These pumpkin pancakes are soft, spiced buttermilk pancakes made with ¾ cup of real pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves. One bowl of batter gives you 8 to 10 pancakes in about 30 minutes, and a four-ingredient cinnamon butter goes on top while they are still hot.
The trick is heat. Pumpkin makes the batter heavier and wetter than a plain pancake batter, so it needs a steady medium griddle and a little patience before you flip. Rush it and the outside browns while the middle stays gummy.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
Try the Recipe Converter →The Numbers for This Batch
- Makes: 8 to 10 pancakes from ¼ cup of batter each
- Time: 10 minutes to mix, about 20 minutes at the stove
- Pumpkin ratio: ¾ cup puree to 1 cup buttermilk and 1½ cups flour
- Rise: 2 teaspoons baking powder plus ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Heat: medium, about 2 to 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second
- Topping: ½ cup softened butter whipped with cinnamon, powdered sugar and vanilla
Mixing a Batter That Stays Light
Use plain canned or homemade pumpkin puree, never pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and it makes the pancakes dense and sticky. If you cook your own, the guide to homemade pumpkin puree explains how to drain it so it is thick enough.
Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the pumpkin, buttermilk, egg, melted butter and vanilla in another. Then pour the wet into the dry and stir with a spatula only until no dry flour shows. A few small lumps are fine. They soften on the griddle. Beating the batter smooth is what makes pumpkin pancakes tough and flat.
The batter should be thick but still drop off a spoon in a slow ribbon. Purees vary in how much water they hold, so if yours will not spread out of a ¼ cup scoop, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons more buttermilk.
Buttermilk or Milk with Vinegar?
Both work, and the card allows either. I have made this batter both ways, and the difference shows on the griddle.
Real buttermilk is thicker, so the batter holds its shape when it hits the pan and the pancakes rise taller with tender centers. One cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar, left to stand for 5 minutes, is thinner. That batter spreads a little more, the edges crisp faster and the flavor is a bit flatter.
For a weekend breakfast with guests I buy buttermilk. On a weekday the vinegar swap is fine, and I leave out a splash of the milk if the batter looks loose.
Whipped Cinnamon Butter in Four Ingredients
Make the butter first so it has time to firm up. Stir ½ cup softened unsalted butter with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth, then spoon it into a ramekin or roll it into a log in parchment and chill it while you cook. A full cinnamon butter recipe is here if you want a bigger batch.
Put a slice on each pancake while it is hot, then add the syrup. Butter on the bottom melts into the surface; butter on top of syrup slides off. It keeps for a week in the fridge, and leftovers are good on pumpkin bread or warm muffins.
Griddle Heat and When to Flip
Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium and grease it lightly with butter or oil before each batch. Scoop ¼ cup of batter per pancake and leave room between them.
Flip when bubbles show across the top and the edges look dry and set, usually after 2 to 3 minutes. Give the second side about 2 minutes, until it is browned and the center springs back when you press it lightly. Do not press the pancakes flat with the spatula. That squeezes out the air you just built.
Watch the first pancake closely. If it is dark before any bubbles appear, turn the heat down a notch; the pumpkin middle needs time to cook through. Keep finished pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 200°F (90°C) oven while you cook the rest. Stacked pancakes steam each other soft.
Why Pumpkin Pancakes Turn Out Gummy or Flat
- Dark outside, raw inside: the pan is too hot. Lower it to medium or a touch below and keep to ¼ cup scoops.
- Flat and tough: the batter was mixed smooth, or the baking powder is old. Stir less, and test the powder in hot water; it should fizz right away.
- Too thick to spread: a dry puree. Thin with 1 to 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
- Dense and overly sweet: pumpkin pie filling went in instead of plain puree.
- Pale and soft: the heat is too low or the pan was not greased. Brown the next batch a little longer.
Serving, Leftovers and Freezing
Serve them in stacks of three with a slice of cinnamon butter and maple syrup. A spoonful of pumpkin butter or maple butter works too if you want a change from the cinnamon.
Cool leftover pancakes completely, then keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. To freeze, stack them with parchment between each one in a freezer bag and freeze for about 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen in the toaster; the microwave makes them chewy. The cinnamon butter freezes for up to 1 month.
The same spiced batter, adjusted for crisp edges, becomes pumpkin waffles. For a second fall breakfast, sweet potato pancakes and cinnamon pancakes cook the same way, and pumpkin muffins can be baked the night before for a bigger table.
Small Questions Before You Cook
Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the separate spices?
Yes. Replace the 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon cloves with about 1¾ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
Can I make the batter the night before?
It is better mixed fresh. The baking powder and soda start working as soon as the buttermilk goes in, so pancakes from day-old batter rise less. Mix the dry ingredients ahead and keep the wet ones in a jar in the fridge, then combine them in the morning.
Can I use oil instead of melted butter?
Yes, 2 tablespoons of a neutral oil works in place of the melted butter. Butter gives a little more flavor and browning.
How do I know the middle is cooked?
The second side is browned and the center springs back when pressed. If you are unsure, cut the first pancake open; it should be moist but not wet.
Save this pumpkin pancake recipe to your fall breakfast board so it is there on the next slow weekend morning, and tell me in the comments if you made it with buttermilk or the vinegar swap.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter
This pumpkin pancake recipe makes soft, fluffy buttermilk pancakes with real pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves. It takes about 30 minutes and makes 8 to 10 pancakes from ¼ cup of batter each, served with a whipped cinnamon butter of softened butter, cinnamon, powdered sugar and vanilla. The batter is stirred only until no dry flour shows and cooked over medium heat, so the pumpkin center cooks through before the outside darkens. Serve these pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon butter and maple syrup for a fall breakfast, a weekend brunch or a Thanksgiving morning. No buttermilk? Use milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar. Cooked pancakes freeze for about 2 months.
Ingredients
- FOR THE PANCAKES
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- FOR THE CINNAMON BUTTER
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- MAKE THE CINNAMON BUTTER: In a small bowl, combine softened butter, ground cinnamon, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon or rubber spatula until smooth and fully incorporated.
- CHILL THE BUTTER: Transfer the cinnamon butter to a ramekin or spoon onto a sheet of parchment paper, roll into a log, and refrigerate while preparing the pancakes.
- MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly combined.
- MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
- COMBINE WET AND DRY: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine.
- PREHEAT THE SKILLET: Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease with butter or oil before cooking each batch.
- COOK THE PANCAKES: Scoop about ¼ cup of batter onto the hot skillet for each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbles form on the surface and the edges begin to set. Flip and cook the other side for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- KEEP WARM: Transfer finished pancakes to a baking sheet in a warm oven (about 200°F / 90°C) while cooking the remaining batter.
- SERVE: Top warm pancakes with slices of chilled cinnamon butter and drizzle with maple syrup just before serving.
Notes
Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Stir the batter only until no dry flour shows; a few lumps are fine and overmixing makes the pancakes flat. If the batter is too thick to spread, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more buttermilk. If the first pancake browns before bubbles form on top, lower the heat. Make the cinnamon butter first so it can chill; it keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week or frozen for up to one month. Cooked pancakes keep 2 to 3 days in the fridge or about 2 months frozen with parchment between them; reheat in the toaster.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 238Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 54mgSodium 367mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 1gSugar 5gProtein 4g
