Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes make perfect weekend breakfast treat! Quick & easy to make, wholesome & delicious. The only tricky bit is to choose your topping.
My Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes are celebration of pumpkin and pancakes. Pancakes in any shape or form are the obligatory Sunday breakfast in our house and by now we have tried them all, so pumpkin pancakes were simply a matter of time.
Whether we are talking classic English pancakes or fluffy, American style ones, it doesn't matter. We do love pancakes here and making them is our Sunday morning thing, our little ritual and tradition. My main association with pancakes is a lazy morning, pyjamas on till late (well definitely later than during the week lol), smell of coffee, happy & relaxed kids... How could I not love pancakes!
If you like pancakes not only for breakfast but also for dessert, take a look at these Pancakes (Crepes) with Mascarpone Cream & Cranberry Compote which look impressive and taste simply divine!
Likewise, if you are catering for a vegan in your family or somebody with food intolerances you might want to check out my Vegan Crepes or Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes.
What makes these pancakes healthy?
Flour
To make these pancakes a bit healthier and wholesome I used white spelt flour* but you could also use white rye flour* which I have used previously in my Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread and Vegan Pumpkin Muffins.
Both flours claim to have most of the goodness of their wholemeal counterparts but with much lighter texture hence suitable for all of your baking needs as well as these delicious pumpkin pancakes. Additional benefit is that slightly nutty flavour which can only be a good thing. However, if you don't happen to have either flour try using regular whole wheat variety, or mix of plain and whole wheat flours! You really cannot go wrong here.
Pumpkin Puree
Wholesome goodness right there! Make sure your puree is fairly dry. I used my favourite Hokkaido (Red Kuri Squash) which is the best if you are after nice dry pumpkin puree. Take a look at my Easy Homemade Pumpkin Puree guide for more details and tips. Alternatively, you can use tinned puree which has pretty dry consistency and would be perfect here.
Other ingredients & substitutions
I used coconut oil instead of butter in my pancakes but feel free to use equal amount of unsalted butter if you prefer.
Full fat plain yogurt can be substituted with buttermilk or plain dairy-free yogurt of your choice.
If you'd like for your pumpkin pancakes to be egg-free, swap eggs for ground flax eggs. Simply mix 2 tablespoon of ground flax seed* with 5 tablespoon water and pop it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes until it turns slightly thicker. Use in recipe as you would eggs. You will get lovely boost of extra fibre and Omega-3s too!
Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes - sweet or savoury?
Are these more of a sweet or savoury fare I hear you ask? Well, both really! There is a small amount of brown sugar added to the batter however the pumpkin itself provides slightly savoury flavour. Whether you end up with sweet or savoury pumpkin pancakes will very much depend on your choice of toppings.
For sweet alternatives try:
- some butter with toasted walnuts or pecans and drizzle of honey, maple syrup or golden syrup
- your favourite jam or conserve (plum jam goes particularly well with anything pumpkin!)
- you could try my Easy Homemade Plum & Chocolate Spread for that slightly grown-up chocolatey hit or your favourite shop bought chocolate spread
Savoury toppings we've tried and loved include:
- crispy smoked streaky bacon/pancetta with a drizzle of maple syrup (perfect combination of sweet and salty)
- baked beans
- smoked salmon with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of chopped chives
- fried or poached egg (with gorgeously runny yolk) could accompany any of the savoury options - absolute heaven!
Storing & freezing
These pumpkin pancakes reheat really well and by far the easiest way to do it is to pop them in a microwave. Approximately 30 seconds later and they are done.
You could also pop them in a toaster, reheat in a pan with a little butter or few minutes in a low oven would do the trick too.
They can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
How to make Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes - Step-By-Step Instructions
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Put flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and give it a little whisk with a fork or a whisk (alternatively sift all the ingredients through the sieve).
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Add sugar and a pinch of salt and give it a mix. Make a well in the middle and put aside while you prepare your wet ingredients.
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In another bowl mix melted coconut oil with yogurt and eggs. Add pumpkin puree and mix some more until well combined.
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Pour your pumpkin puree mixture into the well of dry ingredients and mix in with wooden spatula or a whisk until you get quite a thick and slightly lumpy looking batter.
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Heat a large, non-stick frying pan with a little oil and drop 4 large spoonfuls of batter onto the pan (depending on the size of pan you are using). Cook for approximately 2 min on a medium heat until small bubbles start appearing on the surface of the pancakes. Flip them over with a spatula and cook on the other side until golden. Repeat with remaining batter and serve with your choice of toppings! Enjoy!
📋 Recipe
Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 150 g white spelt flour or wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 35 g light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 2 large eggs
- 180 ml plain yogurt
- 150 g pumpkin puree
- pinch of sea salt
- rapeseed oil/ olive oil for frying
To serve
- Toasted chopped walnuts or pecans
- Butter
- Maple syrup/Honey/Golden syrup
- Crispy Streaky Bacon Slices
Instructions
- Put flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and give it a little whisk with a fork or a whisk (alternatively sift all the ingredients through the sieve).
- Add sugar and a pinch of salt and give it a mix. Make a well in the middle and put aside while you prepare your wet ingredients.
- In another bowl mix melted coconut oil with yogurt and eggs. Add pumpkin puree and mix some more until well combined.
- Pour your pumpkin puree mixture into the well of dry ingredients and mix in with wooden spatula or a whisk until you get quite a thick and slightly lumpy looking batter.
- Heat a large, non-stick frying pan with a little oil and drop 4 large spoonfuls of batter onto the pan (depending on the size of pan you are using). Cook for approximately 2 min on a medium heat until small bubbles start appearing on the surface of the pancakes. Flip them over with a spatula and cook on the other side until golden. Repeat with remaining batter and serve with your choice of toppings! Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per pancake without topping and should be treated as a guideline only.
- You can substitute coconut oil with 25g (2Tbsp) of unsalted butter. For other possible substitutions please see post above.
- Make sure you use really dry pumpkin puree for this recipe. Check out my post on how to make your own easy homemade pumpkin puree. Alternatively, use tinned pumpkin puree which tends to be quite dry.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
More recipes using pumpkin puree you might enjoy:
Pumpkin Steamed Sponge Pudding
Pumpkin & Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Have you tried my Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes? Leave a comment and rating at the bottom of this post, I love reading them!
Pin Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes for later!
Linkies:
Cook Blog Share with Flipped-Out Food, Cook Once Eat Twice, Fiesta Friday with The Frugal Hausfrau and Milkandbun
*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more. I only recommend products I own or really like and which caught my attention. Thanks in advance for supporting Jo’s Kitchen Larder!
Eileen Bray says
Delicious. I used sour cream instead of yogurt and touted with my homemade applesauce
joskitchenlarder says
So pleased you enjoyed them Eileen. They do make delicious seasonal alternative to standard pancakes for sure! 🎃
Andy Bishop says
These look very yummy. I'm going to make them for breakfast tom. Thanks for this!
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
oooh pumpkin pancakes! These would go down really well in my house - The Peas are definitely Pancake piggies!
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Midge! 🙂 Tell me about pancake piggies lol! But then who can resist nice stack of pancakes and these are pretty good for you too! x
Mayuri Patel says
I haven't tasted pumpkin pancakes but sure would love to try making them at home. Love the suggestions you've given as to how to serve them. I think pumpkin pancakes and baked beans would make a wonderful brunch light dinner option.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you! 🙂 The savoury version with baked beans is superb! We had it for dinner couple of weeks back with my boys during busy weekday and everybody loved it. We added poached eggs on top as well ( the way to go)! 🙂
frugal hausfrau says
These look like excellent pancakes! I wish I had a plate of them right now!
Thanks for sharing your creation with us this week at Fiesta Friday!!
Mollie
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Mollie! 🙂 They are ever so moreish and disappear in a flash every time I make them lol which must be a good sign 🙂
Mila says
Oh, I love pumpkin pancakes, color is so beautiful , and the textute seems more soft to me 🙂
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Mila! 🙂 They are like little orange pillow aren't they? I am definitely sold! 🙂
Nickki says
I’m on a real pumpkin kick at the moment - these pancakes look amazing! I love the fact that we can now buy tinned pumpkin in the U.K., so much easier! I’ve pinned this recipe, will definitely be giving it a try ?
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Nickki! I know what you mean I'm the same, love everything pumpkin! 🙂 It's great to have the option with tinned pumpkin puree for sure. I've got a tin in the cupboard but as I have been on a roll with my own puree so far this season, I haven't had a chance to use it yet! 🙂
Karly says
These look delicious!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Karly! 🙂
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
They look so incredibly fluffy and amazing!
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Kat! 🙂 They've turned out so well with perfect fluffy crumb and so delicious. 🙂
Corina Blum says
I love the sound of these pumpkin pancakes. I really like using pumpkin in recipes and this is such a good way of adding a little extra veg into a meal that wouldn't normally have it. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Corina! 🙂 These are definitely lovely and wholesome and kids loved them. My eldest actually preferred them savoury with baked beans and poached egg on top lol, even more goodness 🙂
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I swore off pancakes for many years because I grew up on the kind that came out of a bag. BLEARGH! But I've since learned that the homemade kind are heavenly. I absolutely love the sound of these pumpkin pancakes with streaky bacon/pancetta and a poached egg. Baked beans, you say?! I'm INTRIGUED. Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Michelle! That was the first time I have tried making pumpkin pancakes and now I'm hooked, they are fantastic and the best thing about them is that you can have them either sweet or savoury! Oh yes baked beans absolutely fantastic and super popular here in the UK. All you need to do is open the tin and out they come, gorgeous! 🙂
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
I love squash but don't cook with it much in baking. Maybe I should start by making these pancakes, they look delicious
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Jacqui! 🙂 That's sounds like a great idea 🙂 They really are delicious!