Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
Fluffy, spiced pumpkin pancakes made with oat flour. These pumpkin oatmeal pancakes are gluten free and simple to make!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
The brown armchair in my living room has become the scapegoat for everything that is wrong with my life. It’s not a bad-looking chair, really. It has a nice shape and swivels around in a circle. The nubby brown fabric, however, hangs onto dog hairs for dear life. It will soon be a sweater chair. The longer I sit on my couch and stare down the sweater chair, the more I despise it. It must go.
I’m going on about the chair because last week’s pantry makeover was followed by a borderline obsessive-compulsive fall cleaning spree. I’ve gone through every belonging I’ve stuffed in this place and filled my trunk with junk destined for goodwill. It had to be done.
The sheer volume of stuff that I own had been weighing on my psyche. The state of my living quarters is representative of my state of mind, so I’ve felt extra scatterbrained as all the visible projects have been calling for my attention. I’m finally feeling better now that I’ve cleared out some space.
As nice as it is to keep stuff around in case I need it someday, there’s also the burden of ownership, of upkeep. Do I really need a whole box full of mystery cords or a tin of my grandmother’s thimbles? No and yes. I’m also in the process of sprucing up my decor, which includes replacing the brown hand-me-down armchair. I wanna be a grown-up! With grown-up furniture! Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Sifting through all my things has made me nostalgic, too. The old newspaper wrapped around a vintage ceramic Santa Clause smelled like my grandmother Mimi’s house. One whiff transported me from my bedroom in Kansas City back in time to Mimi’s kitchen in small-town Oklahoma. Sleepy eyed, I pattered across the cool laminate flooring as the smell of bacon filled the air. Mimi smiled and poured Welch’s grape juice into a little glass cup with dinosaurs on it. My favorites.
Pancakes remind me of my dad. Every time my mom went out of town, my little brothers and I got to eat pancakes for dinner. He always turned it into a silly display of fatherly strength, whipping the Bisquick batter so fast we could hardly see the whisk. And over the past week, every time I check the news, I hear my dad’s exasperated voice at the dinner table. “Can’t we all just get along?”
These pumpkin pancakes have sentimental potential. They’re flavored with warming spices and made hearty with oat flour, which you can easily make out of old-fashioned oats (see notes). I often hear that the base recipe for these orange cakes, my gluten-free banana oat pancakes, yields your all-time favorite pancakes. That’s quite a compliment. Dare are I suggest that the pumpkin version is even better?
More Pumpkin Treats to Enjoy
- Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread or Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (both offer oat flour options, see gluten-free recipe note)
- Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
View more pumpkin recipes here.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
These fluffy, healthy pumpkin pancakes are laced with hearty oats and warming spices. Since they are made with oat flour, they are gluten free! Note that these pancakes should be cooked low and slow—use a lower temperature than you would with other pancakes so that the insides of the thick batter get nice and fluffy, but the outsides don’t get overdone. Recipe yields 8 to 10 medium-sized pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup oat flour (see notes for how to make your own oat flour out of old-fashioned oats)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cloves)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, milk, butter, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs. (If your butter or oil goes back to its solid state like mine did at this point, warm the mixture for short 20-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until it is melted again.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. With a big spoon, stir just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Do not overmix!
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. If you’re using an electric griddle, heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, you can wait a few minutes before heating your skillet.
- Warm a large skillet (stainless steel or nonstick) over medium-low heat. You’re ready to start cooking pancakes once a drop of water sizzles on contact with the hot surface. If necessary, lightly oil the cooking surface with a pat of butter or oil, carefully wiping up excess with a paper towel (nonstick surfaces likely won’t require any oil).
- Scoop ¼ cup batter onto the hot skillet, leaving a couple of inches around the pancake for expansion. Cook until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancake and the underside is golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip the pancake, then cook until lightly golden on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter and dialing down the heat if the pancakes turn dark on the outside before they’re cooked through on the inside.
- Serve the pancakes immediately or keep them warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven. Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, stack leftover pancakes and wrap them in a paper towel before gently reheating in the microwave.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my banana oat pancakes recipe.
Gluten-free oats: If you need these pancakes to be gluten-free, be sure to purchase certified gluten-free oat flour or certified gluten-free old-fashioned oats.
How to make your own oat flour: To make oat flour out of old-fashioned oats, simply pour one cup of oats into a food processor and process until it looks like fine sand. See pictures here.
Make it dairy free: Use non-dairy milk like almond milk and coconut oil instead of butter.
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs (I’ve heard this works well from other commenters, but haven’t had a chance to try myself).
Update September 2024: I’ve improved this recipe, adding ¼ cup more milk to thin the batter, increasing the maple syrup from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons to help prevent burning against the pan, and increasing the amount of spice for more autumnal flavor.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Thank you! I lost the recipe for these pancakes given to me by my nutritionist. I am so happy to have found yours here. The only difference is the lemon juice.
You’re welcome, Joy!
Made these yesterday and the recipe is a keeper.However I did find the batter a little too runny so I added 1/2 cup GF flour and it worked well. My husband raved so, Thank you for sharing.
I’m sorry to hear that! Did you let the batter rest some?
This recipe was very helpful and the pancakes were loved by my family. Love how you shared your story in the beginning. I too feel much lighter when I clean out my house.
These were so good. The only problem being that even pancake haters love these so make alot!
Thanks for posting this.
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review, Sue.
These were great, I doubled the recipe (using 3 eggs, and a touch of extra maple syrup) and homemade pumpkin puree. I had no lemons so subbed apple cider vinegar. They turned out great!I Yum
Thanks for sharing your variation, Ann!
Was excited to try this but slipped a bit with the salt which overpowered the taste. Hmmm I realize now that I used 1 teaspoon of salt instead of 1/2 so my error. I also used fresh pumpkin so perhaps it had more liquid in it then a canned version would. I’ll try to give it another go another weekend. Meanwhile I’m going to make your butternut squash soup!
Let me know what you think when you try again! Of course, adjust salt to taste.
These pancakes were divine and so perfect for the season. I always cook fresh pumpkin at this time of year and was looking for a recipe for gluten free pumpkin pancakes. I couldn’t have asked for a better recipe! They were easy to make and while the batter is thick, I followed the instructions to flip after 3 minutes and they were nicely browned and cooked through after another minute and a half. The spices make these delicious and there was no taste of the coconut oil. I enjoyed them with maple syrup and will surely be making them again and again!!
They are prefect for the season! I agree. Thanks so much, Linda!
I have used this recipe twice now. The pancakes are delicious. First time I used homemade pumpkin purée and 2nd time I used canned. The homemade purée tasted better and came out fluffier! But canned wasn’t bad either.
Thanks for sharing! I love that you made your own purée!
I tried these today but my daughter has a severe egg allergy so I used flax eggs in replace of the eggs but they turned out mushy and wouldn’t cook through firm. Do you have any other egg replacement suggestions?
Hi Alyson, I’m sorry to hear that. Typically with regular flour-based pancakes you can simply omit the eggs without problems, but these are tricky since they’re made with oat flour, which doesn’t have as much structure since it’s gluten free. All that said, I’m not sure what to suggest as an alternative. I haven’t played around with aquafaba (chickpea liquid) as an egg replacer but it might help to achieve some loft.
This is one of my favorite recipes. We frequently have it for dinner on busy nights when I don’t have time to make a real dinner. Easy—and deliciously GF for my daughter with celiac.
I’m happy to hear that, Kathryn! Thanks so much for your review.
Super yummie! I used full fat coconut milk and home made oat flour! It turned PERFECT
Thank you for sharing!
Love your recipes!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review.
Good chilly January! I made these today and took the advice and found the milk, almond/coconut. Delicious! Forgot the lemon juice but was still tasty. Hubs said it smelled like holiday baking. I made the majority of the batter into muffins. 1/4 cup each for 20 minutes @ 350°F. I’m at 3000 ft so adjustments can be made. They are delicious with cream cheese or my homemade peach butter.
Those toppings sound delicious, Shannon!
Can this batter be used in a waffle maker?
I haven’t tried it!
Do you have any tried and tested recipes for waffle batter?
I have made these twice now and mine also keep turning out golden brown on the outside but too gooey in the inside. I followed the ingredients exactly, turned down the heat, and spread out the batter quite a bit. Any other tips?
Same with me. Taste great but undercooked even when I spread them thin and cooked them twice as long. I’m trying to make muffins out of them. :-(
Fall is in the air and these pancakes are EVERYTHING. I followed the recipe but with some slight edits: I used GF flour instead of oat flour (although I will try oats next time around), added some Iconic Vanilla Protein Powder, and a 1/4 tsp of baking powder – although you probably don’t need it because of the lemon-baking soda reaction.
These came out lighter than air. Seriously some of the best pancakes, GF or otherwise, that I’ve ever made. Looking forward to making these every weekend this Fall.
Tips:
– Definitely cook low and slow – giving the batter time to cook through and rise.
– It will be tough but WAIT the 10 minutes to let the batter set. The batter will thicken slightly and coalesce, but once you scoop it into a pan, it heats up and will spread out a little. If you like thinner pancakes then I’d suggest helping to spread it out with a spatula.
Anytime I’m looking for a recipe I opt for cookie and kate if they have it, but unfortunately this is the first recipe I did not enjoy I followed the recipe exactly and was very careful not to overmix, but these pancakes came out like flat and dense, almost like a flat cornbread. I was also surprised that even with the pumpkin puree and spices, the pancakes were quite a little bland
I’m sorry to hear that! Thanks for your feedback, Jen.
We are huge fans of your blueberry lemon oat pancakes here, but decided to try these out due to having some leftover pumpkin. Followed the recipe exactly and they came out delicious!
Great pancakes for this time of year! Thanks for sharing, Sara. I appreciate it.
Hi Kate. Thanks for sharing what looks like an amazingly tasty gluten-free pancake recipe — can’t wait to try it. I’m sure you choose each and every ingredient for a reason, but can I substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice?
(Same question too for your gf banana oat pancakes)
It should work. Let me know!
Hi Kate! Great recipes and thank you for all the good ideas! How come you need to use old fashion oats and not quick cooking oats. I usually always use quick cooking oats for everything but this could be the reason why when I make oat flour and use it for pancakes, they never cook through?! I haven’t tried this recipe but most of the time when I grind my own oat flour I use quick cooking oats. Could you give us some insight into this? You must have had some experience since you suggest in the tips section of the recipe to only use old fashion oats. Thanks so much for all your help!
Hi Jessica! I find that old fashioned oats turnout a better oat flour consistency. I hope this helps! It also sounds like you need to leave the pancakes to cook longer and ensure you are measuring your flour correctly so it’s not too dense.
I’ve made these multiple times and they always turn out beautifully. They are delicious and hearty, and so far my favourite GF pancake recipe by far. I’ve made them for people who don’t need to eat GF and gotten rave reviews from them. I find your recipes consistently reliable and tasty, Kate. Thanks!
I really wanted these pancakes to turn out. I had a lot of issues with getting them to cook all the way through. No matter how thin they were or heat setting, they never cooked through. Perhaps this is a common mistake and I did something wrong?
The taste was amazing, but there was some difficulty with the inside cooking through. I couldn’t quite get the inside done and it was still gooey. Nevertheless, we enjoyed them with some maple syrup and a mixed nut butter.
Hi! Did you wait long enough on both sides? You may need to adjust your heat setting a little. Thanks for your feedback, Marina!
These pancakes are the best! I add a squirt of whipped cream and a splash of pure maple syrup. It’s like pumpkin pie pancakes! My grand daughter couldn’t stop eating them.
This one goes right to the top of my GF breakfast list (right next to the pumpkin waffles https://sooka.info/gluten-free-pumpkin-spice-waffles/%3C/a%3E%29%3C/p%3E
Thank you for sharing, Mike! I’m happy you loved them.
Hi! I was wondering instead of using oat flour could I use gluteen free baking flour for I instance 4 cup 4 cup. Would I need to make any adjustments by doing so. Could I leave out the maple syrup add brown sugar? Thanks!!!
Hi! I’m not sure without trying it, but that should be fine on the flour. You can leave out the maple syrup if you like, but there isn’t brown sugar. Do you mean a difference recipe?
I made these this morning and they’re a bit mushy. More of a pumpkin pie consistency which is not bad in itself. But I think we like the oatmeal banana pancakes much better.
I am thinking of trying these, but the consistency of your “flour” looks much more like oat bran than oat flour to me. Still, using actual oat flour would probably make them rise more, if anything, which probably would be a good thing. Is your pureed pumpkin canned or homemade? I find canned tends to be a lot denser/drier, which could mess up the liquid measurements if I use the wrong one.
Hi Anne! You’re right, I probably could have ground the oat flour a bit more finely. I used canned pumpkin. I’ve tried making my own before, but found it to be too variable in moisture content. Even canned products can vary, unfortunately. Hope your pancakes turn out great.
These are delicious!!! So nice to have an oat flour based pancake.
Love this recipe. I added some ground flax seed to add fiber. And watered it down a bit cuz I like them thin and crispy. Yummy. Thanks!!!
Love love love these pancakes! My adult kids demand them now when we get together for family gatherings
I’m glad you love them, Betsy! Thank you for your review.
These are my new favorite pancakes! I substituted banana instead of pumpkin and added some walnuts and rolled oats. Delicious!
I tried this recipe twice, but the pancakes kept turning out a mess. But they tasted good. So I took the remaining batter and poured it into a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and baked them at 350 for 15 minutes. Perfect. Then I cut them into squares, placed in freezer and we have delicious toaster-ready pancakes.
Okay… I made these Monday for the first time and I’ve now made them twice more since than. Thank you for my new addiction! I love these. I tried once with eggs and twice with flax egg and both worked great. I also ran out of lemons so I used distilled white vinegar which worked as well. I love this recipe!!
I think these would have been good but they were way too salty. My kids wouldn’t eat them and I had to toss everything. I will add much much less next time.
Absolutely delicious! Both my husband and I have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance so I’m trying to learn to cook and bake gluten free. Many of the GF recipes I’ve tried have not been good. So I was so happy that your GF recipe was not good but absolutely delicious! My first batch came out gooey in the middle so I lowered the heat setting and cooked them slowly like you suggest and the pancakes slowly fluffed up and completely cooked. Perfection! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe.
Hi! So I made these – absolutely delicious! However the consistency of the inside of the pancake was mushy. Is that the expected texture? Or should it be fluffy like a normal pancake?
Hi Destiny! I’m sorry you got a mushy result. It sounds like they needed just a little more time in the skillet.
We made these with my 4h Food and nutrition group tonight, via zoom. They were a hit! The families cooked a pumpkin before we started the meeting. Some of had dry pumpkin and had to add extra milk. Next week, we are making your pumpkin muffins. Thanks for your yummy, healthy recipes!
I’m glad you were able to enjoy them and share them! I appreciate your review, Kathy.
I made this recipe tonight for dinner and they were a disaster. I tripled the recipe to make for the whole family, and they were raw on the inside. I cooked them on low for a loooooooong time on both sides, and it didn’t help a bit. My family is starving and my kitchen is a mess. What a waste of time and ultimate frustration for a mom!
I’m sorry to hear that, Lonna. It sounds like there may not have been enough heat.
Just made these pancakes for my kids and I. They did turn out a little mushy on the inside but I think I just had the flame too high. When I make them again I’ll turn the flame down and cook them a little longer. But they were very tasty! Next time I’ll make a double batch so I can have some leftovers.
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out just right. Make sure your skillet is warm before and it will help. Thank you for your review, Becky!
Made this for breakfast/lunch (brunch) today on a pancake griddle and it was a HIT! I found that the easiest way to spread the nut butter-like consistency was to spread with a spatula once on the pan. A ladle definitely would’ve worked, but we had some lightly used ziploc bags, so I put the batter in the bag, and “piped” it onto the griddle. Excellent recipe. Followed the recipe exactly and it was gone. Highly highly recommend
Just made these for my picky 7 year old and she loved them- – “thumbs up” from the peanut gallery. :). These really are fantastic, healthy and delish! I did find my griddle needed to be at 300 not 350, and they still cooked faster than the recipe mentions. ENJOY
A friend gifted me some local maple syrup, and I knew I just had to make this recipe. Made it almost as prescribed (I actually forgot to add almond milk t to his time), and my family and I loved the result! I love that the pancakes stay moist on the inside. Topped the pancakes with fresh blueberries and chopped walnuts which was delicious! So happy to have a healthier pancake version. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Bea!
Decent flavor and texture. I’ve made a lot of GF pancakes and these are among some of the better ones. I added mini cinnamon chips and walnuts but otherwise didn’t change anything. Mine did require longer cooking time but that didn’t bother me. Using 1/4 C batter for each pancake yielded 11 pancakes.
Thank you for sharing, Eb! I’m happy you were able to enjoy them.
Hi! I have made these a few times and they do take awhile to cook. still enjoy them but curious for time saving and efficiency- do you think these would work to bake on a sheetpan?
TIA!!
Kami
I haven’t tried this recipe in a sheet pan, sorry!
We made these this morning. They turned out well. Good pumpkin flavor
My family absolutely loves these! As with all your recipes, the end result is consistently delicious. You are my go to so often when I want to try something new.
Thank you, Betsy! I’m glad you loved this review.
Hi! Does anyone know if I can bake these in the oven instead of a pan? My stovetop isn’t that trustworthy so I’d be really happy if anyone has a tip!
Do you think flax eggs would work in this recipe? I am new to being a vegan.
Hi Janine, others have reported flax egg working well.
Shoot, well this recipe did not work out for me at all. Disappointing to have wasted time and ingredients. I really cannot say what went wrong, I did veganize it with flax eggs. That’s the only adjustment I made. They were completely raw in the middle and regardless of how long I let them cook, they never firmed up. I even transferred them to the oven in hopes to save them. Won’t be attempting again, just thought I’d share.
Hi Sam, unfortunately, these don’t do very well without the eggs since they’re gluten free. If you’re not gluten free, you could try these pumpkin pancakes and just omit the eggs.
Hi there, my wife and I enjoy your cooking recipes and I have tried a couple of your baking recipes. I’m a proficient baker and I always follow recipes to the letter the first time I make something, so I did not tinker with the recipe at all.
Almost no flavor came through, just some saltiness. I cross-referenced the spice profiles in some other recipes and most had half the salt and twice the qty. of spice (with similar wet/dry ingredient ratios).
Another note is pancakes typically have a combination of baking soda and baking powder to get a proper rise. The acid/baking soda ratio seems appropriate, but the 10 minute rest after the soda has been activated by the acid might limit the rising potential by the time the batter is in the pan. Adding double-acting baking powder would give that extra lift when cooking.
None of this is to be overly critical, but it just wasn’t quite right. Consistency was fine and the oat flour came out as expected. I plan on running another batch with double the spice and half the salt.
Hi Eric, I’m sorry you didn’t like these. I tested these several times to get them right. I do appreciate your feedback.
Delicious!!! I doubled the spices and added 1/4 cup of pecans and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. I cooked the pancakes on low because the batter is thick but they turned out great. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome, Alicia!