Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes
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It’s that time of year. You know, where I make some reference to how much I love the movie You’ve Got Mail and how much I love the fall and how the two are inseparably connected and together make everything right in the world?
It’s that time.
I gave The Best Movie Ever it’s inaugural run of the season last week, and fall really did seem to settle down in my bones. After watching it, we pulled out our autumn decorations and, even though it won’t feel like autumn till about December in these parts, it now at least looks like autumn in our apartment.
And now I walk around sighing romantically and can no longer resist the urge to cook and bake for fall. I thought breakfast a fitting place to start.
I’ve had these pumpkin pancakes by Heather Christo bookmarked for ages and ages. They looked beautiful, not-too-thick, and nice and tender. They were all of those things, dear reader.
At first, pumpkin anything without cinnamon and fall spices seemed a sacrilege. But I trusted the recipe (and rave reviews) and decided to give it a try. I figured that, worst case scenario, I’d taste the first one and add some spices if I didn’t care for it.
The recipe was SPOT on!
These were fabulous! I actually think I prefer these over spiced ones because the pumpkin flavor was allowed to shine through without coming off as too sweet or too dessert-y. Finished simply with a little maple syrup and/or butter, these are divine!
p.s. I’ve updated the recipe notes with the substitutions we use these days to keep them gluten and dairy free. I use this flour blend, unsweetened almond milk, and avocado oil
Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes
Description
I found these cooked best when I didn’t have much butter or cooking spray on my pan. If you’re nervous about them sticking, feel free to use a small amount.
Ingredients
- 1c flour (or GF all purpose flour)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/3c buttermilk (or almond milk + 1 Tbsp cider vinegar)
- 3/4c pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling)
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted (or oil)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin puree, egg, and melted butter. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until mostly smooth with a few lumps.
- Heat a nonstick griddle or pan over medium heat. If desired, use a very small amount of nonstick spray or butter on the cook surface to prevent sticking.
- Scoop the pancake batter onto the hot griddle or pan with about 1/3c scoop. Cook until bubbles form on the surface of the batter and bottom is deep golden (it may look browned. This is fine!). Flip with a spatula and continue cooking until second side is golden and batter is set. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.
Notes
Makes 8-10 pancakes
Recipe slightly adapted from Heather Christo
October 1st – it’s officially pumpkin flavored everything season!!
Dad will especially love these. I will especially love making them for him. Yum!
Just happened to have a can of pumpkin in the pantry. I cooked the pancakes up for this morning’s breakfast and they were super! lite and fluffy, tender . Yumm
A perfect fall breakfast, I bet the texture is perfect!
I stocked up on some canned pumpkin last week, so I’m all ready:) My first is going to be trying a new pumpkin cream cheese to smear all over bagels…..yum.
Just tried making these and they didn’t turn out. Way bummed.
Had some leftover pumpkin from making your pumpkin whoopie pies (which got rave reviews from adults and kids alike this weekend), so decided to make these for me and the kids for breakfast dinner. The kids gobbled them up and my son asked me to make your honey cinnamon butter to put on them next time, so yay for finding a way to sneak veggie goodness into a food they like. 🙂 Now I am not a pancake expert (hubby is the normal pancake maker in our house), but I did find that I needed to grease my pan more than normal to keep these from sticking and they needed to be cooked on very low heat in order to cook the middle without burning the outside. Perhaps the extra sugar from the pumpkin contributed to this. I think I will try thinning the batter a bit with more buttermilk next time to help, but thanks for the yummy recipe!
Juliann- Thanks for your tips! I imagine the differences in pans also contributes to differences in cooking. I found when I used more butter on my pan that I had a harder time flipping them, and I know someone else who didn’t use any on their griddle. Funny how that happens, but I’m so glad these turned out for you. Also, I’m sure you’re right about the natural sugar in the pumpkin.
I just made these and they turned out great!! I didn’t have any real problems with sticking, I just used Pam on a nonstick and it was fine. I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose, and I also added a little bourbon and vanilla. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe! Will definitely use again.
I FINALLY made these today, and I AM IN LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! The only thing that would have made them better is if I had been watching “You’ve Got Mail” while enjoying them. I also cooked them on a lower temperature and greased my pan, and they were divine. I actually doubled the recipe, but was a little low on brown sugar so I added a tiny bit of white sugar and a little molasses. Yummm. THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this amazingly amazing recipe. I will be using it again. Weekly.
Looooved the idea of your cinnamon honey butter on top. Mmmm. Next time.
I made these for breakfast this morning. OMG… so light, moist and delicious!!! Yummo!!! I can’t wait to make them again.
These look great! We make pancakes using a cast iron pan, and we have been very successful using Earth Balance dairy-free butter to keep them from sticking. Maybe give it a try!
I had to add more flour to these. Is it definitely just 1 cup? When I did 1 cup they were very soggy. After adding more flour they were great!
I just made these pancakes and they turned out really good. Thank you for the recipe.
Ana – So glad you liked them! We made a batch just the other week. They’re one of our favorites!
These were really good. My husband said these were his favorite pancakes. I followed recipe just as written. Will make them again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I eat pumpkin all year round ❤️
The recipe was fine. I used a fresh pumpkin that was given to me as a gift. I used big ladle, so the recipe only yielded 7 pancakes, and the last pancake was the smallest. Oops! :-/ LoL! I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. The pancakes tasted sweetly. One day I will try the recipe again, and hopefully, more pancakes will be yielded.