The search for a good grain-free, gluten-free fall pancake ends here. These pumpkin paleo pancakes are bursting with fall flavor and, unlike many other paleo pancake recipes, actually taste like a real pancake!
Of all the things in this world to cook or bake, I seriously never thought pancakes would give me such a hard time.
But this stack of pumpkin paleo pancakes right here has been about 2 months in the making.
And let me tell you, eight weeks of failure ridden, Sunday morning breakfasts was getting pretty annoying.
I find breakfast to be one of the hardest meals to do grain free.
I know so many paleo advocates out there will say, “just treat it like another meal!” but here’s the thing…I don’t want to! I freakin live for breakfast.
I go to sleep the night before thinking about it, when I randomly wake up in the middle of the night, it’s the first thing that pops into my head and I just flat out refuse to let my restaurant quality waffle maker sit unused in a corner cabinet while I eat chicken and broccoli or some other “dinner” meal first thing in the morning.
Not happening.
So I googled paleo pancakes a few months back and let me just say this, just because it’s on the internet, does NOT mean it’s good.
Holy eff.
The amount of disgusting paleo pancake recipes out there is mind boggling.
I’m not naming any names, but just be prepared to waste a lot of eggs, bananas and almond flour if you’re ever testing some out.
If you want an eggy souffle like pancake, you might be in luck because that’s what most taste like.
Go eat a real egg souffle like this asparagus omelette souffle instead, you’ll thank me.
I, however, wanted a pancake that tasted like a pancake minus the flour part.
Simple sounding, difficult in execution. Until now.
So after trying other people’s recipes for 8 weeks to try and get that without any success, I gave up, got all my go-to paleo ingredients out, threw some pumpkin on the counter for good measure and totally winged it until I got a batter consistency I liked, crossed my fingers and came out with these pumpkin paleo pancakes.
These are good.
These taste like a pancake, not a banana-y egg casserole in the shape of a pancake.
They’re neck and neck right now with my other favorite go to pancake recipe of all time – perfect protein pancakes (they’ve got 30g of protein per serving!) and that’s saying a lot because I LOVE those pancakes!
They also give my cassava flour pancakes a run for their money but I prefer that recipe for a more traditional paleo pancake whereas this one is great for fall.
When eaten on a weekend that includes 30 clean & jerks to support breast cancer prevention, motorcycle rides to Vermont, apple cider, pumpkin picking, pumpkin chip and salted caramel ice cream and riding dirt bikes around the yard to tire your dog (who must.chase.it) out, your life will be pretty complete.
You can also just eat them for breakfast with a cup of coffee and they’ll be pretty damn good too.
And if you don’t care about the whole “paleo” thing, try these pumpkin protein pancakes or these low carb pumpkin pancakes – both delicious cousins to these paleo pumpkin pancakes.
Sweet potato chocolate chip pancakes and gingerbread pumpkin pancakes are also great fall-inspired pancake recipes to try!
If you have leftovers, check out our guide on how to reheat pancakes and avoid any rubbery flapjacks the next day.
Pumpkin Paleo Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder, optional
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup egg whites
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- coconut oil for cooking pancakes
Instructions
- Heat a pancake griddle over medium heat.
- Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk together wet ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add wet to dry ingredients and stir together.
- Add enough coconut oil to the pan to grease the center.
- Pour batter in approximately 1/4 cupfuls onto pan and spread out into pancake shape (the batter will be a bit thick and need some help to form a circle)
- Cook for about 3-4 minutes on the first side, carefully flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the second side.
- Repeat with remaining batter, adding more coconut oil to the pan as needed
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
8 weeks?! Holy hell that’s a huge commitment to find the perfect pancake. I’d have given up long ago.
Love these! I’ve definitely tried to make some of those paleo versions that were not pancake-like at all. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Gina – these actually LOOK like they taste amazing. I’m pretty sure I have all those ingredients, too! Winner.
We totally agree with you about breakfast! We usually go to bed knowing what we’re going to have for breakfast the next morning. We are NOT savoury breakfast girls, either. We want pancakes, waffles, crepes, oatmeal, overnight oats, buckwheat bakes… all the good stuff!
your weekend sounds way fun… i want to ride a motorcycle to vermont! cool life.
I rarely attempt pancakes, thankfully my taste buds are so boring that eggs just about every morning for over a year has not become an issue.
“cool” life indeed. It was kinda cold on that thing! Note to self for the future: Vermont is colder than NY…
That’s my biggest pet peeve – making a recipe from a blog and it tastes like garbage. Your experience with pancakes was mine with gluten-free muffins. Do you know how many recipes there are out there that result in a mushy muffin? I even read one blog post that said, “they turn out really mushy, but I like them that way.”…. that’s not a muffin! Ah!
haha! I sooo understand. ;)
I made the pumpkin pancake recipe and my batter was thick and not at all like a pancake batter. I followed exactly and added the protein powder.
Why and what can I do to fix?
Kat- as it says in the directions, this is a very thick batter and won’t really be “pourable”. You’ll need to spread it out with a spatula or spoon when cooking. You can always add a tad of almond milk to thin it out a bit if you want.
I suggest you read her description. She states what your complaint is about!
These look yummy…I haven’t yet tried cooking with coconut/almond flour yet but hoping it is in the near future.
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and your right it’s hard to find a grain free one. Your pancakes look delicious!!!
My old vegan/gf pancake recipe that I used to make a lot uses almond flour, flax, and coconut flour. I havent used coconut flour in ages – that stuff is like a sponge. Haha! Your pancakes look awesome and yes, agreed, there area so many recipes out there that are headscratches!
Yum! They look so delish :) I find it really hard too to make brakfast grain-free – lunch and dinner: no problembut breakfast is a bit more difficult, so thumbs up to these pancakes! :)
Just made these, pretty yummy! Definitely didn’t turn out tasting like regular pancakes–they were mushy inside–but I also made a few changes to the recipe. Used all almond flour because I didn’t have coconut, and also used 3 whole eggs because I don’t buy egg substitute. Also recommend cooking slightly longer and adding butter :).