Perfect for fall, these pumpkin spice pancakes with yogurt are easy to make! Using only simple ingredients and no boxed pancake mix, they are a delicious treat for breakfast on a cool morning.
Nothing says fall to me like the flavor of apples and pumpkin. I am not sure which I prefer, I love them both!
We usually make our pancakes with yogurt or sour cream and they turn out to be a bit more dense but delicious! Our blueberry strawberry pancakes are made with sour cream, but our yogurt pancakes (plain recipe) and apple pancakes are made with yogurt.
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Ingredients
There are a couple suggestions and even substitutions here for the ingredients in our pumpkin pancakes.
Flour - We use all purpose flour here and scoop the cups out of the container and then level it. This makes it a heavy cup of flour for each cup.
Pumpkin pie spice - I do not recommend leaving this out. You can substitute with 1 half teaspoon cinnamon, 1 half teaspoon ginger and 1 half teaspoon nutmeg if needed.
Baking powder - If you want them to be less dense, use 1 teaspoon baking soda in place of the baking powder. We prefer them slightly dense and think they are better with baking powder.
Salt - Can leave out but recommended to add it. It is to bring out all the flavors in the pancake.
Brown sugar - You can use turbinado sugar here, but we recommend brown sugar for the taste. We use dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown as well.
Yogurt - Plain yogurt is best. You can use plain regular yogurt, but Greek yogurt is a little thicker and recommended. We have made these with both and it was delicious each time. Alternately you can substitute the yogurt with sour cream.
Pumpkin puree - Canned or fresh works great here, but we prefer fresh. We cook our pumpkin in the Instant Pot to make it easier - how to cook pumpkin in the Instant Pot.
Milk - We use whole milk but you can use a lower fat milk.
Vanilla extract - No substitute recommendations.
Eggs - We use large eggs, no substitute recommendations. This has not been tested with alternatives to eggs but if you try it and it tastes great, please let us know!
Tips for making the pancakes
Pumpkin pancakes are easy to make but here are a few tips to make sure they turn out perfect!
The batter
Using a whisk you want to mix the batter until it is just incorporated. Do not over mix pancake batter! It is ok to have smaller lumps in the batter and as it sits for a couple minutes waiting for the griddle to heat up, they will start to dissolve. It's ok to have lumps go onto the griddle as well.
It should be slightly thick but you should be able to scoop it out with a measuring cup and pour it onto the griddle. If it is too thick, add a couple splashes of milk. Too thin you can add a little bit of flour.
Cooking the pumpkin spice pancakes
Heat the griddle or flat frying pan (there are a few different pans that can be used to make pancakes) until water dances on it. For electric griddle you want it about 375 and for a pan on the stove I cook over medium heat. Stoves and griddles may vary. Also note that I am at a very low altitude, please adjust accordingly.
The water test for a hot griddle - Carefully drop a couple small drops of water on the griddle and watch to see if it dances on it. The water drops should move a bit on the griddle like it is dancing across the pan. The pan is ready. If the water sizzles and disappears instantly, the pan is not hot enough yet.
Some pans need to use a fat (oil or butter) when cooking pancakes. Non stick does not need any fat added. Cast iron would need a fat to keep them from sticking. Cook these the same way as other pancakes with your pan or griddle.
Pour the batter in small amounts - we use 1 third of a cup at a time.
Cook for about 1 and a half minutes. See how there are small bubbles in the pumpkin pancakes here? This is an indicator that they are ready to flip now. They should be getting a nice slightly golden brown on the bottom.
Cook the pancakes for another 1 and a half minutes. Carefully remove from pan and cover them with foil to keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve with your favorite toppings!
Frequently asked questions
Yes you can freeze them! Be sure they are completely cooled down before placing in the freezer. We use them fast so we place waxed paper in between each (to keep them from freezing together) and just wrap the stack in plastic wrap. If you are not using them within a couple weeks, you can also wrap foil around them AFTER wrapping them in plastic wrap.
This is a personal preference. We personally do not like canned pumpkin as much as fresh, but we do occasionally used canned if we are out of fresh pumpkin.
These pancakes should be dense and have a little bit more moisture then a buttermilk pancake, but they shouldn't be too gooey. There are a couple things that could have happened here.
The first is that your pan or griddle was set too high. This cooks too fast (burning it quickly) and leaves the inside undercooked.
The other thing that can cause this is if you stirred your batter for too long. Once you add the flour mix, it should only be stirred until incorporated leaving small lumps in the batter. Do not over mix the batter!
For step by step pictures we created pumpkin pancakes so you can see the images of every step! We also have a video in the recipe card below.
Useful items for making this recipe
As an Amazon affiliate we may earn a small commission if you purchase anything from one of our links at no extra cost to you. These might be helpful for you to make pumpkin pancakes.
- Cast iron griddle - For stove top and would require butter or a fat for cooking pancakes.
- Electric griddle - Non stick and should not need any fat on it to cook pancakes. This does not go on the stove, it plugs into an outlet.
- Flat frying pan - Non stick and goes onto stove top. There are many like this one, this is one of our favorite brands.
- Mixing bowls - I love stainless steel for most mixing needs!
- Large spatula - Perfect for pancakes! A wider spatula so they don't droop over the edge when you flip them.
Recipe
Pumpkin Pancakes with Yogurt
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups flour see notes
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar light or dark, we use dark
- 3 teaspoons baking powder see notes
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree fresh or canned
- 1 cup plain yogurt Greek preferred but can use regular
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs large
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir with a whisk or a fork until it is mixed well. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together pumpkin puree and yogurt for about 20 seconds, until combined.Add in milk and whisk until combined, about 20 seconds.
- Add in vanilla extract and eggs. Mix with a whisk for about 20-30 seconds until it is mixed well.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Whisk until it is just completely incorporated. Do not over mix and small lumps are ok.
- Heat a griddle if using a griddle to 375. If using a flat pan, heat on stove top over medium heat.
- Pour batter in small amounts (we use ⅓ cup for each pancake) onto the pan or griddle.
- Cook for about 1½ minutes until you see bubbles in the pancakes (often look like holes.) Flip carefully.
- Cook for another 1½ minutes until the bottoms are a light to medium golden brown.
- Remove from heat and place foil loosely over them until all pancakes are cooked. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!
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