These gluten free pumpkin pancakes are tender and light inside, with crisp, deep brown edges. No one can resist that deep auburn color, and all those fall flavors and spices!
Why you’ll love this recipe
These pumpkin pancakes will make your whole house smell like fall. And they don’t just smell good. You can get that warm, cozy fall smell from a fancy candle. These pumpkin pancakes are all about the taste!
They’ll make your mouth positively tingle with all the flavors of pumpkin spice. You can make the recipe with pumpkin puree, but consider buying a jar of the flavor explosion that is pumpkin butter.
You can also make our recipe for homemade pumpkin butter with just a few ingredients (pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices, and some apple juice or cider). It has so much intense flavor, and it stays fresh for weeks in the refrigerator.
The best flour blends to use
Gluten free pancakes in general, should not be made with Better Batter, Cup4Cup, or any of our regular “all purpose gluten free flour blends.” Those blends contain too much xanthan gum, which leads to a gummy, tough pancake.
To make light and fluffy pancakes, I recommend using my gum-free gluten free flour blend, which is made with 3 ingredients in these proportions:
- 66% superfine white rice flour (Authentic Foods brand is best; Vitacost.com is good, too)
- 22% potato starch
- 12% tapioca starch/flour
Making your own pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin pie spice is just a blend of warm fall spices. You can buy it already mixed under the label “pumpkin pie spice,” made by McCormick and other blends (check labels!), or make it yourself with the components.
To make your own pumpkin pie spice blend, combine the following ingredients in these proportions:
- 1 part ground cinnamon
- 1/2 part ground ginger
- 1/4 part ground allspice
- 1/4 part ground cloves
- 1/8 part ground nutmeg
So to make about 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, you would combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves + 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
You can make this blend in larger quantities by using a larger unit of measurement than the teaspoon, or by multiplying each ingredient by the same amount, like x2, x3 or even x10. It’s useful for tons of recipes you’ll make during the season, from this recipe and gluten free pumpkin pie to gluten free pumpkin roll!
Expert tips
Check all ingredients for gluten (including syrup!)
This gf pancake batter is so easy to whisk together, but you have to check your ingredient labels carefully. Your gluten free flour blend must be safely gluten free, of course.
Be sure to check your other ingredients, too, though. Even any syrup you may like for serving your pancakes. Maple syrup with additives may have gluten-containing ingredients.
Measure your gluten free flour by weight
To make great gf pancakes, and really any great gf recipe, and get it right every single time, you need to measure all of your dry ingredients—especially your gf flour—by weight, not volume.
I often get asked to translate the gram measurements for the 3-ingredient gluten free flour blend into cups and teaspoons. But there’s no way to make a flour blend without using a simple digital kitchen scale.
They’re only about $15, unless you get fancy, and they’ll make your life so much easier. You’ll even have fewer dirty dishes!
Grease your pan for easily flipping
You can make pancakes on a nonstick surface without greasing it, but you should grease it lightly for two reasons.
First, pancake batter sometimes sticks to even nonstick surfaces in spots where it’s not hot enough or where the nonstick has begun to wear away. Your pancake will tear when you try to flip it.
Second, those beautiful brown edges you see on the best pancakes, these gf pumpkin pancakes included, are from those edges frying in the oil on the skillet. They look beautiful, and taste amazing!
FAQs
No! Canned pumpkin puree has one ingredient: pure packed pumpkin (although it’s often different types of squash, but it all looks and tastes the same).
Pumpkin pie mix has added sugar and spices, but in amounts you can’t control. Pumpkin puree is what you want for baking, since it’s the most versatile.
Yes! These pancakes freeze and reheat really well.
I like to let them cool completely, stack them in groups of 2 pancakes, and wrap them tightly in freezer-safe wrap. I place them in the freezer and they make a great last-minute breakfast.
Defrost them in the microwave for a few seconds to defrost them, then toast them on “light” in the toaster oven until they’re warm and fresh. Good as new!
Begin to heat your oven to 200°F before you begin making the pancake batter. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil. As the pancakes are finished cooking, place them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the 200°F oven, taking it out only to add your next batch of pancakes.
You can try using this same batter to make waffles by first separating the eggs. Whisk the yolks into the other wet ingredients and proceed with the recipe as directed. Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks, and fold them into the rest of the batter. Then, follow the rest of the instructions for making gluten free waffles.
Suggested gluten free pumpkin pancake toppings
Make these pancakes even more flavorful by adding some toppings to the pancakes as they cook. Try sprinkling soft nut pieces (pecans and walnuts are perfect), chocolate chips, or even some gluten free chocolate sprinkles.
Pour the pancake batter into portions on the hot griddle and when they’re nearly ready to flip, sprinkle on some of your favorite toppings.
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free
The dairy in these pancakes comes from butter, and milk. Both can be replaced easily.
Just use vegan butter in place of melted dairy butter (Melt and Miyoko’s Kitchen brand are best). You can even get away with using Earth Balance buttery sticks, if you have it.
In place of cow’s milk, use your favorite unsweetened unflavored nondairy milk. I like almond milk.
Egg free
There are two eggs in this recipe, and that usually means they can be replaced by one “chia egg” each. It’s definitely worth trying.
To make each chia egg, place 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds and 1 tablespoon lukewarm water in a small bowl. Mix, and allow to gel before adding to the batter.
You can make this recipe as described, but replace the pumpkin butter with pumpkin puree. There are instructions in the recipe below for how to do just that.
But your pancakes won’t taste as much like pumpkin, even with all that pumpkin pie spice in the batter. I really encourage you to try making our homemade pumpkin butter by cooking down pumpkin puree, maple syrup, juice and warm fall spices.
You can also buy pumpkin butter to use in baking. Just read labels, so you’re sure it’s safely gluten free!
My local Trader Joe’s makes a great pumpkin butter that they sell in the fall. It’s perfect for all our fall baking, and is even delicious on a piece of gluten free bread.
Pumpkin oatmeal pancakes
To make gluten free pumpkin oatmeal pancakes, try replacing the mashed banana in our recipe for gluten free banana pancakes with pumpkin butter. You can use pumpkin puree, but it won’t taste much like pumpkin, even if you add pumpkin pie spice!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 ounces pumpkin butter , at room temperature (See Recipe Notes for alternative)
- 2 tablespoons ( 28 g ) unsalted butter , melted and cooled
- ¾ cup ( 6 fluid ounces ) milk, at room temperature
- 2 ( 100 g (weighed out of shell) ) eggs , at room temperature, beaten
- 3 tablespoons ( 41 g ) packed light brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cups ( 175 g ) gum-free gluten free flour blend
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend , See Recipe Notes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Neutral oil or butter , for the griddle or pan
Instructions
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Heat a griddle or lightly greased nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. If using a griddle, heat it to 350°F.
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In a large bowl, place the pumpkin butter (See Recipe Notes if using pumpkin puree), melted butter, milk, eggs, and brown sugar, and whisk until very smooth.
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Add the flour blend, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and whisk until just combined. The pancake batter shouldn’t be especially thick.
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Grease the hot griddle lightly with neutral oil or butter, and pour as many portions of about ¼ cup of batter onto the hot griddle as can fit comfortably, without touching.
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When pouring the batter, don’t swirl it around; pour straight down.
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Allow the pancakes to cook until large bubbles begin to break through the top of the batter in each pancake and the edges are set at least an inch all around (about 2 minutes).
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With a wide, flat spatula, carefully flip over each pancake, and continue to cook until set (about 1 minute more). Remove the cooked pancakes from the skillet, and repeat with the remaining batter.
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Pancakes can be cooled completely, then stacked, wrapped tightly and frozen. Separate the pancakes and defrost in the toaster oven on ‘light’ or ‘low.’
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You can also keep the pancakes warm in a single layer on a lined baking sheet in a 200°F oven, so they’re all ready to serve at the same time.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.