Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (With Canned Pumpkin)
Warm spices and pumpkin purée transform regular pancakes into delicious, fluffy pumpkin spice pancakes – perfect for cozy fall mornings and a kid-friendly treat. And a great way to use up leftover canned pumpkin.
Top the pumpkin pancakes with butter and maple syrup or check out other toppings and plenty of ideas for ingredient substitutes to suit your taste and pantry.
What to expect
We’re using a basic pancake batter with added pumpkin pureé and warm spices. The pancakes are easy to make, freeze well, and taste great. Keep them classic or add your own touches.
- For my grandkids, I dot them with a little extra syrup or add chocolate chips for extra incentive and sneak in some flax seeds for extra nutrition (don’t tell the kids!)
- Sometimes I use a squeeze bottle to create pumpkin shapes and decorate them with melted chocolate chips. The kids don’t seem to care that they are not works of art – it’s all about the chocolate.
I love to make a double batch and freeze leftovers for a quick on-the-go breakfast.
Ingredients- tailored to your taste
- Basic pancake batter: flour, eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, milk and vanilla. Plus pumpkin puree and spices.
- Pumpkin puree: It comes in a can, typically found in the baking section (or sometimes the canned veggie aisle). The label should read 100% pumpkin or pure pumpkin – n added sugar, spices, or fillers. DON’T buy pumpkin pie filling!
- Pumpkin spice: You can often find pumpkin pie spice in your local bulk food store or in mainstream grocery stores in the Fall season. Or see the recipe card for making your own blend.
Substitutes
- Flour: Substitute half the flour (not more) with whole wheat flour for added fiber and protein. You can also use Bisquick with some adjustments (see recipe card).
- Milk: Use almond milk or soy milk (dairy free).
Variations
- Add-ins: chopped pecans or walnuts, flaxseed and/or grated carrots or zucchini for extra nutrition
- Toppings: maple syrup of course!, chopped toasted or candied pecans, whipped cream, cream cheese mixed with maple syrup, drizzle of honey, caramelized bananas (for decadence!)
Step by step instructions
Tip
Fill a squeeze bottle with the pumpkin pancake batter to make some fun shapes.
What to serve with pumpkin pancakes
To keep it simple and classic, I like butter and a drizzle of maple syrup on my pancakes. There are other options for toppings of course.
This pancake recipe is great with coffee, chai tea, apple cider or hot chocolate.
If you’re preparing a hearty breakfast, you can serve these pancakes with this potato and ham breakfast skillet, or a side of bacon with some of these Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. The terms are used interchangeably. Just make sure you don’t buy pumpkin filling (very different).
No. Despite the pumpkin purée, the pancakes are fluffy even though they are not made with buttermilk. This is because we’re using baking powder which doesn’t need to pair with acid to make the pancakes rise.
Yes. According to Healthline, pumpkin purée is low calorie and rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Most recipes do not use an entire can of pumpkin purée. Luckily, it stores beautifully in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a year. Here are a few ideas for how to use leftover purée. Make a pumpkin spice latté, a smoothie or our rustic-style pumpkin scone recipe. Or stir it into mac and cheese or oatmeal.
More pumpkin recipes
- pumpkin scone recipe (rustic-style)
- roast pumpkin salad with couscous
- pumpkin risotto recipe (instant pot)
- slow cooker pumpkin risotto recipe
- how to roast raw pumpkin seeds
More pancake recipes
- ricotta pancake recipe with caramelized bananas
- lemon blueberry pancakes
- Dutch pancake recipe (also called German pancake)
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thank you so much!
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thank you so much!
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Equipment
- electric griddle or large non stick skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, Note 1
- 3 teaspoons baking powder (NOT baking soda)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, Note 2
- 1 teaspoon salt (use 1/2 tsp if using salted butter)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, rounded meaning use a bit extra
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin, but NOT pumpkin filling)
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted (1/2 stick)
- 1 1/2 cups milk (almond or soy milk fine too)
- oil spray or 1-2 teaspoons oil or butter for cooking pancakes.
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 200F/93C to keep pancakes warm as you cook batches. Alternatively, you can microwave cooked pancakes for 30-40 seconds before serving.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS (medium bowl): Whisk or use a fork to combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt in a medium bowl.
- MIX WET INGREDIENTS (large bowl): Whisk or use a fork to combine pumpkin purée, eggs, milk, melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- COMBINE WET AND DRY INGREDIENTS: Pour flour mixture into the wet pumpkin mixture. Stir just to combine (until you no longer see dry flour. Don't overmix. A few lumps are fine. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes while you heat the griddle or skillet to medium heat (350F/176.7C).
- COOK PANCAKES: Spray pan with oil spray or add a teaspoon of butter or vegetable oil to the skillet. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour batter into skillet to form pancakes. You will need to do several batches, depending on size of pan. Note 3 to make shapes. Cook pancakes for 3-4 minutes on first side or until bubble start to appear. Flip with a spatula. Cook on second side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to plate (or baking sheet to keep warm, covered with foil, in 200F oven). Repeat with remaining batches. Serve with maple syrup of other toppings, Note 4.
Recipe Notes
- Substitute for flour: You can replace 1/2 cup (62 grams) of the flour with whole wheat flour if you like. Don’t use more than that or the pancakes will be too dense. Or, substitute the flour with Bisquick mix and only use 2 tablespoons butter, no baking powder and just 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or less if you’re using salted butter).
- Substitute for pumpkin pie spice: 11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground powdered ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. If you don’t have or like ginger or nutmeg, try allspice or ground cloves.
- To make shapes: Put batter in a squeeze bottle. This will give you more control to create shapes or letters.
- Topping options: pure maple syrup, chopped toasted or candied pecans, whipped cream, cream cheese mixed with maple syrup, drizzle of honey, caramelized bananas
- Other variations:
- use sweet potato purée if you like or if you can’t find canned pumpkin.
- Optional add-ins to batter: 1/3 cup (45 grams) chopped pecans or walnuts; 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed for extra nutrition; 1/4 cup grated carrots.
- Make ahead, storing, freezing:
- To cook ahead and keep warm: place pancakes on a pan and keep them in a warm oven at 200F for 30 minutes or so.
- To prepare batter a day ahead: Some say you shouldn’t make make the batter ahead and keep it in the fridge. I do it all the time and have never had a problem. Keep it in an airtight container, and use it the next day. If the batter is too thick, thin it with a little milk before cooking the pancakes.
- To freeze cooked pancakes: Cool the pancakes first, then toss them in an airtight container or ziploc bag and freeze them for up to 2 months. Warm them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or in the toaster.
- Storing cooked pancakes: Store in the fridge in a sealed container for several days.
