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Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe – Love and Lemons
This pumpkin pancakes recipe is a perfect cozy breakfast for fall mornings! The pancakes are fluffy, warmly spiced, and packed with pumpkin flavor.
These pumpkin pancakes are my favorite breakfast to make on a cool fall weekend morning. They’re packed with cozy fall flavor—from pumpkin puree, of course, but also from warm spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. They have a delicious fluffy texture, and they’re easy to make with simple ingredients that you probably have in your pantry already.
This pumpkin pancakes recipe works with fresh pumpkin puree, but most often, I make it with canned. I call for just 1/2 cup—enough to make the pancakes moist and flavorful without making them dense—so you’ll have a little more than a cup left over. It’s the perfect excuse to make another fall treat. Try these pancakes, then go use up your pumpkin puree in my pumpkin cake or pumpkin muffins!
Pumpkin Pancakes Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this pumpkin pancake recipe:
- Pumpkin puree, of course! I typically use canned puree in this recipe, but if you prefer to use fresh pumpkin puree, that works too! Follow my guide to how to make pumpkin puree.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and an egg – They give the pancakes a lovely light and fluffy texture.
- Milk – For moisture. Feel free to use any kind you like. Almond milk, whole milk, 2%, and oat milk all work well here.
- Brown sugar – It sweetens the pancakes and adds rich, molasses-y flavor.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla extract – For warm, spiced depth of flavor. If you like, replace the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.
- Melted butter or oil – You’ll add some to the pancake batter for richness and use more for greasing the pan. If you’re using oil, feel free to use any neutral-flavored kind you like. Vegetable oil is my go-to here, and melted coconut oil works well too.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pumpkin Pancakes
This pumpkin pancakes recipe is easy to make!
To start, whisk together the dry ingredients in one mixing bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Tip: Make sure the milk is at room temperature when you add it to the other wet ingredients. If it’s cold from the fridge, the butter may solidify in the batter.
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Use a spatula to mix them together, stirring until the batter is just combined. A few lumps are ok!
Next, cook the pancakes. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When it’s hot, brush it with oil or butter.
Pour 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake into the skillet, working in batches as necessary. Cook until bubbles form in the batter and the pancakes are golden brown underneath. Then, flip and cook until the pancakes are puffed, cooked through, and golden brown on both sides. Reduce the heat to low if the pancakes look done on the outside but aren’t cooked through in the middle.
Finally, enjoy! Top the pumpkin pancakes with drizzles of maple syrup. Find more of my favorite toppings below!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mixing the batter too much will develop the gluten in the flour, making the pancakes dense and chewy. For a fluffy texture, stir until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. A few lumps are even ok!
- Adjust the heat as needed. If your pan is too hot, the outsides of the pancakes will brown before the middles cook through. I typically start with my heat at medium-low but find that I need to reduce it to low throughout the cooking process, as my pan starts to hold residual heat. Because the pumpkin puree adds quite a bit of moisture to the batter, I find that they have the best texture in the middle when I cook them slowly over low heat.
- Keep early batches warm in the oven. Unless you have a very large griddle, you’ll likely need to cook these pumpkin pancakes in batches. To keep all the pancakes warm until you’re ready to serve, place early batches on a large plate or baking sheet. Tent them with foil, and warm in a 200°F oven until you finish cooking the last batch.
- Add mix-ins. These pancakes are delicious with chocolate chips or chopped pecans folded into the batter.
How to Serve Pumpkin Pancakes
Make sure to serve these pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup—its caramel-like sweetness really brings out the pumpkin spice flavor! If you’d like to add another topping too, you can’t go wrong with any of these:
Round out the meal with coffee or a pumpkin spice latte for a simple weekend breakfast. For a larger brunch, pair the pancakes with scrambled eggs or a frittata and seasonal fresh fruit.
Storage and Freezing
If you end up with leftover pumpkin pancakes, the best way to store them is in the freezer. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then seal them in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
Love these homemade pumpkin pancakes? Try one of these favorite pumpkin recipes next:
Pumpkin Pancakes
Serves 10 to 12 pancakes
These pumpkin pancakes are moist, fluffy, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Filled with pumpkin flavor, they're a perfect cozy breakfast for fall mornings.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix—a few lumps are ok.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the skillet with oil and use a ⅓-cup measuring cup to pour the batter into the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles form and the pancakes are golden brown underneath. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Turn the heat to low as needed so that the middles cook through without burning the outsides.
Serve with maple syrup and pecans, if desired.
Nutrition facts calculated for 1 pancake out of a batch of 10