Wake up to homemade pumpkin pancakes filled with the warm spiced flavors of fall (and sometimes chocolate chips, too). You’ll love starting fall mornings with a happy stack of these soft, thick, and flavorful pumpkin pancakes. They’re so simple to make, and you can try my pumpkin waffles, too!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Healthy banana pancakes, cinnamon rolls, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk waffles, or French toast are favorite, indulgent ways to kick off a weekend morning. But by about the second weekend of September, I’m ready to break out the fall breakfast favorites, like pumpkin French toast casserole, baked apple cider donuts, apple cinnamon rolls, and today’s easy pumpkin pancakes.
These pancakes have been a consistent favorite every fall season since I developed the recipe many years ago. Here’s what some readers are saying:
One reader, Laura, commented: “I’m pretty picky about pancakes, and these were absolutely delicious! Very fluffy for a pumpkin pancake, and the chocolate and spices pair nicely… ★★★★★”
Another reader, Brooke, commented: “These were delicious! Made these this morning on this chilly fall day and they were perfect. I was nervous because the batter was SO DENSE but they turned out great… ★★★★★”
And another reader, Emily, commented: “…These were AMAZING! The best pumpkin pancakes I’ve had! Great pumpkin flavor but still a nice fluffy (and not dense) pancake… ★★★★★”
Pumpkin Pancakes: Recipe Snapshot
- Packed with all the cozy pumpkin spice flavor we love from pumpkin pie
- Extra thick and flavorful
- Quick and easy to make
- Freeze and reheat well
- Delicious with or without chocolate chips
It’s easy to make pancakes using a box of pancake mix, but nothing compares to the flavor and texture of homemade. When I began testing pumpkin pancake recipes, I had a long streak of reject batches comparable to hockey pucks. They were dense and flavorless. Why? Because pumpkin is a funny little ingredient. It changes the moisture, tenderness, and texture of anything it touches. (Have you seen my post about pumpkin oatmeal cookies?)
But I finally landed on the perfect ratio of ingredients, and now making these homemade pumpkin pancakes is a [crisp fall] breeze!
Ingredients You Need:
Made with pretty basic pantry/refrigerator staples, they’re really no more difficult than the box mix!
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour for the base of these pancakes.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Yes, we use both, just like we do in whole wheat pancakes. These leaveners are what make your pancakes tall and fluffy.
- Cinnamon + Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin’s favorite spices. Using a combination of these two adds mega fall flavor. Go ahead and whip up a batch of this homemade pumpkin pie spice because you’ll want to use it again for other seasonal favorites like pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins.
- Pumpkin: In my recipe testing, I found that 1 cup of pumpkin wasn’t enough, while 1 and 1/2 cups was way too much. You need 1 and 1/4 cups, or about 285g. If you are wondering what to do with the rest of the can, check out all these recipes using leftover pumpkin puree.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar’s molasses flavor pairs so well with pumpkin.
- Egg: Binds everything together.
- Oil: Adds moisture. I usually use vegetable oil, but you can use melted coconut oil instead if you prefer.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk is key to rich and tender pancakes. If you don’t have it, the best substitute is buttermilk. If you don’t have that either, lower-fat or a nondairy milk can be subbed.
- Optional Chocolate Chips: If you don’t like chocolate chips in your pancakes, feel free to leave them out—they’ll still be delicious. Plain pumpkin pancakes are anything but plain!
Use a Blender for Smooth Batter
My trick for perfect pancakes? Mix the wet ingredients in a blender. I use my Ninja blender. A blender guarantees an incredibly smooth batter and also breaks down the heavy pumpkin in the process. This is especially necessary if you are using fresh pumpkin puree. Add the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, oil, and milk to a blender and blend on high for 45 seconds until combined. I recommend a blender when making homemade crepes, too.
No blender? No problem. You can whisk by hand. I like to use a large mixing bowl with a pour spout because it makes pouring the batter onto the pan/griddle much easier.
How Do I Know if My Pan Is Ready to Cook Pancakes?
The best temperature for cooking pancakes is 375ºF (190ºC). If you’re cooking on an electric griddle, you can simply set it to heat to that temperature. If you’re cooking in a griddle pan or large skillet on the stove, allow the pan to preheat for several minutes over medium heat. Don’t be tempted to crank the heat up to high; that will lead to unevenly cooked, burnt pancakes.
To test if the pan is ready, flick a few drops of water from your fingers onto the pan. If they sizzle in place and disappear, it’s not quite hot enough yet. If they “dance” around on the surface before sizzling out, your pan is good to go! (Feel free to dance around a bit yourself, too!)
Expect a very thick pancake batter:
Pumpkin Pancakes Success Tips
Follow these tips for moist, fluffy, and flavorful pancakes!
- Don’t Over-Mix: Whisk batter until *just* combined, no more. A few lumps is OK.
- Use the Proper Pan: A griddle pan is best for cooking pancakes, but if you don’t have one, use your widest, shallowest skillet/pan. You want a thick-bottomed pan to prevent burning.
- Pre-Heat the Pan: Allow time for the skillet or griddle to get nice and hot (without turning the heat up to high) before cooking your pumpkin pancakes.
- Don’t Flip Too Early—Watch for Holes: Many pancake recipes instruct you to flip when you see bubbles forming on the surface, but you’re actually looking for holes. Your pumpkin pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles are popping, forming little holes in the surface. Cook until the edges look set and you notice holes in the pancake’s surface around the border, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Keep pancakes warm as you cook the rest: If serving all of the pancakes at once, transfer the cooked pancakes to a wire rack on a baking sheet, and place in a preheated 200°F (93°C) oven to keep them warm.
What to Serve With Pumpkin Pancakes
I love these pancakes simply with a pat of butter (or cinnamon butter!) and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, but they’d also be fantastic with salted caramel, whipped cream, or the maple pecan topping from this pumpkin waffles recipe. As for sides, they’re fabulous alongside breakfast egg muffins, bacon, and/or fresh fruit.
And don’t forget your coffee with homemade pumpkin coffee creamer. You’re winning at fall breakfast… clearly!
Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 pancakes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These pumpkin pancakes are the epitome of a cozy fall breakfast, and a very popular recipe on this website! Moist and fluffy, they’re wonderful with a pat of butter and a cascade of maple syrup. Feel free to add chocolate chips, or leave the pancakes plain.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 and 1/4 cups (285g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) whole milk*
- optional: 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- for cooking: butter or nonstick spray
Instructions
- In a large bowl, preferably with a pour spout, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Set aside.
- For this step, I like to use a blender. I use my Ninja blender. A blender guarantees an incredibly smooth batter and also breaks down the heavy pumpkin in the process. This is especially necessary if you are using fresh pumpkin puree. Add the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, oil, and whole milk to a blender and blend on high for 45 seconds until combined. Alternatively, you may whisk by hand or use a hand mixer.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk gently to combine. Make sure there are no patches of dry flour at the bottom of the bowl. The batter is very thick and a few lumps are fine. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Heat a griddle or large flat skillet over medium heat. (If using an electric griddle, preheat it to 375°F (190°C).) Coat generously with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Once it’s hot, drop/pour a heaping 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook until the edges look set and you notice holes in the pancake’s surface around the border, about 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until cooked through, about 1–2 more minutes. Coat griddle/skillet with butter or nonstick spray again, if needed, for each batch of pancakes.
- Keep pancakes warm in a preheated 200°F (93°C) oven until all pancakes are cooked. Serve pancakes immediately with toppings of choice like butter and pure maple syrup. I also really like serving these with the maple pecan topping from this pumpkin waffles recipe.
- Cover and store leftover pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Pancakes freeze well up to 3 months. Reheat frozen pancakes in the microwave. Or you can reheat frozen pancakes in a 350°F (177°C) oven. Place pancakes on a lined baking sheet and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 6–8 minutes or until defrosted and warm.
- Can I make the batter the night before? No, I don’t recommend it. Baking powder is activated once wet. You can, however, mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together and keep them separate and covered in the refrigerator until the morning.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Mixing Bowls | Blender | Whisk | Electric Griddle, Griddle Pan, or Shallow Skillet/Pan
- Flour: I strongly recommend all-purpose flour. Because pumpkin is so heavy, substituting whole wheat flour will create incredibly heavy, dense pancakes. If you want to use some whole wheat flour, substitute in 1 cup (about 125–130g), and increase the milk to 1 and 3/4 cups.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon—you will still add that as well.
- Milk: Whole milk is key to rich and tender pancakes. If you don’t have it, the best substitute would be buttermilk. If you don’t have that either, lower-fat or a nondairy milk can be subbed.
Reader Comments and Reviews
So good!
Can you provide the ratio of ingredients if this was only for 2 pancakes
You could try to halve this recipe and freeze any leftover pancakes for up to 3 months if you’d like to!
The taste is amazing, I had to add more salt though because they were kind of bland. I took my time, with a kitchen scale, the middle refuses to cook. No matter how long I leave them on the pan the outsides crisp and the middle is gooey.
I couldn’t taste the “pumpkin” spices at all. Maybe it’s just me. ♀️
These were amazing! I didn’t have whole milk, so I subbed with 1% percent, and the pancakes still turned out fluffy and thick. I upped all of the spices a bit, just by heaping the teaspoon a bit when I measured, and the pancakes were very well spiced, which went perfectly with the pumpkin flavor. I also didn’t use a blender to blend my wet ingredients, I just whisked the ingredients in a bowl for a solid minute or so until they were well combined. I did add chocolate chips in, which made for a delicious combination with the pumpkin, but I think I would decrease the amount of them next time to 2/3 cup or so, I found they ended up somewhat overpowering the pumpkin/spice flavor. But that’s all personal preference. Everybody in my family loved these, including myself, and I definitely plan on making them again!
May I increase the amount of egg and reduce the liquid, ie the milk proportionally?
Hi Leanne, I can’t say for sure what would work without trying it myself. Feel free to play around with the recipe based on your goals.
Sally, this recipe looks so yummy! Can I use the batter in my flip waffle maker? Thank you for all of the best recipes you help me out with, always!
Hi Illiana, we’d recommend using our pumpkin waffles recipe instead. Enjoy!
I love this recipe! Pancakes are so fluffy and soft! Highly recommend it! 🙂
I measured my ingredients correctly and followed the recipe instructions, but these pancakes were just so thick that none of them cooked through. It, unfortunately, was a complete mess and I had to discard everything that I made.
Made with the 125g whole wheat + extra 1/4 cup of milk sub, and they turned out fabulous! I topped them with toasted pecans. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper to the batter (to replace the black pepper suggested in the pumpkin spice recipe) and might try adding more next time just to see how it turns out. I also decided to go with an immersion blender for the wet ingredients. I’m not sure if I needed to since I didn’t roast my own pumpkin, but hey, it was easy mixing.
These pumpkin pancakes are so delicious! I used 1% milk and they turned out great! I also added 1/4 cup chopped pecans to the batter. These will be made on repeat. Thanks Sally.
I made these and thought they had amazing texture and a pretty good flavor, even though I’m not much of a pumpkin person. I only ate half of one so I’ll give my brothers’ ratings:
2 yo – ate it, but not as many pancakes as he usually does
4 yo – LOVED THE PUMPKIN PANCAKES
8 yo – refused to try
14 yo – ate them without comment
So that’s pretty good for a new recipe!
They were so thick, we had trouble getting the insides cooked enough before the outsides burned. Any tips?!
Hi Kate! How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Delicious! But 45 ml. isn’t 3 tsp
Great recipe!! I made extra and they were even better the next day!
Great Pancakes! Had an unexpected visit from the gran’s and had all the ingredients, big hit with us all! Now it’s a tradition for fall:). Thank You!
I followed the recipe except used half 6 grain and half golden white flour. It had such a great flavor! Yum.
The best pumpkin pancakes! My kids devour them every time I make time. They heart in the microwave perfectly. I always put peanut butter on top. Pulls out the pumpkin and makes it 100 times better.
The batter was too liquidy and resulted in gummy pancakes that were hard to cook through. I measured by weight, rather than measuring cups, so I’m not sure what I did wrong.
make these every year 2-3 times and freeze, so they’re not demolished in one week. so tasty. I make mine in EVOO, so it gives an extra crisp to the outsides of the pancakes.
I’ve made these muffins in the past and they were yummy! I just made them with h subing in 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour. They weren’t quite as flavorful. I will definitely make them again with some whole wheat flour, but I will add a smidge more salt and slightly more spices.
Used maple syrup instead of sugar and 1/4c less milk and it was delish!
These pancakes are delicious! Fluffy and flavorful, and easy to bake.
I loved your recipe! I am currently making pumpkin recipes while the season is here! Thank you
Loved. Added an egg and doubled sugar. Baked half as muffins and used half as pancakes. Cream cheese pumpkin spice icing.
I wonder can you bake this pumpkin pancakes? If yes: what is the pan size and the oven temperature? Thank you.
Hi Tony, we haven’t tried baking these pumpkin pancakes before, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
I LOVE these pancakes! They were a big hit with my family and so fluffy and full of flavor. I made a double batch so that we had plenty of extra to freeze. I look forward to digging into our freezer stash for lazy breakfasts! I used Sally’s tip for replacing some of the flour with whole wheat flour.
Excellent recipe! Very very good and super easy to make. I didnt have quite enough of pumpkin puree available (286 g) I had 236 g and they still turned out perfect. I didnt change anything else with the recipe. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Where’d the chocolate chips go??
Hi Carina, they are still included in the recipe as an optional ingredient.
This recipe is just delicious! I made these for my sister, and she just adored them! Can’t wait to make them again!
My family loved this recipe. Perfect for fall. We thought it was quite decadent with the pecan the maple syrup. Yummy !
Oh! My! Gosh! Thes pancakes are absolutely amazing! I’ve been going through a rash of trying out a bunch of fall recipes because, well, because it’s that time of the year. Just as the notes in the recipe suggested, I measured and combined my dry ingredients and left them on the counter last night, then I measured and combined my wet ingredients and left them in the fridge over night. I let everything come up to room temperature while I was in the shower this morning. Then I mixed it all together while the pan was heating. It was incredibly simple, and I had a fresh, hot breakfast for my kids within minutes.
I may have sampled one or two of the pancakes myslef, and I have to say these are easily some of the best pancakes I have ever made or eaten. They were light and fluffy. They had a nice strong pumpkin flavor and weren’t overly sweet. I put the chocolate chips in them like the recipe suggested because pumpkin and chocolate together can never be wrong. Plus, I knew my kids would love the bonus of chocolate. I can’t wait to make another batch of pancakes with pecans in them. I had to leave them out this time so my daughter would eat the pancakes, but I know they will be absolutely amazing with the addition of the nuts.