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These vegan pumpkin pancakes are incredibly fluffy, moist, and pillowy! Enjoy drizzled with maple syrup and crushed pecans for a warming and hearty Fall breakfast. Only 8 ingredients and 15 minutes are required!
⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe
- Full of pumpkin flavor and warming spices. Thanks to a generous full cup of pumpkin puree, these pancakes pack a rich and hearty pumpkin flavor. Adding spices complements the pumpkin flavor wonderfully, bringing sweetness and warmth.
- Moist and fluffy. Perfectly soft and moist, without being mushy, you are going to love their pillowy texture!
- One bowl and 8 ingredients. You can whip up a batch of these pancakes in less than 10 minutes with just eight ingredients! No resting time is needed!
🥞 What Are Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin pancakes are a popular Fall breakfast dish that incorporates pumpkin puree and spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg into a pancake batter. These pancakes are typically prepared during Fall and Winter when pumpkins are in season. Spices and pumpkin puree infuse the pancakes with a warm and comforting flavor. Perfect to warm up on chilly mornings!
🎃 Ingredient Notes
These pumpkin pancakes require basic pantry ingredients and less than 10 minutes to whip up, making them an excellent choice for a quick and comforting breakfast. Here is what you will need:
- Pumpkin puree – You can use canned or homemade pumpkin puree. Avoid using pumpkin pie filling, as it already contains sugar.
- Plant-based milk – Any unsweetened plant-based milk will work. If using sweetened milk, omit the light brown sugar.
- Flour – You can go with the traditional all-purpose flour or opt for a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix to make these pancakes completely free of gluten.
- Light brown sugar – To slightly sweeten the pancakes and bring a hint of burnt caramel flavor. For a deeper molasses flavor, opt for dark brown sugar.
- Pumpkin spice – The warming blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger brings a ton of Fall vibes to these pancakes! If you don’t have pumpkin spice, you can replace it with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Check out the recipe notes to learn more.
- Vanilla extract – Store-bought or homemade vanilla extract brings extra sweetness and a delicate floral aroma.
- Salt – To enhance the overall flavor.
🥣 How to Make It
Prepare the batter
- Whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the pumpkin puree, almond milk, vanilla extract, and light brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Whisk until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, add the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
- Mix until combined. Using a spoon, stir to combine the flour with the wet ingredients. There might be a few lumps, but it’s okay. Do not overmix. Otherwise, you will end up with a tough texture.
Cook
- Heat a non-stick pan. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly grease it with vegan butter or oil.
- Pour the batter. Once hot, dollop 1/3 cup of the batter onto the skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you should be able to cook 3-4 pancakes at a time.
- Cook. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the edges appear slightly dryer and are set. Then, using a spatula, quickly flip the pancakes and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
📔 Tips
- Blend the wet ingredients together. Especially if you use homemade pumpkin puree, which can be chunky. Blending the puree with the milk and vanilla extract will give you a smooth batter.
- Pumpkin spice substitute: If you don’t have pumpkin spice on hand, replace it with 3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.
- Do not overmix. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients. Overmixing would develop the gluten and would result in chewier and tougher pancakes.
- Make sure your pan is hot enough. Let your pan heat up for 2-3 minutes over medium heat before pouring the pancake batter into it. If the pan is not hot enough, pancakes may stick to it.
- Use a non-stick pan. There is nothing more frustrating than pancakes sticking to the pan. Use a thick-bottomed non-stick pan for the best result.
🍫 Variations
While these pumpkin pancakes are delicious as is, you can easily customize them to your liking:
- Chocolate: Stir in chocolate chips or add a couple of tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the batter for plenty of chocolate flavor.
- Oatmeal: For heartier pancakes, replace 1/4 cup of the flour with 1/4 cup of quick oats to make oatmeal pumpkin pancakes.
- Pumpkin seed: Stir a few tablespoons of toasted pumpkin seeds into the batter for more texture and a nutty flavor.
🧈 Toppings
Wondering how to garnish your pancakes? Here are a few ideas:
- Maple syrup: The good old maple syrup never disappoints and pairs very well with the spices here.
- Caramel sauce: Drizzle the pancakes with vegan caramel sauce for the ultimate treat! Caramel and pumpkin is truly a match made in heaven!
- Yogurt: You can top them with almond yogurt or cashew yogurt.
- Nuts or nut butter: Top them with crushed pecans, hazelnuts, peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter.
- Fresh fruits: Chopped apples, pears, or caramelized bananas.
- Ice cream: Looking for a decadent dessert option? Top these pumpkin pancakes with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!
- Jam: Fig jam, pumpkin jam, or orange marmalade pair beautifully with pumpkin pancakes.
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: You can keep leftover pumpkin pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To freeze: Let the pancakes cool completely before transferring them to a freezer bag. Pancakes will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- To reheat: There are several ways to reheat the pancakes. You can reheat them in a 350°F (175°C) preheated air fryer for 3-4 minutes, in a skillet over low-medium heat, or in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven. If reheating in an oven, place the pancakes on a plate and cover them with foil to prevent them from drying.
💬 FAQ
Begin by cooking the pancakes on one side until you see some holes forming on top and the edges becoming dry. Next, flip them and continue cooking for approximately 2 minutes or until the bottom is slightly golden brown.
The batter of these pancakes is slightly thicker than your traditional pancake batter. If you want thinner pancakes, add a few extra tablespoons of milk.
You can make the batter up to 2 days in advance. Be aware that you might have to add a splash of milk as the batter tends to thicken a bit as it sits.
Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice see notes
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the batter. Add the pumpkin puree, light brown sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until fully combined.
- Next, add the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Using a spoon, stir to combine the flour with the wet ingredients. There might be a few lumps, but it’s okay. Do not overmix. Otherwise, you will end up with a tough texture.
- Cook. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly grease it with vegan butter or oil.
- Once the skillet is hot, dollop 1/3 cup of the batter onto the skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you should be able to cook 3-4 pancakes at a time.
- Cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes or until the edges appear slightly dryer and are set. Then, using a spatula, quickly flip the pancakes and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve the pancakes with your favorite toppings!
Notes
- Blend the wet ingredients together. Especially if you use homemade pumpkin puree, which can be chunky. Blending the puree with the milk and vanilla extract will give you a smooth batter.
- Pumpkin spice substitute: If you don’t have pumpkin spice on hand, replace it with 3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.
- Do not overmix. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients. Overmixing would develop the gluten and would result in chewier and tougher pancakes.
- Make sure your pan is hot enough. Let your pan heat up for 2-3 minutes over medium heat before pouring the pancake batter into it. If the pan is not hot enough, pancakes may stick to it.
- Use a non-stick pan. There is nothing more frustrating than pancakes sticking to the pan. Use a thick-bottomed non-stick pan for the best result.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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This will be an amazing breakfast. I must try it this weekend. Thank you for sharing Thomas!