Easy Pumpkin Pancakes – Vegan!

Hi! If you want to know all the tips and tricks to make this recipe, please read the whole article with detailed step-by-step instructions and useful information. If you want to go straight to the recipe or print it, you can do so with the buttons above. Share, tweet, and pin on social media too! Enjoy the recipe. Maiko

These vegan pumpkin pancakes are perfect for breakfast in Autumn/fall! They are ready in 30 mins, easy and quick to make, super fluffy, soft, oil-free, and full of delicious pumpkin flavour. 

*This post may contain affiliate links. For full disclosure visit our Affiliate Disclosure page.

Tis’ the season where once again I can enjoy all the pumpkin treats and warm, cosy breakfasts! One of my favourite breakfast items is pancakes. They are so fun to make, and it makes me feel happy in the morning to see a pile of pancakes on the table. I think you can relate.

If you are looking for a pancake recipe with a bit of autumn/fall twist, these vegan pumpkin pancakes are it! I’m sure they are going to be one of your favourite pumpkin breakfasts.

Main ingredients and substitutions

Pumpkin puree: I made my own pumpkin puree but you can always use canned pumpkin puree. 

Plain flour: I used plain flour for this pancake recipe. If you want to make it gluten-free, you can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, it should work fine!

Soy milk: You can also use other plant milk such as almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, etc. if you prefer.

Caster sugar: I used regular caster sugar. Other sugars you can use would be brown sugar, granulated sugar, coconut sugar, etc. Make sure to weigh with a scale if you are substituting.

Pumpkin spice: I used Frontier Co-op’s pumpkin spice! I’ve been using it for a long time for baking and love it.

Apple cider vinegar: You can also use lemon juice if you don’t have apple cider vinegar.

Other ingredients: vegetable oil for frying, vanilla extract, baking powder, and baking soda.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Frying pan: Use a non-stick frying pan to prevent the pancakes from sticking to the pan. If your frying pan is not non-stick, don’t forget to grease the pan with vegetable oil before cooking each pancake.

Turner: A turner with a wide surface comes in handy when flipping the pancakes and transferring them onto a plate.

Ladle: If you are making small pancakes, use a small ladle and for big pancakes, use a bigger ladle. 

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make pumpkin pancakes

Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients

First, let’s mix the wet ingredients! In a jug or medium size bowl, mix the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, and pumpkin puree with a whisk until it’s smooth and well combined. Make sure there are no lumps of pumpkin puree! Set aside.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients and make pancake batter

Next is mixing all the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the flour, caster sugar, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and baking soda with a whisk until well combined. Add the wet mixture and vanilla extract into the dry mixture and mix with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until just combined. It’s ok to see little lumps of flour in the batter, it’ll incorporate later! What’s important here is not to overmix the batter. Until just combined is the key!

Step 3: Cook

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add about half a teaspoon of vegetable oil or coconut oil to the middle of the pan and spread around the middle of the pan. Scoop the batter with a ladle and pour it into the middle of the pan and spread evenly using the back of the ladle making a circle shape. Or any other shape if you want!

Cook the pancake for about 2-3 mins on low-medium heat until you see small bubbles popping up on the surface and the edge is cooked and dry. See the photo for reference! It should be nice and golden on the bottom side of the pancake.

Carefully flip the pancake with a turner and cook for a further 1-2 mins until the bottom is cooked. Check if it’s cooked by lifting the edge with a turner. If the bottom is nice and golden, it’s cooked! Transfer the pancakes to a plate and repeat for the rest of the batter.

Dress your pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup, vegan butter, vegan whipped cream, or anything you like. Enjoy!

Serving tips and ideas

• For the most simple and classic pancakes, top with a tablespoon of vegan butter and drizzle some maple syrup to serve.
• Try my homemade caramel sauce on them!
• I whipped some vegan cream and topped the pancakes to make them a little fancier!
• Top with your favourite nuts and seeds! I like them with pecans, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Serve with scoops of your favourite vegan ice creams and whipped cream to make them a decadent dessert!

Expert tips and tricks

Mix the pancake batter gently

When it comes to pancakes, the texture I want for them is soft and fluffy. To achieve that, it’s very important to mix the batter gently and not overmix it. Overmixing the pancake batter develops too much gluten which causes a tough and rubbery texture in pancakes. So mix the batter gently until just the dry and wet mixtures are combined!

Adjust the amount of flour and/or plant milk

If you are using homemade pumpkin puree, the consistency of it might be different to the one I used – it could be thicker or runnier. If the batter looks way too thick, add a tablespoon of plant milk at a time and mix the batter until it’s smoother. If your batter looks too runny, add a tablespoon of flour at a time and mix until it’s thick enough to scoop.

Recipe variations

• Add some vegan chocolate chips to the batter to make it pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes!
• Use half pumpkin puree and half mashed banana to make pumpkin banana pancakes!
• If you want to make them healthy, swap the caster sugar with coconut sugar or monk fruit sugar and use no oil for frying or use coconut oil!

How to store

• Refrigerating: If you have some leftover pancakes, you can place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Do not store pancakes that are already served with maple syrup, butter, whipped cream, or other toppings – they’ll go soggy and goopy after a short period of time and it ruins the texture of the pancakes. Only store in the fridge if the pancakes have no syrup or topping and are completely plain. When serving, microwave them until warm and fluffy again, or heat them up in a toaster for 2-3 mins until warm.

• Freezing: You can also freeze the pancakes. Wrap each pancake in a clingfilm, place them in a freezer-friendly airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Again, only freeze if the pancakes have no syrup or topping and are completely plain. When serving, microwave them until warm and fluffy again, or heat them up in a toaster for 2-3 mins until warm.

Q and A

My pancakes are burnt but still not cooked inside?

If your pancakes are burnt before cooked properly, the heat might have been too high. Each cooker is unique so even though you cooked on low to medium heat, the heat may have been more towards medium to high. In this case, turn the heat lower than you set previously. This should solve the problem.

My pancakes are tough and rubbery, what should I do?

Did you mix the batter vigorously with a whisk? The most common reason for tough and rubbery pancakes is overdeveloped gluten in the batter which is caused by mixing too much. Try mixing the wet and dry mixture gently with a large wooden spoon or a silicon spatula instead of a whisk until they are just combined. Little lumps of flour in the batter are fine, it’ll incorporate nicely when cooking.

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE these vegan pumpkin pancakes because they are:

• so fluffy and soft
• easy and quick to make
• perfect for breakfast
• also perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas
• super delicious

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious pancake, breakfast, and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Pumpkin brownies
• Pumpkin chocolate chip bread
• Banana chocolate chip pancakes
• Pumpkin bread pudding

Visit the pancakes page, breakfast page, and recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe with 5 stars in the comment section below if you like the recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

Recipe Card

Print

Pin this recipe for later!