Pumpkin Pancakes
These pumpkin pancakes are fluffy, delicious and gently spiced. This five-star pumpkin pancake recipe is sure to become your favorite.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 8, 2026
Meet my favorite pumpkin pancakes recipe! These pancakes are perfectly fluffy with plenty of pumpkin flavor. They’re not complete without some cinnamon and nutmeg for some autumnal spice. With a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, oh my.
Originally published in 2010, this pancake recipe is one of my oldest recipes, and one that I revisit every fall. It taught me a lot about making pancakes from scratch. It inspired my fluffy vegan pancakes, gingerbread pancakes, and the pancake recipes in my cookbook. I’ve made these pancakes for my family on Thanksgiving mornings and they’re always a hit.
I’m sharing the recipe again with updated photos and tips. With a 4.9-star average from over 150 reviews, I hope it will become your favorite pumpkin pancake recipe, too.
“These are best pumpkin pancakes! Been making them for years!”
Pancake Tips
Perfect pumpkin pancakes, coming up! You’ll find a brief instruction video below, and the full recipe at the bottom of the post.
Lightly coat your griddle or skillet with oil. I cook my pancakes with avocado oil because it offers a high smoke point and neutral flavor (butter burns quickly). Whichever you use, be sure to wipe off the excess with a paper towel so it doesn’t start smoking.
Start by cooking just one pancake. Once you’ve practiced with one pancake and made sure your skillet is properly preheated, you can make more at once. Leave a couple of inches between each pancake to allow for easy flipping.
The pancakes are ready to flip when about 1/2-inch of the perimeter has turned from glossy to matte. The underside should be nicely golden by then. If you’re uncertain, it’s best to wait a little longer than end up with a doughy mess.
As time goes on, dial down the heat. The longer it’s on the stove, the hotter the skillet gets. If your pancakes burn on the outside before they cook through on the inside, your skillet is too hot. Turn down the heat a bit after every few pancakes.
Watch How to Make Pumpkin Pancakes
Flour Options
These pancakes work well with several types of flour, whether you prefer to use whole wheat or all-purpose. Choose the flour that you have in your pantry, and this flexible recipe will turn out great.
If you can find it, I love to use white whole wheat flour (now called “golden wheat” by King Arthur Flour) for all of the nutrition of whole wheat without any nutty flavor. Whole wheat pastry flour works similarly well here.
These pumpkin pancakes taught me that whole grain pancakes can be every bit as tasty and fluffy as pancakes made with regular flour.
Pancake Serving Suggestions
These pumpkin pancakes are lovely with a drizzle of maple syrup as shown here. They taste even more like a treat with something extra. Here’s a list of additional toppings and sides to consider:
- Butter or honey butter
- Chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, or almond butter or pecan butter
- Greek yogurt
- Scrambled eggs
- Whipped cream
Please let me know how your pumpkin pancakes turn out in the comments. I love hearing from you. View more pancake recipes.
Pumpkin Pancakes
These pumpkin pancakes are so fluffy and delicious. Gently spiced with cinnamon and topped as you wish, you’ll want to make a batch every fall. For healthier pancakes, make them with whole wheat flour—they’re naturally sweetened with maple syrup, too! Recipe yields 6 to 8 medium pancakes, enough to serve two to three people. Double the recipe for a larger crowd, or if you would like leftovers.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (for stronger pumpkin spice flavor, use 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk of choice
- ⅓ cup pumpkin purée
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, avocado oil or coconut oil
Instructions
- If you’ll be using an electric skillet, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir until blended.
- In a separate bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin purée, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted butter. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until no big lumps remain. (If your butter or oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, just warm the mixture in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds until it melts again, or let the mixture rest for a few minutes in a warm place).
- If you’re not using an electric griddle, heat a stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. You’re ready to start cooking your pancakes when the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on contact.
- Lightly oil the cooking surface with additional oil or cooking spray (non-stick surfaces may not need any). Carefully wipe off the excess with a paper towel so it doesn’t burn.
- Using a ⅓-cup measure, scoop the batter onto the warm skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes. It’s ready to flip when about ½-inch of the perimeter is matte instead of glossy. Flip each pancake and cook on the opposite sides for 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter, greasing the skillet as needed. If necessary, dial the heat down to prevent burning the pancakes. Serve the pancakes immediately, or stack them and cover the plate with a tea towel to keep them warm.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Big Girls, Small Kitchen.
Leftover pancakes? Pancakes make great leftovers! Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze them for months. To warm, wrap a short stack of pancakes loosely in a paper towel and gently reheat in the microwave until warmed through, flipping and re-wrapping the stack halfway through.
Make it vegan: Use non-dairy milk (like almond milk), omit the egg and replace the butter with coconut oil.
Make it dairy free: Use non-dairy milk and replace the butter with coconut oil.
Make it egg free: Just omit the egg (really).
Make it gluten-free: Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free all-purpose flour will work well here. Or, check out my pumpkin oat pancakes!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I have been eager to make pumpkin pancakes and your post inspired me! I’ll have to try and make them this weekend! I too have seen purple potatoes in the supermarket and have been curious as to what they are like! Unfortunately I’m not a huge potato fan (although, I LOVE sweet potatoes) so my curiosity stopped there! Maybe I’ll take a stab at trying them soon. :)
These look so yummyI know I what I will making for Sunday brunch!
XOXO,
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Hi Kris&Kel and Tiffany! I do hope you make these pancakes soon. They really are fool-proof and so, so yummy!
I.love.pumpkin.pancakes. this breakfast looks awesome! Your blog is so cute :)
I have never seen purple potatoes! haha! I don’t think I have ever eaten pumpkin pancakes either, but they look so yummy!
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Wow these pancakes look amazing–I love anything pumpkin. This might just be Sunday morning’s activity…thanks for posting!!
you’ve always got the best recipe posts…amazing photos that make my mouth water. i’m a huge fan of trying different types of potatoes so this is right up my alley. fingerlings and purple peruvian (?) potatoes…yummmaaayy
I saw these last night on FoodGawker and came for a peek..I knew I had to make this for breakfast. But hubby doesn’t do pumpkin..but he loves sweet potato..I put some in the oven last night to roast in anticipation of making these pancakes. Soo soo good..he enjoyed them very much. I even had Red Thumb fingerlings…perfect way to roast them in the preheated skillet! I’ve shared this page with several of my internet friends!
Just made these pancakes for breakfast this morning…. they are delicious!
Hello! Just stumbled upon your site and I love it! Can’t wait to try this recipe :)
I made mashed potatoes once with purple potatoes. They tasted great but they looked so funny! I really want to serve them to a three year old. I think it would make their day! lol. Your pancakes look delicious! When I get my care package from home with a big bottle of maple syrup, this will be the first thing I make!
You HAVE to try purple sweet potatoes! They are ridiculously expensive, Japanese in origin, and grown in Hawaii for the US market, but so worth it. Someone who commented on my post about them said they are used in Japan to make purple sweet potato pies. Can you imagine?!?
http://www.cherokeepurple.blogspot.com/2010/07/okinawa.html
Wow, those are stunning! I’ve seen red-skinned sweet potatoes with white flesh but never entirely purple sweet potatoes. Thanks for sharing, I’ll keep an eye out for them!
I’ve made a big batch of these two weekends in a row and we eat them before work during the week. My husband loves them and he usually doesn’t even like pumpkin. I recommend topping with a little natural peanut butter and a sliced banana…yum! I love your blog and cook from it at least once a week…keep it up!
Thanks for your great comment, RHK! It’s about time I made more pumpkin pancakes. Peanut butter and banana sound like stellar toppings!
I’ve been on the quest for the perfect pancake recipe for the longest, as my pancakes usually turn out big and dry. I made these pancakes for breakfast today, and they cam out perfectly! I used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter rather than actual pumpkin puree. I think the difference was mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately. I’ll definitely use this recipe in the future, and play around with other purees and butters. Thanks Kate!
You’re welcome, Nicole! Glad you like them. I definitely recommend mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately for pancakes. Mix by hand and don’t overmix or you’ll end up with tough pancakes!
I just stumbled across your blog and this recipe today and made them for a laid-back Sunday breakfast! My husband and I both LOVED them and they will now be my go-to pumpkin pancake recipe! On a side-note, I was short about 3 oz of milk and added some apple cider to replace some of the liquid and they were scrumptious :) Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for commenting, Holly! I’m really glad to hear that you both enjoyed the pancakes. I bet apple cider would be a lovely addition! You might like my banana pancake recipe, too.
Hi Kate! I know this is an old post but I just made these pancakes on this rainy (in CA) Saturday morning and they were perfect. I love your recipes – my husband is a huge fan of both the honey whole wheat pumpkin and banana breads. Though he makes me add chocolate chips to both of them :)
Thank you, Sophie! I’m so glad you two enjoy the pancakes and quick breads!
Hi Kate! I made the pancakes today and they turned out to be such fluffy and light! My 2 yr old son loved it to bits!
Awesome, glad to hear it! Thank you, Amrita!
Hi! I’m planning on making these tomorrow! Quick question – is the butter meant to be mixed in with the wet ingredients, or is it meant for greasing pan or topping the pancakes? If mixing in, do you think I could sub coconut oil?
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi Meredith, so sorry I didn’t answer you sooner. The butter goes in with the other liquid ingredients!
Recently, I googled ” Good Food Blogs”, and yours popped up! I have been hooked on your blog since then. Your recipes are very fresh and new. These pumpkin pancakes look great and I can’t wait to try the recipe.
Thank you, Maia! Happy to hear that you found my blog on that search. Hope you love the pancakes!
These have been in regular weekend rotation since our CSA has been delivering organic pumpkins. The 5, 3, and 1 year old are all fans! We add some pecans & chocolate chips too. Just whipped up another batch of puree, so I’m trying your oat flour pumpkin spice waffles tomorrow. I’ll report back!
Woohoo, thanks Mik!
Thanks for a perfectly fantastic recipe! Made these yesterday, a lazy just me & my daughter (hubby visiting his grandpa – but we saved him some) stay on the sofa and watch church live stream kind if day. Few of those left… she’s in college now. Making the most of time… :) <3
Sounds like a lovely morning! Glad they turned out well for you!
Hi Kate:
Just made your whole wheat pumpkin pancakes this morning…DELISH!!! I used a whole wheat stone ground flower by Red’s so I think they might have been slightly more dense, but delicious none the less…couldn’t even eat the bacon. Poor bacon was left behind. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi Dawn! So glad these turned out well for you. Must’ve been pretty good to ignore the bacon! :)
I’ve made these twice now and my family loves them!! I actually sub some oat bran for some flour and honey for brown sugar and they still come out great! Thank you!
Thanks, Kristin! Glad to hear it!
I made these for the first time last year, and they were incredibly tasty. I loved how easy they were to make and how fluffy they were. I served them with apple butter and maple syrup which complemented them nicely. Thanks for this great recipe!
Thank you, Maggie! Happy to hear it!
I just tripled this receipt and made these for my family. My son said “these are better than normal pancakes”. I have to agree. You are my go to for all things yummy. Thanks for another great meal.
Pumpkin pancakes and potatoes what could be better for a Friday night dinner.
This recipe was AMAZING!! I had no difficulties following it and my husband said they were the best pancakes he has ever had and he is a true pancake expert. My only substitute was I used whole GRAIN flour and bumped up the puree to half cup. The WG flour gave a nice crunch…check it out. I will definitely recommend this recipe to all my friends :) Thanks, Michelle from PEI
Do you think this recipe would work if I substitute stevia for the sugar? I try not to eat sugar or white flour. Thanks!
I made them for my husband and I and we loved them! I did substitute stevia for the sugar and they were wonderful! Thanks Kate!
Great recipe! I substituted apple cider for the milk since that’s what I had on hand, and loved what it did for the flavor! I also substituted 1/2 of the flour for all-purpose since I find whole-wheat to be pretty dense on its own. Thank you for the inspiration!
Ahh, these pumpkin pancakes are perfection. I used coconut oil instead of butter, and topped the pancakes with a dollop of whipped coconut cream (coconut cream + a bit of maple syrup). So delicious, hearty, and perfect for the season.
Best pumpkin pancakes I have ever had!
Made these for breakfast this morning. We have so much frozen pumpkin puree and these pancakes fit the bill! I double the recipe so I could freeze some for easy breakfasts later in the week. Note – you can reduce the flour by 1/4 c (in a doubled recipe) and add back in 1/4 c of flax seed for some extra omega 3’s.
Thanks for the tip, Jamie! Happy these help out with your pumpkin surplus :)
Just made these! Super easy and delicious with some nut butter and maple syrup on top.
Awesome, Lauren! :)
I made the whole wheat pumpkin pancakes. I used whole wheat pastry flour and buttermilk. ;-} BM made the pancake batter fluff up like crazy, but the pancakes were still delicious. For the batter I had left, I added more buttermilk to thin out the batter and decrease the fluffiness.(No fluffy chemical reaction that time.)
Yum! That sounds delicious, Michelle.
THESE are the reason i’m buying your cookbook! They are perfection. I can get that cozy “fall feeling” year round now!! <3 <3
Hooray! Thanks, Brandy.
These pancakes are delicious! I made them this morning and used 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 tbsp applesauce (instead of 2 tbsp butter/oil) and they turned out perfectly! Highly recommend using this recipe!
Great! I’m so glad those swaps worked out, Caroline.
Which non-dairy milk do you recommend for this recipe? Unsweetened almond milk?
Hi Catherine, yes, almond milk would be my choice here!
These were delicious, and so fluffy:). Thank you!
Thank you, Natalie for you feedback! Happy you liked them!
Super yummy! I made these this morning and they were a hit!
Kate, these pancakes are UNREAL. This is the best pancake recipe I’ve ever made and I’m so happy I stumbled upon it. I doubled it the recipe, and kept the oil at 2Tbsp total. SO DANG GOOD. Thank you for sharing!!
So good! Perfect as is. Even my kids loved them. Made extra to freeze and reheat for easy breakfasts throughout the week.
Thank you, Jessica! Thank you for your star review. It is appreciated!
These look delicious!
Thank you!
Love it, looks great!
Thank you!
These sound great – lovely photos too!!
Rebecca
xx
Delicious! Used gluten free flour, pumpkin pie spice, a mix of almond and vanilla hemp milk, coconut oil and maple syrup. Doubled the recipe and will be enjoying these for a few days, thanks!!!
Thanks for sharing your gluten free experience with these pancakes! Love to hear how they taste when substituted. I appreciate the review, Jomarie!
I’m going to try these kate,they look delicious ! My husband just quit smoking on the 29th and he’s having the sleeve surgery in April of next year,so he’s eating healthier now. Thank you so very much for posting these wonderful recipes I’ll have to check them out. You have a wonderful day ! I have a dog myself,he’s a rescue and a little Min Pin/Jack Russell mix love him so so much.
Let me know what you think once you and your husband try them, Patty! You are very welcome :) Best of luck on this healthy adventure you and your husband are on.
Never met a pancake I didn’t like :)
Thank you kate. I sure will.
Good timing! I made homemade pumpkin puree on the weekend using my leftover pie pumpkins that lined the porch from Halloween! I’ll be trying these.
Let me know what you think, Ariel!
there is no milk on the list of ingredients and you mention,
‘add milk’. but recipie looks delicious!
Hi Karl, thanks for your comment! In the list of the ingredients, milk is right below the 1/4 salt. :) Hope this helps!
I’ve been looking for a staple pumpkin pancake recipe, and these are Super simple, easy, and good! I made them with half spelt, half ww pastry flour, And they were just right. Thanks!
You are welcome, Leanne! Enjoy!