Fluffy Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Few things rival the simple pleasure of a hot stack of pancakes. But to make the experience even better, make them fluffy gluten free pumpkin pancakes!

Made with cassava flour and pure pumpkin puree, these pancakes are gluten free, paleo, and nut free. Grab a jug of pure maple syrup and let's make your breakfast dreams come true!

Ingredients for this recipe

Better breakfasts mean pumpkin pancakes from scratch.

At least, that's how we do in my house.

Fortunately, this gluten free version whips up quickly and you'll be mowing down a stack before you know it.

The main ingredients you'll need:

• cassava flour (Otto's is my favorite!)
• arrowroot flour
• pumpkin pie spice
• pure maple syrup
• pumpkin puree
• eggs
• cooking fat
• Dairy free milk/milk

How to make gluten free pumpkin pancakes from scratch

Once you've got your ingredients together, it's as simple as mixing the dry ingredients, then adding the wet ingredients. Batter made!

Preheat a skillet over medium/medium-high heat and add a tablespoon or so of cooking fat. I usually use olive oil or ghee in my cast iron skillet.

Add ¼ cup of batter to the skillet at a time. Oh, and one tip for awesome circular pancakes — use the outer ring of a mason jar lid as a guide! Just put the ring in the skillet, pour the batter in the hold in the center, then remove the ring.

Flip the gluten free pumpkin pancakes once small bubbles begin to rise up around the outer edges of the batter.

Top tricks for fluffy pancakes

Pancakes always fall a little flat? There could be a few different factors affecting your pancakes.

— Don't overmix.
Mixing the batter past the point of the ingredients blending together can cause the air bubbles to deflate.

— Expired baking powder.
Baking powder/soda are ingredients we tend to buy and keep around for years and years and years until they run out... But did you know baking soda and powder will lose their effectiveness after 9-12 months? To test your baking soda and powder, put 1 tablespoon in ⅓ cup hot water. It should fizz and foam up. If it doesn't, that stuff's lost its oomph.

— Not letting the batter rest.
Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes while your skillet is heating up. You should notice a slight difference in the consistency of the batter — that'll affect how your pancakes turn out!

And for one last optional tip:

— Whip the egg whites before adding them to the batter.
This is my favorite way to get super fluffy, crisped-on-the-outside waffles, too. Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the wet ingredients and prepare the rest of the batter. Whip the whites until soft peaks form. Then fold them into the batter just until combined.

The whipped egg whites definitely make a difference!

But I don't take the time for it each morning the craving for pancakes hits. If you've got the motivation, give it a try to see how much of a difference it makes.

How to top your pumpkin pancakes for an even better breakfast

Part of what makes us all love pancakes for breakfast is the toppings — who eats dry pancakes?

Going beyond maple syrup (and please make sure you're getting PURE maple syrup... that stuff can't be beat!), use some of these topping ideas to make your easy gluten free pumpkin pancakes even better.

• Toasted nuts (pecans are a favorite here!)
• Roasted fruit (especially apples)
• Whipped coconut cream
• Pumpkin butter or apple butter
• Maple "cream cheese" spread (blend soaked and drained cashews + maple syrup)

Substitution options

If you need or want to make some swaps in the recipe, I've included some suggestions on how to make those substitutions!

— Flour: If you don't want to use cassava flour, substitute BOTH the cassava flour and arrowroot flour for a cup-for-cup gluten free flour, such as Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour. So you'll use 1 ¾ cup flour total.

— Milk: For a dairy free option, just use your favorite dairy free milk! Personally, I use a coconut/almond milk blend, but oat or hemp milk would work here too.

— Maple syrup: If you'd prefer to use sugar in the pancake recipe, use ¼ cup sugar instead of maple syrup and increase milk by 2-4 tablespoons (start with 2 tablespoons and add more to reach desired thickness).

— Pumpkin pie spice: If you are out of pumpkin pie spice, sub with cinnamon or make your own blend using:

• 4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon allspice

FAQs

More breakfast recipes to serve up in the AM

Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.

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