If you’ve got a leftover sweet potato, these pancakes are reason enough to save it. They cook up thick and fluffy with soft centers, a little natural sweetness, and just enough cinnamon to make them ridiculously good with butter and syrup.
The Best Sweet Potato Pancakes
My family loves pumpkin pancakes, but when I spot a leftover baked sweet potato in the fridge, I use it to make these sweet potato pancakes for breakfast. The sweet potato makes the pancakes naturally moist and lightly sweet, while they still cook up soft and fluffy. You’re going to love them!
Ingredients
You’ll need a cooked sweet potato; a leftover baked sweet potato is perfect or you can microwave it. Milk (any) is the liquid ingredient, an egg binds the batter, and a little melted butter adds moisture. All-purpose flour is the base of the recipe; a little brown sugar (or regular) sweetens, a little salt enhances the flavor, and cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice) makes them taste great.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Prep the sweet potato.
Mash it in a bowl until there are a few lumps or blend it with the wet ingredients for an extra-smooth batter. - Make the batter.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the sweet potato with the wet ingredients, then pour the wet mixture into the dry bowl. Mix to combine to create a thick but scoopable batter. If it’s too thick to spread, add a little more milk.
- Cook the pancakes.
Scoop the batter onto a greased non-stick pan over medium heat and spread it slightly with the back of the scoop. They’re ready to flip when bubbles form on top, and the edges look set. Cook the second side until golden, and the middles are puffy. If they’re browning before the centers cook, lower the heat. - Serve.
Serve them warm, topped with brown sugar syrup, cinnamon syrup, or your favorite toppings.
What’s the Texture Like?
Sweet potato makes these pancakes a little more moist and substantial than my classic pancakes, but they should still be soft and fluffy inside, never wet or gummy. The batter is naturally thicker, which is why I spread it slightly in the pan so the centers cook through.
Laura’s Tips for Fluffy Sweet Potato Pancakes
Yes. Drain the canned yams (or sweet potatoes) very well before mashing and measuring. Plain sweet potato puree (usually sold as baby food) works, but it’s thinner than mashed sweet potatoes, so start with a little less milk. Otherwise, the batter will be a bit runnier, and the pancakes will be thinner.
You can mash the cooked sweet potato with a fork until it’s nice and smooth and make great pancakes, but I prefer to blend it with the wet ingredients. Blending gets rid of the little lumps and distributes the sweet potato evenly throughout the batter for the smoothest, fluffiest texture.
The batter is thicker and more moist than regular pancake batter, so the pancakes need enough time for the centers to cook. Spread the batter slightly and cook over medium heat. If the outsides brown too quickly, lower the heat instead of flipping them early. In the next batch, rinse the pan under water to reset the pan’s temperature.
Let the pancakes cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. I like to freeze pancakes flat, then transfer them into a zip bag so they don’t stick to each other. They’re easy to grab and reheat in the microwave or toaster.
More Fall Pancakes
If pancakes with these fall-like flavors are your thing, try these pumpkin spice pancakes, banana pumpkin pancakes, or these high-protein pumpkin pancakes.
Fluffy Sweet Potato Pancakes
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup milk, more if needed
- ½ cup mashed sweet potato
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
Make the batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the blender: For the best batter texture, add the milk, mashed sweet potato, egg, and melted butter to a blender jar. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth. This distributes the sweet potato evenly throughout the wet ingredients and eliminates any lumps.In a bowl: measure the cooked sweet potato into a measuring cup, then add it to a bowl. Mash it well until few lumps (or none) remain. Add the milk, eggs, and melted butter, and mix until combined. If needed, press the back of the fork against the sides of the bowl to break up any larger chunks.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and gently mix from the outside in until combined. Stop when no visible flour remains. The batter is thick but scoopable.
Cook the pancakes
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, grease it with oil or butter. Immediately pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake and use the back of the scoop to spread it. Cook the first side for 2 minutes. When the edges begin to look defined and bubbles form on top, flip them over and cook the other side for 2 more minutes. Avoid pressing the pancakes with the spatula; it makes them dense by removing the air bubbles inside that make them fluffy.
- Remove the pancakes and serve as you go, or keep them warm on a plate covered with a kitchen towel, or in the oven at 200F while you cook the rest. Serve them warm with your favorite syrup and toppings. ite syrup and toppings.
Storage
- Refrigerate cooled pancakes in an airtight container or zip bag for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments, or toast them.
Notes
- Use leftover cooked sweet potato for this recipe, or quickly cook one in the microwave. Cut it in half, let it cool as much as you can, then use ½ cup of it for this recipe. Click here to see how to cook it in the microwave, and here for the air fryer.
- To use canned yams (in syrup): Drain canned yams very well before mashing and measuring.
- To use plain pureed sweet potato (like a jar of baby food): Since it’s thinner (more liquid) than traditional mashed sweet potato, start with 2 tablespoons less milk (1 cup – 2 TB) and add the rest as needed until the batter is thick but scoopable.
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Kimberly says
These were incredible sweet potato pancakes. Will be enjoying them year round!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for sharing how much you enjoyed these, Kimberly!