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.
I’m confused as to why everyone is raving about these pancakes? not to be rude in anyway…but these turned out horrible. The taste is ok but they were so thick they never cooked through. Ended up having to make it into muffins…did anyone else have this problem?
nope!
Had left over fresh and canned pumpkin so decided to make these for breakfast…followed recipe other than flax seed; the batter was very thick from the beginning so I am assuming that could be from the protein powder;blackened very quickly in frying pan; couldn’t flatten out so first few were very thick…all in all…YUMMY!
Added one whole egg to egg yolks and made scrambled eggs. Will make these again and try adding some almond milk to thin out. Made 9 thick pancakes.
For folks who are looking for something to do with the egg yolks– make homemade mayo! There are lots of recipes out there but the easiest I’ve found is Mark Bittman’s, which uses a food processor. To keep it “clean” I like to make it with avocado oil.
thank you, i need some mayo!
I have made these a few times and they are fabulous! The only thing is they didn’t look like the photo. The batter seemed a little too thick and dry so I added a little coconut milk. Is the batter supposed to be so thick?
These are, by far, the best darn paleo pancakes EVER! I’ve tried so many other recipes, and was always disappointed with the consistency of the pancakes. These are so delicious, I didn’t even need any syrup. My only pet peeve is what to do with the leftover egg yolks….I have to find another recipe that just uses egg yolks, because I hate wasting the best part of the egg! Must try….absolutely delicious!!!
So glad you liked them! Do you have a dog? Ours loves an egg yolk mixed in with her food :) Although, I totally hear ya if you don’t want to waste it on the dog! haha
My naturopath (who is paleo) is encouraging me to use egg yolks in my smoothie to get natural protein and fat rather than using protein powder. With this recipe, I have a use for the whites! Or I also mix in with dinner for my 3 dogs.
Just made these and used oat flour instead of coconut. Texture came out perfect. Loved these other than baking soda taste came through so I will cut it down next time. Thanks!
I am going to give these a try. I’m excited! I can’t eat gluten or corn so finding recipes for things like pancakes can be a challenge. I’m going to use ground vanilla bean instead of protein powder or vanilla extract as a concession to my food allergies, but that shouldn’t change how they come out at all :)
I LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it with and without the protein powder, and it works either way. Great with peanut butter on top, (esp. with a tiny bit of non-paleo maple syrup – a rare naughty treat). When the batter started getting thick yesterday, I drizzled in some homemade kefir to thin it, and it still worked fine — a little easier then to pour and spread. Have shared the link on Facebook more than once.
So glad you like it! And thanks for helping out some other commenters with your suggestions :)
I don’t get it! Mine don’t hold together or look like yours at all. I have made my fair share of gluten free, “Paleo” pancakes that didn’t taste as good but never had these problems. I wish I could figure out what I am missing. I tried 2 batches, made exactly as written (minus the protein powder). I have tried different cooking times, different temperatures, and different amounts of oil. It is a thick pile of batter that won’t spread willingly and then burns (even on a low temperature) and crumbles when I turn it (even with a greased metal spatula). I just ate a pile of crumbles which taste good but don’t resemble a pancake at all.
Kori, as I said in my general comment on this recipe, I added some kefir to my batter after it started to thicken up, and that helped a lot. I just kept adding a bit until the batter was reasonably spreadable (but it still won’t be thin and runny like flour-based batters). Didn’t hurt the taste at all. A bit of milk or thin yogurt might work just as well.
It does brown faster than old flour-based pancakes. Perhaps your skillet bottom is too thin, and/or your burner heat just can’t be turned down low enough. A combination of those two factors is probably the problem. You might try other skillets, or get a little “simmer plate” to place between your pan and the burner to help control the heat better. I bought a couple of those for use on my current gas stove, but I think they can be used on low heat on an electric burner too.
I think the idea of how many bad paleo pancake recipes there are out there can be expanded to include paleo baking in general, lol. I can’t even tell you how many dozens of eggs and other expensive ingredients hit my trash can in my early days of eating paleo >:( But thankfully this recipe does not fall into that category! It is, in a word, DELICIOUS. I followed the recipe exactly and the pancakes turned out perfectly. They are sweet and moist and have a really nice texture. Thanks so much for sharing! This one will go into my morning staples for sure :)