Thick and Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake and pumpkin bread and just some of the many tasty baked goods that you can make using pumpkin to infuse a little fall flavor into your kitchen. Another favorite of mine are pumpkin pancakes. I can’t think of a better way to start off a cool, fall morning than with a big stack of sweet and spicy pumpkin pancakes topped with a little butter and doused in maple syrup.

These are Thick and Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes, the kind that make a dramatic tower on a breakfast table and soak up just the right amount of maple syrup. The pancake batter is made with pumpkin puree and it uses just 1/2 cup, which means that after baking that batch of pumpkin muffins you’ll have just the right amount leftover for pumpkin pancakes. The batter is sweetened with maple syrup and gets a hint of butteriness from buttermilk. I used my own homemade pumpkin pie spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves to season these, but you can add those spices in any combination you like or use a store bought pumpkin pie spice mix.

They may be thick, but these pancakes are light and tender, not dense or heavy feeling. They do take a minute or so longer than some other pancake recipes do to cook, so after heating up my griddle and making the first batch, I will often turn down the heat to medium to ensure that the pancakes don’t get too dark as they cook.

Thick and Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp oil
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
In a medium bowl, whisk together maple syrup, pumpkin, buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and whisk until well-combined.
Heat a nonstick griddle to medium-high heat, and wait until the surface is hot enough that a drop of water skitters around the pan when dropped onto it (if the water evaporates immediately, the pan is too hot). Dollop batter onto pan and cook until golden, then flip and cook the second side until golden.
Turn down the heat to medium as you continue to make pancakes in batches so the pancakes don’t get too dark.
Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.

Serves 4-6