Soft, fluffy, and filled with pumpkin and warm fall spices, these pumpkin pancakes are an easy way to turn an ordinary weekend breakfast into something that feels distinctly autumnal. Pumpkin purée gives the pancakes a tender texture and beautiful golden-orange color, while cinnamon-rich pumpkin pie spice brings all the familiar flavors of the season.
The finishing touch is a simple pumpkin spice glaze made with powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and another pinch of warm spice. Drizzle it lightly over a stack of hot pancakes, add toasted pecans or pumpkin seeds for crunch, and serve everything with coffee or warm apple cider.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with skipping the glaze and reaching for maple syrup instead. Pumpkin and maple are natural partners, and these pancakes are flavorful enough to work with either.
🎃 Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Yield: About 10–12 medium pancakes
For the Pumpkin Pancakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin purée
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Additional butter or neutral oil, for the griddle
For the Pumpkin Spice Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Optional Toppings
- Toasted pecans
- Toasted pumpkin seeds
- Homemade whipped cream
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon
- Sliced apples or pears
- Butter
🥣 Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
Make sure the brown sugar is broken apart rather than sitting in hard little clumps.
Whisking the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding the liquid helps distribute the baking powder and spices evenly through the batter.
🎃 Mix the Pumpkin and Wet Ingredients
In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, pumpkin purée, egg, melted butter, and vanilla.
Mix until the pumpkin and egg are completely incorporated.
Let the melted butter cool slightly before adding it so that it does not begin cooking the egg.
The pumpkin mixture should be smooth and relatively thin.
🥞 Make the Pancake Batter
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Using a spatula or large spoon, stir gently just until no large pockets of dry flour remain.
A few small lumps are completely fine.
In fact, trying to beat pancake batter until perfectly smooth can work against you. Excessive mixing develops more gluten in the flour and can produce pancakes that are tougher rather than tender.
Once the flour has been incorporated, stop stirring.
⏰ Let the Batter Rest Briefly
Allow the pancake batter to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes while you heat the griddle.
This gives the flour time to absorb the liquid and allows the baking powder to begin working.
Pumpkin batter is naturally a little thicker than ordinary pancake batter.
If yours becomes so thick that it will not spread at all on the griddle, stir in another tablespoon or two of milk.
Avoid making it overly thin. A thicker batter helps create substantial, fluffy pancakes.
🔥 Heat the Griddle
Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat.
If using an electric griddle, about 350°F is a useful starting point.
Lightly grease the cooking surface with butter or neutral oil.
The pan should be hot before the first pancake goes on, but not so hot that the outside burns before the center has time to cook.
Pumpkin contains natural sugars and moisture, so pumpkin pancakes sometimes brown a little faster than plain pancakes.
🥄 Portion the Pancakes
Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake.
Leave enough space between them to make flipping easy.
If the batter does not naturally spread, use the back of the measuring cup or spoon to gently nudge it into a circle.
Avoid making the pancakes enormous. Medium pancakes cook much more evenly, which is particularly helpful with a moist pumpkin batter.
👀 Know When to Flip
Cook the pancakes for about 2 to 3 minutes on the first side.
Look for the edges to begin appearing dry and for small bubbles to form across the surface.
Pumpkin pancakes may not produce quite as many dramatic bubbles as ordinary pancakes, so use the edges as another indicator.
Slide a spatula underneath and check that the bottom is golden brown.
Flip once and cook the second side for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
Avoid repeatedly flipping pancakes back and forth. One confident flip generally gives you the best texture.
♨️ Keep the Pancakes Warm
If you are making a full batch for several people, place finished pancakes on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest.
Arrange them loosely rather than packing them into a tightly covered stack.
A low oven keeps everything warm without continuing to cook the pancakes aggressively.
That way everyone can sit down to hot pancakes at the same time instead of the cook eating last.
🍂 Make the Pumpkin Spice Glaze
While the pancakes cook, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt.
Whisk until smooth.
The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle but thick enough that it does not simply disappear into the pancakes.
If it is too thick, add milk one teaspoon at a time.
If it becomes too thin, whisk in a little additional powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze over the pancakes immediately before serving.
🍁 Glaze or Maple Syrup?
You do not need both.
The pumpkin spice glaze turns the pancakes into a sweeter brunch treat, almost somewhere between breakfast and dessert.
Pure maple syrup gives you a simpler, more classic stack and allows the pumpkin flavor to stand out more clearly.
You can also offer both at the table and let everyone choose.
If serving the pancakes with bacon, sausage, or eggs, I tend to favor maple syrup because it keeps the plate from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.
🎃 Use Pumpkin Purée, Not Pumpkin Pie Filling
Be sure the can says pure pumpkin or pumpkin purée.
Pumpkin pie filling is a different product. It has already been sweetened and seasoned, which would change both the sweetness and spice balance of this recipe.
Pure canned pumpkin contains just pumpkin and gives you complete control over the rest of the batter.
Homemade pumpkin purée can also work.
Illinois Extension recommends using baking pumpkins rather than large carving pumpkins when making purée at home, since smaller culinary varieties generally have better flavor and texture.
🥄 Can You Use Homemade Pumpkin Purée?
Absolutely.
Roast or otherwise cook a baking pumpkin until tender, scoop out the flesh, and purée it until smooth.
Homemade purée can contain more water than canned pumpkin, however.
If yours looks especially thin or watery, let it drain briefly in a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth before measuring it for the pancakes.
Very watery purée can thin the batter and make the pancakes more difficult to flip.
🌰 What’s in Pumpkin Pie Spice?
Pumpkin pie spice is generally a blend of warm spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and sometimes allspice.
The exact proportions differ between brands.
That means one pumpkin pie spice blend may taste noticeably more cinnamon-forward while another emphasizes cloves or ginger.
Use whichever blend you like.
You can also make your own if you already have the individual spices in the pantry.
🧂 Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice
If you do not have a jar of pumpkin pie spice, combine:
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Mix everything together and store the extra seasoning in a small airtight jar.
For the pancake recipe, measure out the amount called for just as you would a commercial blend.
The proportions are flexible, so adjust them to favor the spices you enjoy most.
☁️ How to Make Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
The first rule is not overmixing.
Once the flour becomes wet, gluten begins developing. Some gluten provides structure, but aggressive stirring can make pancakes tougher and less tender.
The second rule is making sure your baking powder is still active.
Old baking powder gradually loses strength, and flat pancakes may have more to do with the leavener than with your technique.
Finally, give the batter a few minutes to rest before cooking.
King Arthur Baking’s pumpkin pancake method similarly relies on baking powder and a gently mixed batter to create tender pumpkin pancakes.
🥞 Why Are Pumpkin Pancakes Denser Than Regular Pancakes?
Pumpkin purée adds both moisture and solids to pancake batter.
That naturally makes pumpkin pancakes a little more substantial than an ultra-light plain buttermilk pancake.
They should still be soft and fluffy, but they will have a slightly richer, moister crumb.
Trying to compensate by adding enormous amounts of baking powder generally is not necessary.
Proper batter consistency and gentle mixing matter more.
💧 Why Is My Batter Too Thick?
Different flours absorb different amounts of moisture, and pumpkin purée can vary in consistency.
If the batter sits on the griddle in a mound and refuses to spread, add milk one tablespoon at a time.
Stir very gently after each addition.
You want a thick but scoopable batter—not something as thin as crepe batter.
🥛 What If the Batter Is Too Thin?
If the batter spreads dramatically as soon as it hits the pan, it may contain a little too much liquid.
Add flour one tablespoon at a time until the mixture thickens.
Remember that the batter will also become slightly thicker if allowed to rest for several minutes.
Do not add a large amount of flour all at once or you may swing too far in the opposite direction.
🚫 Why Are My Pancakes Raw in the Middle?
The griddle may be too hot.
When the cooking surface is excessively hot, the outside of a pumpkin pancake can become deeply browned while the moist interior remains undercooked.
Turn the heat down slightly and give the next pancake more time.
Making the pancakes slightly smaller can also help.
Pumpkin batter benefits from a moderate temperature that gives the interior time to cook before the exterior gets too dark.
🔥 Why Are My Pancakes Burning?
Pumpkin and brown sugar both contribute to browning, so these pancakes can color relatively quickly.
If the first batch looks dark before bubbles begin appearing on top, lower the heat.
Wipe away any scorched butter before adding the next batch.
Using a little neutral oil instead of butter on the cooking surface can also help because the milk solids in butter can brown and eventually burn.
🧈 Don’t Press the Pancakes with Your Spatula
After flipping, resist the temptation to press the pancake against the pan.
It may feel as though this will help the center cook, but it also squeezes out some of the air and moisture that keep pancakes tender.
Let the heat do the work.
If you are worried about the center, lower the heat rather than flattening the pancake.
🍫 Add Chocolate Chips
Pumpkin and chocolate are a surprisingly good combination.
Sprinkle miniature chocolate chips over the wet surface of each pancake immediately after portioning the batter onto the griddle.
Adding them this way gives you better control than stirring a large quantity through the entire bowl.
Semi-sweet chocolate provides enough sweetness without becoming overwhelming.
Dark chocolate works particularly well with the spices.
🌰 Add Toasted Pecans
Toasted pecans are one of my favorite toppings for pumpkin pancakes.
Their crisp texture contrasts with the soft pancakes, while their buttery flavor fits naturally with pumpkin, cinnamon, and maple.
Toast chopped pecans briefly in a dry skillet or moderate oven until fragrant.
Watch them carefully because nuts can burn quickly once they begin browning.
Scatter them over the stack immediately before serving.
🎃 Try Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, make another excellent crunchy topping.
Use roasted unsalted seeds when possible so you can control the overall saltiness.
They look especially attractive scattered across the pumpkin spice glaze because their deep green color stands out against the pale icing.
A mixture of pecans and pumpkin seeds works too.
🍎 Add Apples
Pumpkin and apple belong on the same fall breakfast table.
Cook thinly sliced apples in a skillet with a little butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar until tender and lightly caramelized.
Spoon them over the pancakes instead of—or alongside—the pumpkin spice glaze.
This variation is especially good with maple syrup and toasted pecans.
🍐 Try Cinnamon Pears
Pears work much the same way.
Choose pears that are ripe but still firm enough to hold their shape during cooking.
Slice them and sauté briefly with butter, cinnamon, and a small amount of brown sugar.
Their softer floral flavor makes a slightly more delicate topping than apples.
☁️ Add Homemade Whipped Cream
A spoonful of homemade whipped cream can turn these pancakes into a special brunch dish.
Keep the whipped cream only lightly sweetened because the glaze or maple syrup already provides plenty of sugar.
Add it at the table rather than placing it on pancakes that are sitting in a warm oven.
For an especially autumnal variation, whisk a tiny pinch of cinnamon into the whipped cream.
🍯 Honey and Greek Yogurt
For a less dessert-like topping, add plain or vanilla Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey.
The tangy yogurt balances the natural sweetness of the pumpkin and brown sugar.
Add pecans or pumpkin seeds for crunch.
This is especially good when you want the pancakes to feel more like breakfast and less like a holiday dessert.
🍁 Make a Maple-Pumpkin Glaze
For a more autumnal variation on the original powdered-sugar glaze, replace some of the milk with pure maple syrup.
Try whisking together:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
Adjust the milk until the glaze reaches a drizzleable consistency.
The maple flavor complements the pumpkin particularly well.
🧇 Can You Use the Batter for Waffles?
The batter is formulated for pancakes, so it will not necessarily produce the crispiest Belgian-style waffle.
However, it can work in an ordinary waffle iron if you want to experiment.
Because waffles benefit from additional fat for crispness, stir another tablespoon or two of melted butter or oil into the batter.
Follow your waffle iron’s instructions and cook until deeply golden.
For the best waffle texture, though, a recipe developed specifically for waffles will be more reliable.
🌾 Can You Make These Gluten-Free?
Yes, but use a gluten-free flour blend intended as a one-for-one replacement for all-purpose flour rather than swapping in a single flour such as almond or coconut.
King Arthur Baking’s gluten-free pumpkin pancake recipe uses a measure-for-measure gluten-free blend with pumpkin and similar warm spices.
Because different gluten-free blends absorb liquid differently, you may need another tablespoon or two of milk to reach the right batter consistency.
Check that the baking powder and other ingredients are gluten-free as well when cooking for someone who needs to avoid gluten medically.
🥛 Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pancakes
Use your preferred unsweetened dairy-free milk in place of whole milk and neutral oil or melted plant-based butter instead of dairy butter.
Oat milk works particularly well because its flavor is mild and slightly sweet.
Almond milk is another easy option.
For the glaze, use the same dairy-free milk.
Avoid highly flavored plant milks that might compete with the pumpkin spice.
🍳 Can You Make the Batter the Night Before?
I would not recommend fully mixing the batter the night before.
Once baking powder becomes wet, it begins reacting, and pancake batter can also become thicker as the flour continues absorbing liquid.
Instead, mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and refrigerate the combined wet ingredients separately.
In the morning, stir them together and let the batter rest briefly while the griddle heats.
It saves time without sacrificing texture.
🥞 Make the Pancakes Ahead Instead
If you need breakfast completely prepared in advance, cook the pancakes rather than storing raw batter.
Let them cool and refrigerate them in an airtight container.
Separate layers with parchment paper if necessary.
They can then be reheated in a toaster, skillet, microwave, or low oven.
For a large family breakfast, reheating them on a sheet pan in the oven is particularly convenient.
🧊 How to Store Leftover Pumpkin Pancakes
Allow leftover pancakes to cool and refrigerate them in an airtight container.
USDA recommends refrigerating cooked leftovers within 2 hours and generally using them within 3 to 4 days.
Keep the pumpkin spice glaze in a separate covered container in the refrigerator.
Reheat the pancakes first and add the glaze only after they are warm.
❄️ Pumpkin Pancakes Freeze Beautifully
Pancakes are one of the easiest breakfasts to make for the freezer.
Let them cool completely, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm.
Transfer the frozen pancakes to an airtight freezer bag or container, placing parchment paper between layers if needed.
Freezing them individually first prevents them from sticking together.
Then you can remove only as many as you need.
🔥 How to Reheat Frozen Pancakes
A toaster or toaster oven is excellent for one or two pancakes because it warms them while restoring a little texture to the outside.
For a larger batch, arrange the pancakes on a baking sheet and warm them in a moderate oven.
The microwave is fastest, although the pancakes will remain softer.
Add butter, glaze, maple syrup, whipped cream, and other toppings only after reheating.
🎃 What to Do with Leftover Pumpkin Purée
This recipe uses only half a cup of pumpkin, so you are likely to have some left in the can.
Transfer the unused purée to a covered container rather than storing it in the opened metal can.
Use it in oatmeal, muffins, quick bread, smoothies, soup, pasta sauce, or another batch of pancakes.
It can also be frozen in small portions for later recipes.
Measuring it into 1/2-cup portions before freezing makes it especially convenient for making these pancakes again.
🍂 Perfect for a Fall Brunch
Pumpkin pancakes are an easy centerpiece for an autumn brunch because most of the accompanying foods can stay simple.
Add crisp bacon or breakfast sausage for a savory contrast, fresh fruit for something lighter, and a bowl of toasted nuts for topping.
Coffee is always welcome, but hot apple cider fits the season particularly well.
For a larger gathering, set out maple syrup, pumpkin spice glaze, whipped cream, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and fruit and let everyone build their own stack.
🎃 A Fun Halloween Breakfast
These pancakes also make an easy Halloween morning breakfast.
Keep the basic recipe exactly the same and decorate the plates instead.
Arrange chocolate chips into jack-o’-lantern faces, pipe simple spiderwebs with glaze, or use banana slices and chocolate chips to create eyes.
Orange pumpkin pancakes already bring plenty of Halloween color without needing food dye.
🦃 Thanksgiving Morning Breakfast
Thanksgiving breakfast can be tricky.
You want something festive, but nobody needs an enormous meal just hours before turkey and pie.
A modest stack of pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup, fruit, and coffee feels seasonal without being overly elaborate.
You can even freeze the pancakes ahead of time and simply reheat them on Thanksgiving morning.
Save the elaborate cooking for dinner.
❤️ A Stack Made for Fall Mornings
Pumpkin pancakes take a familiar breakfast and give it just enough seasonal personality to feel special.
Pumpkin purée keeps the pancakes moist and tender, brown sugar adds a little caramel-like sweetness, and warm spices make the kitchen smell like autumn before the first stack is finished.
Drizzle them with pumpkin spice glaze for a sweeter brunch treat or keep things simple with butter and warm maple syrup.
Add toasted pecans, whipped cream, apples, pumpkin seeds—or nothing at all.
Sometimes all a chilly fall morning really needs is a hot griddle and a can of pumpkin.
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