Who says a pancake breakfast can’t be tasty and healthy? Whip up a batch of these Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes and indulge your fall cravings for foods that are warm, spicy and sweet. Your house will smell like pumpkin pie, your taste buds will think you’re eating something sinful, and your body will thank you for filling it with a wholesome meal!
I had been planning on making french toast for our Sunday morning breakfast. I had baked some really good buttermilk bread the other day and the last half a loaf is at that ‘too stale for cold sandwiches but perfect for french toast’ stage.
So what is that photo of whole wheat pumpkin pancakes doing up there? Well, this morning I did what I do best. I changed my mind. Just as I was pulling out the milk and eggs for french toast, I had a vision of pumpkin pancakes. This was odd because I’ve never even tasted pumpkin pancakes, much less made them!
But once the idea was in my head, I couldn’t let it go. I announced to my husband that breakfast plans had changed and that he would be eating pumpkin pancakes as soon as I figured out a recipe. He gave me an uncertain look that said he was hungry and worried that my ‘pancake experiment’ would delay breakfast for quite some time. But he knew it was useless to protest and muttered something like, “That sounds good” and went back to playing his latest PS3 game.
I was hungry too, but confident enough in my pancake-making ability to take the chance. I had a feeling I could throw something together pretty quick and on the off chance it turned out to be a disaster, french toast was still an option!
When I was a kid, I hated whole wheat pancakes. I thought it was bad enough that we were only allowed to eat whole wheat bread when all the other ‘lucky kids’ at school got to eat sandwiches made with Wonder bread. I didn’t think the dreaded whole wheat flour had any place in my breakfast pancakes!
Pancakes and waffles were one thing that my parents made with white flour and therefore they were just like the pancakes my friends ate and just like the pancakes I could order at a restaurant. And that’s the way I liked it. We didn’t eat pancakes at home very often but they were (and are) a breakfast staple up at the cabin. Plain pancakes, banana pancakes, blueberry pancakes, gooseberry pancakes, and even corn pancakes. But never whole wheat!
The few times I had to eat whole wheat pancakes growing up, I thought they were absolutely terrible! Maybe they were, they certainly can be if you use the wrong recipe. But I think it was probably all in my head.
My views on whole wheat bread changed over the years as did my views on whole wheat pancakes. I’ve learned that many types of whole wheat pancakes actually taste much better than regular ones. So, even though I’ll always love a stack of good ol’ white flour buttermilk pancakes, I find myself experimenting more often with different types of whole grain pancakes.
Pumpkin pancakes seemed like the perfect vehicle for whole grain flour so that’s what I used in this recipe. I added a little bit of cake flour to lighten them up a bit but feel free to try the recipe with 100% whole wheat flour if that’s what you prefer.
This recipe will use about half a can of pumpkin puree. If you have a large family, double the recipe and use the entire can. One can is just under two cups of pumpkin but don’t worry too much about not having enough pumpkin. Just use one can and add a bit more buttermilk if the batter is too thick. If you aren’t going to make a double batch, use that extra half can of pumpkin to whip up some pumpkin muffins!
Enjoy!
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
- 1 C. whole wheat flour
- 1/2 C. cake flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 2 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 t. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t. ground ginger
- 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
- 1 C. buttermilk
- 1 C. canned pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 T. oil
- 1 t. vanilla
- 2 T. dark brown sugar
- 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first eight ingredients (whole wheat flour through nutmeg). In a separate bowl, whisk together the last six ingredients (buttermilk through brown sugar).
- 2. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and blend together with a wooden spoon until just combined. Lumps are ok, just make sure all the flour on the bottom of the bowl is mixed in. If batter seems too thick to pour, you can gently stir in a little more buttermilk.
- 3. Drop pancakes by ladleful onto a medium-hot griddle. Pancakes are ready to turn when the edges start to look a little dry and you can see small bubbles forming on the surface.
- Notes: You may substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour if that’s all you have on hand. You may also use only whole wheat flour, just increase whole wheat to 1 1/2 cups and omit cake flour; pancakes will be just a bit heavier. Light brown sugar or white sugar may be substituted for dark brown sugar. If you have it on hand, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice can be used in place of the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
EDIT 10/15/07: Oooops! I accidentally left out one ingredient when I posted this recipe yesterday. Thanks to a question left in the comment section, I just noticed that I forgot the 2 tablespoons of oil that I used. They probably won’t be terrible without it but it was included in the original recipe. Sorry, it’s fixed now!
Related Recipes:
- Whole Grain Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes
- Pumpkin Maple Muffins
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Applesauce Spice Muffins
- Pumpkin Roll
- Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
Around the Web:
- Pumpkin and Pecan Pancakes from Everybody Likes Sandwiches
- Whole Wheat Apple and Pumpkin Pancakes from Acme Instant Food
- Pumpkin Ginger Pancakes from Gastronome
- Cinnamon Pancakes from Technicolor Kitchen
- Gingerbread Pancakes from Homesick Texan
Hey Nicole
5:37 pm Oct 14th, 2007How was ur vacation? Looks like you had loads of fun:). Pumpkin Pancakes looks nice…. I cannot take anything sweet:( You know how I eat pancakes..with spicy home made Indian pickle. I know that sounds weired but it taste really good with buttermilk pancakes:D.
Pumpkin? That’s all you got? I’m still waiting for the Peanut Butter Crunch Pancakes.
7:30 pm Oct 14th, 2007This sounds like a perfect Thanksgiving morning breakfast!
8:47 pm Oct 14th, 2007Mmm, I love anything pumpkin! These look great, I may subsitute the whole wheat flour for white flour cause you know me, hate healthy stuff! lol, I suppose thats why I look so healthy huh?haha
8:56 pm Oct 14th, 2007Thanks!
WOW!!! We will have to try those as soon as possible! My oldest son is crazy about pancakes AND pumpkin pie, so I am sure these will go over well in our house! Thanks!
11:54 pm Oct 14th, 2007These do sound very good! No oil or butter in recipe?
12:26 am Oct 15th, 2007Great! Another use for the ginormous jug of buttermilk I’m forced to buy at the store! I’ll be making these this week for sure!
Evie
1:03 am Oct 15th, 2007Wow these look absolutely AMAZING! I just finished dinner (homemade pizza using your wholewheat rosemary dough recipe, LOVE IT! I’ve made it like 5x now and each time the pizza disappears quickly before it has a chance to cool down). I was living in Norway but now back in Canada. Thanks for this pumpking recipe…will have to try it someday..
1:28 am Oct 15th, 2007I will be making these. I love all things pumpkin!
2:42 am Oct 15th, 2007Hi everyone,
Just a quick notice! As JEP pointed out, there was no oil or butter listed for this recipe. Well, that was my mistake! As you probably know, I never leave the fat completely out of a recipe
I have edited the recipe to include the 2 tablespoons of oil that I used when I made them. They would probably be ok without but I loved these pancakes so much, I wouldn’t change a thing! Sorry for that!
7:39 am Oct 15th, 2007Padmaja: Hi there! I know that you prefer savory pancakes over sweet ones and I like them too! But I grew up eating sweet things like this for breakfast so I will always love them
Jason: Hmmmmm…you might be waiting a while. Although some Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch sounds good right now!
Corinne: Yes, it would be good for Thanksgiving but they’re pretty filling so it might not be the best idea depending on what time you eat Thanksgiving dinner! The only thing I like to eat for breakfast on Thanksgiving are the sweet rolls that Nana heats up in the oven!
Ruby: I knew you would say that! Hahahaha! Try them with whole wheat, they actually taste better I think. Believe me, these aren’t ‘healthy tasting’ at all! Promise
Karen: Yes, I think kids will love these pancakes! Let me know if you try them!
Evie: Hahahaha! There are lots of recipes on here that use buttermilk if you still have some left over after this one!
Jack: It’s great to get more feedback about the pizza dough! We eat pizza using that recipe all the time, too! It’s very addictive
Marie: Great! Let me know how they turn out!
7:46 am Oct 15th, 2007Nicole,
This is my first time here. I was shown the way via Emon’s blog. I must say that your site is absolutely lovely!! Sift proud, sister!! It’s truly a thing of beauty and the pictures of your food are so tasteful–and I mean that in more ways than one!
Your feta cheese dressing is fantastic. I’d been looking for a good Tzatziki sauce recipe (pardon my spelling..the word really IS Greek to me) and yours looks perfect. I can’t to try it.
Congratulations on a blog well done, Nicole. It’s sublime.
I’ll be back.
LK
You deserve Best Food Blog in the Weblog pantheon! I’m voting for you!
12:46 pm Oct 15th, 2007Nicole, lovely views as expected. I HATE pumpkin pie, but it’s strictly a texture thing for me. I do love pumpkin flavor, though, and these pancakes may have to be tried very soon.
Now, did you make the pumpkin puree, or was it canned?
2:04 pm Oct 15th, 2007Sounds very tasty, and I could easily make this SB diet friendly too! Great idea!
2:08 pm Oct 15th, 2007Yum! I have to try these!
2:27 pm Oct 15th, 2007Laurie: Thanks for stopping by and for all the wonderful compliments! You should definitely try the tzatziki, it’s really good! I found you through Emon’s blog, too
Curt: I’ll admit that Pumpkin Pie isn’t my favorite. I will always go for the Apple Pie after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! But I do love leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast the morning after. I don’t know why, but it somehow tastes better in the morning!
Kalyn: Yes, I thought this might be something that could be South Beach friendly with a few adjustments. I think it could turn into a great vegan recipe, I was thinking about asking Susan from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen to give it a try
Cara: Thanks, I hope you do!
3:11 pm Oct 15th, 2007Oh yum!!! I love anything pumpkin…I am actually on the east coast right now enjoying the fall weather and have been going pumpkin crazy!!! I am going to have to try these for breakfast!
4:21 pm Oct 15th, 2007I keep meaning to add more whole wheat into my diet, and this sounds like the perfect recipe to start with!
4:52 pm Oct 15th, 2007Wow, these pumpkin pancakes look absolutely delicious!! I love your site, you’ve done a great job. If you are interested, I am a writer for a food site called http://www.foodsqueeze.com and I have a great recipe for Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes, http://food.gearlive.com/food/article/q307-whole-wheat-blueberry-pancake-recipe/ as well as some other fun whole wheat recipes. Stop by if you are interested. Thanks!
Jenni
5:30 pm Oct 15th, 2007This is such a comforting fall recipe! Perfect to take the chill off a day like today.
5:33 pm Oct 15th, 2007Nic, these are wonderful!
5:53 pm Oct 15th, 2007These are SO right up my alley. How am I only just now coming across your blog? It’s great!
6:23 pm Oct 15th, 2007Hi Nicole - these look delightful. And since pumpkin and maple are a perfect combination anyway (after having pumpkin bread spread with maple butter I’ve never gone back) it’s the next logical step in breakfast food. I can’t wait to try them.
6:58 pm Oct 15th, 2007Dani: Oh, it must be so nice to enjoy a “real fall!” It’s still too warm here in Sicily to really feel like fall. Transylvania was nice because we got to see fall colors and bundle up a bit during the chilly evenings. But now I’m back to t-shirts!
Deborah: Pancakes and muffins are the perfect way to start adding more whole grains into your diet…I especially like pumpkin and banana breads and muffins with whole wheat flour.
Jenni: Thanks for the links, I’ll check them out! I have some whole wheat blueberry pancakes on this site that might interest you, too
Brilynn: Exactly! They are very comforting…has something to do with the smells of nutmeg and cinnamon while they are on the griddle!
Patricia: Thanks!
Dana: Thanks! I’m glad you stopped by, now I’ve checked out your blog and subscribed, too!
Claire: Hi!! Great to ’see’ you! Yes, pumpkin and maple go very well together (although I have to admit that I used Mrs. Butterworth’s on my pancakes because we’re out of real maple syrup). I haven’t tried maple butter but now I’m really wishing I had some to go on the pumpkin muffins I just baked!
7:36 pm Oct 15th, 2007Sounds delicious. I love pumpkins - AND I love pancakes! Found your blog through: http://beautifulbeta.blogspot.com/2006/10/designing-templates-tutorial.html , although not sure how your site apples there anymore since I believe it’s wordpress. No matter, the design is incredible, look forward to visiting more often =)
7:47 pm Oct 15th, 2007Fantastic looking pancakes - I’m going to try them out soon!
8:48 pm Oct 15th, 2007I love the contrast between the ochre-colored pancakes and black griddle in the photos. Very nice….
I’m having four out of town guests for a weekend in November, and this looks like the perfect breakfast recipe. But maybe I should try them out a few times before then? You know, just to get the hang of it.
10:43 pm Oct 15th, 2007Pumpkin pancakes sound good! And they are also whole wheat making them a bit healthier.
12:44 am Oct 16th, 2007Erin: Thanks for stopping by!
Karen: Thanks! I liked the way the photos turned out also. The color of these pancakes is really great, I was surprised that they were so orange.
Deborah: I think these would be a nice treat for your guests but I agree you should try them out ahead of time…at least 3 or 4 times
Kevin: Yep, good and healthy…what a concept!
1:30 pm Oct 16th, 2007Oh, oh, oh, I’ve just got to try these! Thanks Nicole.
1:43 pm Oct 16th, 2007Last Sunday I had a hankering for pancakes– which I’ll eat once a year at most– and decided to go with the whole wheat version in Joy of Cooking. They were SO much tastier than regular pancakes! I was even thinking about making half the batch pumpkin (my girlfriend doesn’t like it) but I wanted to keep things simple and traditional since I probably wouldn’t be making pancakes for another year. I might have to try these though.
6:47 pm Oct 16th, 2007wow! just wow!
3:53 am Oct 17th, 2007I’m amazed at how easy it was for you to come up with a recipe so quickly!
And for those of you who don’t live in the US where pumpkin purees grow on trees, we made ours with apple puree and it’s delicious. Yeah, it’s not very Halloweeny, but still tasty. Thank you Nicole!
11:05 am Oct 20th, 2007Cynthia: You’re welcome! Hope you get a chance to try them sometime!
Caroline: Well, even if you wait til next year, I hope you give these a try!
Nabeela: The recipe came together quickly because I’ve experimented with different pancakes a lot over the last year
Charbarred: I’m glad you tried this with apple, I was wondering how it would taste! Thanks for the suggestion, it’s easy for me to forget that grocery stores in other countries don’t stock the same things
11:58 am Oct 20th, 2007These sound wonderful! I can’t wait to try them!
1:46 pm Oct 24th, 2007Laura: Thanks for stopping by!
3:28 pm Oct 24th, 2007I just made these pancakes and they rock! They were a delicious pre-halloween treat! They would be great all year around too! Thanks!
4:24 pm Oct 28th, 2007I made these this weekend and they were amazing! Exactly what we were looking for. Thanks for the great recipe! I can assure you that I will be making these again in the near future!
12:34 am Nov 15th, 2007Hello! I made these pancakes for breakfast this morning, and I thought that they were great! I can’t wait to try it out on my other family members.
10:00 am Nov 18th, 2007[...] by these pumpkin waffles and these whole wheat pumpkin pancakes, I made use of a leftover sweet potato in these whole wheat waffles last weekend. Coincidentally, [...]
9:44 am Nov 21st, 2007These pancakes are fantastic! I made them for my 2 year old a few weeks ago, and we are already on our 3rd batch. They are now the only thing he will eat for breakfast, and he often wants them for dinner too! I followed the recipe exactly, but II added around 1/4 cup wheat germ and an extra 1/2 cup milk cause we’re trying to add extra iron into my little one’s diet.
Thanks for the recipe!
6:31 pm Nov 24th, 2007Delicious! They make hearty, delicious waffles and taste great with some maple syrup.
11:23 pm Nov 26th, 2007I stumbled on these while doing a google search for whole wheat pumpkin pancakes.
WOW!! These are wonderful. I am always looking for new pancake recipes, as pancakes are the fav breakfast of my two girls. They gobbled them up and asked for seconds.
8:19 am Dec 2nd, 2007I always use the whole wheat pastry flour in my recipes (it is very finely ground), as it does not have that grainy texture of the regular whole wheat flour and my kids never even notice the difference.
I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!!!
It’s great to hear that so many of you are making these pancakes and loving them as much as I do! Also good to know that they’re kid friendly! I thought that kids would probably like them but hadn’t tested out my theory yet
1:37 pm Dec 2nd, 2007Just wanted to let you know I made these for Christmas Day brunch along with your bran muffins. Both recipes are great. I love whole wheat pancakes and these were so good. I wished no one else had made food so I could’ve had room for more. My grandma even asked for the recipe. I made 3 batches of muffins. I made a batch of cranberry orange with regular craisins. I didn’t care for the flavor of the trader joe’s orange cranberries. To get more orange flavor, I soaked my cranberries in warm orange juice. The blueberry batch was delicious. The best blueberry muffin I’ve ever had. I also make a batch with dried cherries and pistachios which went over really well. Now I am going to go scrounge to see if we can’t have punkin pancakes for breakfast today! p.s. the kids all loved the pancakes, all 5 of them from 21months to almost 7 years old.
8:15 am Dec 29th, 2007These are great! I make pumpkin waffles often but didn’t feel like it today. We had them with pear maple sauce and they were fantastic. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thanks!
10:59 pm Jan 4th, 2008Brings back memories of when I improvised a pumpkin pancake recipe for my kids about 20 years ago. I will try your whole grain version as it sounds delicious. I may even add some wheat germ as we are always looking for ways to incorporate more fiber into our diet. Great blog!
9:21 am Jan 21st, 2008I wanted to have a pancake dinner for Fat Tuesday and I came across your recipe. My family and I agree, we could eat these all day! I used 100% hard white wheat and the pancakes turned out great. Thanks!
6:49 am Feb 6th, 2008I love that so many of you are trying this recipe!
Diana: it’s very flattering to hear that your grandmother asked for the recipe! All the muffins you made sound great!!
11:32 am Feb 7th, 2008Rudi: I’ve never made pumpkin waffles but I think it’s something I want to try soon. I have some extra pumpkin in the pantry that I picked up on sale after the holidays. Waffles sound like a great way to use it up!
Cheryl: Thanks! Hope you enjoy the whole grain version!
Connie: I’m so glad that your family enjoyed these. I love pancakes for dinner!
1 can pumpkin? What size can?
5:57 am Feb 23rd, 2008D’oh, never mind…I just re-read…1 C(up)
6:13 am Feb 23rd, 2008[...] Hungry for more pancakes? Heidi from 101 Cookbooks has a Coconut Macaroon version that sounds divine. Chef and Paris-based food writer David Lebovitz has a savory version with his Korean Scallion pancakes. And lastly, Pinch My Salt shares her Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes. [...]
5:38 pm Sep 15th, 2008[...] down the driveway to pick up the morning paper. And that alone is enough to make me crave warm pumpkin pancakes dripping with butter and maple [...]
10:21 am Sep 22nd, 2008[...] a little sweet from the pumpkin and spices. If you’d like the recipe, you can check it out here. I used hazelnut milk instead of cow’s milk and I think you could omit the eggs all [...]
9:50 pm Sep 22nd, 2008This was a great recipe! Thanks for sharing it! I added a tablespoon more sugar and walnuts to the batter - so good. And by the way, when I was looking for a pumpkin pancake recipe I found a bunch, but yours was the only one with a decent amount of actual pumpkin in it. One recipe had 1/2 cup MORE flour but only 3 tablespoons of pumpkin!
7:30 am Sep 28th, 2008I just tried these tonight (I was a little slow in making them. lol.), and I LOVE them!!! So good and filling!
6:30 pm Oct 12th, 2008I LOVE pumpkin pancakes (and the pumpkin cream cheese spread recipe, too!). I use WW pastry flour in a lot of stuff, including pie crust. Somehow it makes me feel better about making cakes, muffins, etc. I’ve even been known to substitute pumpkin puree for butter or oil in baked goods.
10:33 pm Oct 12th, 2008Hello,
First of all this recipe looks delicious!
I do not see anywhere on this recipe how many people it serves? We are trying to make a healthy breakfast for roughly 150 people, can you advise as to how many servings?
thanks!
8:07 am Oct 17th, 2008[...] choices from Cooks.com Martha Stewart NYTimes.com Whole wheat from Pinch my Salt Low fat from About.com: Low Fat Cooking With cinnamon butter from Coconut & [...]
10:38 am Oct 22nd, 2008My father, who doesn’t really care for the pumpkin spice flavor profile, declared these pancakes “not good, but great. A fantastic pancake.” Thanks for the recipe!
11:20 am Oct 25th, 2008Exactly what I was looking for! I added blueberries and pecans (sprinkle a few on each pancake when you first put it in the pan to cook) and the flavor was great together. I also substituted sorghum molasses for the brown sugar since I was out of brown and wanted that deep flavor - worked perfectly.
Thanks for the great recipe!
6:10 am Oct 26th, 2008[...] Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes [...]
5:09 pm Nov 18th, 2008I made your pancakes today and they were fantastic! It was just me for breakfast so I made a dozen muffins with the leftover batter. I used white spelt flour and added an additional 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Oh and I used agave nectar in place of the sugar.
9:53 am Dec 3rd, 2008Pumpkin is just about my favorite thing during the holidays along with all the warm aromatic spices. I made your pumpkin pancakes with my fiancee this past weekend and we absolutely LOVED them. This is one of the best pumpkin pancake recipes I’ve had. Most of them never have enough cinnamon flavor or don’t puff up moist and fluffy. These were great and will be a breakfast favorite even after the holidays!
Thank you, I really enjoy your blog and can’t wait for new recipes to be posted
Kristen
12:13 pm Dec 23rd, 2008Instead of maple syrup we like to dip them in pumpkin butter whipped into low-fat greek yogurt, or for a real treat whipped cream.
12:15 pm Dec 23rd, 2008I’m making these for Shrove Tuesday again this year!
5:53 pm Feb 21st, 2009[...] Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes [...]
4:26 pm Mar 3rd, 2009I really like that you point out subbing in more whole wheat vs. processed or other. Doctor grandmas delight is my favorite sugar substitute. It bakes really well too. I thought of that because they do whole wheat pancakes and other whole wheat products. I bet they wouldn’t be happy about your competition here with a great recipe! Hey…by the way…a nice oil to use would be a light and buttery evoo(extra virgin olive oil) if you want to stay on the healthy side of things;) Thanks for the great post!
4:53 pm May 11th, 2009