Pumpkin pancakes are moist, fluffy, and very flavorful. As long as you don’t thin out the batter with milk, you’ll end up with lots of pumpkin flavor which is critical for full force flavor. This recipe is full of all sorts of spices that add all the flavor you would want to such a festive pancake. They are easy to make and very fun to dress up. You’ll find yourself making them all year round because you just can’t resist.

Serve them only with real maple syrup, not the fake stuff. Chopped walnuts or pecans taste great on top, and so does a dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with grated nutmeg. Think about what tastes amazing with your pumpkin pie and it will probably taste great with these as well.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar (as well as you can), baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Stir it with a spoon so that the spices are evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix the milk, pumpkin puree, egg, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla with a whisk until it’s thoroughly combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the first bowl of dry ingredients and stir sparingly.

The batter should be fairly well mixed with a few lumps expected. It will be a thicker pancake batter than normal pancakes. That is what you want. Let it rest in the refrigerator for about 15 to 30 minutes.

Heat a griddle to medium high heat and lightly grease it with butter or oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. The pancakes should be spaced about 1 or 2 inches apart. If they don’t spread much, use a ladle to spread out the batter a little more.

Let them cook on the pan until tiny bubbles form across the surface. This should take about 1 or 2 minutes. Flip them over and cook them for about another minute or 2 until they are golden brown.

Serve the pancakes warm with your favorite Fall topping.

Next to being low carb, the second best thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy. I would say the part I hate most is having to clean the blender, but it’s no big deal. Other than that, it can be thrown together without having to wait for it to rest or having to mix it ever so gently. It’s nearly foolproof if you can manage to keep from burning them.

Another thing I especially like about this recipe is that it includes normal foods that I have on hand. This is not to say that almond flour and buckwheat flour aren’t normal foods. They are normal in the sense that they are real food and not 80% chemicals. By normal I mean foods that I am familiar with and might actually buy on a regular shopping trip.

That being said, the ingredients do stray a little from the ingredients normally found in pancakes, but this does not detract from the deliciousness of them.  You’ll be surprised at how similar they are to regular pancakes as far as taste and texture. Give this low carb pancake recipe a try and drizzle with sugar-free syrup or top with fruit.

Ingredients

1/2 cup instant oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Directions

Measure out every ingredient and pour it into the blender. Feel free to add any other kind of flavorings you like such as maple flavoring, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. You can also sweeten up the pancakes a little with the sugar substitute of your choice.

Blend the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and resembles pancake batter. Heat your griddle to medium high and lightly grease it. Pour the batter onto the pan to form small, 3 or 4 inch wide pancakes. Wait until tiny bubbles form on the surface, about 1 to 2 minutes, and flip. Let them brown on the other side and enjoy.

The plain more resemble regular pancakes in how they are made and their texture. Cottage cheese works great in pancakes because it makes them tender and flavorful.

The second recipe is a little different. It doesn’t contain a leavening agent or flour. It has oats instead of flour. These are great for those who are on a low carb diet. Eat them with a small drizzle of real maple syrup or a sugar free pancake syrup and you can actually have a treat now and then while on a low carb diet.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir to combine the ingredients. Feel free to sift a second time for extra fluffy pancakes or if you feel like the mixture clumped up a lot when you stirred it together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, milk and vegetable oil. If you are worried about cottage cheese chunks, whisk or stir the cottage cheese first vigorously to get out the lumps before adding it in with the rest of the ingredients. Another idea is to put this part of the mixture in a blender and blend it until smooth. It will get out the lumps while also mixing together the wet ingredients.

Take the wet mixture and pour it into the dry ingredients. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Put the batter in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the pan.

Set a griddle to medium high heat and let it get hot. Lightly grease it just before adding the pancake batter. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle to form pancakes spaced about 1 to 2 inches apart. Let them cook until bubbles form across the surface of the pancake. Flip and brown them on the other side.

Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup instant oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Directions

Add all four ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Heat a griddle to medium high heat and grease lightly with oil or butter. Pour a couple tablespoons of batter onto the pan and space them out about 1 to 2 inches apart.

Let the pancakes cook for about a minute or two and flip them over. Some bubbles will form and they will brown. Brown them on the other side.

To sweeten up the pancakes a little, add 2 teaspoons of honey or a sweetener of your choice in the equivalent amount.

Serve either type of pancakes with butter and syrup or sliced fruit for a healthier option. You can also choose to serve them savory with eggs and bacon or sausage.

When you can’t have gluten, you can’t have things with grains in them that contain gluten. That could mean giving up cookies, breads, pastas, and other treats. Fortunately, some very smart cooks have come up with ways to make these foods even without flour by using substitutions.

Pancakes are on the ‘bad foods’ list for gluten free eaters. However, there are several options for those trying to go gluten free who MUST have their pancakes in the morning, at least from time to time.

Pancake Mix

To get the best pancakes, gluten free or not, I highly recommend getting some of Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix found here. I find that cooking gluten free requires getting lots of different unusual flours and ingredients. Getting a mix that has all you need without the gluten or odd ingredients is a lot easier.

On top of that, this is one of the best pancake mixes out there, even if you aren’t going gluten free. You don’t have to make “real pancakes” and gluten free pancakes when serving other people because everyone will love them.

It’s easy to whip up a batch of pancakes because you don’t have to mix so many ingredients together. Plus, you can use this to bake all sorts of baked goods. It’s not just a pancake mix, it’s a baking mix, too.

Gluten Free Pancakes from Scratch

If you’re feeling ambitious or you happen to have a lot of different gluten free flours on hand because you’ve been at it for a while, here is how to make gluten free pancakes from scratch. It’s pretty easy to put together, and the pancakes turn out quite tasty.

The xanthan gum is optional. It helps to bind the pancakes together. Without it, the pancakes may be a little more crumbly, but they will still taste good.

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
2 eggs , lightly beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups milk, almond milk, or soy milk

Directions

 In a bowl, sift together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Stir it together to combine with a wooden spoon or whisk.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, vegetable oil, and milk. Beat it thoroughly with a whisk. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Stir it just until most of the lumps are gone. Put it into the refrigerator and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

Heat a griddle to medium high heat. Once it’s hot enough, lightly grease it with oil. Pour 1/4 cup of the rested batter (without stirring it) onto the griddle. Space the pancakes about 1 to 2 inches apart to make it easier to flip them. Let them cook until bubbles form across the top and until the other side is golden brown. Flip and brown on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve the pancakes hot with butter and maple syrup or any other toppings such as sliced fruit, nuts, etc.

A good blueberry pancake recipe starts with a good basic recipe. I always use my basic recipe found here to start these types of recipes, but I’ll add it here too to make the best blueberry pancake recipe easier to follow.

A Note on Ingredients

You can make these pancakes with the same basic ingredients as you normally would, but I highly recommend using fresh blueberries. Better yet, look for smaller blueberries if you can. Fresh blueberries taste better, and smaller blueberries don’t break and get messy in the pancakes as easily.

In August, the blueberry bushes around the northeast are often bursting with beautiful tiny blueberries that I love to pick and use in blueberry pancakes, muffins and other baked goods.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix the ingredients together and sift again for extra fluffy pancakes.

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, egg, butter or oil and vanilla. Mix it together thoroughly now because you will need to mix it sparingly once you add it to the dry ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir just until most lumps are gone. Mixing the batter too much affects the gluten making the pancakes tough and chewy. Add the blueberries and fold a few times to coat them. Place the batter in the refrigerator to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

Prepare a griddle by heating it to medium high heat. Once it’s completely hot, lightly grease it with butter or vegetable oil. When the griddle and batter are both ready, remove the batter from the refrigerator and pour 1/4 cup of batter on the pan to form pancakes. Do not stir the batter before scooping.

Cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes until small bubbles form across the tops and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and brown on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes.

Serving Blueberry Pancakes

Traditional blueberry pancakes can be served with butter and syrup. For healthy blueberry pancakes, skip the butter and add blueberry syrup with extra blueberries instead. Add other berries and fruit for a tropical pancake or enjoy with whipped cream and powdered sugar.

If you’re serving your blueberry pancakes to guests, give them a few options for toppings. Have real maple syrup and flavored syrups as an option so that they can choose whatever they want.

Finding a Great Recipe for Whole Grain Pancakes

Simplicity is bliss when it comes to a good recipe, but having the option to up the health quotient or add more tasty ingredients is even better. You can follow this recipe as is, or you can add extra things to make it healthier and/or tastier.

For example, add some wheat germ for added nutrients, fold in berries for extra flavor and antioxidants, or swap out the sugar for honey for a healthier sweetener. It’s up to you how you want to vary it, just try to keep the basics as is. Too much variation might affect the texture or quality of the pancakes.

For example, this is a good amount of flour and wet ingredients. Don’t try substituting almond flour, coconut flour, or another vastly different flour for the whole wheat flour. The amounts will mess up the pancakes. Feel free to experiment, just be forewarned that the measurements will be different.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a bowl, sift together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar. If you’re using honey instead of sugar, add it to the wet ingredients instead of the dry ingredients. Sift the flour and lightly stir it with a whisk or wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.

In another bowl, mix together the milk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Whisk it together thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix it together. Do not over-beat the ingredients because it will cause tough pancakes. If you find the batter is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it out.

Put the whole grain pancake batter in the refrigerator to rest for about 30 minutes. This will give the leavening agent some time to work and produce bubbles while also dissolving any leftover lumps.

Meanwhile, prepare a pancake griddle. Set it to medium high heat and let it get completely hot. Lightly grease it with a little vegetable oil or butter. When the batter is ready, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle to form pancakes spaced approximately 1 to 2 inches apart. Do not mix the batter before scooping and pouring because this will pop all the bubbles that you patiently waited for to form while it rested in the refrigerator.

Let the pancakes cook for 1 to 3 minutes until tiny bubbles form across the top and a peak underneath reveals a golden brown color. Flip them over and cook them on the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes until that side is also golden brown.

Serving Whole Grain Pancakes

Now that you’ve made your healthy pancakes, don’t ruin them by drowning them with tons of butter and syrup. Use just a little bit of butter for flavor and use a small amount of real maple syrup. Better yet, skip the butter and syrup and use fresh fruit. Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans over top for added protein.

There are all sorts of different pancake griddles to choose from between electric griddles and griddles that fit on the stove. Cast iron griddles or large pancake griddles can be rectangular, square, or spherical. The type you get will depend on your preferences including kitchen space, how many pancakes you’ll normally cook, and price.

I have used a few different kinds of griddles in my pancake endeavors, including using a saute pan (which took forever considering I couldn’t fit more than 2 or 3 pancakes at a time. I have found a few for different preferences.

Here are my reviews and recommendations for the best pancake griddles and best electric pancake griddles depending on your needs.

Space-Saving and Short on Cash

Lodge Logic has a great line of cost-effective and high-quality products including this cast iron griddle. It measures 10 1/2 inches in diameter which allows it to fit on one burner or a portable stove burner. It won’t take up your whole stove top or kitchen.

The cast iron allows for even heat distribution and the low sides makes it super easy to flip. This is a great griddle for those who have small kitchens, want something to whip up pancakes on, and don’t have a lot of money.

Convenient Counter-top Cooking

This griddle is rated as one of the best on Amazon for good reason. It’s large enough to cook 12 average sized pancakes, you don’t need a stove to use it, it has an easy drain for grease if you’re cooking burgers or other greasy foods, and it has cool touch handles to keep your hands safe. Best of all, it has excellent heat distribution with heat control that maintains the right temperature. This is all at an affordable price, too. This is my favorite and the one I use regularly.

The Presto Liddle Griddle is just as good as the previous Presto, but it is better for those who don’t have a lot of storage space and don’t need such a large cooking surface. If you live alone or only cook for two, this is perfect.

Efficient Stove Top Cooking

The Lodge Reversible Griddle is my favorite reversible griddle. You can use it right on your stove top over two burners. The griddle can be flipped over to use as a grill on the other side. If you have a good stove with burners that aren’t too far apart, this is a good choice.

You should be able to find a pancake griddle that fits your needs from these no matter how much you cook, for one or for a large family. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, either.

My favorites include using coconut pancake syrup over banana pancakes, strawberry pancake syrup or raspberry pancake syrup over chocolate pancakes, and blueberry pancake syrup over plain pancakes with extra blueberries. Of course, you can mix or match however you like.

Some of these recipes use my homemade pancake syrup recipe which you can find here. You can also use real maple syrup or store-bought syrup in place of it.

Blueberry Pancake Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup pancake syrup
2 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Mash the blueberries slightly with a fork, just until about half of the blueberries are smashed. Add them to a saucepan along with the pancake syrup. Bring it all to a boil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let it cool until it’s warm to serve. Store the extra in the refrigerator.

Peach Pancake Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups peach puree
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions

The peaches should be peeled and diced then pureed in a food processor or blender until smooth or chunky, whichever you prefer. Add the peach puree, sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Let it boil gently for about 3 minutes or so until it reaches the desired thickness. Add the vanilla and salt and stir. Let it cool until it’s warm and serve over hot pancakes or waffles. Store it in the refrigerator.

Coconut Pancake Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

1 14 ounce can coconut milk
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Add the coconut milk, flaked coconut, and brown sugar to a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and boil gently for 5 to 10 minutes until thick. Remove it from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let it cool to warm. Serve as is, or puree in the blender or food processor until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.

Cherry Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups pitted cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup pancake syrup

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and boil over medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until it thickens. Let it cool to warm, and serve as is or puree for a smoother syrup. Store in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Pancake Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups mashed strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Stir together the strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it’s boiling, bring it down to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it cool until warm and serve. Store in the refrigerator.

Vanilla Pancake Syrup Recipe

For vanilla pancake syrup, simply follow this basic pancake recipe and omit the maple flavoring. Add another teaspoon of vanilla or some scraped vanilla bean seeds for extra vanilla flavoring. Store unused syrup in the refrigerator.

Apricot Pancake Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups pureed apricots
1 cup water
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and stir thoroughly. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat and boil gently for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened to desired consistency. Let it cool and serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chocolate Pancake Syrup

Ingredients

2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pancake syrup

Directions

Add the cocoa powder, sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for 1 minute than add the vanilla and pancake syrup. Serve warm over pancakes, and store the rest in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Pancake Syrup

Ingredients

1 cups raspberries
1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cups water

Directions

Whisk together the corn starch with the water and stir in the saucepan along with the sugar, raspberries and orange juice. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3 to 8 minutes stirring occasionally until it’s as thick as you want it. Serve thick or puree the syrup and strain out the seeds in a fine sieve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Buy Pancake Mix

There are all sorts of different pancake mixes you can buy. There are organic mixes, fast mixes from the grocery store like Bisquick, or mixes for the health-conscious that use whole wheat ingredients. Most of these mixes are general baking mixes that can be used to make pancakes or other baked goods.

The most common is Bisquick pancake mix. It is a simple pancake mix that can also be used for biscuits and other quick baked goods. You can buy it in most grocery stores or buy it online for a more affordable price. They now have the new shake ‘n pour buttermilk pancake mix. All you have to do is add water, shake and pour. While you might not get the best pancakes you ever had out of it that you would with pancakes from scratch, they still taste great and couldn’t be easier. It’s the closest you’ll get to instant pancake mix. “Shake ‘n Pour” says it all.

The next mix I’m going to mention is unique. Before I say anything else, I’ll tell you it is one of the best pancake mixes, hands down. Add to that the fact that it is gluten free and you’ll be shocked. Yes, it’s one of the best pancake mixes and it has no gluten. Gluten free doesn’t automatically mean it’s super healthy and you can eat it guilt free for every meal, but it does mean it’s good for people who have Celiac disease and those who choose to go gluten free. If I ever decide to use pancake mix instead of baking from scratch, I always choose Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix.

For those looking to go organic, give Bob’s Red Mill Organic 7 Grain Pancake & Waffle, Whole Grain Mix a try. It contains all sorts of good organic whole grains without losing great flavor. In fact, the variety of whole grains it contains only adds to the wholesome nutrition. The truth of the matter is that these organic mixes use real, quality ingredients that come from nature unprocessed. It only makes sense that they would taste good. Another good mix to try is Stonewall Kitchen Farmhouse Pancake and Waffle Mix. Both of these mixes can be used for waffles, too.

Homemade Pancake Mix

Buying mixes is a great choice, especially if you don’t feel like getting your hands dirty, but for real homemade goodness, homemade pancake mix is the best. My first choice when making pancakes is to make them from scratch. My second choice is to make my favorite homemade pancake mix recipe in bulk and keep it on hand.

You will quickly notice that this recipe is very similar to my regular basic recipe. In fact, it is that recipe. The difference is that I mix the dry ingredients ahead of time. The pancake mix ingredients are the same as the dry ingredients from that recipe.

Mix Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Wet Ingredients

1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sift all the ingredients together and stir to combine. Store it in ziploc bags or storage containers. I like to make several batches at once and keep them separated in containers. It’s easy to throw all the ingredients together quickly, especially when you don’t have to mix the rest of the recipe together.

When you’re ready to use it, just pour it through a sifter into the wet ingredients that have already been combined. Stir gently until just some lumps remain and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Cook on the griddle. For more specific instructions, see my basic pancake recipe.

Pancake Mix Gifts

I love to give my homemade pancake mix from scratch as gifts. There are so many different kinds of gifts you can use this for such as gifts for family or friends who have everything but love to eat, gifts for those you don’t know well, prizes for games at showers, parties, etc., gifts for friends who can’t cook, or gifts to show someone you care.

You can give store-bought pancake mixes as gifts as well. For example, Bob’s Red Mill Organic 7 Grain Pancake & Waffle, Whole Grain Mix would make a great gift for the friend who is trying to go organic. Give it along with a bottle of organic real maple syrup nestled in a mixing bowl with pretty seasonal dish towels, a spoon, and a spatula, and they’re ready to go.

Once you learn how to make pancake mix, you’ll want to give your own recipe and hard work as a gift. Make your recipe and fill a glass jar. Add a recipe card attached to the lid and it’s ready to go. You can also add things to the mix such as nuts, chocolate chips, or other goodies. I love to add mini chocolate chips because everyone loves chocolate chip pancakes.

Mixes were thought up to make life easier. Pancakes aren’t exactly a quick breakfast to make, but using a simple pancake mix certainly makes it easier. Before you forget, make up a few batches of homemade pancake mix to keep on hand for guests or lazy weekends. You’ll be glad you did!