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.
These were wonderful. Just delicious. Light with a lovely texture, and very much a pancake, not some weird eggy mess. Thank you so much.
i just made these tonight! i used quit a bit of coconut oil to grease my pan. but whatever they came out amazing!!!! all pancakes i have had since i started eating clean have had banana so it felt and tasted so good to have something without the banana. the pumpkin was very slight which i enjoyed. :)
Just made these and they were unreal! Just started paleo a little while ago and breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and i’ve been scouring the internet for recipes to satisfy my craving. I served these with a dollop of coconut cream, fresh strawberries and maple syrup!
Any ideas for a substitute for the egg whites? Thanks!
I’ve been searching high and low for good Paleo pancakes (and my daughter is GF) so can’t wait to try them. Quick question do I have to use the ground flax? I am not opposed I just don’t have any at the moment. Thanks for the help!
I think you could probably leave it out and be fine. Haven’t tried it without but that’s my guess :)
I just made these…thanks for the recipe! They were delicious! I found the batter a bit thick and hard to spread…so my pancakes were oddly shaped. However, the flavour and texture was the best I’ve found so far using Paleo ingredients.
Yeah, you kind of have to shake the pan to get the “pancake” shape. I haven’t yet found a paleo version without a thick batter ;) Glad you liked them!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! They were so good, and I feel the EXACT same way about breakfast. My ridiculously picky daughter (who is five) ate them up and asked for more. I’ve been sharing this recipe with everyone…
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I made it this morning & they were delicious.
I did want to remark on some posters’ comments about the pancakes coming out crumbly or not holding together. I have room on my griddle to cook 2 pancakes at a time; I noticed that the last 2 didn’t hold together quite as well as the others. I think that this may be a function of the coconut flour — the longer the batter sits, the more liquid the coconut flour absorbs.
So I would suggest having the griddle pretty much ready to go before combining the wet & dry ingredients. As soon as they are combined, start making the pancakes. The next time I make them, I might try adding a little almond milk to the tail end of the batch & see if that helps the last 2 pancakes hold together.
8 weeks, so impressed and thank you for taking one for the “healthy” team. I can’t wait to try these out (and where in VT are you?).
Not in VT, we live in NY and just took a ride to Bennington for the day :)
I’ve made these twice now and they are so effing good. I dont add the flax though. I made extra for leftovers and made a breakfast sandwich with them with sausage and egg! Kinda like a mcgriddle minus the feeling of absolute death after consumption. SO GOOD.