I am no big fan of pumpkin. Mostly it tastes like the spices that flavor it, IMVHO — it doesn’t have a specific taste, really, especially if it comes out of the can (and is likely to be butternut squash anyway).
But these fall pancakes manage to balance the more subtle flavors of pumpkin with a fiery kick of ginger. I add a ton of chopped crystallized ginger, so I get a crunchy piece in every bite. It’s the perfect fall breakfast or late-night snack or mid-day snack or dinner or…you get the idea.
Spicy Ginger Pumpkin Pancakes
These pancakes could not have been more delicious if they tried. Faintly spicy, studded with crispy candied ginger and tasting of pumpkin. Light and fluffy. Delicious with or without maple syrup. Delicious with homemade apple butter. You will want to keep this recipe and make it often, especially my gluten-free friends. They freeze beautifully, and you can even freeze the batter (although the resulting pancakes are less fluffy. Still delicious.). Add more or less spice, use the ginger or don’t, fry bacon until it’s super crispy, and then crumble it into the batter before you fry them up: go crazy.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar (use less if you like)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Minced crystallized ginger (as much as you like; I ended up with about 4 tablespoons).
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (freeze the leftover puree in ice cube trays and pop them in soup as a thickener)
1 1/2 to 2 cups of milk (dairy or non-dairy works — I usually use oat milk; use less if you prefer waffles, but aim for thick-ish cake batter)
4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
2 eggs
Method
In a large bowl, mix together flour sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and ginger, adjusting the spices as you see fit.
In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, milk, melted butter, and eggs.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. You don’t have to be gentle here, but it’s also okay if there are still lumps in the pancakes. I gave the batter a good thrashing with a whisk because lumps drive me crazy, and the pancakes seemed to like it (and gluten-free flour doesn’t mind it, but maybe be a little more gentle for regular AP flour).
Heat a skillet, and add a little butter if it’s not non-stick. Use a little less than 1/4 cup of batter per pancake, and cook on one side until the edges are dry and little bubbles form and pop (about 2 minutes, depending on the heat). Figure that your first pancake is going to look awful, and resign yourself to eating that steamy mound of deliciousness right away. It’s a sacrifice I am sure you are willing to make. Flip, cook for another minute or two, then serve with syrup, apple butter, wrapped around a sausage, or plain.
This makes about two dozen pancakes. I can’t actually remember. I eat them plain hot off the griddle, and I lose count. But it makes a bunch.
If you have leftovers, cool them all the way then pack them in single serving sizes and freeze. YUM.
Recipe notes
- You can also use ground ginger, but I like the texture of the crystallized ginger in the pancake. For ground ginger, try 1 teaspoon.
- Freeze the leftover pumpkin puree in ice cube trays and pop them in soup as a thickener. You can also use fresh-roasted pumpkin, pureed, when it’s in season.
- Add more clove or cinnamon (or less) as you prefer it.
- Freeze in sealed baggies in appropriate portion sizes, reheating from frozen or thawing in the ‘fridge.