These Vegan Mung Bean Pancakes make the PERFECT savory breakfast if you're trying to cut down on the sugar. They also make a great snack or side dish because of the savory sautéed scallions in the pancakes. Serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream and enjoy!
The batter for these pancakes is made in a blender and can be made in advance for a quick 5 minute breakfast. The pancakes happen to be gluten-free as well!
Mung bean pancakes
These mung bean pancakes made from yellow split mung beans came about as a result of me trying to make "just egg" vegan egg substitute by soaking and blending mung beans. The result never quite felt like eggs should, but did make a pretty good savory pancake!
So why pretend that this is egg when I can just enjoy these delicious vegan savory pancakes?! I add a few seasonings to the blended mung beans to give them a delicious flavor, and add in some sautéed scallions.
I just love that these mung bean pancakes are packed with plant protein and fiber. One cup of uncooked mung beans contains about 49 grams of protein and 34 grams of fiber. Not bad for a little bean! One 1.5-lb container of mung beans lasted me through several batches of these pancakes, and I still have a few cups left.
Related recipe: Savory Oatmeal Bowls
Savory vegan breakfast or snack
These mung bean pancakes make an AMAZING savory vegan breakfast if you're trying to cut down on sugary foods. They also work great as a "side dish" with vegan steaks or other vegan meat substitute, and make a great hand-held snack.
Related recipe: Vegan Corn Fritters
Vegan scallion pancakes
If you've never sautéed scallions (green onions), you are in for a treat. They are SO GOOD when they are cooked and slightly brown. They caramelize and the onion flavor subsides while their sweetness comes out.
These pancakes are like a fun take on scallion pancakes, except I realize they are not quite the same thing, with their gluten-free mung bean batter.
This recipe uses a whole bunch of scallions (literally a bunch - like the kind they sell in a store, not just some arbitrary amount haha). The scallions reduce in size a LOT as they cook, so don't be worried about the recipe calling for a whole cup of diced scallions.
After sautéing, it ends up being only about ¼ cup cooked scallions. Honestly, I could probably double the the scallions for these pancakes!
However, I've made these savory pancakes without scallions as well and they always turn out great. Sometimes I blend in fresh chopped basil, sometimes I don't add any herbs at all. Delicious either way thanks to the seasonings in the pancake batter!
If you don't have scallions but still want an oniony flavor, you can try sauteing a cup of diced leeks, or substitute with a tablespoon or two of dried chives added directly to the batter in the blender.
Related recipe: Chickpea Patties
Make-ahead savory pancake batter
The other thing I love about this recipe is that you can blend the mung beans with the plant milk and seasonings (and scallions) and store it in a jar. I love this Ergo Spout jar attachment for easy drip-free pouring from a mason jar.
When you're ready to cook, just shake it up and pour into a skillet right from the jar. So easy!
The mung beans do need to soak for at least ~6 hours, but they can soak for up to 2-3 days in the fridge so this recipe is still pretty flexible (yep, I've forgotten about them once and they were still fine!).
Related recipe: Vegan Sheet Pan Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup split yellow mung beans, soaked in 3 cups water (see instructions below)
- 1 bunch scallions, diced (1 cup diced scallions)
- 2.5 tablespoons olive oil, divided (or melted refined coconut oil), plus extra for cooking
- 1 cup plant milk (unsweetened and unflavored)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast*
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder*
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup - ½ cup shredded vegan cheese*
Note: The ingredients with a star are optional. They add a little color and flavor, but I've made these pancakes without them and they turn out great either way!
For serving:
- Vegan sour cream and scallions for garnish. I LOVE tofutti better than sour cream, but it's a little too thick straight out of the container and I feel like it's missing a little bit of tang. I like to microwave it for 5-10 seconds (not more!) and stir in just a few drops of lemon or lime juice. It's soo good this way, trust me!
You'll also need:
- A blender (I LOVE my Blendtec!)
- A nonstick skillet (or two, if you don't want to wipe/wash it between sautéing the scallions and cooking the pancakes)
- A large silicone turner spatula
Related recipe: Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes
Instructions
Step 1: Soak the split yellow mung beans in cold water for at least 6 hours, or for up to 48 hours. Keep them in the fridge if soaking for more than ~6 hours. Drain and rinse the mung beans and place into a blender.
Step 2: Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a pan and add the diced scallions. Sauté for ~5-10 minutes, or until the scallions are softened and start turning golden brown, and have reduced in size in half or by third. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients except for the baking powder to the blender: the rest of the olive oil, milk, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric. Blend for about 30 seconds, until smooth.
Step 4: Add the sautéed scallions and pulse 2-3 times to combine (do NOT blend smooth). If using cheese, add that in with the scallions to pulse to combine.
Step 5: Wipe the pan clean with a damp paper towel. Brush or spray the pan with olive oil, and ladle ¼ cup of the mung bean batter and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Use a large silicone spatula to flip the pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the center is fully cooked. Set aside.
Serve warm with a dollop of vegan sour cream.
More breakfast recipes: Vegan Banana Nut Muffins
Important cooking tips
- The #1 tip for cooking these pancakes is to cook them over low heat so the mung beans have a chance to cook through without the bottom burning.
- A large silicone turner spatula is easiest for flipping these pancakes.
- Make sure you use SPLIT YELLOW MUNG BEANS. Not split yellow peas. Not whole green mung beans. Split yellow mung beans. They soak up the water nicely and blend into a smooth mixture, perfect for savory pancake batter.
- Soak the mung beans in a bowl large enough to hold 4 cups, because they expand a LOT!
- No scallions? Make these pancakes with a cup of diced leeks, or skip the scallions, or add a tablespoon or two of dried chives to the pancake batter.
- These pancakes are best served fresh, immediately after cooking. They do turn tough after about a half hour and don't reheat that well - they stay tough. The good thing is that you can make the batter and cook only as many as you plan on eating. Keep the batter in the fridge and make yourself a fresh batch of pancakes in just 5-10 minutes!
Just as a note, this mung bean pancake batter does not work well for sweet pancakes. I tried it without the spices and with sugar instead, and it just tasted too... beany. It simply did not pass for pancakes. So stick to the savory version of these mung bean pancakes!!
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Recipe
Vegan Savory Pancakes (Mung Bean Scallion Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 1 cup split yellow mung beans, soaked in 3 cups water (see instructions below)
- 1 bunch scallions*, diced (about 10 scallions, 1 cup diced scallions)
- 2.5 tablespoons olive oil, divided (or melted refined coconut oil), plus extra for cooking
- 1 cup plant milk, unsweetened and unflavored
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast*
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder*
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Special equipment
Instructions
- Soak the split yellow mung beans in 3 cups cold water for at least 6 hours, or for up to 48 hours. Keep them in the fridge if soaking for more than ~6 hours. Drain and rinse the mung beans and place into a blender.
- Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a pan and add the diced scallions. Sauté for ~5-10 minutes, or until the scallions are softened and start turning golden brown, and have reduced in size in half or by third. Remove from heat.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender: 2 tablespoons olive oil, milk, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and baking powder. Blend for 20-30 seconds, until smooth.
- Add the sautéed scallions and pulse 2-3 times to combine (do NOT blend smooth).
- Wipe the pan clean with a damp paper towel. Brush or spray the pan with olive oil, and ladle ¼ cup of the mung bean batter and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Use a large silicone spatula to flip the pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the center is fully cooked. Set aside and repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Serve warm with a dollop of vegan sour cream and a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
- The #1 tip for cooking these pancakes is to cook them over low heat so the mung beans have a chance to cook through without the bottom burning.
- A silicone turner spatula is best for flipping these pancakes.
- Make sure you use SPLIT YELLOW MUNG BEANS. Not split yellow peas, not whole green mung beans.
- No scallions? Try a cup of diced leeks. Or skip the scallions and add a tablespoon of dried chives.
- These pancakes are best served fresh, immediately after cooking. They do not reheat well.
- You can store the batter in a jar for up to 5 days and cook fresh pancakes in under 5 minutes - pour the batter straight from the jar. Use this awesome Ergo Spout on the jar for easy pouring!
- The ingredients with a star are optional. They add a little color and flavor, but I've made these pancakes without them and they turn out great either way!
- Try adding a little vegan shredded cheese (¼ cup? ½ cup?) when pulsing the sautéed scallions!
Margaret
Staring at my bag of split yellow mung beans in my cupboard this morning, I remembered your recipe and finally made a batch of these savory pancakes! Delicious, just as you described. I forgot to add the 2 T olive oil to the blender, but they were still good, albeit maybe a tad more tough than they could have been. I also stirred in a few tablespoons of sesame seeds into the batter before cooking. The sour cream was the perfect accompaniment. Thanks for a great use for split yellow mung beans!
Kate
Awesome!!
Margaret
Oh, I love it when I find user-friendly recipes using Split Yellow Mung Beans. They are so healthy, full of protein, and easy to digest. And this one looks delicious! I will let you know how they turn out after I receive my order for the beans, but I can tell from the recipe, we'll love them. Thanks so much!