Start your fall mornings with warm, fluffy, spice-filled pumpkin pancakes! But honestly, these are good enough to eat any time of the year. Serve with toasted pecans and maple syrup for a satisfying breakfast that your whole family will love!
If you love pumpkin as I do, you will love these delicious pancakes! They are incredibly fluffy and so full of flavor! They come together in about 30 minutes for a breakfast that will win over your entire family.
This recipe has one unusual ingredient you don’t see too often in pancakes, VINEGAR! But it is key to getting the lightest and fluffiest pancakes. Have you ever made an erupting volcano when you were a kid? You probably used vinegar and baking soda to get that bubbly explosion effect. The same idea works in this pancake recipe. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and adds lift, creating a fluffier pancake. Vinegar is a surprisingly common ingredient in baked goods. Vinegar and baking soda are often included in cake and cookie batters to give those batters a lift as they bake. Don’t worry; you’ll never taste the vinegar. Just enough vinegar is used to create a reaction without leaving the sharp taste vinegar is known for.
For this Recipe:
Like many baking recipes, you mix the wet ingredients together, then in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients together. Mixing the dry ingredients by themselves means you will evenly disperse the rising agents, spices, sugar, etc., throughout, which is essential for an “even” batter.
Why is this important? Over-mixing the batter will toughen and strengthen the gluten in the flour. Doing this to the gluten will yield tougher baked goods and not a light and fluffy end result like you want. Mixing the dry ingredients together first, then doing the same with the wet ingredients, means that you will have less mixing to do once you combine the two. The less you mix the flour, the less chance the gluten has to develop, meaning you end up with a fluffier and lighter end-product.
A perfect example is pancake batter. It is so very important that you don’t over-mix pancake batter. You want those light, fluffy pancakes, right? Then resist the urge to keep mixing until you have all the lumps out. A few small lumps are ok. They will work themselves out while the batter rests, so don’t worry about them.
After mixing all the ingredients together, it’s important to let your pancake batter rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Resting allows the vinegar time to begin reacting with the baking soda. You should see bubbles start to form in your batter, which means it’s working. You can preheat your griddle while the batter is resting.
Cook your pancakes until they are golden brown. Flip and repeat on the other side. Serve while warm with butter, toasted pecans, and maple syrup.
The Perfect Griddle for the Perfect Pancakes:
I’ve used this griddle for years. And having a good griddle makes it incredibly easy to get perfectly cooked, golden-brown pancakes every time. I also love the fact that I can cook up to eight pancakes at a time!
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
Toppings (optional)
- chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the pumpkin, milk, egg, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well to combine
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine. Let the batter rest for 5 to 10 minutes. You should start to see bubbles forming, which is the vinegar reacting to the baking soda.
- Meanwhile, preheat the griddle to 325° F. If you're using a stovetop, lightly butter the pan, start with your burner on medium, and adjust as needed for a golden-brown pancake.
- Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, scoop the pancake batter and pour it onto the griddle. Allow the batter to cook for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes, or until the first side is golden brown. Flip the pancake and cook for an additional 1 ½ to 2 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Cooking times may vary depending on your cooking surface. The best indicator is an even golden-brown pancake. If you are still uncertain, cut one pancake in half to check that it is cooked through to the center.
- Serve warm with butter and maple syrup. Add chopped toasted pecans to complete the dish.
