Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

Get ready to enjoy an epic stack of delicious healthy pumpkin pancakes. I’ve made this recipe many times for my family, and in the post, I share all my tested tips to ensure your breakfast turns out incredible.

Jump to:

• Simple Healthy Pancakes with Pumpkin
• Ingredients
• How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
• Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes (with Oats)

Simple Healthy Pancakes with Pumpkin

I’m one of those people whoe buys a lot of cans of pumpkin when she sees it on sale. Not only to make these healthy pumpkin pancakes but because my family is a big fan of enjoying recipes with leftover pumpkin puree a few days later.

For this recipe, I swapped the all-purpose flour from traditional fluffy pumpkin pancakes for oats. They have a hearty texture similar to whole wheat pancakes -and most of us have oats around!

The best part is that you don’t have to make oat flour for this recipe. The blender does all the work just like in my banana pumpkin pancakes with oat flour. Measure, blend, and the pancake batter is ready!

Ingredients

The ingredients for healthy pumpkin pancakes are simple and the amounts are at the bottom of the post; but before you make any swaps, here are notes on the substitutions I’ve tried with this recipe:

• Milk: dairy or dairy-free milk will work. If using oat milk for pancakes, add a tablespoon or two extra since it’s thicker.
• Eggs: to bind the ingredients and help the pancakes hold together. This is not an eggless pancake recipe, but you can use one of these egg substitutes for pancakes, except more pumpkin puree.
• Pumpkin pureé: canned pumpkin, the star of the show!
• Oats: I typically use old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. If you use quick-cooking oats, you might have to add one more tablespoon to thicken the pancake batter.
• Baking powder: these react with heat and give pancakes their fluffy texture. When making these pancakes with oats, do not omit it.
• Salt: to enhance the other flavors.

How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

These healthy pumpkin pancakes come together really fast with the help of the blender! Some tips that ensure they turn out perfect and not with undercooked middles -a common pancake issue with pumpkin- are:

1. Make the batter in the blender
   The blender combines the ingredients and blends the oats seamlessly to create a smooth batter. It will be thick, don’t worry.
2. Cook the pancakes
   Lightly grease a pancake griddle or non-stick pan with butter or cooking spray. Heat over medium heat, 350F for a pancake griddle. 
3. Cook
   You want to start with a hot, non-stick surface. Once it’s hot, grease it well. When you scoop or pour the pancakes, use the back of a spoon to spread the batter a little so the middles cook since it’s a bit thicker than most. Wait to flip the pancakes until you see bubbles and defined edges. If your pancakes are burning, reduce the heat. I explain why this happens below.
4. Serve
   Keep the pancakes warm while you cook the rest and serve them with your favorite pancake toppings. 

Tips for Great Pumpkin Pancakes

One common issue with pumpkin pancakes is wet middles or pancakes that feel wet. Here are additional tips for the best texture for this healthy recipe:

Use the right type of oats
Earlier, I mentioned that you can use quick-cooking (instant) oats to make this batter; but since they’re smaller and thinner in texture, you’ll need to add 1 to 2 additional tablespoons of quick oats to the recipe.

Spread it out
When you pour or scoop the batter onto the hot pan, use the back of the spoon to spread it out a little, especially the middle, since it takes a bit longer to cook.

Wait to flip
Wait to flip these pancakes over when the edges are defined, and bubbles have formed; this means the heat is getting through, and the baking powder is nearly activated. If your pancakes are burning, reduce the heat.

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze them for later for up to 3 months. All you have to do is take the ones you wish to eat, warm them up in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or in the toaster, and enjoy! For the ultimate convenience, freeze the pancake batter in a zip bag.

Healthy Toppings for Pumpkin Pancakes

This stack of pumpkin pancakes has a little coconut whipped cream and a small drizzle of almond butter. Of course, you can top them with healthy pancake toppings like banana slices, your favorite pancake syrups such as cinnamon syrup, or some roasted cinnamon apples.

For more autumn flavors, try my famous butternut squash pancakes next.