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Pumpkin Pancakes are a perfect way to celebrate the flavors of fall! Fluffy and tender and so delicious, topped with butter and warm maple syrup is the only way to enjoy them!
Easy Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
If you’ve never had the best pumpkin pancakes, you’re in for a real treat. Not only are they healthier than regular traditional pancakes, they taste amazing with spicy hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove. They are the perfect fall breakfast to make this weekend – your family is guaranteed to love them as much as my family did!
Pancakes are pretty straightforward – mix the batter, pour it on the griddle, flip, serve. If you follow those four steps you’re going to have some pretty great pancakes!
I’ve got tons of pancake recipes, but this pumpkin pancake recipe is by far my favorite!
Canned Pumpkin Vs. Fresh
I highly recommend using canned pumpkin for these pumpkin pancakes, simply because it’s so much easier. Contrary to the rumor started years ago, canned pumpkin is real pumpkin and not just a mix of squashes.
Libby’s corners the market for canned pumpkin, and it really is the best for fall baking and cooking in my opinion. It’s 100% natural and has a bright orange color.
You can absolutely use fresh pumpkin if you like, but it’s much more labor intensive scooping out the seeds and scooping, cooking and straining the pulp.
How To Make Pumpkin Pancakes
Get a detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.
- Preheat a large electric griddle to 325 degrees or if you have a griddle for your stove, use that. You could also use a large skillet on the stove but you can’t fit as many pancakes at a time.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and spices) together in a medium bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together. Take care not to over mix – stop when you can no longer see any bits of powder, then let the batter rest.
- Once the griddle or pan is heated, melt some butter and start scooping the batter onto the griddle to form the pancakes.
- When little bubbles start to form on the top, flip them over and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate and repeat.
Should you use oil or butter for pancakes?
I love using butter for pancakes because it makes the edges really nicely golden and adds a great flavor. But it does scorch easily, so sometimes oil is a better choice. If you have a finicky flame or heat element, you can try a mix of both, half butter and half oil.
Serving Suggestions
The classic way to serve pancakes is with butter and warm syrup. There are different variations of syrups, like blueberry, pure maple, and buttermilk, that would all pair well with the pumpkin and spice flavors.
Another option is whipped cream and berries. Strawberries or blueberries would be delicious with these pancakes!
Variations
- Chocolate: Want to add a little something extra to your pancakes? Try chocolate chips! Mix a ½ cup of chocolate chips into the batter, or just plop a few down.
- Blueberry: Make some pumpkin Blueberry Pancakes.
- Bacon: Fancy yourself a little salty and sweet? Pumpkin and Bacon Pancakes are the perfect indulgence.
- Toasted pecans: Pumpkin and pecan are quite often seen together and they are the perfect pairing for this recipe. Add in a half cup of chopped pecans to the batter.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Allow pancakes to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I recommend placing sheets of parchment between them so they don’t stick together.
Freezing: Allow pancakes to cool completely, then arrange on parchment paper on top of a baking sheet and pop it into the freezer. Once solid, transfer them to a plastic resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Reheating: To warm, stick them in the oven, or even in a toaster at 300 degrees until warmed through. You could also reheat them on a griddle or in a skillet. If frozen, thaw first.
- Do not overmix the batter. What does it mean to overmix? When adding the wet to the dry, stir just enough to make the flour disappear. The batter will not be smooth, but that’s ok, it will all even out when you cook. Over-mixing will cause the pancakes to become dense and chewy.
- Butter your griddle, but don’t let it burn. You don’t want to have your griddle so hot that the butter sizzles and burns on the grill as it melts. It will ruin the flavor of your pancakes. If this happens, Turn down the griddle, wipe it clean, and start over.
- Watch for bubbles. After you pour the pancake batter onto the griddle and it starts to cook, small bubbles will start rising to the service. As they pop, small crevices will form. When your pancake is pretty much covered with these little bubbles, it’s time to flip.
- Flip only once. This philosophy goes for meat just as easily as pancakes. And life really. Once you’ve set it down, leave it alone. Don’t keep messing with it and flipping it back and forth. That’s another way to make your pancake more dense chewy and less tender and fluffy.
- Use real buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk helps give the baking soda a little boost so the pancakes will rise and be nice and fluffy.
- Use a warm oven. Keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven at the lowest setting until you’re finished and ready to serve.
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Pie & Apple Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins
- Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Easy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Fritters
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- 3 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Butter maple syrup, whipped cream or pecans for topping
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
- In a separate, medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, pumpkin spice and salt.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, gently, just until combined; do not overmix.
- Let batter rest for 15 minutes.
- Heat a large nonstick griddle to 325 degrees or a large skillet over medium heat. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the skillet or griddle, spread it around to coat evenly. Pour â…“ cup scoops of batter onto the griddle or skillet. The pancakes are ready to flip when they start to look dry around the edges and little bubbles form and pop on top; about 2 minutes.
- Flip the pancakes using a flat spatula, and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until golden.
- Add more butter to the skillet if necessary for the next batch.
- Serve hot with butter and warm maple syrup.
These are so good. Scared me at first at how thick the batter was.big hit in my house!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Kelley,
So good! I made these 3 times this week! And the leftovers are wonderful too! I actually don’t even like pancakes but I can’t get enough of these!
Perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome Sarah! Thanks for stopping by.
This is awful. Doesn’t even list the ingredients amounts. Useless
It would help if you would scroll down to the recipe card, or use the “jump to recipe” button where all of the ingredients are actually listed with their amounts and instructions. It’s even printable!