These fluffy and perfect Pumpkin Pancakes are packed with pumpkin and warming spices and might just be your new favorite fall breakfast.
These pancakes are everything good about fall: a brisk October morning, a worn-in slouchy sweater, a grande Pumpkin Spice Latte, all served up in a beautiful heaping stack of carbs.
They’re completely delicious, perfectly fluffy, and really, really simple to make. If you have a can of pumpkin puree in your pantry, you probably have the ingredients make some pumpkin pancakes right now.
Pumpkin Pancake Ingredients
Buttermilk or buttermilk substitute: This recipe calls for buttermilk, which makes the pancakes soft and moist and just a little tangy. But if you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick buttermilk substitute with regular milk (dairy-free milk works too) and lemon juice or vinegar.
Baking staples: The bulk of the ingredients here are just baking staples, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and an egg.
Pumpkin pie spices: These pancakes are spiced with cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. You can use all those spices separately, or if you have pumpkin pie spice in your spice drawer, use 1 slightly heaping teaspoon pumpkin spice instead.
Pumpkin puree: Pumpkin puree is just pure, pureed pumpkin (don’t mix it up with sweetened pumpkin pie filling). You can usually find it in the baking aisle. This recipe won’t use up an entire can of pumpkin puree, so see my post What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.
Vegetable oil: Just a little vegetable oil in the batter helps keep the pancakes moist. If you don’t have vegetable oil, you can substitute the same amount of melted butter.
How to Make Pumpkin Pancakes.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, mix vinegar/lemon juice and milk together and let it sit to make a faux buttermilk while you measure your other ingredients.
- Mix together dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another, and then stir wet into dry until just combined. Don’t over mix or your pancakes can end up too chewy and tough!
- Drop heaping 1/3 cups of batter onto a greased griddle set to 350° or a skillet heated over medium heat. Because of the added moisture of the pumpkin, these pancakes take longer to cook than regular pancakes, so don’t be worried if they seem to be taking a while. Just keep the heat at 350°F or medium (any higher and they might burn before they cook through), and check the centers by cutting into one before you remove them from heat.
- If making your pancakes in a skillet rather than a griddle, you will have to cook them two at a time. To keep your first batch of pancakes warm while the second cooks, set them on a plate inside your oven and turn your oven to warm or its lowest setting.
- Top with lots of butter and (preferably real) maple syrup, and enjoy!
FAQ
Can I freeze pumpkin pancakes?
Yes! Pancakes in general freeze pretty well. Freeze in a freezer bag with a small sheet of parchment paper between each pancake and reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Extend the time slightly for each additional pancake you’re reheating.
What goes with pumpkin pancakes?
These pancakes can be served on their own with just a side of fall fruits (apples, grapes, mangos, pears, and raspberries are what are in season right now). Or serve as part of a full breakfast spread with eggs, thick-cut bacon or sausage, and maybe some roasted potatoes.
More Pancake (and Waffle) Recipes
A Note on Recipe Yield
This recipe is designed to serve two, so it will make exactly four large and fluffy pancakes. But if you’re serving the pancakes alongside a full breakfast or making them for kids/dainty eaters, you could definitely stretch the recipe to make six smaller pancakes and feed three.
If you’d like to double or triple the recipe, hover over the serving size below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Amazing Pumpkin Pancakes for Two
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar *
- Scant 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (25g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Generous pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (122g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Before you start measuring out any of your other ingredients, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a 3/4 cup measuring cup and fill the rest of the way with milk. Set aside to sour.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Whisk until well-combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soured milk, pumpkin puree, egg, and vegetable oil.
- Pour liquid into the flour mixture and use a spoon to stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Heat a griddle to 350°F or skillet over medium heat and rub a stick of butter over the surface or grease with cooking spray. Drop heaping 1/3 cups of batter to the surface. If making in a skillet, you will need to make the pancakes in two batches.
- Cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancakes and flip, making sure to cook all the way through—these pancakes will take slightly longer to cook than regular pancakes because of the pumpkin.
- Top with butter and maple syrup, and enjoy!
Notes
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