Fluffy Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
These fluffy pumpkin pancakes are vegan and made healthy with the use of whole grain flour. Perfectly spiced and sweet, you will want a large stack of these to enjoy for breakfast or brunch.
As soon as I see the leaves change and start to fall, I instantly get in the mood for some fall classics. These pumpkin pancakes always come to mind. And since I make them frequently, it also helps me get through all the pumpkin spice I inevitably buy at the start of the season. Whether you are starting your day with some or planning to make some soon, this should be your go to recipe.
Why You’ll Love These Fall Inspired Pancakes
- Each bite tastes like fall. We use pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup and vanilla extract to elevate the flavor of the added pumpkin. This leads to the perfectly sweetened pancakes.
- They are perfectly fluffy even though we are not using any egg or dairy in these pancakes.
- These pancakes are vegan, healthier thanks to the use of some whole grain flour and easy to put together.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pumpkin Puree: I used canned 100% pumpkin puree for this recipe. Make sure you avoid using pumpkin pie filling as this is pre-sweetened and will impact the texture and flavor of the pancakes. This recipe can also work with pureed sweet potato.
- Flour: To make these pancakes healthier, we are adding some whole grain flour to this. I love using whole wheat pastry flour as it has been milled to a more fine consistency like white flour, so it’s less gritty, but has more fiber and protein.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: It won’t make your pancakes taste vinegary! It actually reacts with our baking soda and baking powder to create gas bubbles that help make these pancakes perfectly soft and fluffy.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I recommend making sure you are using a fresh batch of pumpkin pie spice as it will give these pancakes the most flavor. You can also make a fresh batch of pumpkin pie spice as well if desired or sub in cinnamon if you are in a pinch.
- Maple Syrup: To help naturally sweeten our pancakes and enhance the pumpkin pie flavors.
- Vegan Yogurt: This might seem like an odd ingredient, but it helps to make your pancakes fluffier and also acts as an extra binder to keep our pancakes together. You can alternatively use a flax egg or use an egg equivalent in the form of aquafaba.
- Vegan Milk: I have tested this recipe with oat milk and soy milk to help keep it nut-free, but you can also use almond milk if that is your preference too.
How to Make This Recipe
This recipe can be made all in one bowl. Add your pumpkin, yogurt, syrup, and vinegar then give a good mix. Add in your pumpkin spice, vanilla extract and your milk, then give another good mix.
Once all the wet ingredients are mixed, whisk in your leavening ingredients and salt. Now fold in your flour, making sure that it is not overmixed. It’s okay if there are some small lumps, they will still cook.
Pour 1/4 cup of your batter onto a preheated, greased griddle and cook for 2-3 minutes before flipping and cooking on the other side.
Tips for the Perfect Fluffy Pancakes
- Make sure your leavening ingredients are fresh. Check to make sure your baking powder and baking soda are not expired. If they are, make sure to replace as they are a key ingredient that will provide the bubbling reaction needed to make your pancakes fluffy.
- Avoid overmixing your batter. When you overmix your batter, you overwork the gluten. This will cause your pancakes to be flat and dense instead of fluffy.
- Make sure your griddle or pan is nice and hot before adding your batter. Preheating the pan will make sure that your pancake cooks all the way through. Test out a small pancake on the griddle to make sure it’s the right temperature. You can adjust the heat as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
I would advice against this as homemade pumpkin puree can be more watery. Having watery pumpkin puree will impact the batter and likely make it too thin or wet, which will impact the fluffiness of the pancakes. If you do plan to use homemade puree, try and strain some of the moisture out before adding to your batter or slowly pour in milk until the desired batter consistency is reached.
These pancakes are perfect to prep in advance. Cook up your pancakes and allow to cool completely. Place the pancakes in a freezer bag and place in the freezer to freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place the frozen pancake in a toaster oven to heat through for a few minutes.
This recipe was not tested using an alternative flour. If you plan to use a gluten-free flour, just know that gluten-free flours can work differently and might not result in the same texture or flavor. For a tested gluten-free pancake recipe, try From My Bowl’s Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes.
These pancakes have two nutritious ingredients included, the pumpkin puree and the whole grain flour. Pumpkin puree is loaded with vitamin A and antioxidants, which are protective for our eyes and skin. The whole grain flour is rich in fiber and other minerals located in the intact grain of the flour. These ingredients make these pancakes more hearty and filling.
How to Serve
These pancakes are great served with some berries and a dollop of peanut butter or extra vegan yogurt. A lot of times I will spread either option on top of my pancakes like toast and go without the syrup to make these great on the go. But feel free to also use the classic pour of maple syrup on top like I did here. Serve with a cup of soy milk for extra protein if desired.
If you really want to indulge, I love adding some vegan chocolate chips into the batter. Chocolate just makes everything better.
More Healthy Pancake Recipes to Try
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes
- Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
- Fluffy Cornmeal Pancakes
- Banana Nut Pancakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These fluffy pumpkin pancakes are vegan and made healthy with the use of whole grain flour. Perfectly spiced and sweet, you will want a large stack of these to enjoy for breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup vegan yogurt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup oat, almond or soy milk
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat a griddle or non-stick pan. In a mixing bowl, add pumpkin puree, yogurt, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and milk then give it all a good mix to combine.
- Mix in the baking powder, baking soda and salt, and give another mix to combine. You will notice some bubbles start to form as the leavening reagents react with the vinegar.
- Fold in flour and mix to combine. Avoid overmixing your batter!
- Grease your griddle once warm, then scoop 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the griddle surface and cook for 2-3 minutes or until bottom of pancake is golden.
- Flip and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes as well. Remove from heat and repeat with the remaining batter then serve as desired.
Notes
Make sure your leavening ingredients are fresh. Check to make sure your baking powder and baking soda are not expired. If they are, make sure to replace as they are a key ingredient that will provide the bubbling reaction needed to make your pancakes fluffy.
Avoid overmixing your batter. When you overmix your batter, you overwork the gluten. This will cause your pancakes to be flat and dense instead of fluffy.
Make sure your griddle or pan is nice and hot before adding your batter. Preheating the pan will make sure that your pancake cooks all the way through. Test out a small pancake on the griddle to make sure it’s the right temperature. You can adjust the heat as needed.
This recipe has only been tested with whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour and spelt flour. Using gluten-free flours typically work different as they absorb liquids differently. Let me know if you have tested with a gluten-free alternative flour.
Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. I love to see your recreations, so feel free to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram so I can share them with my community of friends.
★ Catherine
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Delicious and easy! Thank you!