Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Nov. 8, 2023
These Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes are delicious and surprisingly healthy. Nothing beats a spiced pumpkin treat on a crisp fall morning as the most delicious weekend breakfast for the whole family.
In This Article
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Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Why This Recipe Stands Out
One of our favorite sweet breakfasts by far are pancakes. In our house, they always seem to disappear as soon as they’re off the skillet. Here’s what your family will love:
- It makes soft, tender, and fluffy pancakes. Not at all tough or dry.
- Pancakes may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of healthy foods, but this recipe adds whole wheat flour, ground flax seeds, and real pumpkin, which are all full of essential nutrients.
- This recipe boasts all the fall spices. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg elevate these pancakes to the next level.
- It’s a less than 30-minute breakfast which makes it totally attainable for weekends.
- If you’re able to save any of these pancakes from being instantly devoured, they freeze well for an easy meal-prepped weekday breakfast.
Key Ingredients
- Whole Milk – We recommend whole milk for tender, rich pancakes. However, if you don’t have it on hand, 2% works well too.
- Vinegar – White distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar work well. Vinegar reacts with the baking powder and baking soda to make super light, fluffy pancakes.
- Pumpkin Puree – Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling which has added sugars and flavors.
- Brown Sugar – We love brown sugar with this recipe, because the rich, molasses flavor pairs wonderfully with the pumpkin and spices.
- Dry Flax Meal – Flax meal is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and acts as a binder in this recipe to help the pumpkin pancakes hold together.
- Spices – The perfect combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg is added to the pancakes to compliment the pumpkin.
Substitutions And Variations
There are a few ingredients in this recipe that can be tweaked for equally amazing results. Plus, these Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes are the perfect avenue for loads of our favorite toppings and mix-ins.
- Flours: If you’re not a fan of whole wheat flour in pancakes, feel free to swap it with more all purpose flour.
- Oils: We use olive oil in this recipe, but you can also use melted butter or coconut oil if you prefer.
- Add-ins: Try mixing in semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, or even chopped apple to your pancake batter for an added burst of fall flavor.
- Toppings: For toppings, we think pure maple syrup pairs wonderfully with pumpkin pancakes. We also love a drizzle of this 4-Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce or a dollop of this Stabilized Whipped Cream for extra fancy toppings. Also, try spreading on some almond butter, peanut butter, or top with your choice of chopped nuts.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Combine milk and vinegar and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients until fully incorporated.
- In another large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until smooth. Then stir in milk and vinegar mixture.
- Fold together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Be sure not to overmix.
- Heat a greased griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and wait until it reaches medium-high temperature. Then add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake.
- Once first side is golden brown, flip pancakes and finish cooking.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
Take a look at these tips and tricks to make these Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes even easier to throw together:
- Mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.
- You can freeze these pancakes once they’re cooked for a super easy breakfast any day of the week. Just add pancakes to a cookie tray in one layer and pop them in the freezer until they’re hard. Then transfer frozen pancakes to a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, and freeze until you’re ready-to-eat.
- To make cooking easy, we recommend measuring out all your ingredients in advance and having them within arms reach.
What To Serve With Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Protein: Cook eggs just how you like them and add bacon, sausage, or both for a full weekend breakfast. If you like poached eggs, take a look at this Easy Poached Eggs method. We also love this Crustless Quiche with spinach, ham, and cheese.
- Fruit: We love serving these pumpkin pancakes alongside sliced banana, apple, or pears for an added burst of color and nutrients. Berries are always a great option.
- Beverage: Breakfast wouldn’t be complete without a cup of coffee or tea. If you’re looking for a good cold brew recipe, check out this easy guide to cold brew coffee.
Commonly Asked Questions
Store cooked pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Another option is to keep the uncooked batter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days and then simply let it warm to room temperature and give it a mix before cooking. Pancakes also freeze well.
There are a few tips that help ensure light and fluffy pancakes. First, don’t over-mix the dough. Too much mixing will leave pancakes tough. Small lumps are totally fine. Second, in this recipe we add vinegar to the batter. This reacts with the baking soda and powder to create the most airy dough. Lastly, only flip those pancakes once and never press down on them with the spatula.
Yes! Pumpkin puree is simply baked pumpkin cooked and blended. You can absolutely do this at home if you’d like.
You can wrap cooked pancakes airtight and freeze them up to a month. You can also wrap pancakes up in single-servings so they’re easy to grab and reheat whenever you want.
You can use the oven, microwave, or toaster to reheat frozen pumpkin pancakes. For the oven, pop them on a baking tray for 10 minutes at 350F. If you’re using the microwave, place pancakes on a plate and reheat in 20 second increments. For the toaster, Just pop them in and repeat as necessary until they’re heated through.
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Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, 100% pure
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons dry flax meal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- Optional toppings: pats of butter, toasted chopped pecans or walnuts, maple syrup, or berries.
Instructions
- Combine milk with vinegar and let sit at room temp for at least 10 minutes while you make the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until fully incorporated.
- In another large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, egg, brown sugar, and olive oil until well combined and smooth. Add the milk/vinegar and stir until well incorporated.
- Fold together the wet and dry ingredients until incorporated, but do not overmix. A bit of lumpiness is good. Batter will be thick.
- Heat well-greased frying pan or griddle on medium-high heat. When pan is medium-hot*, pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter per pancake, taking care not to overcrowd. Immediately smooth top out a bit, if needed, right after pouring onto pan.
- Once first side is golden brown, flip pancakes over with a very large spatula. It helps to keep pan greased and not let it get overly hot, or cakes will brown too quickly. Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- If making these pancakes with a frying pan, splash about a teaspoon of water on the pan to see if it’s the right temperature. If the water beads and dances, the pan is ready. If it barely sizzles, it needs more time.
- You can omit whole wheat flour and use 2 cups of all purpose flour instead, if you’d like.
- Dry flax meal can be substituted with almond meal. Or, you can omit it altogether if preferred. Flax meal provides fiber and nutrients, while also acts as a binder and thickener.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!
Nutrition (per serving)
More To Bake And Eat
- Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe: These classic buttermilk pancakes are soft, fluffy, and simply divine drenched in maple syrup. Enjoy them fresh as a weekend breakfast or freeze them to have any day of the week.
- Fluffy Coconut Pancakes (Dairy Free): These pancakes are the perfect breakfast option for all our coconut-lovers. Bursting with the nutty flavor of toasted coconut, these pancakes are not only delicious, but also dairy and refined sugar free!
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake: You’ve probably enjoyed a thick slice of coffee cake at one time or another, but have you ever had pumpkin coffee cake? A secret pumpkin pie layer is nestled in this coffee cake making the most moist, delicious autumn treat you’ll ever have.
- Favorite Pumpkin Scones with Spice Glaze: These pumpkin scones rival the scones served at your favorite bakery. They’re moist, full of pure pumpkin flavor, and coated in the best spiced glaze that will have you going back for seconds.