Ridiculously thick and fluffy, lightly spiced Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes. Satisfying fall food for the heart and soul! Just perfect with a pat of butter and copious amounts of maple syrup!
Are you a fan of my Vegan Banana Pancakes? Well listen up, because this Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes recipe is an adaptation of it. If you’ve tried them then you know how absolutely amazing and ridiculously fluffy they are. And this fall version is just as good. In fact I think they may be even more fluffy.
Is that even possible?
Yes. These pancakes are THICK. Like really thick. And incredibly, beyond your dreams fluffy.
And if you aren’t into that kind of pancake situation then maybe we shouldn’t be friends.
We’re talking golden, hearty, cozy pumpkin pancakes with just the right amount of pumpkin spice. Nothing else needed here except a rather large pat of butter and a hefty drizzle of maple syrup.
What do you need to make Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes?
So, here’s the run down on what’s going on here and why:
Flour – Use all purpose flour for these pancakes to get the fluffiest results. If you want to sacrifice a bit of fluffiness you could use half all purpose, half whole wheat.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda – Yes both. These are what makes your pumpkins thick and fluffy. Don’t be tempted to reduce either of them.
Pumpkin Spice – The perfect pumpkin accompaniment and the ultimate fall flavour. If you struggle to find pumpkin spice Amazon carries it (find it here) or you can use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg and ½ teaspoon ground ginger instead.
Pumpkin Puree – It is important to measure your pumpkin accurately. Too much or too little will really affect results.
Vanilla & Salt – Flavour, flavour, flavour!
Oil – Makes them fluffier. I don’t recommend omitting it although you could use apple sauce at a push to make them oil-free. But you will more than likely get that oil-free gummy texture.
Sugar – Not much, Just a touch of sweetness as we’ll be making up for it with all the toppings!
Non Dairy Milk – Unsweetened is best. Don’t be tempted to sub water. You will get flat, heavy pancakes.
Let’s make pancakes! Here’s how:
FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Add the wet ingredients to a bowl and whisk together.
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them together gently.
Cook the pancakes in a skillet until golden brown.
Success Tips
- There is a reason that there is so much baking powder in this recipe. It starts with fluffy-wuffy and ends with A-mazing. It’s not a typo. Don’t cut it down or you’ll lose some serious fluff … and brownie points with me.
- If you’re feeling lazy you can blend everything up in the blender and the pancakes will turn out well, but mixing the batter by hands makes the pancakes that much more tender and fluffy.
- Whisk batter until just combined, no more. A few lumps are ok. Do not over mix!
- Don’t be tempted to thin the batter. It is THICK and thick is your friend. That’s why the pancakes are massively fluffy!
- Cook each one slowly over a medium low heat for ultimate fluffy texture. Don’t rush them.
- Follow the recipe closely and as always with recipes involving flour, I highly recommend that you use a kitchen scale. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best and consistent results. Digital kitchen scales are available at most big superstores now and you can pick one up for around $10. They are a great investment and are so worth having! If you do need to use cups, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount and make your chances of success better. Do not scoop the flour up into the cup as you will end up with much more than intended and it will affect the outcome of the recipe.
How to store & reheat leftovers
In the event of leftover pancakes (this might actually happen to somebody but I would imagine it will be pretty rare ;o), put them in an airtight container or bag then in the fridge or freezer. They will keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
From the fridge, reheat them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, or pop them in the toaster until heated through.
From the freezer, defrost in the microwave gently until warm, or pop in the toaster direct from the freezer. You will need 2 to 3 goes in the toaster to defrost and heat them through.
Some ways you can adapt this recipe
– Chocolate chips stirred right through that thick, thick batter.
– Orange zest …. Orange works incredibly well with pumpkin. Have you tried my Baked Pumpkin Orange Donuts?
– Need a Vegan Pumpkin Waffles recipe? Use this Vegan Pumpkin Pancake batter in your waffle maker. Add the batter over a medium heat, and keep cooking them until the steam stops coming out the sides. Even if your waffle maker tells you otherwise. That’s the trick to perfect waffles!
Serving suggestions
Well, I went with my absolute favourite pancake topping. Vegan butter and maple syrup. Cannot. Beat. It.
Some sliced banana would be pretty perfect too. Or chocolate sauce? Vegan Caramel Sauce? Pumpkin Caramel Sauce?
Squirty coconut whipped cream? Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (there’s a recipe in my cookbook!).
Oh the possibilities but you could actually top them with just about anything and life would be very good.
And so to recap, these vegan pumpkin pancakes are the new breakfast on the block and I am liking them very, very much. It’s also very convenient that I have a bowl of batter just hanging out there on my kitchen counter waiting for me to finish this post ……
I am going. Going. Gone.
Hungry for more?
If you love pancakes then you might also enjoy:
- my ridiculously Giant Blueberry Vegan Pancake
- Gingerbread Pancakes
- Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Vegan Spelt Pancakes
- Vegan English Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten-Free Pancakes (made with corn flour!)
And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!
Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 240 ml unsweetened non dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon / 35 ml neutral oil of choice * see notes for suggestions & oil-free option
- Packed ⅔ cup / 150 g pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons / 200 g all purpose flour , plain flour in the UK
- 2 tablespoons sugar **
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice *** see note for alternative
Instructions
- Add the milk, oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract to a medium bowl and whisk together until well combined.
- To a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice. Whisk them together to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir them together gently until just combined. Do not beat it and do not over mix. Over-mixing makes pancakes tough and less fluffy. A few small lumps are ok. Stop stirring once you can no longer see any dry flour. It will be a very thick batter. That is normal. Don't be tempted to thin it as it is the thick batter that makes these pancakes so fluffy.
- Let the batter rest while you preheat the pan/griddle.
- Grease a large skillet or griddle with some vegan butter or neutral tasting oil and warm over a medium heat. Once hot add about ⅓ cup or a ladle full at a time to the hot pan/griddle. Spread it a little to tidy it up if you need to but leave it quite thick (a little under ½ inch is ideal). Turn the heat to medium low and leave the pancakes to cook undisturbed until a few bubbles start to appear in the top and the edges are starting to firm up a little.
- Flip gently and allow to cook on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately or keep warm on a plate in the oven on its lowest setting until you have finished cooking them all.
Long time vegan, creator of A Virtual Vegan & author of the book 
Jane says
Can you substitute almond flour? I am low on flour.
A Virtual Vegan says
They won’t work with almond flour without some pretty major alterations. You would for sure need some tapioca flour in the mix too as they would just fall apart otherwise.
Lorna McLeod says
I wanted to make these pancakes the very day this recipe hit the airwaves BUT I wanted to cook up my little pumpkin first. Oh my! MEL you just took YUMMYIEST of YUMMY to the next level! These-melt-in-your-mouth pancakes have moved to the top! Not enough adjectives available to describe! mmmmm GOOD!
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha, thank you so much Lorna! I am so pleased you enjoyed them. I think these might be my favourite too. They really do melt in your mouth, eh? I am eating way too many of them lately!
Maureen Cram says
Can’t get cans of pumpkin in South Africa (at least not the part that I live in) so thought of roasting it first. Better than steaming?
Melanie McDonald says
I prefer roasting it to steaming because you get a sweeter flavour. It also stops it getting a bit watery. Just roast then puree up and you’ll be good to go! I cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and roast face down on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper until it’s nice and soft. You can keep leftover puree in the freezer.
Lorna McLeod says
I baked mine and it was by far the best way in my mind
Lorna McLeod says
I should have said roasted not baked but maybe that is the same? :)