Pumpkin Pancake

I love PS season. Yes! PS is pumpkin spice. The chilly fall mornings make me crave everything pumpkin. What better way to start your day than with pumpkin pancakes? These healthy GF and dairy free pumpkin pancakes have a fluffy texture, orange shade, and warm fall spices. Do I hear you saying fall with all these yummy characteristics of these pancake?

This is one of my favorites for fall. These pumpkin pancakes were born out of experimentation. I wanted pumpkin pancakes that were GF and dairy free but packed with flavor and texture. I had to try the recipe a couple of times to get the dry and liquid ingredients ratio right. Once I hit that sweet spot these pancakes became a breakfast staple.

A few things I learned while making these pancakes are:

• Pumpkin doesn’t have much flavor of its own and spices bring out the flavor to pumpkin recipes
• Use a measuring cup sprayed with gluten-free cooking spray to portion out the ingredients
• You can use an egg substitute and turn this into vegan pumpkin pancake recipe
• You don’t need tons of sugar to get the delicious flavor, just a hint of maple syrup and/or honey will make it sweet 
• You can make extra pancakes and freeze them. They reheat perfectly in a toaster. I make a big batch on Sundays and freeze them. They are a perfect pre-run snack.
• To freeze the pancakes, let them completely cool down and place them on a parchment paper lined tray. Quick freeze them for 10 minutes to prevent them from ticking together then put them in freezer baggies for the exact portion size and freeze.

I’ve made these pancakes. On thanksgiving and during holiday season for family and friends and they were a hit. Did you know – pumpkin has health benefits too; it is packed with vitamin A, fiber, and antioxidants.

How to make pumpkin pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup water or choice of milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup paleo flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon chai seeds
• 1 tablespoon granulated brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice mix
• Chocolate chips – as topping
• Pumpkin seeds – as topping

Instructions

• To start go ahead and pre-heat a large non-stick griddle and spray it with non-stick spray.
• Whisk together your dry ingredients except for brown sugar.  
• Whisk pumpkin puree with the granulated brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, and water.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a spatula.
• Allow the batter to sit next to warm stove for 5 minutes.
• Pour the batter on griddle and spread the batter evenly. Top with pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips. 
• The pancakes will need to cook for about 4 minutes per side.