Recipe

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Use this easy recipe to make turkey pancakes, or keep it simple and use a mix. Follow the tips here for a fun Thanksgiving breakfast.

These easy Thanksgiving turkey pancakes guarantee lots of breakfast giggles.

a thanksgiving turkey pancake on a plate made with pancakes and fruit to resemble a turkey

Festive Turkey Pancakes for Thanksgiving

When my kids were little, I loved using one of our favorite pancake recipes to make these festive turkey pancakes on Thanksgiving morning.

Below, I share how to make them with my ultimate recipe for homemade pancakes, but really, all you need to do is cook them, slice some fruit, and wait for the giggles.

Use Any Mix or Recipe

You can make pancakes with a mix, following the directions on the box, or make them more nutritious using this pumpkin cottage cheese pancake recipe.

How to Make Turkey Pancakes

Here is what you need to know about making these:

Mix the ingredients to make pancake batter.
Slice some fruit or cook up bacon pieces for the turkey tail. Thinly sliced apples for the tail, and banana slices and chocolate chips for the eyes.
Cook up the batter into one large pancake for the body of the turkey and then a couple of smaller circles for the face and wings. I use a spoon to drop the batter onto the pan for these smaller pieces.
Assemble the turkey pancakes by placing the smaller pieces on top of the main pancake. Fan up the sliced apples for the tail and banana and chocolate chips for the eyes.

More Thanksgiving Breakfast Inspiration

Other Thanksgiving breakfasts worth mentioning include my cranberry baked oatmeal, these easy pumpkin scones, and these pumpkin muffins with cottage cheese.

Easy Turkey Pancakes

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Use this easy recipe to make turkey pancakes, or keep it simple and use a mix. Follow the tips here for a fun Thanksgiving breakfast.

5 from 30 votes

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder, aluminum-free
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 ½ cups milk, any
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, optional
Apple slices, banana slices, chocolate chips, for the face

Instructions

Make the batter:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla extract. Break up the egg first with a fork, and then begin mixing it with the flour, working from the outside of the bowl in, until just combined and the batter is mostly smooth.

Cook the pancakes:

Heat a non-stick griddle or large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, grease, spray, or melt butter on the hot surface. When using an electric griddle, heat it somewhere between 300 and 350F.
Immediately, pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the greased pan to make the body of the turkey. Then, pour a few smaller, tablespoon-sized pancakes to make up the round turkey face and the wings. Cook the pancakes for about 2 minutes per side. Remove the pancakes from the pan onto a plate and keep them warm while you cook the rest of the batter into turkey pieces. I like to do a few "string-like" pieces for the turkey legs too.

Assemble the turkeys:

Slice an apple or two into thin wedges for the tail. Slice a banana into ¼-inch thick slices. Place a few chocolate chips in a bowl.
Build a turkey shape with the larger pancake, placing a smaller round pancake on top, two smaller pieces as wings, and string-like pieces as the feet (or use sliced cheddar). Use the fruit and chocolate chips to finish the turkey.