Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Martha Stewart’s pumpkin pancake recipe uses just 6 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and four warm spices to turn a basic pancake batter into something that tastes like fall in every bite. It makes 8 to 10 pancakes, serves 4, and the whole thing takes about 20 minutes.

I made these the first time because I had half a can of pumpkin puree left over from a pie and didn’t want to waste it. Six tablespoons is barely anything, but it changes the color, the smell, and the texture of the pancakes so much that I now buy canned pumpkin just for these.

More Pancake Recipes:

• Easy Basic Pancakes
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Old Fashioned Pancakes

Why Only 6 Tablespoons of Pumpkin

Too much pumpkin makes pancakes heavy and gummy because the puree is dense and wet. Martha keeps it to 6 tablespoons, which is enough to give the batter that orange color and warm pumpkin flavor without weighing it down.

The spices do a lot of the heavy lifting here: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together smell like Thanksgiving morning. You don’t need much pumpkin when you’ve got all four working alongside it, so let’s look at the full ingredient list.

Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pancake Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for the skillet and serving
• 1 egg, room temperature
• Maple syrup for serving

How To Make Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pancakes

1. Whisk the dry ingredients: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl.
2. Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, stir together the milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and egg until smooth.
3. Fold together: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Do not overmix. You should still see lumps, and they’ll work themselves out during cooking.
4. Cook: Melt a little butter in a skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook for about 3 minutes until bubbles form on the surface, then flip and cook another 3 minutes until golden on both sides.
5. Serve: Stack them up with butter and warm maple syrup.

Don’t Overmix This One

Overmixing matters more here than in a regular pancake recipe because the pumpkin puree is already heavy. If you stir too much, you develop gluten and the weight of the pumpkin has nothing working against it, so the pancakes come out flat and dense.

I fold the batter about 10 times and stop, even if it looks messy, because those lumps disappear on the griddle and the pancakes stay light. Once they’re cooked, there are a few ways to serve them beyond the usual butter and syrup.

Toppings That Go With Pumpkin

Maple syrup is the obvious choice and it’s what Martha suggests. But I’ve also tried them with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey, which lets the spices come through more than syrup does.

Chopped pecans or walnuts on top add crunch, and a little whipped cream turns these into something close to pumpkin pie for breakfast. If you make extras, they keep well enough to eat the next day.

Storing Pumpkin Pancakes

Cool them completely, stack with parchment between each one, and keep in a zip-top bag in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for a month. The pumpkin keeps them moist longer than regular pancakes, so they reheat well.

Pop them in the toaster straight from the freezer, or warm a batch at 350°F for about 8 minutes. They won’t be quite as good as fresh, but on a cold Tuesday morning they’re still better than anything from a box.

Pumpkin Pancakes Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 270 kcal
• Protein: 7g
• Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Sugar: 10g

Estimated per serving, based on 4 servings without toppings.

More Breakfast Recipes:

• Fluffy Pancakes
• Dutch Pancake
• Potato Pancakes