Easy

Pumpkin spice pancakes

Prep 10 minsCook 20 minsServes 4£0.70/servingAmerican Stack

These pumpkin spice pancakes fold real pumpkin puree and warming cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg straight into a classic American stack batter, so you get a soft, faintly orange pancake with real autumn flavour rather than just a dusting of spice on top. The puree also keeps the crumb moist without making the batter heavy, so they still cook up thick and fluffy in the pan. Ready in around 30 minutes, using one tin of puree and store-cupboard spices you likely already have.

Pumpkin spice pancakes - american stack pancake recipe served on a plate, photographed from above

Ingredients

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  • 200g (1½ cups)plain flour
  • 2 tspbaking powder
  • 1½ tspground cinnamon
  • ½ tspground ginger
  • ¼ tspground nutmeg
  • ¼ tspfine salt
  • 40g (3 tbsp)light brown sugar
  • 200g (¾ cup)pumpkin puree, Not pumpkin pie filling
  • 200ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)whole milk
  • 1 (1 large)egg, Large
  • 30g (2 tbsp)unsalted butter, Melted and cooled, plus extra for the pan
  • 1 tspvanilla extract

Method

  1. 1

    Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar together in a large bowl, breaking up any lumps of sugar.

  2. 2

    In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla together until smooth.

    Cold melted butter can seize into small lumps when it hits the milk - make sure it has cooled to room temperature first, and the milk is not fridge-cold, or whisk the wet ingredients together quickly before it firms up.
  3. 3

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be thicker than a plain American pancake batter because of the puree - stop as soon as no dry flour is visible.

    Overmixing develops gluten and makes the pancakes tough, so a few small lumps left in the batter are fine.
  4. 4

    Leave the batter to rest for 5 minutes while a large non-stick frying pan or griddle heats over medium-low heat.

  5. 5

    Melt a small knob of butter in the pan and wipe out any excess with kitchen paper, leaving just a thin film.

  6. 6

    Spoon in the batter, using around 3 tablespoons per pancake, and spread it very slightly with the back of the spoon - it is too thick to spread on its own the way a thinner batter would.

  7. 7

    Cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, then flip and cook for a further 2 minutes until golden and cooked through.

    Keep the heat lower than you would for a plain buttermilk stack - the sugar and puree in this batter catch and darken faster than a standard batter.
  8. 8

    Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, keeping cooked pancakes warm under foil. Serve stacked, warm.

Pro Tips

  • →Use plain tinned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling - the filling is pre-sweetened and spiced and will throw off both the sugar and spice balance.
  • →This batter is thicker than a standard American pancake batter because of the puree, so do not add extra milk to loosen it - a thick batter is what gives these pancakes their structure.
  • →Cook on a slightly lower heat than usual. The brown sugar and pumpkin puree both encourage faster browning, so a medium-low hob setting stops the outside catching before the middle is cooked through.
  • →No pumpkin puree in the cupboard is not a dead end - swap in the same weight of well-drained, mashed cooked butternut squash for a very similar result.
  • →Leftover batter does not keep well once mixed, but the dry spiced flour mix can be measured out in advance and stored in a jar, ready to combine with the wet ingredients on the day.
  • →Stack cooked pancakes with a sheet of greaseproof paper between each one before freezing, then reheat straight from frozen in a toaster or a low oven.

Topping Ideas

Maple syrup and a knob of butter, melted over the warm stackA spoonful of soft cream cheese frosting for a pumpkin-pie-adjacent finishToasted pecans or walnuts for crunchA dusting of extra cinnamon and icing sugarSoftly whipped cream with a little maple syrup folded through

Learn More

Terms in this recipe

ButtermilkBaking powderHotcakeFlapjack

Defined in the Pancake Day glossary.

Questions & answers

Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of tinned puree?⌄
Yes, as long as it is cooked, well-drained and blended completely smooth. Roast or steam pumpkin chunks until soft, then puree and press out any excess liquid with a clean tea towel - watery puree will make the batter too loose.
Why is my batter so thick compared to normal pancake batter?⌄
Pumpkin puree carries far less liquid than milk, so this batter is naturally thicker than a plain American stack batter. That thickness is normal and helps the pancakes hold their shape - resist adding extra milk to thin it out.
Can I make these dairy-free?⌄
Swap the whole milk for a dairy-free alternative such as oat milk and use a dairy-free butter or a neutral oil in the pan. The texture stays very close to the original.
What is the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling?⌄
Pumpkin puree is just cooked, blended pumpkin with nothing added. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices, so using it here would make the pancakes too sweet and unbalance the spice mix - always check the tin says puree.
Can I freeze pumpkin spice pancakes?⌄
Yes. Let them cool completely, layer with greaseproof paper so they do not stick together, and freeze in a bag for up to two months. Reheat straight from frozen in a toaster or a low oven until warmed through.
Why did my pancakes turn out dense rather than fluffy?⌄
This is usually down to overmixing the batter once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, which develops the gluten in the flour. Stop folding as soon as you can no longer see dry flour, even if a few small lumps remain.
Can I make the batter the night before?⌄
The wet and dry ingredients can be measured separately and stored apart in the fridge overnight, but combine them just before cooking. Pumpkin puree batter left mixed overnight tends to lose some of its rise.
What can I use instead of ground ginger and nutmeg if I do not have them?⌄
A ready-made mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice blend can replace the individual ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon measurements - use around 2 teaspoons of the blend in place of all three.
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