Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes (in the blender!)
Healthy pumpkin pancakes are made with tons of nutrients, good fat, no refined sugar, and can easily be made gluten-free and dairy-free! Yet, they have the same thick, fluffy texture and amazing pumpkin flavor that we all love in homemade pumpkin pancakes!
When all the pumpkin recipes come out, that’s a sign of two things. First is that shorter days and longer nights are around the corner and second is that school is back in session! What better way to celebrate both than to send your kids off to school with a stack of healthy pumpkin pancakes full of probiotics, protein, and all the comforting fall flavors? Make yourself a pumpkin spice latte and really soak in the flavors of fall.
About these healthy pumpkin pancakes
Blender pancakes are made with easy-breezy mornings in mind. They’re such a fun shortcut that makes it easier to enjoy pancakes even on school days! Then maybe again after school for a snack…or breakfast for dinner!
Just toss all of the ingredients in the blender, mix, and then pour. The results are thick, fluffy pancakes brimming with delicious pumpkin flavor. No one will even realize how healthy they are!
These healthy pumpkin pancakes are made with oat flour that can easily be gluten-free if you’re using certified gluten-free oats, similar to our oat flour pancakes and oatmeal pancakes. They contain no refined sugar but use maple syrup instead and contain loads of nutrients from kefir, olive oil, cinnamon, and almond butter. They are seriously the best and something to look forward to on the weekends! Try them topped with maple cinnamon butter, cinnamon whipped cream, or candied almond butter to really help the flavors pop.
The pumpkin spice flavors are flexible and customizable to your preferred tastes. These are the kind of pancakes that will satisfy anyone who is wanting a healthy pancake recipe but also show any skeptics that healthy pancakes rival any regularly made pancake in taste and texture!
What you need
- Quick or Regular Cooking Oats – Add oats to a blender or food processor and make them into a coarse meal or flour. This will be used as the structure of the pancake in place of all-purpose flour found in “regular” pumpkin pancakes. Save some oats for oatmeal and you’ve got a complete breakfast or brunch menu. Steel cut oats won’t work for this recipe, so make sure to avoid those.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder gives a nice rise when combined with the acid in the kefir and will make your pancakes nice and fluffy.
- Cinnamon – A delicious spice that pairs so well with pumpkin and maple syrup. You could substitute pumpkin pie spice here if you’d like.
- Dash of Salt – A pinch is added as a way to bring all the flavors together cohesively.
- Eggs – There is no gluten in these pancakes, which means the oat flour will need a little extra support in holding itself together. A couple of eggs should do the trick!
- Plain Milk Kefir – Kefir is fermented milk that can not only be made from cow’s milk but coconut milk, goat’s milk, rice, or soy milk. It’s loaded with probiotics and is tangy and tart the same way buttermilk or yogurt is.
- Pumpkin Puree – Use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling which has added ingredients in it. This adds pumpkin flavor as well as the orange color to these flapjacks.
- Maple Syrup – Pure maple syrup is non-refined and has its own set of vitamins and minerals which only add to the nutritional benefits of these pancakes. You could also use honey, brown sugar, or coconut sugar.
- Almond Butter – Homemade or store-bought. Almond butter adds protein, fat, and a subtle nutty flavor.
- Olive Oil – You can swap this with melted coconut oil which is another healthy oil and would add a subtle coconut flavor.
- Vanilla Extract – As always, who doesn’t love the warm flavor of vanilla?
How to make them
Preheat an electric griddle to 375°F or a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Place the oats in a blender or food processor and blend on low speed until a rough flour forms.
Pour the oat flour into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt then set aside.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender.
Start on low and then turn up to medium and blend until fully combined.
Pour the contents of the blender into the mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Set aside for 3-5 minutes.
Drop batter by spoonfuls onto the preheated griddle/pan and gently smooth out the top.
Cook for 3 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on the second side.
FAQs
Yes! Typically when you’re making homemade anything you’re avoiding all of the additives and preservatives and artificial flavors that come with store-bought or pre-packaged food items. Of course, if you’re adding a ton of your own “junk,” then it stops being healthy. This recipe in particular is super healthy with good fat, protein, and probiotics. These pancakes are loaded with the good stuff!
Pumpkin puree freezes so well, it can be kept frozen for up to 6 months and even longer in a deep freezer. If you have a lot, it’s a good idea to portion it out and only take out what you need at a time. Whether you’re saving it for holiday baking later on, or more pumpkin pancakes, you can freeze them in smaller freezer-friendly bags.
Pumpkin puree is pure pumpkin that has been blended into a puree. It has no added flavors, spices, or sugars. Pumpkin pie filling is ready-made which means it already has the additional flavors and pumpkin pie spices mixed in. It’s meant to be a shortcut to making pumpkin pies so it’s ready to pour into the crust. Since we’re adding our flavors and spices to these pancakes, we want pure pumpkin.
How to make these pancakes your own
- For vegan pumpkin pancakes, skip the eggs and use flax eggs instead. This is a blend of flax and water that has been thickened up by letting it sit for a few minutes. It acts as a binding agent in the same way that eggs do. Naturally, they won’t have the exact same texture. You also want to make sure you’re using non-dairy kefir.
- Add some raisins, pecans, or chocolate chips to your pancakes for a yummy additional ingredient.
- Top with almond butter, pure maple syrup, whipped cream or cinnamon apple compote.
Storage Suggestions
Keep pancakes stored in a sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge. They freeze well so if you realize there are a lot of leftovers or they’re coming up on 4 days in the fridge transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag. Keep the pancakes separated by parchment paper, so you can just grab what you need. They’ll keep for up to a month in the freezer.
Reheating Tips
If you’re thinking ahead the night before, take the pancakes out of the freezer and allow them to thaw overnight. Otherwise, you can reheat from frozen. If you want a crispier pancake, pop them in the toaster. For a softer texture, use the microwave to reheat them.
More breakfast recipes for fall
Get the Recipe: Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes (in the blender!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick or regular cooking oats
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Dash of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plain milk kefir
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat an electric griddle to 375°F or a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Place the oats in a blender and blend on low speed until a rough flour forms.
- Pour the oat flour into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt then set aside.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender. Start on low and then turn up to medium and blend until fully combined.
- Pour the contents of the blender into the mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Set aside for 3-5 minutes.
- Drop batter by spoonfuls onto the preheated griddle/pan and gently smooth out the top.
- Cook for 3 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on the second side.
Notes
- Makes about 15-16 3-4” sized pancakes.
- Try adding raisins, chocolate chips, or pecans to these pancakes!
- Keep pancakes stored in a sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer.