What's better than a hot stack of pumpkin pancakes on a cool fall morning? These guys are soft, fluffy & deliciously spiced. So easy, and so yummy!
Let’s make pumpkin pancakes!
I’ve been baking up a storm of pumpkin-ey things lately… mostly because when you open a can of pumpkin (or make your own pumpkin puree), there’s always some left over. I think that’s the true reason why people are so pumpkin-crazy in the fall. If you start with pumpkin pancakes, you might as well go ahead and make pumpkin cake… and then, well, maybe some pumpkin cookies. After all, you have to use it up! (She says while eating said cookie.)
Anyway, I’ve had so many requests for pumpkin pancakes, and this recipe is our favorite! They’re super simple to mix together, and they’re soft, fluffy, and deliciously spiced. What more could you want in a cozy fall breakfast? These are best the day they’re made, but I enjoyed the frozen leftovers as well 🙂
Pumpkin Pancake Recipe Ingredients
Because this recipe is vegan, it’s totally egg-free. Pumpkin is the perfect natural egg replacer. It gives these pancakes moisture and lift, so they’re nice and fluffy! Here’s what else makes this pumpkin pancake recipe one of my fall favorites:
- A little flax helps them bind. You could use egg if you don’t have flax.
- A touch of cane sugar sweetens them up.
- Baking powder and baking soda make them thick and fluffy.
- Cinnamon gives them that essential warm “pumpkin spice” flavor.
- Coconut oil adds richness.
- Almond milk adds moisture and loosens the batter. While I use almond milk because it’s the type of milk that I keep on hand, cow’s milk or oat milk will work just fine here too.
- And vanilla gives them a deep, complex flavor.
Combine the wet & dry ingredients separately, and fold them together – careful not to overmix! At this point, the batter is ready to cook, so you’re on your way to pumpkin pancake breakfast heaven.
Pumpkin Pancake Recipe Variations
Want to mix up your pancake game? Play with the spices here by adding a dash of pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, or allspice – anything “pumpkin spice” goes, so feel free to get creative in the spice department. If you do mix up the spices, I recommend keeping the cinnamon and adding a smaller amount of a second spice. I’d start with no more than 1/4 teaspoon for cardamom and nutmeg especially.
You could also fold 1/2 cup chocolate chips, blueberries, or toasted pecans right into the batter for extra texture and pops of flavor.
What’s your favorite way to make pumpkin pancakes? Let me know in the comments!
What to Serve with Pumpkin Pancakes
I love these pancakes as they are, served simply with maple syrup. You could make them fancier by topping them with a dollop of nut butter or yogurt (Stonyfield’s double cream plain yogurt was insanely delicious here). Or if you’re vegan, coconut yogurt would be heavenly too. Sprinkle a few pecans on top and pour the coffee!
If you’re making these as part of a bigger brunch, a frittata would be a great savory accompaniment.
More Favorite Breakfast Recipes
If you love these pumpkin pancakes, try my banana pancakes or gluten-free vanilla pancakes next! And if you have leftover pumpkin puree, use it in a pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread.
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water (or 1 egg)
- 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour* (see note below)
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- heaping 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons almond milk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon melted coconut oil, plus more for brushing
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- maple syrup (not optional)
- Yogurt or vegan yogurt (optional)
- Pecans (optional)
- In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and water and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and the flaxseed mixture.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. A few lumps are ok, do not overmix. The mixture will be thick, but if it’s too thick, gently stir in a little more almond milk.
- Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle to medium heat. Brush the skillet with a little coconut oil and use a ⅓-cup measuring cup to pour the batter onto the pan. Use the back of the cup to gently spread the batter a little more. Cook the pancakes for 2 minutes per side, turning the heat to low as needed so that the middles cook without burning the outsides. I usually start with medium heat, and move to low heat as my pan starts to hold residual heat after each batch.
- Serve with maple syrup, yogurt, and pecans, as desired.
Weekend brunch plans right here!! 🙂
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it this weekend for Canadian thanksgiving! I have one little question though. What is the benefit of the coconut oil in the batter and is it necessary?
Hi Mila, I hope you love them! I like a bit of oil in my pancakes for flavor and texture – I find pancakes to be a bit dry/gummy without it.
I added olive oil instead of coconut and cashew milk instead if almond. The pancakes were very dry and gummy as you say. Also the dough was too thick, so it took much more of milk.
These sound really nice, even though I am not vegan. I would probably also use a real egg. Love the idea of using that yogurt as a topping. And I like the idea of using just cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice. I’ll have to make these with the leftover pumpkin from my pumpkin French toast that I’ll be making when it’s my turn to cook again (my husband and I take turns – 3 weeks for me, 1 week for him).
That’s so nice that you and your husband switch off cooking weeks 🙂
yum! these are so perfect for fall!
Lol to your comment that maple syrup isn’t optional! I’m Canadian, so we put that stuff on everything (just kidding). But def on pancakes! Recipe looks delish.
Ha ha… well, you know, I was trying to be clear about it 🙂
Jeanine, would these work without the flax seeds or do I have to substitute them with something else?
Hi Daphne – you can use 1 egg in place of the flax and the 3 tablespoons water. Hope that helps!
Hi. Is there a substitute for coconut oil? Thanks
Hi Becca, you can use any neutral oil – sunflower, grapeseed, a mild olive oil, or canola oil. Hope that helps!
Looks delicious? How easy these were to make? I have sometimes tried vegan pancakes but they often end up not staying in one piece. If these are (semi) fool-proof I will give these a try. 🙂
They’re easy 🙂 Just make sure give them the 2 minutes per side and they should stay in once piece!
I love your website. Thanks.
http://bruceehowelldds.com/
If wanting to make these gluten free, do you have a substitute flour thats GF that you would recommend? Looks amazing! Thanks
Hi Siobhan,
Here’s my gluten free recipe, it uses Pamela’s gluten free flour which is wonderful – I recommend using this recipe because it’s tested specifically with the GF flour: https://www.loveandlemons.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-pancakes/
Thats great thank you so much! Cant wait to try this!
omg, look at how thick and fluffy they are 😍 I need these in my life right now!
The texture and flavor was a hit! Thanks for this recipe.
So glad you loved them!
My grocery store was out of almond milk this week, so I substituted soy. But they were still delicious! I also used coconut sugar instead of cane sugar because it was what I had on hand. I added a little extra because coconut sugar is supposed to be less sweet.
Hi Alison, I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks for taking a moment to come back and let me know!!
These were AMAZING! I’ve tried some “pumpkin” pancakes recipes and none actually tasted like pumpkin, these DID! They cooked perfectly fluffy and tasted perfect! Thanks for sharing! Making pumpkin dreams come trueeeee
Hi Sal, ha ha, I’m so so thrilled that you loved them!
I was out of flax meal so I used 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water instead, and these were great! I enjoyed the mild flavor of just the cinnamon with the pumpkin, I don’t care for the pumpkin pie spice blend.
Hi Amanda, I’m glad you loved them!
Best pancakes I’ve made yet! fluffy! annnddd so tasty! Thanks for sharing! I’ve made them over and over.
Hi Sal, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for reporting back!!
These are good, but not as fluffy as picture.
My pancakes weren’t that good, they were very dry and gummy. I used cashew milk and olive oil instead of almond milk and coconut oil. Also, in my previous non vegan recipe one of the ingredients was vinegar. Maybe next time I will use it as well.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy these.
THESE TASTE SO AH-MAZING!! I paired them with some coconut whipped cream, maple syrup, and whiskey-glazed, spiced walnuts. I am wondering how long I have to wait before I can reasonably serve them again…
Haha, I’m so glad you loved the pancakes!