These persimmon pancakes are made with the pulp of the sweet persimmon fruit and full of almond flavor. They’re a delicious winter breakfast!
Note: This post for persimmon pancakes first appeared on November 13, 2011.
The recipe has been edited slightly (made even better with an almond persimmon puree topping!) and the photographs updated.
I’m on a mission to make persimmons the pumpkin of winter time. It’s a lovely winter fruit that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
Using ripe persimmon puree in baking is just as easy as pumpkin puree and I might even argue, tastier!
Enjoy it in a stack of these hearty, slightly sweet and cozy persimmon pancakes on a cold winter morning.
Text below is original (and therefore 5 years old -fyi)
Happy pancake Sunday!
Previous pancake Sunday recipes, in case you missed one:
- Oatmeal pumpkin pancakes
- Pumpkin protein pancakes
- Apple spice pancakes
- Cinnamon pear pancakes
- Cranberry almond whole wheat pancakes
This week persimmon is the fall fruit of choice.
Up until last winter I can’t recall ever having a persimmon. I’m sure I did in a dessert at one point or another, but I had never eaten the fruit whole.
So, I bought one, brought it home and then stared at it on the counter wondering how the heck to eat the thing.
I assumed it was like an apple, just wash and bite into it so, after a few days when I thought it felt ripe enough that’s exactly what I did.
Then proceeded to spit the entire thing out in disgust.
Have you ever tasted persimmon skin from a hachiya persimmon?
Don’t.
It’s the most bitter, chalky tasting nastiness ever.
Some quick googling informed me that was not how you eat a persimmon at all.
Rather, you cut off the top and scoop out the flesh.
Kind of how you would with a kiwi (although their skin is actually edible.)
So that’s what I did and the fruit redeemed itself with a deliciously sweet and juicy flesh.
After that first shaky encounter, we ended up having quite the relationship over the winter months.
It might be the only fruit in history that has ever pulled off the whole dessert by itself thing in my mind.
No matter how sweet and in season any other fruit is, I’ve never considered it dessert.
It’s fruit, not a substitute for chocolate, ice cream or cookies.
Persimmon, with their almost candy-like taste however, actually passed as dessert many a nights when perfectly ripe.
Anything that can do that deserves to be incorporated into breakfast, no?
These persimmon pancakes came out thick, dense and full of the sweet persimmon flavor.
No need for sugar, the fruit does all the work. Just like in my no sugar added persimmon jam which I happen to love on these cassava flour pancakes too.
Toasted almond slices were the perfect thing to balance out the sweetness.
Dessert for breakfast?
Why not?
If you’re looking for pancake recipe that’s a little more protein focused don’t miss these perfect protein pancakes or these pumpkin protein pancakes.
And don’t think persimmons are only good in a sweet capacity. This persimmon salad and persimmon prosciutto panini both prove its flexibility in savory dishes too!
Almond Persimmon Pancakes
Ingredients
- 4 ripe persimmons
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- generous pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, divided
- 3/4 – 1 cup milk of any kind, I use an unsweetened almond/coconut blend
Instructions
- Slice the tops off of the persimmons and scoop the flesh out into a food processor. Process until pureed. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl.
- Add the egg, coconut oil, vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of the almond extract and 1/2 cup of the persimmon puree to the bowl.
- Slowly whisk in 3/4 cup of the milk until well combined. Add up to a 1/4 cup more if needed for a more “pourable” batter. Batter will be on the thicker side.
- Grease a large skillet with butter over medium heat. Place the batter on the hot skillet in about 1/4 cup scoops and cook for 1-2 minutes per side.
- Make the persimmon topping by combining the remaining persimmon puree with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. Let simmer while pancakes cook, stirring often.
- Top pancakes with the persimmon puree and toasted sliced almonds if desired.
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.
I’m horrible at making pancakes. . yours look amazing!!! and I LOVE the persimmon puree!!!! I agree! I love persimmons!
Wow, these look absolutely incredible. I love persimmon season and incorporating them into my breakfast routine. Way to go! :)
There are several varieties of persimmon. There are baking persimmons and persimmons that taste perfectly fine to eat. You bit into what was probably a “Hachiya” persimmon (it is very red-orange and heart shaped). Those are just nasty. The jiro persimmon (pale orange and shaped like a tomato) is not chalky nor bitter and has a mild (slightly pumpkin-ish but better) flavor.
I’m a huge persimmon fan as I grew up eating these fall delights. The recipe sounds amazing, I’ll try a batch after posting this. I wanted to give a little helpful advice that seems to throw most people with this fruit. The fuyu persimmon is eaten firm with no soft spots, like an Apple. The darker the Orange color the better and more sugary it will taste. The hachiya persimmon is a bit different, you still want a dark Orange color but in order to be able to eat this one (skin and all) with no bad taste it needs to be soft. I’m talking over ripe soft for most other fruit. It needs to feel like you can turn this thing to mush with one squeeze, I know this doesn’t sound appetizing to most, which is why people end up getting to eat under ripe persimmon from time to time. If hachiya persimmon is eaten even a little under ripe you’ll get anything from chalky taste to taking the moisture out of your mouth :-) . Most don’t enjoy eating such a soft fruit and opt for the firm fuyu, but for recipes, get a properly ripe hachiya and you don’t need to peel the skin, just pure and enjoy! Hope this helps.
I made these for breakfast today with a persimmon cranberry sauce and they were out of control! great idea with the almonds!
Hello! I had a craving for persimmon (my grandma used to make the pudding) and thought pancakes would be a great idea. I searched this out and found this recipe. Looking forward to making them! Thanks for havin this recipe. I am curious as to what the white sauce is you have in the pictures. It looks like a great replacement for syrup, which I think would be too much for the persimmon. Would you mind sharing the recipe for the sauce with me?
I am making these now and had to add milk-persimmon+egg alone was not enough to make it into even a spreadable batter- maybe my persimmons aren’t juicy enough?
oh wow, I definitely left out the milk in that recipe by accident! You’re spot on, there should definitely be some in there. Sorry about that!
Here in the Philippines, we called that “HOT CAKES”. Pan cake or hot cake is easy prepare, as long as we know the procedure on how to do it. This cake is really great for the afternoon snacks or perfect to prepare for the visitors.
Wow ! I would have done the same thing with the fruit. I did not know you scoop it out. My inlaw grows hundreds of thouse and then throws them out, cause no one eats them. The color looks very unattractive to me, so I have never eaten the fruit.
These look sooo good! And they better have made it onto the food sites b/c the pics are awesome!
haha, go figure that these got declined! I’ve stopped trying to understand their “system” just drives me nuts! But, thanks :)
Hm. I am making them now and maybe I’m doing something wrong, but there was not nearly enough liquid. I added milk (probably doubled it) and they wouldn’t stick together or cook through. Then I added an egg, and still they are not holding together. Perhaps I did something wrong.