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.
Excellent. I need to tweak them a bit but they are much more substantial than some that are just eggs, banana and a bit of almond meal that end up paper thin and don’t hold together. Yes, these were thick so I’ll need to master spreading them out. I added a bit of almond milk but it didn’t make them pourable so I scooped them onto the skillet. I threw everything into my Blendtec blender along with an extra egg to add liquid. Very tasty. Even added turmeric for that extra boost of nutrient as the other spices would mask its flavour. I also made a compote of frozen berries to act as “syrup”. Did I mention they were very tasty? I might try a version with less spice and make up some for those days (which are few and very far between) when I want a “sandwich”.
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe! I’ve tried several paleo pancake recipes with awful results and this was my last ditch effort to give the paleo-cakes a try. Absolutely love these! They taste great and they really do have the texture of pancakes :)
yay to no more sucky paleo pancake attempts! ;) So glad you liked them!
Do these freeze/reheat well? I’d love to be able to make up a few batches so I have them on-hand for busy school mornings. Thanks for any guidance in this area. Looking forward to trying (with some mini chocolate chips…)
Thanks for doing all the experimenting! I’m a college student going Paleo. Everywhere I go in this great town (Santa Cruz) there is amazing food that is mostly bad for me. I have the most intense cravings and my food can start to look boring pretty fast at that rate.
I have missed my granola and pancakes and muffins. It used to take me 5 minutes to make breakfast but eggs and bacon take their time plus the dishes afterwards. These look easy and like I can make a bunch at once for my 5 minute brekkie and portable too.
Thank you!
Tessa
These were delicious! I’ve been doing the primal diet for almost 30 days and was getting tired of eggs everyday for breakfast. These were just what I needed! The pumpkin flavor is sweet but not too overpowering. I followed the directions but didn’t use the flaxseed powder. Very filling as well!
awesome! so glad you liked them. I hear ya on the eggs, there’s only so many bacon & eggs breakfasts one can do in a row ;)
Just made these and they came out perfect!! Thank you SO much for posting these delicious pancakes and for all the time and frustration it took you to master the recipe!!!
Just made them, really good. When my five kids want seconds and there isn’t a crumb left… it’s good! Added a little almond milk to thin, otherwise I’d describe it like cookie dough. Thank you our house smells great!
Yay! Glad you all liked them :)
I can’t see how they are going to be like pancakes with almond flour….. so grainy…. could you use all coconut flour?? Anyone know how to convert and try it with all coconut?
I made these tonight, LOVE!! So delicious and filled with skin-loving ingredients. I didn’t use pumpkin pie spice and make a few tweaks, and no ground flax as I just ran out but to me these tasted like a soft gingerbread cookie… Will make again for sure!! <3 <3
These tasted delicious, but I also had the sticking problem. In three types of pans. The final magical mix was cast iron skillet and butter instead of coconut oil. Thanks for the recipe!