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Try gorditas de azucar for a delicious Mexican griddle cake recipe similar to scones. Tender, sweet, and simple to make, enjoy them for breakfast, with afternoon tea, or a healthy dessert!
Table of Contents
📖 What are gorditas de azucar?
Gorditas de azucar, translated to “sugar gorditas,” are a type of Mexican griddle cake that look a lot like pancakes but taste more like scones.
These sweet cakes are made using 8 simple ingredients and are extremely easy to prepare. As a bonus, they have endless customizations!
Similar to gorditas de nata, they are cooked on a griddle or comal instead of in the oven. You can serve them plain or with toppings, which we’ve outlined later on in this post!
Make a large batch on the weekend, then heat them in a toaster for easy breakfasts all week long!
📜 History
Gordita means “chubby” in Spanish, which refers to the thickness of the cake. There are actually many types of gorditas in Mexican cuisine.
Wheat-based gorditas (like gorditas de nata or gorditas de azucar) are relatively new in comparison to gorditas made from masa harina.
This is because masa (and gorditas in general) have been traced back to pre-Hispanic times — long before the Spaniards introduced wheat crops to Mesoamerica.
🌱 Are gorditas de azucar vegan?
Typically, gorditas de azucar contain eggs, milk, and butter (but sometimes shortening). To make a vegan variation, try these substitutes:
Eggs — Use an egg replacement like chickpea brine (also known as aquafaba).
Milk — Swap out dairy-based milk for plant-based milk like soy, oat, or coconut.
Butter — Instead of butter, try dairy-free butter or vegetable shortening.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
Flour — We use all-purpose flour in this recipe. You can replace it 1:1 with a gluten-free all-purpose blend as well.
Cane sugar — To sweeten these babies up! We use cane sugar because it’s vegan-friendly. If you use regular sugar, just make sure it is certified vegan.
Baking powder — To give the gorditas lift and provide a light texture. Don’t skip the baking powder.
Aquafaba — Also known as chickpea brine, this liquid is a byproduct of cooking this legume. It also happens to make a great egg replacement! You can save the cooking water if you make chickpeas from scratch or use the liquid from a can.
Vegan butter — Our preference is vegan butter sticks as they hold up better at room temperature. But, you can also use a spreadable variety.
Vanilla — We prefer Mexican vanilla, but use whichever variety you have on hand. It’s always best to splurge on real vanilla over artificial.
Cinnamon — Use Ceylon cinnamon over cassia cinnamon for the best flavor and health benefits.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 Instructions
Step 1 — Whisk the flour, baking powder, cane sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2 — Cut in the vegan butter with a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers until the dough is crumbly.
Step 3 — Mix in the aquafaba and vanilla, then slowly add the soy milk while kneading until a dough forms (you may not need all of the soy milk). Tip: Lightly oil your hands while kneading as the sugar makes the dough sticky.
Step 4 — Form about 13-14 dough balls and transfer them to a cutting board or plate. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
Step 5 — With about 10 minutes of rest time remaining, heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet to low.
Step 6 — Line a tortilla press with 2 pieces of thick plastic (like from a Ziplock bag) or wax paper. Press each dough ball until thin, then transfer to the griddle.
Step 7 — Cook the gorditas for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a tortilla warmer or cover with a tea towel while you cook the rest. Enjoy immediately with vegan butter, jam, vegan cajeta, etc. Happy eating!
If you have questions about making gorditas de azucar, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
☕️ What to serve with gorditas
Serve your sweet griddle cakes with warm drinks or toppings like these:
Butter — Regular vegan butter, coconut butter, or even peanut butter are delicious.
Cajeta — Mexican caramel sauce (made with non-dairy milk).
Café de olla — Spiced Mexican-style coffee.
Champurrado — Warming chocolate-infused atole.
Strawberry jam — Or any flavored jam of your choosing! Blueberry, mango, and apricot are all delicious too.
🍽️ How to eat gorditas
Similar to scones, it’s easiest to eat the gorditas with your hands. Just add whichever toppings you’ve served them with, then dig in!
🌡️ Storage & reheating
If you live a busy lifestyle, gorditas de azucar are great for prepping ahead of time since they store extremely well.
Fridge — Keep your gorditas in the fridge for up to a week. We recommend using glass containers to retain the best flavors.
Freezer — Gorditas de azucar will last in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months.
Reheating — Reheat the gorditas in a toaster or skillet on medium-low for 30 seconds per side, or until they’re warmed all the way through.
♻️ Variations
Spices — In addition to or instead of cinnamon, try spices like anise, cardamom, or nutmeg.
Extracts — Similarly to the spices, you can use flavor extracts like almond, orange, hazelnut, or maple in this recipe.
Gluten-free — If you are celiac or have gluten intolerances, swap out regular flour for a gluten-free blend at a 1:1 ratio (or follow brand-specific ratios).
🧑🍳 Top tips
Let the dough rest — After kneading wheat flour, it’s best to leave it so the gluten bonds relax. This helps create a more tender texture.
Add milk slowly — To avoid a sticky mess, gradually add the plant milk while kneading until you achieve a pliable dough.
Cook low and slow — The gorditas can burn quickly on the outside before cooking all the way through, so cook them on low heat for best results.
Use a griddle — To save time, use a double burner griddle or large comal so you can cook more cakes at once!
💬 FAQ
Yes! You can try making gorditas de azucar with a 1:1 stevia or monk fruit sugar replacement.
You can make these gorditas without a tortilla press by using a rolling pin or flattening them with a flat-bottom baking dish.
🍴 Similar recipes
If you enjoy this plant-based version of gorditas de azucar, be sure to check out these other sweet treats:
- Gorditas de nata: Flour-based gorditas made with dairy-free clotted cream.
- Gorditas de piloncillo: Sweet masa gorditas sweetened with piloncillo syrup.
- Torrejas: A Mexican version of French toast using chickpea batter.
- Mexican oatmeal: A quick, easy, and Mexican-inspired oatmeal.
Easy Gorditas de Azucar
Equipment
- Griddle
Ingredients
Dry
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ($0.14)
- ¼ teaspoon salt ($0.02)
- ½ tablespoon baking powder ($0.01)
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon ($0.01)
- ½ cup cane sugar ($0.03)
Wet
- ⅓ cup chilled vegan butter, cubed ($0.77)
- ¼ cup aquafaba* ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.21)
- ¼ – ⅓ cup soy milk ($0.11)
Toppings optional
- Vegan butter
- Dairy-free cajeta
- Strawberry, mango, blueberry jam
Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the vegan butter with a pastry cutter, your fingers, or a fork until the dough is crumbly.
- Mix in the aquafaba and vanilla, then slowly add the soy milk while mixing until a dough forms (you may not need all of the soy milk). Tip: Lightly oil your hands while kneading as the sugar makes the dough sticky.
- Next, form about 14 small dough balls and transfer them to a cutting board or plate. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes.
- With about 10 minutes of rest time remaining, heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet to low.
- Line a tortilla press with 2 pieces of thick plastic (like from a Ziplock bag) or wax paper. Press each dough ball until thin, then transfer to the griddle.
- Cook the gorditas for ~2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a tortilla warmer or cover with a tea towel while you cook the rest.
- Enjoy immediately with vegan butter, jam, vegan cajeta, etc. Happy eating!
Notes
- Let the dough rest — After kneading wheat flour, it’s best to leave it so the gluten bonds relax. This helps create a more tender texture.
- Add milk slowly — To avoid a sticky mess, gradually add the plant milk while kneading until you achieve a pliable dough.
- Cook low and slow — The gorditas can burn quickly on the outside before cooking all the way through, so cook them on low heat for best results.
- Use a griddle — To save time, use a double burner griddle or large comal so you can cook more cakes at once!
- *Aquafaba is the brine from a can of chickpeas or the cooking water if made from dry.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
Can I replace aquafaba with anything else?
Hi Sheetal,
You could try Just Egg, applesauce, blended tofu, or plain vegan yogurt. Just note that the flavor and texture will vary slightly with each option, but those should work. Hope that helps!
So very good and lots of flavor