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!
Why these gluten free pancakes rock
PERFECT TEXTURE: Fluffy but dense, these pumpkin pancakes make a perfect breakfast treat!
NUT FREE: Using cassava flour instead of almond flour or a gluten free flour blend, this pancake recipe is nut free!
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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
Instructions
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.
Serving suggestions
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 (optional)
FAQs
Use any cup-for-cup gluten free flour in place of BOTH the cassava flour and arrowroot flour. I like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour. Although I highly recommend trying the recipe as written.
(If you have success with a certain brand of cup-for-cup gluten free flour, please leave a comment so I can add recommendations to this post!)
Turn the heat down. I always cook pancakes on medium heat. If the heat is too high, the outside of the pancakes will burn before the inside cooks.
First, check if your baking powder is old/expired. Otherwise, don't overmix!
If your baking powder passed the test, try whipping the egg whites before adding them to the batter!
More gluten free breakfast recipes
Looking for gluten free pancakes with a little more protein? Try Strawberry Protein Powder Pancakes!
Waffles more your thing? Check out my Gluten Free Gingerbread Waffles or Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles.
Otherwise, check out savory options like Southwest Chorizo Breakfast Casserole or Cornbread Waffle Huevos Rancheros!
- Strawberry Protein Powder Pancakes with Banana (Gluten Free)
- Banana Waffles (nut free)
- Steak & Egg Breakfast Tacos with Chimichurri
- Salmon Cake Eggs Benedict
Did you try these gluten free pumpkin pancakes? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
Print📖 Recipe
Fluffy Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Breakfast
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Top these gluten free pumpkin pancakes with toasted nuts, roasted fruit, or pumpkin/apple butter for a true breakfast treat!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cassava flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons ghee/butter/coconut oil, melted
- 1 ½ cups milk or dairy free milk (I used an almond/coconut milk blend)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cassava flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, sea salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, eggs, melted ghee, and dairy free milk, stirring until smooth.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking fat in a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup of the batter to the skillet at a time, adding as many pancakes as you can fit. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until air bubbles start to form around the edges of the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Repeat until all batter has been used.
- Serve with maple syrup, toasted nuts, coconut cream, or roasted fruit. Get creative!
Notes
- For dairy free pancakes, use any dairy free milk of your choice!
- You can use any cooking fat to cook the pancakes. I LOVE cooking pancakes in butter, but often use coconut oil or olive oil.
- Substitute a cup-for-cup gluten free flour (such as Bob's Red Mill) for BOTH the cassava flour and arrowroot powder - using 1 ¾ cup flour total.
- If you'd prefer to use sugar instead of maple syrup in the pancakes, substitute ¼ cup sugar and increase the milk by 2 -4 tablespoons.
- No pumpin pie spice on hand? Substitute cinnamon!
Ana says
I made these this morning for my family, and they were awesome! We all loved them. I omitted the salt because I just don’t like salt in my pancakes in general, and they were perfect. My family requested them for tomorrow again already! We will definitely have this in our rotation now