Who says February, says… Chandelier! This festival of pagan origin is celebrated on February 2 and is traditionally accompanied by a delicious specialty: pancakes. Chocolate, butter or even jam, all toppings go well with the stars of the day. But if you’re leaning towards a more plant-based diet, it’s not always easy to find the ideal vegan side dish other than sugar. We have selected 5 sweet, delicious and 100% plant-based toppings to make at home. Something to keep you entertained all year round.
Chocolate hazelnut spread
Can we gourmet more than a pancake with spread? Difficult, but it could be better: a pancake with vegetable spread. Creamy, chocolatey and with a well pronounced hazelnut taste, this vegan version of the famous Nutella is just as delicious but more ethical. Bonus: thanks to Perle en sucre’s recipe, you only need three ingredients to prepare your own vegan spread. For about 300 g of finished product you will need:
- 150 g whole hazelnuts
- 120 g caster sugar
- 80 g dark chocolate
Recipe : Start by making the praline. To do this, preheat your oven to 180°. Transfer the hazelnuts to a plate and place in the oven to toast for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool. Then take a clean towel and rub your hazelnuts to remove the brown films. Book.
In a saucepan, heat half the sugar over medium heat to make a dry caramel. Do not stir or touch the pan until the sugar has melted. Once it starts to melt, stir gently with a spatula and add the rest of the sugar. Reduce the heat and stir again so that the mixture is homogeneous. Continue cooking until the caramel takes on a color (it should be amber but not too dark). Then add the hazelnuts to the pan and stir to coat them with caramel. Remove everything onto a silicone board or sheet of parchment paper and spread it out roughly. Let cool.
Once the plate has set, break it into pieces and put them in the bowl of your food processor. Mix intermittently (to avoid overheating). You first get a powder, but by mixing the hazelnut oil is released and you have a semi-liquid paste: the praline. Pour the praline paste into a clean container and set aside.
Break pieces of chocolate into a saucepan and melt them in a bain-marie. Once the chocolate has melted, add it to the praline and mix. If necessary, you can refine the texture of your dough by mixing with an immersion blender. Pour the spread into a jar that can be closed tightly. There you go, you have your own vegan spread! This can be stored for several weeks at room temperature.
Vegan lemon cream
Message for lovers of sour flavors: this recipe was made for you. Widely used in pastries and especially for lemon meringue pies, lemon pudding (or lemon cream) is also delicious on pancakes. This cream is not only juicy, but also very easy to make and can be prepared without animal products. Do you want to try? We offer you a recipe for lemon pudding vegan signed Au Vert with Lili. To prepare a large pot of cream you will need:
- 3 untreated lemons
- 200 g golden sugar
- 35 g neutral vegetable or coconut oil
- 2 g agar-agar
- 100 ml cold water or vegetable milk of your choice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (for color)
Recipe : Start by washing the lemons and squeeze them to recover the juice. Grate some peel which you then cut into small cubes. In a saucepan, pour the lemon juice and diced zest with the sugar, oil, water (or vegetable milk), starch, agar-agar and turmeric. Heat over low heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and mix. Pour the mixture into a large jam jar. Let cool. Once your cream has cooled, close the jar with the lid and refrigerate for a few hours. Your lemon pudding vegan is ready to be spread on pancakes.
Vegetable caramel paste
Caramel pancakes are a classic and delicious. You should still have some caramel in the house or be able to make your own! What if we told you that it is possible to prepare caramel paste quickly and easily, all without lactose and without butter? This recipe from the Deliacious site is proof of that. To prepare a delicious vegan caramel to spread on your pancakes, you’ll need these ingredients:
- 100 g sugar
- 30 g margarine
- 15 cl soy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
Recipe : Only boil the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. The edges will begin to melt without coloring: stir gently so the edges don’t melt completely. Gradually, the sugar will be almost completely melted and only a few grains will remain. Crush them with a spatula or wooden spoon. At the same time, heat your soy cream in a saucepan. It should be ready when you color caramel. Once the latter is an amber color and gives off a light smoke, stop cooking.
Add the margarine (or coconut oil) and the warmed soy cream to your caramel and mix. Then let everything boil a little so that the caramel thickens. It takes about 5 minutes to get the final texture and a nice caramelized color. When the caramel has reduced, it will still be liquid. Add the fleur de sel and put your dough in a pan. Let cool and you’re done!
Pear-vanilla jam
Are you more of the jam team for your pancakes? What if you tested a recipe for homemade pear vanilla jam, for a fruity, sweet and above all gourmet dessert? This recipe from Marmiton shows how to make this filling with just four ingredients. Simple and effective, this preparation is also 100% vegan. For a jar of jam you will need:
- 600 g brown sugar
- 2 packets of vanilla sugar
- liquid vanilla
- 1 kg pears
Recipe : Start by peeling and pitting the pears. Then put them in a large pan with a little water until tender. When they are almost done, run them through a vegetable grinder, leaving a few chunks. Return to the pan to cook and add the brown sugar, vanilla sugar and a tablespoon of liquid vanilla. Cook over low heat for about 1 hour and a half, stirring frequently. Cooking is finished when the jam flakes off the wooden spoon. If this is the case, pour the preparation into a jam jar. Let cool and close your jar. Your jam is only waiting for one thing: to garnish your pancakes!
chestnut cream
If you have a sweet tooth, chances are you are a fan of chestnut puree. This smooth, creamy and comforting preparation often goes well with frozen desserts or yogurt, but also goes great with pancakes. Know that with just four ingredients you can make your own chestnut cream for even more gourmet moments. And what’s more, it’s 100% vegan! This recipe from the Cuisine AZ website explains how to do it. To get started you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 kg whole chestnuts
- 700 g sugar
- 2 glasses of water
- 1 vanilla pod
Recipe : Prepare your glass jars by sterilizing them in boiling water. Book. Take your chestnuts and make an incision at the top of each chestnut. Put them in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat and then cook for a few minutes. Remove the chestnuts one at a time and peel them to remove the skins.
In another saucepan filled with lukewarm water, drain the chestnuts, peel and cover. Cook for a few minutes on low heat. When cooked, they mash easily (you can check with a fork and a chestnut). Stop cooking and drain your chestnuts. Then blend them in a blender to a puree. Pour the sugar into a large saucepan and dilute it with a little water to get a thick syrup. Cook on high heat. Add the chestnut puree and vanilla pod and lower the heat. Mix and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Stop cooking and pour the preparation into your clean glass jars. Let cool slightly, then close your jars and turn them upside down (to avoid possible mold build-up). There you go, you come with chestnut cream! Your pots can be stored in a cupboard for about 1 year.
Thanks to these recipes, you have plenty of choice to vary all year round and to garnish your sweet pancakes. Did you like this article? We explain here how to make delicious vegan pancakes.