These healthy grain free and Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes are packed with warm pumpkin spice and sweetened with pure maple syrup. They’re also nut free, gluten free, dairy free. Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes are kid friendly, super soft and fluffy!
This recipe marks the first time I’ve made pumpkin pancakes in my entire life, Paleo or not. Embarrassing, really, but in the past I just wasn’t all that into pancakes in general. Mostly because they always made my stomach feel horrible and I’d pay the price afterwards.
It’s not surprising that frying white flour in vegetable oil and coating it in sugar made my body scream in agony. And, I have to say, it took me a long time to get over my pancake trauma and embrace Paleo pancakes.
For a while, I made them for my family for a while but never had more than a few bites myself thinking they still wouldn’t sit right. Then, about two years ago, I started making my Maple Raisin Acorn Squash ones to sort of “break through” my pancake block.
I really like them, however, I’ll be the first to admit that they’re more “squash” than “pancake”, so I’m not sure they totally count. It wasn’t until last fall, when I made my apple pie pancakes that I started getting more comfy with the idea of pancakes!
Anyway, I’ve slowly but surely moved through my pancake issues, and these pumpkin pancakes are the perfect dive into fall-themed pancakes this year!
What’s in these Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
These pancakes are full of flavor, but are mostly made with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. You’ll need:
Pumpkin puree
Coconut milk
Eggs
Maple Syrup
Vanilla extract
Coconut flour
Tapioca flour
Pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon
Baking soda
Salt
Coconut oil
The batter comes together quickly and when you smell the fall spices you’ll be eager to get these pancakes cooked!
How to Make Paleo Pumpkin Pancake Batter
- The first thing you’ll need to do is whisk together the wet ingredients. This includes the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Next, whisk together the dry ingredients (coconut & tapioca flours, spices, baking soda, salt) in a separate bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Nobody wants a pancake with no fluff, so adding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients helps to incorporate the baking soda evenly, which will help the pancakes rise.
Tips for Cooking Pancakes
- Start with a nonstick griddle or frying pan over medium heat. If your heat is too high, your pancakes will cook faster on the outside, leaving the insides uncooked.
- Grease your pan well with coconut oil. This will ensure that you can easily flip your paleo pancakes without any of the batter sticking.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake. You should aim for about 1/2 inch thickness for fluffy pancakes.
- Add a little more coconut oil to the pan between batches if the pancakes start to stick. Don’t be afraid to adjust the heat a little if needed.
Somehow I decided to make the entire recipe, big enough for 6 people, when I was home alone and certainly wound up eating my fair share of them for second breakfast/lunch. Or maybe solo brunch? Whatever it was, it was definitely worth it, and, I think I might be totally over over my pancake problems now.
Which means that these probably won’t be the last of my fall pancakes. No promises, since I’m trying to reign in my recipe impulsivity as you might remember. But then the wheels in my brain turn and snickerdoodle pancakes start to sound like a good idea right now.
I have to stop that! Back to the Paleo pumpkin pancakes! These pancakes use my favorite paleo pancake flour blend – coconut and tapioca – which also gives you the option of making them nut free if you don’t add the pecans on top like I did.
How to serve Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
These pancakes are so full of flavor that you could honestly eat them as they are. But if you want to dress them up a little, here are some ideas:
-Spread them with butter
-Sprinkle them with more chopped nuts
-Drizzle with maple syrup or honey
No matter how your serve them, these Paleo pumpkin pancakes are soft and fluffy, filling, packed with fiber, and healthy fats, and easy to make!
Can I save leftover pancakes?
Certainly! They save pretty well in the refrigerator, as I found since I made that whole big batch for no one but myself. Keep them in an airtight container and they’ll be good for another 2-3 more days. You could even freeze them for up to 3 months if you want.
Adam wound up taking them to work the next day and said they were awesome the day after!
What are we waiting for? – Let’s make some Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes!
Grain free and Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup organic pumpkin puree canned or homemade
- 2/3 cup full fat canned coconut milk*
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup plus more for serving if desired
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 7 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- coconut oil to coat skillet
- Optional chopped pecans for topping
Instructions
-
In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla
-
In a separate bowl, combine the coconut flour, tapioca flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
-
Blend the dry mixture into the wet until fully combined - the batter with be very thick due to the dense coconut flour
-
Heat a non stick griddle or frying pan to med heat** and grease well with coconut oil. With a ladle or large spoon, scoop about 1/4 of batter for each pancake and gently spread out each one to about 1/2 inch thickness***
-
Cook over med-low to med heat until the first side is deep golden brown, flip and cook the second side the same.
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Repeat, cooking the pancakes in batches until all the batter is used up, making sure to coat with coconut oil between batches and adjusting the heat if necessary. I find that paleo pancakes cook best over medium low heat on my stove.
-
Serve right away, topped with chopped pecans, Kerrygold butter (my favorite!) and more maple syrup if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Blend the coconut milk together by whisking or in a blender before adding to the recipe
**Depending on your stove, med-low heat might be preferable to avoid burning and allow the middle of the pancakes to cook through
***Since the batter is thick, you will have to form the circular, flat shape in the pan
Nutrition
Want more Paleo pumpkin recipes? Try one of these!
Paleo Pumpkin French Toast Bake
Are you a pancake lover? Have you gotten into Paleo pancakes?
Tell me about your favorite pumpkin recipe!
Are you in the fall spirit yet?
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I haven’t brought myself back to pumpkin just yet but these look yummy. I make pancakes for my son more than for myself but lately I am obsessed with the premier diner’s whole wheat bluberry walnut pancakes. I think they may be the best ever that I have had.
Blueberry walnut sounds divine! I just love blueberries in everything though 🙂
I’ve never made Paleo pancakes before, but these might sway me. I’m dipping my toes into the fall thing, but I’m not diving in yet 😀
When I can wear a sweater outside I’ll dive into fall. Then I’ll have to make these pancakes again 🙂
I made sweet potato soup this week with shredded zucchini squash and greens. Do you think you could use mashed sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin? Only because that is what I gave on hand at the moment. Also, do you make your own pumpkin pie spice blend or buy it?
Ooh that sounds delicious! I think sweet potato puree would be fine since it’s a similar texture. Also I’ve been buying the Simply Organic pumpkin pie spice but in the past made my own as shown in my pumpkin pie recipe 🙂
I just made them with mashed sweet potato and they were perfect. I did have to increase the coconut milk to one cup, however, and the batter was still VERY thick.
I’m wondering if this would work as waffle mix (I’m Australian and waffles aren’t big at home)? I’ve just got a waffle iron and I’m keen to expand my repertoire.
I definitely think it would work with waffles. Coconut flour makes the batter really thick for sure, glad the extra coconut milk did the trick 🙂
I made them per the recipe. The first one was the practice one as it usually is lol. I liked them. Almost like eating a crust less pumpkin pie. The y have great flavor and using my cast iron pan was perfect. I hoe I can save the leftovers as I am the only one eating them. Thank you for the recipe.
These look amazing! A+ on photography..now I need to make these 🙂
Thank you Gretchen!
I used to hate making pancakes for the same reason. They always made me feel horrible. I guess the real trick is making them healthy!
Yes! I feel fine when I have Paleo ones I just didn’t want to dive in for a while 🙂
I love your recipe impulsivity; this pancakes look good, cause Paleo pancakes are not easy to perfect!
I love the coconut tapioca combo for paleo pancakes! And cooking them slower usually helps too.
I make the mistake of making big-batch recipes when I’m on my own, too. Not that an abundance of pancakes is the worst problem to have… 🙂
Nothing to complain about! Luckily Adam really likes leftovers 🙂
I love pancakes, but mostly when someone else makes them 😆 I can do them for dinner sometimes, but the whole process of standing at the stove and flipping is just a little too labour-intensive for me first thing in the morning. And it -definitely- feels like fall here. A lot of the leaves are golden, and our temps are pretty chilly already.
Someone else making me pancakes probably won’t happen until Mother’s Day. Although my birthday’s coming up, so maybe I’ll ask for them then, lol 🙂 I’m jealous of your fall temps! Soon enough.
These look amazing, Michele- I still remember your squash pancakes, I’m glad you brought these back..although we can switch it with a sugar bomb once in a while 😀 (then die and never eat again)
With enough maple syrup like the picture shows it’s totally sugar bomb, lol 🙂
I LOVE pumpkin pancakes! So pumped that you made a delicious grain-free version! I am so making these for brinner soon! 😉
I need to do a brinner one of these days!
I guess it’s official pumpkin season is upon us. I’m still savoring my peaches over here. These do look amazing, even if they are pumpkin. 😉
Also, it’s totally me, not you. 🙂 🙂
Time to give in! I feel like time flies so fast now that it might as well be Thanksgiving already 🙂
Would so love waking up to these pumpkin pancakes for breakfast! Lovehttp everything about them!
My first pumpkin pancakes – what a delight! The coconut flour provides a great taste and the pancakes are like little delicious pillows. Yummy in my tummy! Thank you.
Ooh so glad you liked them, yay!
Yum!
Thanks Michelle for this lovely recipe, which I made for breakfast this morning. I’ve been eating low carb during the week & then treating myself to plantain pancakes on the weekend, so these were a wonderful & delicious change of pace!
So glad you liked them!
Would the recipe turn out the same if I sub almond flour for the tapioca flour?
Unfortunately no, since the flours have different properties. You can probably omit the tapioca and add maybe just a tsp more coconut flour and see how they are that way.
Ok, I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
Hi,
I tried these just now. My pan is on low, and each pancake so far has been on the pan for minimum 5 minutes. The middle of each has been liquidy/runny.
I’ve tried:
Leaving it on the pan longer.
Making a super thin pancake.
Making a tiny pancake.
All made a solid pancake on the outside, but a runny inside.
And now I’ve added more flour and I’m waiting for that pancake to finish.
Any suggestions?
I’d say add a tbsp more of coconut flour next time, coconut flour is so dense so sometimes a small difference is huge in the texture.
I made a variation on these today – subbed sweet potato baby food for the pumpkin, omitted the maple syrup (to make them toddler friendly – I try to limit added sugar in her diet!), and used unsweetened almond milk instead of the canned coconut milk. Since the sweet potato puree and almond milk are a little more liquid-y than the pumpkin and coconut milk, it made up for the absence of the liquid from the syrup. They worked perfectly! My daughter and I both enjoyed them. Thanks for a keeper!
Me encantan todas tus recetas.
I’m making these *right now*. Haven’t had a chance to plate them because each pancake has gone directly into my kids’ hands. I’ve already mixed up a 2nd batch. These are so yummy, they don’t even need syrup or any other topping!
Gonna make these now. Can I substitute Arrowroot for the tapioca? I think I’ve read that it can be a sub. Thanks
I have made a lot of attempts at paleo/GF pancakes and usually they end up tasting like eggs with flavorings. The first few I made had a tangible eggy flavor, but not nearly as much as the thousand other recipes I’ve tried (I’m looking at you “mix bananas with eggs and baking soda and cook”): however, by the third batch I figured out that I needed to put the pan on as low a setting as it goes, cover the pan until they are almost dry on the top, then flip. This helped them cook through more evenly and reduced the egg flavor a lot. Mine came out more like gingerbread (I don’t have pumpkin pie spice pre-mixed, I add my own ratios of spices and went heavy on the ginger) but definitely no complaint there, super tasty. I also added a 1/4 C of almond flour to my recipe for added texture. I omitted chocolate chips (blasphemy, I know) because the chocolate sort of clashed with the savory-ness of the egg and made them weird. I will definitely be making these again, probably with some walnuts instead of chocolate chips. I also subbed coconut milk for almond milk in a carton and it worked just fine.
My husband and I loved these but my 9 yr old refuses to eat them! I’m thinking he just doesn’t love pumpkin!
Hi,
Is there a way to print the recipe without printing other explanations?
Thanks
Just saw the print icon 🙂
Well that was a disaster. I was so excited about these but unlike the photos, mine would not stick together. I ended up with pumpkin pancake mush. I was so sad! I’m used to paleo but it was my first time to use tapioca and coconut flour. Do the rest of you know a secret that you don’t need to write in recipes?
Actually wait, don’t write me off yet as a terrible cook. I just noticed I misread the coconut milk amount. Take away my last comment and rating. I’ve binned this batch but I will try again this weekend when I get more pumpkin. Stay tuned!
Is it two pancakes per serving?
Would almond milk work as a sub for coconut milk?
Have you tried putting all the batter in a baking pan and baking them? I only make baked pancakes now (so much less work), I’m hoping this recipe would work that way as well?
These turned out SO good once I got through the first (bad) pancake! It’s always the test pancake! I realized the secret was to really spread out the pancake batter once on the pan because it’s pretty thick and takes a while to cook through. Also, covering it with a lid helped cook it faster too! Delicious!
This recipe did not translate even with the note of adding extra coconut flour. I reverted to a boxed paleo mix since these were a waste. It needs to be workshopped more in my opinion. I normally love your recipes.