We have survived another hot summer in the southeast this year and I have fully embraced the autumn season. This time of year has always been my favorite season for a number of reasons: football, great weather that includes chilly fall mornings and pleasant afternoons, the changing leaves, and most importantly … PUMPKINS!

One of my favorite things to make in the fall is delicious pumpkin pancakes. For the best pumpkin spice pancakes, you want the nice fluffy texture of a traditional pancake AND the sweet and savory pumpkin spice taste that remindW,W<M{wupp8888880Q)Z.Ns you of your favorite pumpkin pie. Try this recipe the next time you need a pumpkin fix this holiday season.

Why should you make this recipe instead of all the other pumpkin pancake recipes on the internet?

My pumpkin spice blend includes all 5 autumn spices – Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves, and Allspice for that perfect, robust holiday flavor!

H5BZ,’K I used the soufflé pancake technique of whipping egg whites to get that extra fluffiness to the pancakes.

It is dairy free, but you will never know since it still has that same rich flavor and texture of a traditional buttermilk recipe.

I use brown sugar and molasses instead of white sugar – these two sugars perfectly compliment the autumn spice blend.

The key tips for the best results when making this recipe are listed below:

1) Use the right combination of spices

You want to use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and Allspice. This will give you that nice, perfect aroma and flavor that you get from a pumpkin pie. You could use a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice from the store, but why not make your own homemade pumpkin spice blend? I like using a 5 spice blend which includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves, and ground Allspice. Cinnamon and nutmeg are the main drivers to getting that classic autumn spice flavor. Ginger tends to round out these two spices. Adding cloves and Allspice will give you big flavor punch, but you want the proportion of these two spices to be less than the other three so the blend is not too overpowering.

2) Use the right techniques to get fluffy pancakes

You want to use same techniques that I discuss in this post to get fluffy pancakes. The pumpkin puree added to the batter will help you get an even fluffier pancake!

3) Use the right ratio of pumpkin to flour and milk.

One mistake I used to make was to add too much pumpkin to the recipe. This will result in the pancakes being very undercooked in the middle. Remember, most of the pumpkin flavor is coming from the spices, not the pumpkin. I have found using 1 can of pumpkin per 2 cups of flour to be the sweet spot.

4) Use convection heat to your advantage

Even when dialing down the amount of pumpkin, the pumpkin will make it harder to cook the inside of the pancakes, but the outside will brown very quickly. If you have a lid to your pan, place it over the pan after dropping the batter on the pan and keep it there for a minute or two. This will help cook the inside of the pancakes and also helps them rise a bit more.

5) Keep heat to low to medium low heat

We are finishing up our kitchen remodel and I finally have a gas stove! I have had to learn to keep the gas stove burner to a “3” on the dial in order to keep the outside of the pancakes from burning and still get the inside cooked. Whether you use a gas burner, electric, or induction – you will need to turn the heat down a bit from what you are used to doing for pancakes. I normally use medium heat for pancakes, but for this recipe, I turn it down to low-medium heat (about a 3 on a dial that ranges from 1 to 10) Keep the heat down keeps the pancakes from browning too quickly and allows the inside of the pancake to cook. If you get this step right, your pancakes will come off the griddle with a nice golden brown color.

Here are your basic steps to making this delicious recipe.

Gather your dry ingredients and place them a medium mixing bowl:

All purpose white flour

Pumpkin spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves, ground Allspice)

Baking powder

Salt

Gather your wet ingredients:

Almond milk

Apple cider vinegar

Pumpkin Puree

Coconut Oil

Brown Sugar

Molasses

If the milk is straight out the refrigerator, warm it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Place your apple cider vinegar and milk in a large measuring cup and let it sit while you deal with the rest of the wet ingredients – this allows the milk to curdle similar to buttermilk.

Place the coconut oil in the microwave and add the melted coconut oil, brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree into a large mixing bowl.

Crack two eggs and separate the whites from the egg yolk. Add the yolks into the wet ingredients. Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and then add in the whipped egg whites and gently fold the batter with a spatula.

Place your griddle or pan on low-medium heat and let the batter rest while the pan heats up.

Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop out the batter and pour the cup of batter onto the pan – this amount will make small pancakes. If you want medium sized pancakes, use a 1/3 measuring cup.

Wait until the edges curl up and small bubbles form over the pancakes and then flip them with a pancake spatula.

My favorite toppings are a pat of butter on the pancakes (vegan butter works well if you are trying to keep this dairy free or vegan) and a little bit of real maple syrup.

A little bit of whipped cream or chocolate chips served over the pancakes also make delicious toppings!

Don’t forget to pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee to go with these pancakes! If you have a little left over pumpkin puree from the can, scoop it up and put in your coffee along with about a teaspoon of the pumpkin spice blend. It you have a milk frother, froth some hot milk and make yourself a homemade pumpkin spice latte!

FAQ’s:

Should you use a pre-mixed pumpkin spice blend or should you make your own?

I like to make my own! That way you control the flavor! My combination for pumpkin spice is as follows:

1 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon of ground Allspice

This is the amount per 1 cup of flour, so for this recipe it totals to 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of Allspice

Should I use fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin?

It is definitely easier and faster to make this recipe from canned pumpkin. It is time consuming making your own real pumpkin puree and it is difficult to get the flavor and texture just right. If you do want to tackle this adventure, I suggest making the puree on a different day and storing it in the fridge. That way, you don’t spend your whole Saturday morning in the kitchen and miss out on taking the kids outside for some fun fall activities. I suggest mixing the pumpkin with sweet potatoes or squash to give it a richer flavor. This is my mother’s secret to making delicious pumpkin pie each Thanksgiving.

What type of cooking spray should I use?

I love using natural high melting point nut oils such as macadamia oil or walnut oil. If you don’t have any of this on hand, you can use vegetable oil or olive oil. Just keep in mind, olive oil has a lower melting point, so if your pan is too hot, it is going to burn away. A more decadent option is placing a little butter or coconut oil on the pan which will make the outside of the pancakes extra crispy.

What do I do with the leftover pancakes?

You really think there will be leftovers? If there are, put them in a sealed container and keep them in the fridge. They will still taste great for several days and you can put them in the microwave to re-heat them.

Yield: 10-12 pancakes (medium sized)

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Delicious dairy-free pumpkin spice pancakes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups of All-purpose white flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground Allspice
• 1 1/2 cups of almond milk
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 can of pureed pumpkin
• 2 large eggs

Instructions

Place all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, Allspice) in a large bowl and whisk together

Place the milk and the apple cider vinegar in a large bowl and stir together

Separate the egg yolks from the whites by pouring the whites into a small bowl

Add the melted coconut oil, brown sugar, pumpkin puree and egg yolks in with the milk/vinegar mixture in the medium sized bowl

Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer

Pour the wet mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold together the ingredients

Gently fold in the egg whites

Pre heat your griddle or pan on low to low-medium heat (I place my dial on 3)

Let your batter rest for 5-10 minutes while the pan heats up

Once your pan is sufficiently heated, use a 1/4 cup to scoop out the batter and place it on the pan or griddle. If you have a pan cover, place it over the pan for about 1 minute to help create convection heat

Wait until the edges curl and bubbles form in the pancakes, then fip them to the other side

Let them cook on the other side for about 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and place on serving plate

Serve with your favorite toppings

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

14

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g