Start your morning off with these perfect vegan pumpkin pancakes. Seasonally spiced, light, and fluffy, no one will believe these sweet pancakes are egg-free. Serve with maple syrup.
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It's pancake time again!
And this morning we have a sticky, sweet, towering stack of vegan pumpkin pancakes. Perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this breakfast screams fall. Who's ready to douse them in maple syrup and dig in?
I am! I am!
October is my most favorite time of year. These past few weekends I've wanted nothing more than to cozy up near a fire with a good book, a chai tea latte, and everything pumpkin. This, of course, isn't actually what my weekends look like. It's much more of managing kid tantrums, taking rainy walks to the park, and cleaning up after epic craft projects.
But one can dream.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
I love this pancake recipe because there are no strange or hard-to-find egg replacers, it doesn’t use refined sugar, they have a perfect golden crust with a soft and fluffy middle, and this recipe is nearly fool-proof.
They have the BEST pumpkin and spice flavors and I think you're going to love them.
Recommended Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour – For healthier flour options, you can use 1:1 gluten-free flour blends or buckwheat.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Spices - You will need cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I recommend soy milk because it curdles the best. Almond milk will often curdle but not as well. This may affect the overall texture of the pancake.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This is my vinegar of choice when making vegan buttermilk (vinegar + soymilk) but white vinegar, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice are great alternatives.
- Pumpkin Puree - Make sure to use canned pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Oil – I recommend a non-hydrogenated oil such as avocado or melted coconut oil. Olive oil also works but adds a slightly savory flavor.
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
- Cooking Oil Spray
Recommended Equipment
When it comes to pancakes, I highly recommend using an electric griddle. A griddle allows you to set the temperature to exactly what you want for an even cook on both sides. This is the one I use which is under $40 on Amazon and it’s something I use nearly weekly.
In addition, you need a mixing bowl, utensils, pancake spatula are also very useful. I also recommend using an ice cream scoop to evenly and cleanly scoop your batter. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
Step One: Make the "Buttermilk"
Vegan buttermilk gives these pancakes the perfect taste and rise, making them deliciously moist and tender.
Making vegan buttermilk is super easy! To make vegan buttermilk, mix together soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Once it's mixed, set it aside. After about five minutes the soy milk/apple cider vinegar will be thick and curdled with a slightly tangy taste - just like buttermilk.
Step Two: Combine the Ingredients
In a bowl, combine your dry ingredients. That's your flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
Transfer your curdled milk into a separate bowl and add the remaining wet ingredients to it. That's the water, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extra.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing gently, until a thick uniform batter has formed.
Step Three: Cook the Pancakes
Once your pancake batter is made, it’s time to cook them!
Getting an even cook on your pancakes is crucial. You want to get both sides of the pancakes lightly golden and crispy while making sure that the center is cooked. This can be difficult so it’s important to be able to get your temperature just right. I have found that setting my electric griddle to 375F has given me the best results.
Make sure to generously spray your preheated griddle and pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle per pancake, leaving about 2 inches between each one. Cook the pancakes until they start to bubble, flip and cook the remaining side until the pancake has risen slightly. This should take 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Serving and Storing
Serve the pancakes immediately with candied nuts and maple syrup.
Wrap leftover pancakes in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Gently reheat them in the oven or microwave to enjoy.
Tips and Tricks
- Take care that these pancakes are not over-mixed. When pancakes are over-mixed, gluten gets overworked and becomes tough and gummy. When mixing, a few small lumps are always okay. The less you mix, the more tender and delicate the texture of the pancake will be.
- Make sure to give the “buttermilk” plenty of time to curdle. The vinegar/milk mixture thickens the batter and helps give the pancakes rise as they are cooked. While other milk can curdle, I have found that soy works the best and is, therefore, the milk I recommend.
- The pancake batter is fairly thin. For this reason, make sure the griddle is preheated and spray between each batch. This is important in getting that golden crispy outside. When the batter hits the hot oiled griddle, it should immediately start to form a crust which gives the pancake it’s perfect texture while also preventing it from spreading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use soy milk?
I am often asked if other milk will work when making vegan buttermilk. While I've had good results with oat and cashew milk, I have always had the best results with soy. I recommend soy but if you can't do soy, go for something equally thick and rich.
Can I make these pancakes gluten-free?
Yes! If you want gluten-free pancakes, I recommend using a 1:1 baking flour blend. (<<affiliate links)
More Vegan Pancake Recipes
- Perfect Vegan Pancakes
- Maple Hazelnut Corncakes
- 10-Minute Banana Pancakes
- Classic Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ½ cup soy milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat a pancake griddle to 375.
- In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk together and set aside to let curdle. In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
- Once soy milk is curdled, whisk in melted coconut oil, water, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until most of the lumps are gone.
- Spray pancake griddle with cooking spray. With an ice cream scoop or ¼ measuring cup, pour batter on the griddle. It should spread into about a 5" circle. Repeat until the griddle is filled.
- When pancakes begin to bubble on the top (about 3 minutes), gently flip it over and bake on the other side until pancakes have risen to about double the height.
- Remove pancakes and respray griddle before panfrying the 2nd batch. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Serve with maple syrup and candied nuts of choice.
Notes
- Do I have to use soy milk? I am often asked if other milk will work when making vegan buttermilk. While I've had good results with oat and cashew milk, I have always had the best results with soy. I recommend soy but if you can't do soy, go for something equally thick and rich.
- Can I make these pancakes gluten-free? Yes! If you want gluten-free pancakes, I recommend using a 1:1 baking flour blend like this one.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
L Howard says
This is the 4th vegan pumpkin cakes recipe I’ve tried , and it is my #1 choice (and my only review of the 4). It wins for the light and chewing texture. It’s not too dense, so it cooks evenly all the way through. Also, no residual baking soda or baking powder flavor, as do some vegan recipes. . My only addition was more spice on top of what’s already in this recipe; I added 1 tsp of Penney’s pumpkin pie spice.
Sara says
Thank you, Sarah! These were delicious and easy to make and you don't miss the eggs or dairy. Absolutely delicious as is(This is not a review with a million modifications:)).
Sarah says
I'm so glad it worked out for you. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley says
Perfectly fluffy! I subbed applesauce in for the oil no prob.
Johanna says
I tried this recipe and it's PERFECT!
Nicole says
Can almond milk be used instead of soy?
Sarah says
It won't curdle as well, which will make the batter thinner but it shouldn't affect the texture too much.
Leah says
Why is water listed as an ingredient but not listed in the directions?
Sarah says
Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed the error.
Maddi says
These came out amazing. Super fluffy and delicious, and one of the best pancake recipes I’ve tried.
Sarah says
I love to hear that. Thank you for sharing!
Amelia says
This was the PERFECT pumpkin pancake recipe! Subtly sweet and full of fall flavor! Delicious topped with candied walnuts and bana! Thank you for making a wonderful vegan version of one my favorites!
Sarah says
I'm so glad you liked them!