Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Perfect Fall Breakfast

We love making pancakes, waffles, and French toast for breakfast every weekend. It is one of our favorite family traditions.

During the fall months, I like to switch things up and make our favorite Pumpkin Pancakes. The pancakes are light, fluffy, and full of fall flavor.

Top a stack with butter, pure maple syrup, and if you want to go all out, you can add whipped cream! Pumpkin lovers will go crazy for these pancakes!

The pancakes make a great fall breakfast or brunch. They would also be perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving morning. Every special occasion should start with pancakes!

Pancake Ingredients

• Flour– I use all-purpose flour, but whole wheat will work too, the pancakes will just be a little denser in texture. If you need the pancakes to be gluten-free, you can use all-purpose gluten-free flour. I like Cup4Cup.
• Brown sugar– to sweeten the hot cakes.
• Baking powder– baking powder gives the pancakes the bubbles in the batter and makes them light and fluffy.
• Salt– a little salt to enhance the flavors.
• Spices– cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
• Buttermilk– at room temperature.
• Pumpkin puree– not pumpkin pie filling, just pure pumpkin!
• Egg– use a large egg.
• Butter– to give the pancakes a rich, buttery flavor.
• Vanilla extract– always splurge for pure vanilla extract.

How to Make Pumpkin Pancakes

These pumpkin pancakes are easy to make from scratch. There is no need to go out for breakfast, you can make perfect pancakes right at home and they only take about 20 minutes to make.

• Start with the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Make sure there are no brown sugar clumps in the mix.
• The spices REALLY make the pancakes so don’t skip them!
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
• Make sure you buttermilk, egg, and melted butter are all at room temperature.
• Use canned pumpkin puree. A 15 oz can will give you more than enough pumpkin. You can keep the leftover pumpkin in container in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can use the leftover pumpkin to make bread, cookies, overnight oats, energy balls, or scones.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until JUST combined. Don’t over mix the pancake batter or they won’t be fluffy.
• Cook the pancakes on an electric griddle or in a large skillet on the stove. We like to use an electric griddle because we can cook several pancakes at the same time.
• Use a measuring cup to pour about ⅓ cup of batter onto the hot griddle or pan. Cook on one side for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbles appear all over the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
• Don’t smash the pancakes down with your spatula, gently flip them and let them cook. If you smash down the pancakes, they won’t be fluffy.

Variations

If you want to stir chocolate chips into the batter, go for it! Chocolate is always a good idea, especially with pumpkin.

You can also top the pancakes with a variety of fun toppings. Here are some ideas!

How to Store & Freeze

How to Store: Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to Freeze: You can freeze pumpkin pancakes. Let the pancakes cool completely and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then store them in a freezer-safe bag or freezer container. Freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, put the pancakes in the toaster or microwave.

More Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes

More Pancake Recipes