Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes
Healthful, hearty, and tasty, these glorious whole grain pumpkin pancakes are a delicious power-packed breakfast.
I’ve talked hot breakfasts to death around here but let me just plug these perfect pumpkin pancakes as the newest best thing to serve for breakfast.
Even my non-pumpkin lovers (sadly, we have a few of those in this house) enjoyed them.
That may or may not have been due to the chocolate chips dotting the pancake (not pictured, we ate all the chocolate chip ones before I could snap a shot), but I still count it as a pumpkin victory.
Healthful and hearty, these glorious whole grain pancakes are a delicious power-packed breakfast.
And since many of you might be burned out of cooking this week by, say, Friday (hmmm, I wonder why?), these pancakes are definitely not off limits for a quick breakfast-for-dinner option.
In case you are wondering (and even if you’re not), here are a few of our other favorite breakfasts we’ve been rotating through lately:
One Year Ago: Apple Dapple Cake with Warm Vanilla Cream Sauce
Two Years Ago: Brownie Batter Truffles
Three Years Ago: Vegetable Sauté with Simple Cream Sauce
Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups (284 g) whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk (see note)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (185 g) pureed pumpkin, canned or homemade
- 2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
- 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, egg, oil, and pumpkin. Whisk together until just combined (it’s ok if there are a few dry spots remaining; over mixing pancakes can make them thick and dry).
- Preheat a griddle or skillet on the stovetop to medium. Pour about 1/3 cup or so batter into circles on the griddle or skillet. Sprinkle with chocolate chips (if using). Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the batter, 1-2 minutes. Once the bubbles begin popping, flip the pancakes and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted a little from a recipe my friend, Kim B. sent me (thanks, Kim!)
I made these into muffins and they are so good! Baked at 325* for about 20 min!
The pancakes were delicious, but they were much too thick.
The batter should be runny enough to pour.
I substituted unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of the buttermilk.
Used 1 tsp. of cinnamon instead of 2.
Used 2 tbsp. of brown sugar instead of 3 tbsp. of sugar.
I used this recipe last night to make the most amazing Pumpkin waffles. With a slight modification to get that crispy outside texture. I increased the eggs to 2 and oil to 1/3 cup. Absolutely delicious! My kids loved them!
Amazing! I’ll have to try that!
The flavor was great with these pancakes. My batter was super thick and I had to keep adding more and more liquid because they were way too puffy which left them gooey in the middle.
I used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour, substituted 1/2 c unsweetened applesauce for the sugar and oil and added some ricotta cheese for moisture (and because there was a few tablespoons that needed to be used). Grandsons absolutely loved mixing these up and loved eating them even more.
Love these, and the whole wheat pumpkin waffles. However, a single tablespoon of sugar is more than sufficient. If you want to reduce the sugar, I can attest these are still delicious.
These are perfect! Nice and fluffy and just the right amount of pumpkin to make them taste like fall. We made them for dinner and will have leftovers for breakfast for days. Definitely a keeper! Thanks (again!) Mel!
These were fluffy pancakes. They cooked really well and are perfect pancake!
Hi! The pumpkin pancakes are delicious…..but there is just 2 in our household. What is the best way to keep the batter? Can it be frozen? Would it be better to freeze pancakes that had been cooked or freeze the batter? Looking for ideas for all the batter that is left. We will eat them two mornings.
I’d suggest making the pancakes and freezing them after they have cooled.
These are a family favorite around here. I have noticed – like other commenters have said they are very thick, so I lower the heat on my griddle and cook them longer than I would normal pancakes. But really – they are so delicious! Such a great way to get your pumpkin fix for breakfast.
Made these this morning & loves them but wondering if I did something wrong- the batter was SO thick! Did anyone else have this problem?
I used half sour cream/half milk for the buttermilk. I made them into waffles & they were delicious but as pancakes I don’t think they would have spread at all!
I had the same experience. I used half white half, half whole wheat flour, measure everything else. The mix was more like a muffin batter. Too puffy to cook in the middle.
These pumpkin pancakes are awesome ! The whole family enjoyed them!
I am going through some of my pins and printing off my regulars – thank you for having such a ideal format for printing! No ads and no extra stuff that makes it hard to fit on on page – the best! woot!
I second this comment from years ago. Mel, thank you for not overloading your blog with ads.
We love these! I make using whole wheat pastry flour as I’ve found my baked goods made w whole wheat flour are quite a but lighter when using pastry flour. It is a more finely ground flour. I use Bobs Red Mill.
Also, I found out how to make real homemade buttermilk! Use a starter of real buttermilk that has the active cultures in it (like yogurt does) & mix it w/ milk. let sit on counter overnight & then refrigerate. Turns sour & thick which makes these pancakes even better! I found that just mixing milk w lemon juice while yes, makes it sour, did not give the fluffiness that I got when I used real store bought buttermilk. This way I can keep a batch of buttermilk in the fridge all the time. Here’s a recipe I found for it.
http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/12/how-to-make-cultured-buttermilk-and-sour-cream.html
Thanks for that link, Erika!
I made these for breakfast yesterday and they were delicious! I had been meaning to find a way to use a bit of pumpkin in my freezer leftover since christmas and I’m so glad I tried these. I left out the nutmeg because of personal preference but otherwise made them exactly and I will definitely be making them again. Everyone in my family loved them even my picky 5 y/o asked for seconds! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Mel, I am planning to make these pancakes this week for the kids, however I do have a question in regard to an ingredient that may seem silly. I see that pureed pumpkin is listed . . . is that the same as 100% packed canned pumpkin? Or should I be looking to use the pumpkin pie filling. Nothing is labeled “pureed” on the can(s) and I just wanted to double check. BTW, Just finished prepping my ingredients for the slow cooker chili for tomorrow night’s dinner. I love your website and blog! Thanks!
Hi Sharon – sorry for the confusion, but yes, it means the canned pumpkin (but NOT the pumpkin pie filling, just the packed canned pumpkin). Hope that helps!
Made them tonight to rave reviews! They are delicious and I will make them again!
Would these convert into waffles? I received a new waffle iron for Christmas and want to try these as waffles.
I haven’t tried it but I think they probably could – usually waffles have a bit more oil/butter/fat in them than pancakes so you may want to adjust so they don’t stick.
These pancakes are so delicious and satisfying. Best of all my kids love them. Thank you for this great recipe!
So I have to tell you I made these over the weekend…for myself, since I’m the only pumpkin lover in my household. I cooked the whole batch and froze the leftovers. I really enjoyed these, and they’re fantastic topped with vanilla salted caramel ice cream with chocolate-caramel truffles. Just saying…:)
I made these for our dinner tonight and my kids and I all loved them! They were like super soft, perfectly spiced pumpkin muffins. My pumpkin-hater-in-baked-goods husband ate two, which is almost the same as a change of heart:) thank you Mel!!
Mel, I use your website all the time for reliable recipes. You taught me how to make bread and everything I make from your site is very tasty! I don’t comment often but wanted to say I loved these pancakes. My 8 month old and husband loved them too. The only thing I did different was added a little extra buttermilk so it totaled 2 cups buttermilk. Thank you
Thank you Lauren!
Made these for breakfast Thanksgiving morning and they were a huge hit! I had a slight panic when I realized we were out of syrup but then I remembered your syrup recipe – made a 1/4 batch and it was perfect with these. Thanks for saving the day!
I have been looking for a good pumpkin pancake recipe all throughout the fall and was excited when I saw earlier this week that you posted one! It did not disappoint! It was prefect to use up the extra pumpkin I had after making my Thanksgiving pies! Love your recipes and website! You are my go to source for yummy, homemade meals (or treats)! Thanks for sharing all of the amazing recipes!
I love love pancakes. These look most excellent. I love the wheat flour and the generous amount of spices!
These look amazing, I’m definitely adding them to my list of recipes to make when we move back to the states, land of the free and home of the canned pumpkin!
Rowan (age 8): “Pumpkin-o-licious!”
Anna (age 10): “I usually eat 2 pancakes but tonight I had 3 and wanted to eat 4… but I was full. I loved them!”
Shawn (age 46-1 day): “The best binner [breakfast-for-dinner] to have the night before you turn 46.”
Carrie (age ?): “Thanks Mel!”
Love this! Thanks, Carrie…so glad the pumpkins were so well received (and happy birthday to Mr. Shawn!).
So glad you liked these, Mel! They are a favorite at our house. We have been eating them a lot this year in our effort to convince ourselves it is fall everywhere other than here in Florida.
I love pumpkin pancakes, and I have a pumpkin hater in my house too (so sad) so maybe these would win him over! They look so fluffy and perfect!
Oh my goodness my tastebuds are singing right now!!:)) these are my new favorite! I threw in some white chocolate chips and it made it even better!!
Thank you for helping feed my family last night. I’ve tried lots of pumpkin pancakes and this recipe was what I hoped for out of all of them. I’m going to file this one away–my search is over.
These sound delicious and like Holly stated perfect for a dinner during hectic holiday week cooking. Thank you, Mel, for the cooking tip “over mixing pancakes can make them thick and dry). This tip alone will probably make my pancakes so much better. My very favorite breakfast (and dinner around here) are your apple waffles. Our lives are so much “yummier” with you in them. 🙂 I used to be able to view your blog before work but since you moved to Idaho, I now have to wait until late evening (too much to do after work so computer/phone viewing is not an option) or early the next morning to view. Good things come to people who are patient and wait!
Sheila – I appreciate you letting me know that about viewing it before work. I think I can fix that by posting an hour or so earlier. And I certainly don’t mind especially as you’ve been such a sweet, loyal reader!
I’ve been making pumpkin pancakes for a couple of years, but I’ll totally try yours…because yours are always better! Plus, I like that it uses whole wheat flour for a little but more staying power 🙂
Funny you should post this, as I was just looking for a pumpkin pancake recipe on your blog the other day! I ended up adding about 1/4 cup pumpkin to the oatmeal pancake recipe and some pumpkin pie spice, and they were fantastic! I’ll have to try this one out as well!
Just what I needed because 1) I haven’t made a menu for this week and tonight’s dinner plan was still up in the air 2) I have just one cup of leftover pumpkin puree sitting in my fridge that needs to be used up! Not only that, my family loves breakfast for dinner (and so do I – especially during big cooking weeks like this one) and we all love pumpkin stuff!
I think making an apple cider syrup would be a great taste with these pancakes
Oh yum! Those pancakes look so fluffy and amazing.
We have a pumpkin pancake recipe we love and have used for years. I always make a huge batch and then have them in the freezer for easy pop in the microwave in the morning. We will have to try this one. Thanks Mel!
I’m all about the pumpkin right now! These look amazing, Mel!
You read my mind!! Have tried no less than five pumpkin pancakes recipes and am on the hunt for one that isn’t too thick But still fluffy and doesn’t take forever to cook. Looking forward to these!
Could I substitute whole wheat pastry flour? These sound delicious!
Yes, Suzanne – that would work great!
These look absolutely delicious! So fluffy and full of that wonderful pumpkin spiciness!