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.
Thanks for this fantastic recipe! The pancakes are delicious and have become my favourite morning tea snack … spread with nut butter!!
Thank you, these are fun and tasty! Five months new to Paleo eating and my husband and I really enjoyed the pancakes. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Made ours with EnerG Egg Replacement since can not eat eggs, perhaps a bit thicker than your picture but we so enjoyed the taste and great to have something different for breakfast. Homemade Nutella on top was a favorite, though your picture of butter and pumpkin seeds looks amazing. Cheers!
SO GOOD! These have become a staple in our household. My two year old just can’t get enough and I am more than happy to indulge! Although, I must admit we add a few of the goodlife chocolate chips and strawberries to the top of ours- heavenly!
For those with sticky/ crumbly pancakes they have trouble flipping-
1. Check the temp you are cooking on, I had to play with mine to get the right heat level to maintain. On my gas stove I do just below the medium setting.
2. They take a while to cook. Give them plenty of time before you attempt flipping. The tops look almost cooked through with just a bit of raw batter left on top when I turn them.
3. Make sure you spread the batter out so the pancake is pretty thin. I use a plastic serving spoon so that it doesn’t stick as I move it around.
4. I actually prefer a coconut cooking spray for the grease as apposed to the jarred coconut oil. I feel like it cooks a little more evenly.
Thank you for a great recipe!!
I made these this weekend, LOVED them! I have never liked pancakes (gasp) but these were delicious and did not have that gritty, consistency issue that causes my dislike for regular pancakes! My non-Paleo roommate also loved them! Thanks for sharing and this will become a regular in my recipe box!
I just made these for myself and my grown son. Except for the fact that I did not have any protein powder, I followed the recipe exactly. They were delicious, and quite filling. You do have to press them down, and I used the bottom of the 1/4 cup measuring cup to help that process. They were not overly sweet, which I like, and did not fall apart like most coconut flour pancakes. Thanks for all your effort. :o)
These look wonderful. I’ve tried a few paleo pancake recipes using coconut flour and bananas but never one with almond flour. I have all the ingredients on hand and will likely make them tomorrow for a Sunday breakfast. Just discovered your blog, by the way and I’m subscribing!
I’m pretty sure paleo man didn’t eat pancakes, or anything like them. How is it a paleo lifestyle if you spend so much time trying to make something so non-paleo while following some silly set of rules that then makes it “paleo?” FFS, just eat what you like.
This recipe says it serves ‘2’ but I ended up with enough mix to to make at least 12-16 pancakes. It must say because the author knows that more than half if them aren’t going to make it out of the pan because of the terrible consistency. I’m not sure what I did differently but this was not good. And my children wouldn’t eat them at all. Disappointed…
This was just awful. The taste was okay, but the texture was bad. Ruined my breakfast.
I just read this post, and in addition to being excited to try these pancakes, I just wanted to say hello to a fellow “30-clean and jerk” motorcycle riding fellow paleo food lover. It’s just a small world. Awesome recipes here! I’ll be an avid follower.