Light and fluffy pumpkin pancakes mixed with a warm blend of spices. Pumpkin puree keeps each cake tender and adds a festive orange hue. This delightful seasonal breakfast is topped with maple syrup and pecans.
Recipe Science
- For quick rise, use baking soda, baking powder, and eggs. Use extra baking powder to counter the density of pumpkin puree.
- The egg proteins set and trap air bubbles, giving your pancakes a light and fluffy texture.
- Baking soda requires an acid to create bubbles. Buttermilk supplies that acid while adding a delicious tang to your pancakes.
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Featured Comment 11
“Great recipe! I have made these a few times and my family loves them. Thanks!”—Amy
Why It Works
For this fall delight, I use my popular homemade pancakes recipe as the base and spice it up with seasonal ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Pumpkin puree provides the fun orange color and adds a very mild sweetness.
A combination of leavening agents helps with the lift to create tender cakes that cook up nice and tall. Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs ensure that each cake rises and sets with ease. This breakfast also freezes and reheats really well, so you can enjoy a fluffy stack anytime the craving hits!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pumpkin: Libby’s canned pumpkin puree, not the pumpkin pie mix, is my gold standard to use. It’s pretty smooth in texture and conveniently adds pumpkin flavor and color to the batter.
- Flour: All-purpose flour has 10 to 13% protein, which helps keep pancakes tender while providing structure.
- Sweeteners: Granulated sugar adds a clean sweetness, while brown sugar delivers a hint of molasses in the pancake batter. Vanilla extract boosts the baked aromas.
- Leavening Agents: I use three types of leavening agents to ensure the pancakes rise soon after hitting the hot pan. Baking soda, baking powder, and eggs create enough bubbles for an incredible lift.
- Spices: This recipe requires a hearty dose of warm pumpkin spice. Pumpkin has a mild flavor, so pairing it with robust and zippy seasonings makes these pancakes more flavorful. I use a higher amount of ground cinnamon to enhance the sweet taste. Then, stir in ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Dairy: Buttermilk and yogurt add acid from the fermented dairy product to activate the baking soda for bubble formation. Butter adds richness to the pancakes.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This pumpkin pancake recipe is easy to switch up! Try these delicious options:
- Fresh Pumpkin: If you’re a DIY person, making your own homemade pumpkin puree is easy! The pancakes will be lighter in hue.
- Add Mix-ins: Try chocolate chips, blueberries, sliced bananas, diced apples, pecans, or walnuts. Top with chopped almonds or walnuts, pepitas, or roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Spices Swaps: Add my homemade pumpkin pie spice or cardamom for a sweet and floral taste.
- Make it Gluten-Free: For a gluten-free option, substitute gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour. For the best results, I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It’s a reliable choice that ensures your baked goods maintain the right texture and flavor without gluten.
- Buttermilk Substitutes: There are various ways to make buttermilk substitutes for the pancake recipe. The easiest is to dilute unstrained Greek yogurt. Alternatively, combine 1 ½ cups of milk with 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice and sit for 10 minutes before using.
How to Make Pumpkin Pancakes
Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the perfect blend of spices—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. These spices infuse your pumpkin pancakes with warm, cozy flavors perfect for fall.
Ingredient Chemistry: I add a little more baking powder than I do for my classic pancakes because the pulp in the pumpkin puree adds density to the batter.
Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients
Whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, yogurt, eggs, and cooled melted butter in a medium bowl. This mixture combines the richness of pumpkin and yogurt with the tangy buttermilk, ensuring your pancakes turn out tender and flavorful.
Expert Tip: The proteins in the eggs, like those in scrambled eggs, help trap the bubbles for an excellent height, keeping the pancakes light and fluffy.
Step 3: Make the Batter
Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, leaving a few streaks of flour—it’s okay if the batter looks lumpy. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes before cooking; this gives the proteins time to relax, preventing tough pancakes and ensuring a fluffier texture.
Step 4: Cook the Pancakes
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, then add and evenly spread a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Pour ¼ cup of batter for each pancake into the pan, spreading them into 3 ½-inch circles. The batter will be thick and lumpy, so you may need a spoon to help spread it, but don’t worry—the pancakes will still turn out light and tender.
Cook until the edges are set, bubbles form on the surface, and they’re golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip carefully and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed.
Tips for Perfect Execution: The key to keeping the pancakes tall is not to press them down. Doing so will push out the carbon dioxide bubbles, leaving you with a dense, compressed cake.
Step 5: To Serve
Top your pancakes with a sprinkle of pecans (if you’re using them) for a delightful crunch, and finish with a generous drizzle of maple syrup. This combination adds both texture and rich, natural sweetness to every bite. You can also add some of the yogurt on top for creaminess and extra protein.
Frequently Asked Questions
This pancake recipe makes about sixteen portions, so if you’re not feeding a crowd, it freezes nicely for later. Allow the leftover pancakes to cool on a wire rack, then individually wrap them in plastic. Store in a large resealable plastic bag in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave wrapped in a paper towel for 60 to 90 seconds. Once defrosted, I toast them to give the surface a little crispiness.
When adding baking soda to a recipe, an acid is needed for the sodium bicarbonate to react and create lots of bubbles. Buttermilk provides that acid, and its tangy flavor makes each pancake more delicious.
It’s best not to substitute pumpkin pie filling for pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, which can throw off the balance of your recipe. On the other hand, Pumpkin puree is cooked and mashed pumpkin, allowing you to control the sweetness and spices in your dish.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this Pumpkin Pancake Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- vegetable oil, as needed for cooking
- ½ cup pecans, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the Dry Ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin puree, yogurt, eggs, and cooled melted butter.
- Make the Batter – Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Leave a few streaks of flour, the pancake batter should look lumpy. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes before cooking.
- Cook the Pancakes – Heat a large 12-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Use a paper towel to create a thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan.Measure out a ¼ cup (60ml) of pancake batter into the pan, 2 to 3 at a time. Use the back of a spoon to spread the pancakes into a circular shape, about 3 ½ inches in diameter. Cook until golden brown, the edges are set, and bubbles begin to break on the surface of the pancake, 2 to 3 minutes.Carefully flip the pancakes, and cook until the other side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not press down on the pancake after flipping, or it will not be fluffy. Repeat with the remaining batter, and grease the pan as needed.
- To Serve – Top the pancakes with pecans (if using) and drizzle with maple syrup.
Notes
- Serving Size: 1 pancake with nuts
- Make it Gluten-Free: Substitute gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour is recommended.
- Freeze and Reheat: Individually wrap cooled pancakes in plastic, store them in a resealable container, and freeze them for up to 1 month. Reheat by wrapping a pancake in a paper towel and microwave on a plate for 60 to 90 seconds. Alternatively, heat in the toaster until hot.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Diane541@icloud.com says
Made these for my October birthday. They are so fluffy and delicious I don’t think I can go back to regular pancakes now. The delicious delicate blend of pumpkin and autumn spices finds the perfect compliment in pure maple syrup. I urge you to try it. You won’t be disappointed. Be sure to use the buttermilk and greek yogurt to obtain the chemical reactions needed to produce the fluffiness and tenderness.
Jessica Gavin says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the pancakes!
Paula Rath says
Tried these yesterday and they were great — as your recipes always are!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you, Paula! I’m so glad that you got to enjoy a big stack of pumpkin pancakes!
Amy says
Great recipe! I have made these a few times and my family loves them. Thanks!
Dave says
Soooooooooooo that’s how eggs, powder and soda really work together? I know soda likes to react with acids and powder works with water and is double acting. But the eggs role. Interesting.
Thanks for the gluten free option. I’ll use the blend I make from America’s Test Kitchen books “How Can It Be Gluten Free?”
Maryalice says
Hello!
Love and enjoy all your food info!!
I wanted to know can I switch coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Thank you!!
Jessica Gavin says
Typically about 1/4-1/3 cups of coconut flour can be substituted for 1 cup of wheat flour for a similar texture. Coconut flour soaks up a ton of moisture, so you may need to add more buttermilk if it’s very thick.
Pat says
Can I mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and if so how far ahead and how to store it and for how long will the dry ingredients keep?
Jessica Gavin says
You can mix the dry ingredients ahead of time in an airtight container (makes sure the baking soda does not get wet). You can do this about 2 to 3 days ahead of time.
Stephen Rogers says
Truly Awesome Jessica!!! Yum Yum!! I
love your video on that meatloaf.gotta try that.Thanks