Recipe: Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

Healthy pumpkin pancakes stacked on a white plate with a pumpkin in the background

These healthy pumpkin pancakes are a family favorite, especially in the fall! If you love pumpkin, then this is the recipe for you. But the pumpkin brings more than just delicious flavor. By using pumpkin to replace most of the oil, you save tons of fat and calories creating a scrumptious low-fat recipe that’s complete in only 15 minutes!

The pumpkin adds a nice rich, slightly nutty flavor, is rich in beta-carotene, and keeps these cakes light and fluffy! These pumpkin pancakes are a healthy and tasty way to start the day and keep you full without weighing you down, plus they’re dairy-free/vegan!

How To Make Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

This pumpkin pancake recipe is very similar to most homemade pancakes, with the addition of pureed pumpkin. Here’s how to make them:

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice.
In a separate bowl, combine agave nectar, almond milk, pumpkin and olive oil.
Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined.
Coat a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, cook pancakes until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Turnover and cook until light brown, about 2 minutes longer.

How To Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

If you’d like to make gluten-free pumpkin pancakes, we like to use this King Arthur Measure For Measure gluten-free flour. There’s no complicated conversions from regular flour to gluten-free plus it’s 50% whole grain.

Pancake Toppings

These healthy pumpkin pancakes are delicious on their own, but it never hurts to add a few toppings. Some of our favorite pancake toppings are:

regular or vegan butter
maple syrup
peanut butter
walnuts, pecans or other nuts
whipped cream or coconut whipped cream

Other Healthy Pancake Recipes

Total Time: 13 minutes

Yield: 6 serving(s)

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour (or gluten-free)
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon light agave nectar (If you don't have agave, use real sugar)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
Optional: seasonal spices such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves

Directions

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice.
In a separate bowl, combine agave nectar, almond milk, pumpkin and olive oil.
Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined.
Coat a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, cook pancakes until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Turnover and cook until light brown, about 2 minutes longer.