dairy cream or a whipped vegan cream cheese and sugar mixture, because they’re basically an upside-down peach cake in pancake form.

Frequently Asked Questions