Sweet Potato Pancakes (Vegan)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Poke the sweet potato a few times with a fork, put it on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 375 F until soft when squeezed, about 45 minutes to an hour. This is best done ahead of time. When it’s cooled, pull the skin off and mash the potato. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of mashed potato.

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour through salt). A note on the flour: I used a mix of spelt flour and whole wheat flour, but you could use all spelt flour, all whole wheat, or even all white flour. I’m sure whatever you have in the pantry will work! Whisk in the almond milk and mashed sweet potato.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a pat of vegan butter or coconut oil and swirl to coat. Ladle a scoop of the pancake batter into the center of the pan. Cook until bubbles start to form in the center of the pancake. Flip only once, and cook on the other side until browned. Remove it to a plate while you repeat with the remaining batter.

It’s pretty much a rule that the first pancake is an ugly duckling. See how it looks when you cut into it (then eat it yourself!). The sweet potato adds a lot of moisture, so the middle may still be a bit mushy even though the outsides are nicely browned. If this happens, add more milk to the batter, 1/4 cup at a time. This will make thinner pancakes that cook more quickly on the inside. You may also have to turn the heat down as you go along and the pan heats up more, especially if you have electric burners.

Top with apple sauce, maple syrup, pecans, cranberry sauce, or your favorite pancake toppings.

Enjoy!