Baked Pumpkin Pancakes (Grain- & Gluten-Free)
These nutritious pancakes may be baked in advance, stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the fridge, and reheated in the toaster oven (or briefly in the microwave) for a quick, delicious breakfast or snack at-the-ready. Thanks to the high protein and fiber content, two pancakes make a satisfying breakfast that staves off hunger longer than the typical pancake recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (120g) 100% pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup (128g) almond butter (preferably a smooth variety, like Justin's; see notes)
- 1 tablespoon (20g) pure maple syrup (may use honey)
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (may sub cinnamon, with or without a pinch or two of nutmeg and ginger)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Options for topping and serving: chocolate chips, maple syrup
Instructions
- Before you start: Read the recipe notes for some helpful tips, ingredients swaps, and serving ideas. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If your almond butter is cold, allow it to soften at room temperature, or warm just enough to soften—but not melt!—in the microwave.
- Mix the batter: In a medium-size bowl, lightly beat the eggs. (I use my quart-size Pyrex measuring cup, which makes it easy to pour the batter later.) Stir in the pumpkin and the remaining ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. (Sometimes, I add a pinch or two of salt to pop the flavors, but that's optional.)
- Make the pancakes: Pour by ¼-cupfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. (See notes for ice cream scoop details.) If necessary, spread out the batter with a knife; the pancakes will not spread much while baking. At this point, chocolate lovers can dot a few chocolate chips over the surface of the pancakes.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the pancakes are just cooked through and fluffy. Serve with maple syrup, if desired.
- Storage: Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze for longer storage. Reheat, just until warm so as not to dry out, in a toaster oven or microwave (start with a quick 10 seconds when using the microwave).
Notes
- The nut butter: I've made these pancakes with almond, cashew, and peanut butter. They all work well, the flavor is just slightly different. For a lighter, fluffier pancake, a smooth, no-stir variety is preferred. Natural nut butters work, however the texture will be denser.
- The spices: My original recipe called for ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg. To streamline the process and play up the pumpkin flavor, I started making the pancakes with ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Feel free to use all cinnamon, a little of each, or whatever combination you like. For more pronounced flavor, you could increase the total amount of these spices to 1 teaspoon.
- How to portion consistently-sized, mess-free pancakes: I like to use an ice cream scoop. A large scoop, when leveled, will hold a scant ¼ cup of batter for a yield of 8 pancakes. For smaller pancakes, I like a 2-tablespoon scoop for a yield of about 16. You can even vary the size of the pancakes on the same baking sheet. If they are all a similar thickness, the cooking time will be the same.
- Make a pancake "pizza": Grease a 9-inch cake pan (and line with a round of parchment paper on the bottom for easy removal)
- A few more things: Feel free to add ½ vanilla extract, or perhaps almond extract if you'd like to enhance that flavor (in that case, I'd start with ¼ teaspoon. Also, in place of the pumpkin, I want to try this recipe with an overripe mashed banana (1 very large banana will be about a ½ cup) as well as applesauce. The single serve cups are the perfect size. (I think the PB-banana combo has potential!)
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