Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Fall is here – it’s time to serve your family some homemade fluffy pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. These pancakes are quick to whip up and you can serve them with any topping you like – even ice cream, I won’t tell!

Pumpkin pancakes are the BEST way to celebrate those crisp fall mornings. At least my family thinks it is 😉

Now let me let you in on a secret… Yes, I serve my family fluffy homemade pancakes for breakfast on early mid-week mornings. But I don’t get up at silly o’clock to whip them up. Instead I make a tripe batch on Saturday and freeze the leftovers for later – busy morning win right there!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Brown sugar: You can replace the brown sugar with white sugar if that’s all you have. The taste will be a little different but still delicious.
• Oil: Use melted butter in place of the oil if you prefer! It will give a richer taste, but I usually go for the ease of the oil.
• Milk: Feel free to use buttermilk in place of the milk if you prefer.
• Pumpkin: Make sure to use high quality canned pumpkin product. Lower quality ones tend to be watery and will alter the consistency of the batter.

Step by step photos

Recipe tips

• Do NOT overmix the batter! Lumpy I perfectly fine. Baked goods with pumpkin tend to come out heavier, so it’s very important to make sure the batter only gets stirred as much as necessary.
• If the batter feels too runny (can happen if your eggs are very large), add a few tablespoons of flour. Conversely, if your batter feels very thick, add a few more tablespoons of milk. It helps to cook one pancake before making any adjustments – that way you can see if the batter is actually fine or if you do need to alter it a little.
• Do not stack the pancakes before serving, or they’ll become soggy. Keep them on a wire rack. It’s fine to stack them on the plate for serving, as long as they get eaten right away.
• For the best taste and texture, I recommend letting the pancakes cool for 5 minutes before serving. Then, they should be eaten pretty quickly.

Freezer instructions

Yes, you can! They are the perfect make-ahead breakfast.

Make the pancakes as instructed. Once you remove them from the skillet, immediately place them on a cooling rack.

Pack them up for the freezer

Once the pancakes have completely cooled down, place them into small freezer bags individually.

Alternatively, place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze, covered, until solid before transferring stacks of pancakes to large freezer bags.

OR place a sheet of parchment paper between each pancake and stack them.

Wrap the stack very well in aluminum foil or place the pancakes inside a large freezer container.

How to reheat them

To reheat the pancakes in a microwave, place the frozen pancakes on a microwave-safe plate. Cook uncovered on high for 1-2 minutes or until steaming hot and heated all the way through to the middle.

To reheat in an oven, place frozen pancakes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and cover with foil.

Alternatively, bake them covered with foil on a lined cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 375°F in your preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Serving suggestions

We really like these with a little cream cheese “frosting” (just cream cheese and maple syrup stirred together), chopped nuts and more syrup.

They’re also delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or so I’ve been told 😉

If I want to go all out on the fall celebration, I’ll also make a batch of cinnamon apples on the side. For a more savory twist, try some turkey bacon or turkey breakfast sausage!

More pumpkin breakfast recipes

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

P.S: Want more pumpkin recipes? Check out our collection of canned pumpkin recipes!