Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

Made with whole grains, a vitamin A and C rich fruit (yes pumpkin is a fruit!), and calcium and vitamin D containing milk, these pancakes are a great way to kick off the day. These spiced pumpkin pancakes are also a great way to use up leftover pumpkin puree from all the pumpkin recipes that don’t call for a whole can, like this pumpkin banana bread, moist pumpkin banana muffins, no bake pumpkin balls, or pumpkin oatmeal bars. They are incredibly easy to whip up, so you don’t have to wait until the weekend to enjoy freshly made pancakes. Want to meal prep? Go for it! They freeze beautifully so you can defrost and savor whenever you are in the mood.

Ingredients

I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.

Pumpkin puree- Be sure to get a canned product that is 100% pure pumpkin. (the only ingredient is pumpkin) and NOT pumpkin pie filling. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree. Oats – rolled oats will work best but you can use quick oats or oat flour if you have it. Steel-cut oats will not work in this recipe. Eggs – I highly recommend using room temperature eggs as you’ll end up with fluffier pancakes. I have not tried with flax eggs, but if you do, please let me know! Pumpkin pie spice – a blend of warm spices. Make your own spice blend or grab it from the store.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancake Variations

If you’d like to add extra flavor (although perfectly delicious without), you can add to the pancake batter:

Chocolate chips Chopped fruit – such as blueberries or chopped banana pieces Chopped nuts – pecans, walnuts, or almonds

Tips for Success

Do not over blend! Otherwise you will end up with a dense and somewhat gummy-textured pancake. Want super fluffy pancakes? Use room temperature eggs and milk. You can warm up the milk in the microwave in 10 second increments. For the eggs, place in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.

How to Make these Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes Sweeter

These healthy pumpkin pancakes are not sweet and that’s intentional as you can easily top with additional fruit and/or a drizzle of maple syrup. If looking for a no added sugar alternative, try this date syrup! Babies also have a preference for sweets so it’s great to use this “window of opportunity” for them to learn to appreciate other flavors. However, if you desire a sweeter pancake, you can add to the batter either:

2-4 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Serving Suggestions

There is absolutely no wrong way to serve these delicious pancakes! Enjoy as is or take them up a notch with these toppings:

Drizzle with pure maple syrup or date syrup A dollop of Greek yogurt Creamy peanut butter, almond butter, or any nut butter of choice. Sunflower seed butter is a great nut-free option. Healthy cream cheese frosting

Equipment

I absolutely LOVE my blender and use it for everything as I don’t own a food processor. It is well worth the investment. I’ve had mine for 7+ years and it’s still going strong. I use it to make all my blender muffins, dips/sauces, smoothies, veggie nuggets, soups, cookies, pancakes…it’s hands down my number one workhorse.

Storage

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Here’s how to freeze pancakes as well as reheat them so they taste just as good as the day you made them.