Preparation

Few foods signify the cozy, wonderful experience of fall more completely than pumpkin. These fluffy pumpkin pancakes are the ideal breakfast for crisp fall mornings. They’re packed with pumpkin and a cornucopia of warming spices like allspice, cinnamon, and ginger. (Though, of course, you can substitute 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice for those, if you like.) These pumpkin pancakes come together quickly and are extra tender thanks to the pumpkin puree. If you want to take the flavor up a notch, stir in 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract.

Serve your stacks of pumpkin pancakes with your favorite toppings. We suggest a dusting of powdered sugar, melted butter, whipped cream, and maple syrup, but any number of toppings pair well with pumpkin pancakes. Cinnamon-spiced roasted apples, toasted pecans, or even a drizzle of pumpkin spice syrup would be delicious.

What pan is best for making pancakes?

The great news about pancake batter is that it does well in a number of pans. HexClad’s 12” pan and griddle are both great for making pancakes, thanks to their generous surface size and nonstick coating. If you want to make more pancakes at once, try using a roasting pan set over two burners.

5 helpful tips for making pancakes

1. Don’t overmix the batter: Pancakes turn out best when you’ve just barely combined the wet and dry ingredients, which ensures a tender—not rubbery—texture. Adding the dry ingredients to the wet ones helps avoid lumps.
2. Let the batter sit 5 minutes before cooking: A short rest before hitting the hot pan helps the leavening activate so the pancakes are fluffy, not flat.
3. Keep an eye on the temperature: Maintaining the right temperature when cooking pancakes is more of an art than a science. After heating the pan to the right temperature, adjust accordingly so the pancakes become golden brown, not burnt.
4. First bubbles, then flip: When bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes, it’s time to flip. Before that, the pancake won’t be adequately cooked.
5. Keep pancakes warm to serve everyone together: Pancakes are tastier when everyone gets to eat together, including the cook! Transfer cooked pancakes to a baking sheet in a 250ºF oven to stay warm until the entire batch is cooked.

TK more ways to use extra pumpkin puree

Our pumpkin pancake recipe uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree, which will leave about ½ cup from a normal-sized can. Here are some creative and delicious ways to use it up:

1. Pumpkin smoothie: it might sound strange, but pumpkin is delicious in your breakfast blend. Start by adding ½ cup to your favorite banana smoothie.
2. Pumpkin pasta sauce: pumpkin adds a rich and velvety texture to pasta sauce, as in this decadent recipe for pumpkin pesto and ricotta stuffed shells.
3. Pumpkin oatmeal: Amp up your breakfast bowl with a dollop of pumpkin puree. Stir it into oats with maple syrup and a pinch of pumpkin spice. Top with roasted apples.
4. Pumpkin hummus: Stir pumpkin puree into hummus for an autumnal twist on the popular snack.
5. Pumpkin breakfast parfait: Layer pumpkin puree with granola, yogurt, maple syrup, and chopped apples.

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola oil

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Neutral oil or butter, for the pan

Powdered sugar, melted butter, whipped cream, or maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, oil, and eggs.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, and fold with a flexible spatula until just combined.
4. Heat a 12” HexClad pan or griddle pan over medium-low heat. Add enough oil or butter to lightly coat the pan. Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter onto the pan or griddle to make each pancake, allowing at least 1” space between each pancake. Flip when bubbles rise to the surface and the bottoms are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil or butter to the pan as needed.
5. Serve topped with powdered sugar, melted butter, whipped cream, or maple syrup.