DIY Kawaii Vegan Pancakes

World Vegan Day has been celebrated since 1994, which I am told is now considered a long time ago. In honor of the good work our vegan friends are doing for our environment, I decided to make my family vegan pancakes for breakfast, kawaii-style.

I chose a recipe from Nora Cooks for Simple Vegan Pancakes because it uses ingredients I commonly keep in the pantry – flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, non-dairy milk, water and oil.

The batter came together quickly and easily. It was so easy that my 4-year-old was able to be involved in the whole process. The only real noticeable difference between these and non-vegan pancakes was that these pancakes were paler, as they lacked the yellow from egg yolk.

Now for the fun bit! I scooped out ½ cup of batter and in a small bowl whisked in 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (most dark and baking chocolate is vegan, but best to check the package). I blended it for 1 minute using an immersion blender to remove the lumps (you could also use a blender or hand mixer). Then I poured the now brown batter into a squeeze bottle I picked up at the dollar store. Time to let the kawaii flow!

Squeeze any design or adorable face onto your greased pan. Then pour pancake batter over the top of your design. I recommend using a small pan to keep your pancakes uniformly round.

When the batter is covered in bubbles, flip the pancake over and reveal the sweet design.

Tip: Keep an oven-proof plate in your oven set to 200 degrees F to keep each new pancake creation warm till breakfast.

My daughter had so much fun making designs she had a hard time choosing which pancakes to eat (she wanted the cutest ones, which she decided were all of them). You can top your pancakes with vegan maple syrup, coconut oil, a variety of fruit, even vegan sprinkles.

These vegan pancakes are truly delicious and definitely kid approved. Happy World Vegan Day!