These Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes are one of my more popular recipes every year when fall rolls around. They cook up bubbly and super tall, no separate egg-white-whipping necessary.

Easy peasy, pumpkin squeezey. Or, you know … something like that.

Stack of pumpkin pancakes with a pat of butter

These pumpkin spice pancakes cook up surprisingly tall, but they’re not crazy or anything. They’re just right – perfectly fluffy for fall.

Table of Contents

The Story Behind the Recipe

I just never know when a recipe is going to take off. It’s all one big fat guessing game. I had a feeling people would like this and it would do well (and so far, it has!). On the other hand, I was convinced these would do well, but nope.

And then there are the recipes that are a huge surprise. Fluffy Banana Pancakes are consistently one of the most-visited and most-made recipes on my site. I knew I loved them, but I didn’t realize they would be so popular. And, of course, I am happy they are!

As far as pancakes go, there’s a special place in breakfast heaven for the fluffy, hearty, thick kind.

I decided I needed another fluffy pancake recipe in my life, so I thought I’d take the banana version and get ’em all fallified. (As in, seasonally appropriate for autumn. I like to make up words. It’s a curse.)

Stack of five fluffy pumpkin pancakes on a. white plate with a silver fork

Developing this Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

I set out to create a pumpkin pancake recipe that’s full of those favorite fall flavors – pumpkin and pumpkin spices – yet tall and fluffy too. But no whipping egg whites, please, because who wants to do that at 7 a.m.?! Not me.

For this recipe for pumpkin pancakes, it’s all about the fluffy! I took the original recipe and swapped the banana for pumpkin, added a hefty dose of warming pumpkin spices, and increased the sugar – just a bit – to keep them from going over to savoryville. More made-up words. Sorry.

Readers say …

“We just made these! Delicious! My husband (who does not like any kind of pancake except plain ones) said this is the BEST pancakes he’s ever had. Well done! A new family favorite.”

– Rachelle
Ingredients for Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

  • Buttermilk – Use store-bought buttermilk or, like I do 95% of the time, make your own! All you do is grab a liquid measuring ups and add 2 tablespoons vinegar (I use white or apple cider) or lemon juice. Then, fill the cup with milk up to the 2 cup mark.
  • Pumpkin – You’ll want one cup of pumpkin puree. I know, that’s a lot of pumpkin, but it makes the most full-of-flavor, moist, tender pumpkin pancakes!
  • Eggs – You’ll need two eggs for these pancakes.
  • Butter – You’ll want it melted and cooled slightly.
  • Vanilla – Adds sweet flavor to your buttermilk pumpkin pancakes.
  • Flour – I like to use straight-up white all-purpose flour for these.
  • Sugar – Again, plain white granulated sugar.
  • Baking powder & baking soda – Both leaveners help the pancakes rise and create air pockets for tender, tall, fluffy pumpkin pancakes.
  • Pumpkin pie spice – A combo of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. You can make your own pumpkin pie spice super easily or buy it from the store.
  • Salt – I like to use fine-grain sea salt or table salt (nor coarse salt) for my pancakes.

Adaptations/Variations

  • Dairy-free pumpkin pancakes: Use vegan butter or coconut oil + your favorite plant-based milk.
  • Vegan pumpkin pancakes: Use vegan butter/coconut oil, plant-based milk, and 2 flax eggs. Or, follow my recipe for fluffy vegan pumpkin pancakes!
  • Chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes: Stir 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips in with the dry ingredients.

How to Make Pumpkin Pancakes

  1. First, make the buttermilk – it will need a few minutes to sit.
  2. Then, add the buttermilk to a large bowl and whisk in the wet ingredients.
  3. Mix together the dry ingredients, pour them over the wet ingredients, and stir just until combined.
  4. I have a couple of tricks for the deliciously fluffy pumpkin pancakes – the first is using buttermilk + baking soda AND baking powder. The second? After you’ve mixed together the batter, let it rest for just a few minutes. This gives the leavening ingredients time to react and start creating the air bubbles that give you fluffy pancakes.
  5. From there, it’s time to cook! Heat up your non-stick griddle or skillet. Melt a little butter on the cooking surface and drop the batter in 1/3 cup scoops onto the griddle. Use the measuring cup to spread the pancakes a bit, if needed, then flip them over when they get bubbly and a little dry around the edge. Cook on the other side until golden brown.
  6. Serve with butter, maple syrup, toasted pecans … whatever you like!
Wet ingredients for pumpkin pancakes
Adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients for pumpkin pancakes
Pumpkin pancake batter in a glass bowl
Stack of pumpkin pancakes on a white plate.

Tips for Success

  • Mix your pumpkin pancake batter together JUST until it’s well-combined. Don’t over-mix, or you risk developing the gluten in the flour, which can create tough – not tender – pancakes. Nobody wants that!
  • Check to make sure your griddle is ready before adding the first pancake. Flick a little water on the griddle. If the droplets hiss and bounce around a bit, it’s ready for pancakes!
  • When to flip your pumpkin pancakes? Watch for bubbles. The pancakes are ready to flip when they look a little dry around the edges and start to form little bubbles (about a minute). Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown and the cooked through.
  • Keep your cooked pancakes warm with a dish towel. I like to pile up pancakes on a large plate and keep a thick, clean dish towel over the top of them to keep them warm until they’re ready to serve.
Maple syrup drizzling off of a stack of pumpkin pancakes

More Pancake Recipes

Stack of pumpkin pancakes with a section cut out and several pieces on a fork.
5 from 32 votes

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 4
Super-fluffy, tall, yet moist pumpkin pancakes. Yes, you can have it all in a pumpkin pancake recipe!
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 2 cups buttermilk (see Recipe Notes for how to make your own buttermilk)
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 each eggs
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter* (melted and cooled slightly + more for cooking, if desired )
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice** (see Recipe Notes for substitution info)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt or table salt
  • Butter and maple syrup for serving

Instructions

  • To a large bowl, add the buttermilk. If using the vinegar plus milk option, let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the milk to turn to buttermilk.
  • Add the pumpkin, eggs, butter, and vanilla and stir with a whisk to combine.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
  • Pour the dry ingredients over the wet and mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
  • Let batter rest for about 5 minutes.
  • Heat a non-stick griddle to 325 degrees or set large frying pan over medium heat. Melt a little butter on the cooking surface, spreading it evenly, if desired (if the surface is non-stick, you may not need to do this). Using a 1/3 cup measure (or, my pancake scooping weapon of choice, a trigger-handled ice cream scoop), pour the batter onto the griddle or into the frying pan. The pancakes are ready to flip when they look a little dry around the edges and start to form little bubbles, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown and completely cooked through, 1 to 2 more minutes.
  • Serve topped with butter and maple syrup, if desired.

Notes

Makes about 12 (5-inch) pancakes – for nutrition calculation purposes, I assumed that’s three pancakes each.
To make buttermilk: Add 2 tablespoons vinegar to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Fill with enough whole milk, 2% milk, oat milk, soy milk, or unsweetened almond milk to equal 2 cups, then let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. 
* Can sub vegan butter or coconut oil
** Or you can substitute the following if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice blend on hand:
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Dairy-free option:

Substitute unsweetened almond milk for the milk. Substitute vegan butter or coconut oil for the butter.
Adapted from my Fluffy Banana Pancakes recipe

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3(5-inch) pancakes, Calories: 527kcal, Carbohydrates: 88g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 878mg, Potassium: 372mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 9993IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 344mg, Iron: 5mg

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