Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

These warmly spiced vegan pumpkin pancakes are fluffy, moist, and make for the perfect fall breakfast or dessert in just 15 minutes or prep (+ multiple subs and add-ins!)

Tender, Fluffy, and Ah-mazing Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

Fall is just around the corner, and I’m already busy filling my house with classic fall aromas like the scent of apple pie baked apples, and aromatic vegan pumpkin muffins. I couldn’t pass the season by without sharing a recipe for moist, fluffy, flavorful vegan pumpkin pancakes, though!

These no-egg pumpkin pancakes are a wonderful balance of fluffy yet still slightly dense, moist, sweet, and spicy, thanks to pumpkin pie spice. And all you need are just 10 simple pantry ingredients and minimal effort to pull together this recipe. If anything, I highly recommend making a double or even triple batch, as they store well in the fridge or freezer. You can even reheat them directly from frozen!

Better yet, this recipe is also fairly versatile. It’s already dairy-free and egg-free, but keep reading for substitutions and add-ins to transform it to gluten-free, whole grain, refined sugar-free, sugar-free, or load up the pancakes on extras like dried cranberries, nuts, and more.

Best of all, you need just 15 minutes to prepare these pancakes, and with canned pumpkin, you could technically enjoy them year round! But, for now, these dairy-free pumpkin pancakes are the perfect warm, cozy, and delicious way to kick off the Fall season!

The Ingredients

10 simple pantry ingredients are all you require to pull together this vegan pumpkin pancake recipe.

• Pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie filling).
• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla to avoid an artificial aftertaste.
• Pumpkin pie spice: If you don’t have any, then use cinnamon, at least, with an optional small pinch of nutmeg and ginger.
• Sugar: I use regular white sugar, but you can use unrefined coconut sugar or even a sugar-free alternative like erythritol/Swerve.
• Dairy-free butter: Use your favorite vegan butter. This will be in the batter and for greasing the pan. Coconut oil would work as a sub or neutral cooking oil.
• Plant-based milk: Use any. i.e., almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc.
• Flour: Regular all-purpose flour works great for these pumpkin puree pancakes. A 50/50 AP and whole wheat blend would also work fine and potentially buckwheat or spelt flour, though I haven’t tried the latter two.

Depending on the flour you use, you may need to adjust the amount of added liquid. Oat flour and spelt flour also do well with 10-15 minutes of resting time before using the batter.

• Baking powder: This leavening agent provides lift and a fluffy texture.
• Salt: To balance and enhance the flavors.
• Flaxseed meal: When combined with warm water, this will become a ‘flax egg’ and work to bind the no egg pumpkin pancakes mixture.

The Difference Between Pumpkin Pie Mix and Canned Pumpkin?

Canned pumpkin pie mix already contains spices and sugar, so you can’t choose your own amounts, and this recipe would end up far too sweet.

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes?

• 1) First, mix the flaxseed meal and water thoroughly for around a minute in a small bowl, then set it aside to thicken for 5 minutes.

• 2) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

• 3) In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the vegan butter and vegan milk and microwave until the vegan butter has melted (around 1m30).

• 4) Then add that to the dry ingredients along with the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and the flax mixture. Whisk gently until the batter is ‘just’ mixed.

A few lumps are fine. Be careful not to overmix it.

• 5) Heat a small amount of the oil or more vegan butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, use a ½ cup measuring cup to scoop batter into the pan and spread it slightly with the bottom of the cup. Repeat with more batter, depending on the size of your pan.

• 6) Once bubbles begin forming on the pancake surface, carefully flip them over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining batter, then serve the pumpkin pancakes and enjoy!

If you’re making large amounts of these pumpkin pancakes, you can keep all the batches warm until serving in the oven. Spread them side by side (rather than stacked) on a baking tray in the oven at 200F/95C.

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• Don’t overmix the batter: If you overwork the gluten in the pancakes, then say goodbye to a fluffy interior and say hello to dense and rubbery pancakes. If you’re worried you may have overworked the gluten, leave the batter to rest for 15-20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax again.
• Make sure the baking powder is fresh: This is the main ingredient that causes the pancakes to become fluffy rather than crepe-like, so make sure it’s in date.
• Use a hot pan: If it’s not properly pre-heated, the pancakes won’t cook evenly.
• Make a test pancake: It’s like an unwritten rule on pancake-making that the first pancake may be the best one or a fail. However, it’s great to make a test pancake and adjust the timings and temperature accordingly.

What could I add To Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes?

There are several ways to adapt this recipe, whether you want healthy pumpkin pancakes or something more decadent.

• Coffee: Enjoy pumpkin spice latte pancakes with 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder or Instant coffee (adjust to taste) dissolved in the vegan milk-butter mixture.
• Orange zest: 1tsp - This pairs wonderfully with the pumpkin spice and puree.
• Oats: To add more fiber and make pumpkin oatmeal pancakes, replace up to 50% of the flour with oat flour.
• Mix-ins: Like most pancakes, there are several options to choose from (add about ⅓ cup total), including:
  • Dairy-free chocolate chips
  • Cacao nibs
  • Raisins
  • Dried cranberries
  • Finely chopped dates
  • Crushed/chopped nuts or seeds (pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
  • Candied ginger, finely chopped
  • Shredded coconut

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: You can prepare the batter, minus the baking powder, a day or two in advance. Allow it to come to room temperature for 20 minutes when needed, mix in the baking powder, and continue with the recipe.  

Store: Allow them to cool and store in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers (to avoid sticking) for 4-5 days.

Freeze: Spread the cooled pancakes across a large tray with space between and flash freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a Ziplock/Stasher bag for up to 2 months. You can reheat them from frozen or thaw them in the fridge overnight first.

How to Reheat Pancakes

You can reheat the vegan pumpkin pancakes in several ways based on how many you want to reheat.

1. Microwave: For 1-3 pancakes. Microwave for 1-2 minutes from frozen or 30-40 seconds from chilled.
2. Toaster: For 2-4 pancakes. Use the defrost setting if reheating the pancakes from frozen. Otherwise, use the regular toast setting.
3. Oven: For large amounts of pancakes. Wrap or cover a stack of the pancakes with foil and bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350F/180C. Add a few extra minutes to reheat them from frozen.

Serving Suggestions

I firmly believe there are a few universal pancake toppings that work with almost any type of pancake, and the same goes for these vegan pumpkin pancakes.

• Coconut whipped cream 
• Maple syrup
• Caramel sauce
• A scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. Cinnamon, pecan, or caramel ice cream work too.
• A pat of vegan butter
• Powdered sugar
• Vegan yogurt
• Add a sprinkle of pecans or other crushed nuts/ seeds
• Cinnamon apples or apple compote

More Fall Vegan Recipes

• Gluten-free pumpkin cookies
• Vegan pumpkin pie
• Easy zucchini mock pie
• Vegan apple muffins
• Cinnamon apple chips
• Air fryer apples
• Instant Pot apple cider

If you try this vegan pumpkin pancakes recipe, I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla