For when you want and you're feeling

Fluffy Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

These vegan pumpkin pancakes are so fluffy and will be your new favorite fall breakfast! Full of cozy spices like cinnamon and topped with maple syrup, they’re ready in just 15 minutes.

hand pouring maple syrup onto a stack of vegan pumpkin pancakes

Ingredients Needed

  • 1 TBS flax meal, ground from flax seeds (optional but recommended)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or an equal mix of AP and whole wheat)
  • 1 TBS baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of 1/8 allspice, 1/2 cinnamon, 1/4 nutmeg, and 1/8 cloves)
  • 1/2 TBS lemon juice (or sub apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 2 TBS oil of choice 
  • 2 TBS sugar
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

1. Add your ground flax to a small cup with 3 TBS water. Set aside to gel.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl and set aside.

3. In a medium sized bowl, add lemon juice to milk and stir. This will create a “buttermilk” that helps the pancakes become extra fluffy! After a minute or so, add in coconut oil, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla.

4. Slowly add your wet ingredients to dry, taking care not to over-mix.

5. Lightly oil a griddle, heat to medium-low, and scoop batter into 1/3 cup for each pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes, flip once puffy and bubbling, and cook 1-2 minutes more. Serve with toppings of choice.

stack of apples, pears, and pomegrantes

What are some benefits of baking with pumpkin?

  • Pumpkin is naturally high in fiber, antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Potassium. Feel free to read more about its health benefits here.
  • When used in baked goods, pumpkin acts as an excellent binding agent. This means that these pancakes are naturally vegan without eggs.
  • It’s affordable. We’re using canned pumpkin here (not pumpkin pie filling) which is just about $1 at most grocery stores!
overhead shot of a stack of vegan pumpkin pancakes with pecans

Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Pancakes:

  1. Be sure not to over-mix the batter. It’s OK if you have a few clumps, but stirring too much may activate gluten in the dough and cause it to become tough and flat.
  2. Keep your griddle temperature in the medium/medium low range (adjusting slightly lower throughout batches as the pan retains more heat). A pan that is too hot will cause these to burn on the outside and remain uncooked on the inside. No thank you!
  3. Resist the urge to flip pancakes more than just once. I recently learned that flipping pancakes more than one time (in the middle of the cooking cycle) will cause them to flatten out.

Possible Substitutions for this Recipe

  • I am using a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour since that is what I had on hand, but fine oat flour should work if you’re gluten-free. The pancakes may be a little more dense so be sure that your oats are very finely ground in this case.
  • I have not tried making this recipe without oil, but I am guessing that some applesauce could be substituted in place of 1 TBS of oil.
  • If you do not have flax seed on hand, it could be omitted. If you are not vegan, you can also add one egg to help with binding.
  • Some topping ideas include dairy-free yogurt, nuts, and maple syrup. Feel free to add whatever fruit you have (apples and bananas would be delicious), along with some nut butter!
stack of vegan pumpkin pancakes

I hope you love these pancakes and enjoy making them all autumn long! Please be sure to let me know on Instagram at @garlic_head if you give them a try.

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try one of these next:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Vegan Pumpkin Cake

Turkish Candied Pumpkin

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
stack of vegan pumpkin pancakes

Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8 pancakes 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These vegan pumpkin pancakes are so fluffy and will be your new favorite fall breakfast! Full of cozy spices like cinnamon and topped with maple syrup, they’re ready in just 15 minutes and a healthy treat for the entire family.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 TBS flax meal, ground from flax seeds (optional but recommended)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or an equal mix of AP and whole wheat)
  • 1 TBS baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of 1/8 allspice, 1/2 cinnamon, 1/4 nutmeg, and 1/8 cloves)
  • 1/2 TBS lemon juice (or sub apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 2 TBS oil of choice
  • 2 TBS sugar
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Maple syrup to serve

Instructions

  1. Add your ground flax to a small cup with 3 TBS water. Set aside to gel.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl and set aside.
  3. In a medium sized bowl, add lemon juice to milk and stir. This will create a “buttermilk” that helps the pancakes become extra fluffy! After a minute or so, add in coconut oil, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  4. Slowly add your wet ingredients to dry, taking care not to over-mix.
  5. Lightly oil a griddle, heat to medium-low, and scoop batter into 1/3 cup for each pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes, flip once puffy and bubbling, and cook 1-2 minutes more. Serve with toppings of choice.

Notes

This recipe will keep in the freezer for about a month, just be sure to freeze in a single layer (like on a cookie sheet) before sticking into a bag so that pancakes do not get stuck together.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 pancakes
  • Calories: 290 calories
  • Sugar: 8 grams
  • Sodium: 557 milligrams
  • Fat: 8.6 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 0.8 grams
  • Unsaturated Fat: 7.8 grams
  • Trans Fat: 0 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 46.1 grams
  • Fiber: 7.6 grams
  • Protein: 5.7 grams
  • Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Portrait of Emily Meyers, founder of Garlic Head

About the Author

Emily (Frigon) Meyers is the founder of Garlic Head, a plant-based recipe website for all eaters who want to easily, affordably, and sustainably incorporate more vegetables into their diets while saving time and money. She is a lifelong vegetarian and 10+ year vegan. Garlic Head does not focus on labels - it focuses on creating food that everyone can enjoy.

Emily earned a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University along with degrees in Economics, Spanish, and Global Sustainability from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been featured on numerous podcasts and websites including The Food Institute, VegNews, Buzzfeed, and the Boston Globe.

Meet Emily here.

Love this post? Share the love!

Similar Posts

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Garlic Head Logo

Garlic Head is a community for food lovers that is focused on providing affordable, simple, & delicious plant-based recipes to help us feel our best.

iPhone X displaying Garlic Head's "3-Ingredients Cocktails" e-Book

Free Resource

Get this e-book for free!

Please enter your name.
Please enter a valid email address.
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.
For when you're feeling...
Our recipes look great on Pinterest!