Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter (Vegan!)

As a Gilmore Girl fan, I’ve always thought that Luke’s special “Pumpkin Pancakes with homemade Cinnamon Butter” sounded like the perfect Fall breakfast.

Think fluffy, diner-style pancakes made with real pumpkin, nutmeg, and vanilla, paired with a cup of coffee and a crisp Autumn morning….how great does that combo sound?

This recipe is inspired by the show, but I’ve given this cozy Fall breakfast recipe a vegan and dairy-free twist. The result is every bit as fluffy, sweet, and buttery and I think Lorelei and Rory would approve!

If you love Gilmore Girls recipes, you’ve got to try my Homemade Cherry Danishes, this Pasta Ala Sookie (aka Mac and Cheese) and these amazing Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins (they are heavenly)

I recently made a video called “I Ate Like a Gilmore Girl for a Day pt 2” (watch here) and I started the video with these delicious pumpkin pancakes. They’re easy to make and made with familiar pantry staples, so you can easily whip them up this weekend to enjoy with an episode of your favorite comfort show. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients to Make Pumpkin Pancakes

• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger
• Salt
• Pumpkin Puree (I use canned)
• Soy Milk
• Lemon
• Vanilla
• Maple Syrup
• Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance sticks)

Pumpkin Pancakes with Homemade Cinnamon Butter Recipe

The full recipe with measurements can be found on the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview to give you and idea!

Make the Cinnamon Butter

First, place the softened vegan butter (I used Earth Balance sticks) in a bowl and add the maple, cinnamon, and salt. Use a hand-mixer to beat for 1 minute or until the butter is light and fluffy. Then place the butter in a piece of parchment paper and roll into a log. Twist the ends to seal, and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

Start by combining the pumpkin puree, soy milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and maple in a bowl. Mix and set aside.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

Next, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in another mixing bowl and whisk well.

Combine

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until no more flour remains. Then add the melted butter to the batter and stir to combine.

Be careful not to over-mix, and don’t worry if there’s a few lumps. It’s supposed to look like that 😊

Cook

Next, set a non-stick pan to medium heat. Add a little oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the pan is hot, add 1/4 cup of the pancake batter and let each pancake for about 4 minutes, or until lots of bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and the sides look set.

Then gently flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Repeat with the remaining pancakes, turning down the heat as needed in between rounds.

WATCH ME MAKE THIS RECIPE HERE

I recently made a video called “I Ate like a Gilmore Girl for a Day pt2” complete with vegan-friendly recipes inspired by the show. It includes these fluffy pumpkin pancakes, so you can watch me make this recipe step-by-step here!

How to make perfectly fluffy pancakes that cooked all the way through and not gummy in the center

There’s a trick to cooking pancakes properly and ensuring you get fluffy pancakes every time…the secret has to do with heat.

Step 1: The pan should be properly pre-heated before the batter goes in. Hoover your hand a few inches above the pan to make sure if feels warm before you start cooking. You need that initial hit of heat to brown the outside, and wake up the leaveners in the batter. Also, putting cold batter in a cold pan leads to sticking.

Step 2: Cook your pancakes on medium heat. If the heat is too high, the pancakes will cook too quickly on the outside ( making them look like they’re ready to flip) but the inside won’t have enough time to cook, so it will be raw. The result is often burned pancakes that are hard to flip because the inside hasn’t set.

To avoid this, start with the heat at about a 5 out of 10, and gradually lower the heat as needed between rounds.

Step 3: Be careful not to turn the heat too low. If the heat is too low the pancakes won’t fluff up and brown properly. The result is often dough, gummy pancakes that don’t have a fluffy texture or that tasty, toasty flavor that comes from evenly-browned pancakes.

The takeaway: You need the heat to be high enough to cook the pancakes, but not so high that they burn. The pan will get hotter as the cooking process continues so you will want to play around with the heat, lowering or raising as necessary between rounds to achieve the perfect pancakes. Heat really is key.

More helpful tips:

Step 4: A lot of people like to place a lid slightly ajar on the pancakes after flipping to help keep the heat in the pan. This can be a great strategy, just make sure it’s ajar and not on completely.

Step 5: Don’t over-grease the pan. I usually grease a non-stick pan with a thin layer of oil for the first round, but it’s usually not necessary after that. Too much oil or butter in the pan will create crispy, pan-fried edges…which, don’t get me wrong, is delicious, but at that point they’re more like crispy hot cakes instead of fluffy diner-style pancakes.

I love using this non-stick and non-toxic pan for pancakes and French Toast (recipe here)

MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY

• Orange Chai French Toast
• The BEST Pumpkin Bread
• Cheddar “Bacon” Breakfast Taquitos
• Make Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
• Stove-Top Vegan Frittata