Allergen Friendly Funfetti Pancakes are the perfect top 9 allergen free breakfast birthday pancakes. They are peppered with colourful sprinkles and filled with vanilla flavour as close to having cake for breakfast without actually having cake. These pancakes cake style pancakes are festive yet vegan and gluten free.
Jump to:
- Why We Like This Recipe
- Ingredients
- The Ingredient Low Down
- Instructions/ Directions and Tips
- Like This Recipe? Sign up to our Newsletter so you never miss a recipe.
- Substitutions, Variations and Adaptations
- Equipment fo Make Allergen Friendly Funfetti Pancakes
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- How to Send Birthday Cake Pancakes as Leftovers for Lunch
- Top Tip
- What To Serve With
- Other Recipes You May Enjoy
- Have You Made Our Allergen Friendly Funfetti Pancakes Without Milk? Please Leave a Comment Below.
- Rate our Recipe.
- We Love To Hear From You!
- 📖 Recipe
- Food Safety
- Latest Posts
- 💬 Comments
Why We Like This Recipe
Allergen Friendly Funfetti Pancakes are the favourites of our kids for their birthdays. They love waking up to the vanilla scent of these pancakes with sprinkles.
We often make them the weekend before their actual birthday if the special day falls on a school day. Then the pancakes without milk can be reheated for a quick weekday breakfast on their special morning. These pancakes have become a tradition in our home on birthdays and celebrations.
Ingredients
- Ground Flax or a Commercial Egg Replacement Powder
- Vanilla Sugar
- Neutral Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Gluten Free All Purpose Flour with Xanthan Gum
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Dairy Free Milk Replacement
- Cold Water
- Multi Coloured Sprinkles
- Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
See recipe card for quantities.
The Ingredient Low Down
Ground Flax or a Commercial Egg Replacement Powder
In place of ground flax and water a commercially made egg replacement powder such as Bob's Red Mill works well. Always check with the manufacturer of the egg replacer and the flax to make sure they are safe for your family.
Vanilla Sugar
It is super easy to make your own vanilla sugar by putting a vanilla pod in a jar of granulated sugar for at least one month. Every couple of days shake the jar to mix the vanilla oils into the sugar to flavour it. Store the sugar with the bean in it in a dark cupboard. We choose not to grind our dried pods into the sugar as it can leave a gritty texture in some foods and drinks.
Vanilla sugar can also be purchased in most baking aisles. One of the ones we have found most readily available is the Dr Oetker brand. Always check that the commercially made vanilla sugar is safe for you.
If you do not have vanilla sugar or it is not safe for you, regular granulated sugar can be used to make birthday cake pancakes, some of the birthday cake flavour will be lost however. For making vegan pancakes ensure that the sugar is vegan as some countries still refine their sugar with bone char.
Neutral Oil
Any neutral oil that is safe for you will work. It should not have a strong taste like olive oil can and should have a high enough smoke point that it can be heated to make allergen friendly funfetti pancakes. When cooking for those with top 9 allergies avoid nut oils, sesame oil, and vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is often made with soybeans.
Vanilla Extract
Use a gluten and allergen friendly brand or make your own vanilla extract. Lor-ann Oils works well in this recipe. Vanilla paste can also be used in the same quantities, if preferred.
To make your own vanilla extract takes a lot of time and patience. The ratio for making a single fold vanilla extract is 1 ounce of high quality vanilla beans to 4 ounces of base alcohol. The alcohol is usually rum or everclear and should be at least 70 proof. The beans are split or slits are made up the sides and the beans completely submerged for 9-12 months.
For vegan friendly birthday pancakes be sure to use real extract and not imitation as some imitation vanilla products use animal by-products.
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour with Xanthan Gum
An all purpose one to one gluten free flour works best in this vanilla pancake recipe. We have used many different kinds of all purpose gluten free flours with this recipe to test it. Robin Hood, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1, King Arthur Measure for Measure, Cup for Cup, are brands that we found work well. Namaste and Cloud 9, on the other hand, were found to yield very crumbly pancakes. We do not recommend these two flours for this specific recipe.
Baking Powder, Salt
Double check that they are free from being processed on shared lines. Baking powder should be certified as gluten free as it is a possible gluten cross contact or can contain it.
Dairy Free Milk Replacement
Any dairy free milk replacement will work to make pancakes without milk. We usually use coconut, gluten free oat milk, or rice milk. The unsweetened and unflavoured work best. If using the sweetened or flavoured varieties reduce the sugar or vanilla flavourings in the recipe, as needed.
Multi Coloured Sprinkles
Hundreds and Thousands (nonpareils) or Jimmies are good examples of sprinkles to use for the birthday pancakes. Do not use really big hard sprinkles as they can be choking hazards, especially for young children or those with narrowed airways from EoE. The large hard sprinkles can also be tough on teeth and lead to tooth damage. It is best to stick to a small sprinkle when making these pancakes without milk.
Check the sprinkles over well with the manufacturer. Many are made on shared lines, or have a "may contain" warning like Wilton products which makes them unsuitable for some with allergies. Soy, wheat, and milk are frequent ingredients in some sprinkle brands.
We have found the Let's Do Organic Sprinkelz brand works for us, double check it is safe for you and your family. This brand uses natural dyes and is vegan as well as gluten free.
If making allergen friendly funfetti pancakes for vegans please ensure the sprinkles are free from shellac. It can be made from the shells of beetles and is not considered vegan by most who do not consume animal products.
Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
There are many different kinds of dairy free chocolate chips on the market. Our favourite is Enjoy Life, however these may not be suitable for all especially those with bad soy allergies. Pascha, Great Value (Walmart USA), and Camino all make dairy free chocolate chips. Alwasy check with the manufacterer for shared lines and to verify allergen cross contact and ingredients.
Instructions/ Directions and Tips
Step 1
In a medium bowl, mix Ground Flax or Commercial Egg Replacement Powder with 6 Tbsps water. Using a whisk keep stirring until fully mixed and not clumpy. Let it sit for 5 mins to get to a proper consistency before using.
Step 2
Add Vanilla Sugar to the flax and water mix. Continue to hand mix with whisk. Whisking helps to ensure the pancakes are not over mixed.
Step 3
To the flax and sugar, mix in Oil and Vanilla, until combined well.
Step 4
Pour in the Dairy Free Milk Replacement into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix with the whisk until incorporated.
Step 5
In a different large bowl, sift together in Gluten Free Flour, Salt, and Baking Powder. Stir to combine.
Step 6
Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Pour the mixed wet ingredients (flax, vanilla, oil, sugar, and plant milk) and stir with a large baking spoon until just combined.
Step 7
Add in Water as needed until desired thickness for batter and stir until just combined. We prefer a thinner batter as it cooks through nicely but still gives fluffy pancakes. This usually takes around ⅓-½ C of water to thin to how we make them.
Step 8
Fold in Sprinkles and Chocolate Chips. Do not overmix. Overmixing will lead to flat, tough, and crumbly pancakes. The sprinkles colour may bleed a bit into the batter, especially vegan sprinkles made without shellac, this is normal and makes them a bit more fun and festive.
Step 8
Spray a large flat bottomed pan with neutral oil and heat over low-medium heat. Use a pump sprayer that is filled with your safe oil that you can fill yourself. The mixed aerosol sprays from most grocers often contain top allergens.
Step 9
When the spread has melted and starts to bubble a bit we add ¼ cup of batter to the pan spacing the pancakes out. Cook until the top sides start to bubble through and the bottom is cooked. Flip the pancakes and brown the other side for 3-4 minutes or until cooked. Remove cooked pancakes to a clean plate or platter.
Step 10
Repeat until all pancake batter is used.
Hint:
If making a massive batch of birthday cake pancakes, warm the oven slightly and turn off the heat. Place the allergen friendly funfetti pancakes on a clean cookie sheet and store them in the oven for no more than 15 mins to keep them warm.
Like This Recipe? Sign up to our Newsletter so you never miss a recipe.
Substitutions, Variations and Adaptations
- Other Flavourings - Making your own extracts or using safe commercially made flavours. Strawberry, lemon, blueberry, etc.
- Chocolate - Instead of sprinkles use mini dairy free chocolate chips. Replace 2 Tbsps of the flour with sifted dark cocoa powder.
- S'mores - instead of sprinkles use mini dairy free chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
- As a Birthday Cake - layer the pancakes with a dairy free buttercream icing or whipped coconut cream and top with icing or whipped cream to make a top 9 allergen friendly cake alternative.
- Doughnuts/Donuts - In a doughnut baking pan bake pancake doughnuts. Using ¼ C of batter in each lightly oiled mould will yield 12 doughnuts. Bake at 350 F for 12-15 mins. Glaze with maple syrup.
- Fancy - top with whipped coconut cream, more sprinkles, and maple syrup.
Equipment fo Make Allergen Friendly Funfetti Pancakes
There isn't a lot of equipment needed to make these vegan birthday cake pancakes and most of it is pretty standard kitchen supplies.
One large bowl and a medium bowl to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. A fine mesh sieve or flour sifter to help keep the clumps out of the dry ingredients. A whisk, spoons, and spatula to mix and flip the batter.
A large flat bottomed pan works best to cook the pancakes or a flat griddle with a large cooking surface. Measuring cups and spoons to help keep the size of the confetti cake pancakes uniform and assist in the accurate measuring of ingredients.
We use a pump sprayer for our oil. One we can fill ourselves is what we have found to be the safest option for us. The Spruced Eats has a great review of various kinds of pump oil containers.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage
-Fridge
Allergen friendly funfetti pancakes store well in the fridge. They are best when stored in an airtight container or baggie.
-Freezer
The birthday cake pancakes can be frozen. For best results place a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper between the pancakes so they do not stick together. Store the pancakes in an airtight container or sealing freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Reheating
-Toaster
The pancakes without milk can be easily reheated in a toaster on a light setting monitoring continuously so they do not burn. Be sure to use a toaster that is not shared with foods containing gluten or allergens.This also works for frozen pancakes with sprinkles.
- Microwave
On a microwave safe plate lay out 1-2 no egg pancakes so they are not overlapping. Heat for 30 seconds, check and see if the middles are heated. If further heating is required, use 15 second bursts and check to see if they are hot in between the additional cooking times. Let them cool slightly before eating so no hot spots will burn the mouth.
How to Send Birthday Cake Pancakes as Leftovers for Lunch
Allergen friendly funfetti pancakes do not stay warm in insulated containers. They are best for lunch when served cold in strips that can be dunked in syrup. For older kids they can be warmed in a microwave for lunch. Be sure to send a microwavable bowl or container to help reduce cross contact risks in shared spaces.
Top Tip
Confetti cake pancakes are perfect for an easy fun dinner or made on the weekend in a larger batch and frozen to have during the week for breakfast. Reheat the frozen pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast in a toaster dedicated to allergen friendly only foods.
What To Serve With
The vegan birthday pancakes with funfetti sprinkles are best when topped with whipped coconut cream, maple syrup, and of course more sprinkles. Other favourite toppings are maraschino cherries, mini chocolate chips.
We love to make these as a part of our birthday brunches for our family. We usually serve them with a nice side of cut up fruit like bananas, pineapple, or orange slices, bacon strips or sausages (plant based for those who are vegan), and scrambled chickpea "eggs".
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
Have You Made Our Allergen Friendly Funfetti Pancakes Without Milk? Please Leave a Comment Below.
Rate our Recipe.
We Love To Hear From You!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Medium Bowl
- Mixing Spoon
- Whisk
- Large flat bottomed pan
- Measuring Cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Flax or a commercial egg replacer mixed with 6 Tbsps water to make flax eggs (see notes)
- ¼ Cup Vanilla Sugar see notes
- ¼ Cup Neutral Oil canola, for example
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cup Gluten Free one to one Flour with Xanthan Gum see notes
- 2 Tablespoon Baking Powder gluten free
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2 Cup Dairy Free Plant Based Milk see notes
- ⅓-½ Cup Cold Water this is in addition to the water used with flax egg mix
- ⅓ Cup Multi Coloured Sprinkles see notes
- ¼ Cup Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix Ground Flax or Commercial Egg Replacement Powder with 6 Tbsps water. Using a whisk keep stirring until fully mixed and not clumpy. Let it sit for 5 mins to get to a proper consistency before using.2 Tablespoons Ground Flax or a commercial egg replacer
- Add Vanilla Sugar to the flax and water mix. Continue to hand mix with whisk.¼ Cup Vanilla Sugar
- To the flax and sugar, mix in Oil and Vanilla, until combined well.¼ Cup Neutral Oil, 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- Pour in the Dairy Free Milk Replacement into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix well with the whisk.2 Cup Dairy Free Plant Based Milk
- In a different large bowl, sift together in Gluten Free Flour, Salt, and Baking Powder. Stir to combine.2 Cup Gluten Free one to one Flour with Xanthan Gum, 2 Tablespoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Pour the mixed wet ingredients (flax, vanilla, oil, sugar, and plant milk) and stir with a large baking spoon until just combined.
- Add in Water as needed until desired thickness for batter and stir until just combined. (I like my batter thinner as it cooks through nicely but still gives fluffy pancakes. I use around ⅓-½ C of water)⅓-½ Cup Cold Water
- Fold in Sprinkles and Chocolate Chips. Do not overmix.⅓ Cup Multi Coloured Sprinkles, ¼ Cup Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
- Spray a large flat bottomed pan with neutral oil and heat over low-medium heat.
- When the spread has melted and starts to bubble a bit we add ¼ cup of batter to the pan spacing the pancakes out. Cook until the top sides start to bubble through and the bottom is cooked. Flip the pancakes and brown the other side for 3-4 minutes or until cooked. Remove cooked pancakes to a clean plate or platter.
- Repeat until all pancake batter is used.
Notes
Allergy Note 1
Always check that each ingredient is safe for you. Reading all the ingredients and labelling as well as checking with the manufacturer should always be done before buying any product. Each person's allergies are different and only you and your medical team can determine what is best for you. Checking with the manufacturer is best practice to see if shared lines, or facilities are used when making any of the suggested products. Just because a product is right for us does not mean it is safe for anyone else. You must do your own research on each product.
Allergy Note 2
If making this recipe for anyone with an allergy always check with them for suitable products and ingredients. Each person knows their allergies best and can advise on what is safe for them to eat. Keep in mind that if making for another person they may not be able to eat it with shared prep surfaces, cooking equipment, and kitchens or other safety reasons.
Allergy Note 3
This is not medical advice. Always discuss your allergies, nutrition, and suitable products and recipes with your medical team before using.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
"The Allergen Free Kitchen" is not a registered dietician or nutritionist, does not replace a registered dietician or nutritionist and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend you consult with your medical team to find a registered dietician or nutritionist and for you to calculate the nutritional information. Calories and nutritional values can vary vastly depending on which brands were used and any substitutions used.
Food Safety
- Contact the manufacturer of products, regarding cross contact and ingredients, to ensure they are safe for you
- Always check ingredients for allergens
- Do not use the same utensils on allergen free food, that previously touched allergens
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Kristin says
My husband whose gluten free and a sprinkler fanatic, loved these pancakes!
Katherine Evans says
Thank you so much! I am so happy he loved them.
Cheers,
Katherine