These Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes are on repeat in our kitchen this fall! They are light, fluffy, and so easy to make! Packed with warming spices and finished with a drizzle of maple syrup!
Even if you have just 30 minutes on your hands, you can still make these healthy pumpkin pancakes! They are made with whole wheat flour, which means more fiber, without losing on the fluff!
The best part about this recipe, besides how good it tastes, is that it's amazing for meal prep and freezing! You can easily double the batch and freezer the leftover pancakes.
This way you won't have to worry about breakfast during the week and all that will be left to do is warm them up and add your toppings!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Pumpkin puree. Either canned or homemade.
- Whole wheat flour. We've found that fine whole wheat flour works best for these healthy pumpkin pancakes!
- Eggs. To make these pancakes fluffy!
- Milk. We like to use soy milk here, but cow's milk and coconut will work as well. The type of milk you are using is important since it's going to be turned into buttermilk.
- Sugar. We like to use brown sugar, but any sugar will do!
- Oil. Any neutral oil will work here!
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and allspice. If you don't have these spices on hand, you can use pumpkin spice instead.
- Baking soda. Essential for making light and fluffy pancakes.
- Vinegar. For making homemade buttermilk.
How to make Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
First, prepare your buttermilk. Measure out your milk of choice and add to a medium bowl. Add vinegar. Mix and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Next, to the buttermilk, add pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, and oil. Mix until well combined.
To a smaller bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir gently.
Mix just until everything is well combined, but do not overmix. Otherwise, your pancakes may turn out too dense.
Since we are using whole-wheat flour, the batter will be a bit thicker than if we were using regular flour. And that's what we want!
Then, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add some oil. Once hot, pour about ¼ cup batter and use the cup or a spoon to form a circle.
Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes, until edges look dry and bubbles appear at the top. Flip carefully and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side, until golden.
Serve right away. Top with some yogurt, maple syrup, and pecans (optional).
Storage Instructions
- Fridge: Let pancakes cool to room temperature. Transfer to a covered container, laying kitchen paper between each layer of pancakes. Save in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Let pancakes cool to room temperature. Transfer to a covered container, laying parchment paper between each layer of pancakes to prevent them from sticking. Freeze for 3 months. Re-heat in an oven or a microwave.
How to re-heat pancakes
- Stovetop: To a frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Once hot, add pancakes and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Microwave: Add pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warmed through.
- Oven: Pre-heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lay pancakes on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or until warmed through. If your pancakes are frozen, you will need to bake for longer!
Why are my pancakes too doughy?
If your pancakes are doughy and sticky on the inside, this means they are not fully cooked through.
In that case, here are a few things you can do:
- Check your baking soda. If it's too old, it won't help the pancakes rise. Make sure to use a fresh and active baking soda. You can either check the expiry date on the packaging or add some to a glass of water and see if it reacts and bubbles.
- Cook on low heat. When making these healthy pumpkin pancakes, low heat is essential! If you cook on high heat, the pancakes will burn on the outside and not cook on the inside.
- Make sure your pancakes are cooking evenly. It may be tempting to want to overload your pan, but this is not a good idea at all. Make sure to leave enough space between each pancake and use a pan that spreads the heat evenly!
- Follow all the advice below and you'll be able to master this recipe in no time!
My Best Tips
- Do not overmix the batter! Overmixing the batter will lead to dense and tough pancakes. To prevent that, mix just until it comes together. Having a few clumps of flour is okay!
- Get your pan hot before pouring the pancake batter. It's important for your pan to be hot, in order to achieve light and fluffy pancakes. That doesn't mean the oil should be smoking, but it should be hot enough so that the they start cooking right away.
- Cook these pancakes on low heat! As mentioned above, we are using whole-wheat flour here. This requires cooking pancakes on low heat to ensure that they are well cooked.
- Measure your flour correctly! Be sure to spoon your flour into the cup and level it with a knife. If you don't know what I am talking about, I suggest reading this article. Measuring flour correctly is essential to any baking recipe!
More Breakfast Recipes
4-Ingredient Banana Oat Pancakes
3-Ingredient Almond Milk Crepes
Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet or a non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup plant milk
- 1 tablespoon apple vinegar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 medium eggs
- 3 tablespoon sugar (we like brown sugar)
- 3 tbsp oil of choice
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon * (add more if desired)
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
- A pinch of salt
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
Buttermilk
- To a medium bowl, add milk and vinegar. Mix and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Batter
- Next, to your buttermilk, add eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar, and oil. Mix until well combined.
- To a separate bowl add the dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and allspice (optional). Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a spatula or a wooden spoon to gently mix together. Be sure to NOT overmix! Having a few clumps is okay and even recommended.
Cooking
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Once hot, reduce the heat to low. Pour ¼ cup batter and use the cup to form a circle. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Once the edges appear dry and there are bubbles at the top, flip gently. Cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter until all pancakes are done.
- Serve immediately and top with desired toppings. We like maple syrup, yogurt (plant-based or regular), and toasted pecans.
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