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.
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
Recipe details
Equipment
- Measuring Jug
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar this yields lightly sweet pancakes; double for a sweeter taste
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or more for a strong pumpkin spice taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree NOT 1 CAN!
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons oil plus extra for cooking
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk all wet ingredients together in a medium bowl or measuring jug.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX! Do NOT mix with a whisk, ONLY with a wooden spoon or spatula!! DO NOT stir more than approximately 10 times!! Or you will end up with dense and gummy pancakes!!
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush on a little oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Ladle on about ¼ cup of batter per pancake and cook until bubbles form on top of the batter, around 3 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the bottom as well, another 2 minutes or so.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup, chopped pecans or whatever you like. Alternatively, follow the freezer instructions in the post.
Notes
Nutrition
More recipe information
P.S: Want more pumpkin recipes? Check out our collection of canned pumpkin recipes!
Paula C says
Delicious pancakes! I followed your “no more than ten times” directions, even though the batter was dryer than I expected, but wow, sky high pancakes were the reward! Thank you for sharing this recipe. PS. I added bacon bits because….bacon! Thank you again!
Nora says
Ooooh, I love the idea of bacon bits in these pancakes, Paula. Glad they turned out well for you!
Ann says
Great pancakes! I added some pecans to the batter. I have some extras to throw in the freezer.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Ann! And the pecans sound great in there, too.
Cherie says
Absolutely loved this recipe! I halved it as it’s just 2 of us and will make full batch when needed! Very tasty!
Julianne says
These are amazing & surprisingly fluffy. DEELISH.
Gayla says
Very quick and easy to mix up. I made them for my husband and we both loved them! They were better than my former pumpkin pancake recipe that I had been making for years. Thank you so much!