Pumpkin buttermilk pancakes — light, fluffy and full of the warm, cozy flavours of fall. These easy pumpkin pancakes are sure to become a breakfast favourite! Top with candied pecans, drizzle with maple syrup, enjoy with your favourite cup of coffee or tea.
(Love pancakes? Try this banana buttermilk pancakes topped with candied walnuts for a special weekend treat. These corn pancake recipe is good too!)
Fall has arrived at last.
I know it’s technically been fall for more than a month now but we’ve been enjoying above seasonal temperatures the last few weeks it feels more like summer.
It’s been so warm that Red felt weird about drinking pumpkin spice latte lol.
But I think our little (wonderful) Indian summer is over. So let’s bask in everything fall, shall we? Starting with these super fluffy pumpkin buttermilk pancakes.
It’s your favourite weekend breakfast and brunch treat packed with your favourite fall flavours.
Add candied pecans and maple syrup to the mix and you have pancakes you’d want to eat all year round.
How to make pumpkin buttermilk pancakes
This buttermilk pumpkin pancakes recipe is the bomb if I say so myself. Plus it’s so easy to make too.
Whisk all dry ingredients until combined. In another bowl, whisk all wet ingredients until smooth.
Prep a medium sized pan on your stove over medium heat. You know it’s ready when small amounts of water sprinkled over it evaporates immediately.
At this point, you can pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and gently stir. Do not over mix — you want a coarse, lumpy batter with bits of flour remaining.
Then you can start frying (you can use oil or butter, I often use a combination of both). It usually takes me 2-3 minutes per side. I know I need to flip when the edges start turning a golden brown.
Ingredients
These pancakes smell and taste like fall. It’s really super special pancakes, worthy of Thanksgiving morning. They contain:
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Ground ginger
- Ground allspice
- Pumpkin puree (I use canned; make sure to buy pure pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling)
(I use canned; make sure to buy pure pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling)The rest of the ingredients are pantry staples like:
- All purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Oil or butter for frying (I typically use a combination)
- Maple syrup and candied pecans for serving
and candied 
for servingCooking tools
Having a pancake griddle
or a griddle pan
would make it faster to cook pancakes but they’re not really necessary.
All I use are a non-stick pan
and a heat-resistant silicone spatula or turner
.
I also mix everything by hand so mixing bowls, measuring spoons, measuring cups and my good old balloon whisk are all I need.
How to make candied pecans
Let’s talk about those candied pecans. You may wonder if you really need to make them.
Yes. Yes, you do.
They bring crunch and excitement to the pancakes! They are delicious and takes no time all.
All you need to do is stir pecans, sugar and butter together in a skillet over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the pecans are nicely coated. Stir continuously so the sugar doesn’t burn.
Transfer the nuts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread the pecans around so they don’t stick to one another. Wait for the sugar to cool and harden (about a couple of minutes) and you’re done!
Plus, they are amazing on their own — snack on them, put them in your salad, add them to cakes or cupcakes.
As an alternative, you can also make some honey roasted pecans. So good!
Love pecans? Try this sourdough carrot cake!
Recipe FAQs
To make these pumpkin spice pancakes even easier to make, here are some tips for you.
As the official Pancake Maker at home, I’ve found that there are two secrets to soft, fluffy pancakes every time:
Secret Number 1: Combine your wet and dry ingredients at the last minute, just when you’re ready to fry them. I know some recipes ask you to chill the batter but I’ve found that resulted to flatter pancakes for me.
Secret Number 2: Do not over mix the batter. You don’t want a smooth batter but a lumpy one. Again, I know other recipes suggest mixing the batter in a blender but I prefer to do it by hand so I have more control.
Experiment! I would love to see how yours go.
Do you struggle to find ways to use leftover buttermilk every time you make buttermilk pancakes?
You can make classic buttermilk scones — they are easy to make and delicious! This list of recipes that use leftover buttermilk will definitely help as well.
Or you can choose to make homemade buttermilk.
It’s simple: just mix a cup of milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice, stir then let sit in room temperature for 30 minutes.
Homemade buttermilk doesn’t get quite as thick as the one you buy at the store but I haven’t noticed a significant difference in my pancakes made with homemade buttermilk vs. those made with commercial buttermilk yet.
So I don’t hesitate to make homemade buttermilk in a pinch.
These pumpkin buttermilk pancakes freeze really well. So what I normally do is make a bigger batch on the weekend so we have enough for the rest of the week!
Just allow the pancakes to cool completely then transfer to a Ziploc bag, separated by parchment paper so they don’t stick together. Then into the freezer the bag goes.
A quick minute in the microwave and they’re good as new! You don’t even need to thaw the pancakes. And I swear they taste better and better everyday.
Other delicious breakfast recipes for fall
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving breakfast this year or simply want to enjoy the crisp October or November morning, try these recipes:
- Cinnamon Sugar Baked Pumpkin Donuts are packed with that pumpkin spice flavour that is synonymous with fall. Plus, they’re baked not fried!
- If you’re craving chocolate, you would love these Super Chocolatey Double Chocolate Waffles. With cocoa powder and chocolate chips in the buttermilk batter, it’s sure to satisfy all your chocolate cravings.
- Speaking of chocolate, kick it up a notch with this Chocolate Kahlua Bread Pudding.
- Looking for a savoury dish? You can’t go wrong with this Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash with Sausage, Bacon and Eggs. Great way to use leftovers too!
This weekend, make a batch of pumpkin buttermilk pancakes, top them with as much candied pecans as you like and drizzle with golden maple syrup. It’s a great way to start the day.
Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree I used canned
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temperature
- 2 pcs large eggs room temperature
- Oil or butter for frying I used a combination
- Maple syrup and candied pecans for serving
For the Candied Pecans:
- 1 cup pecan halves
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes:
- In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients until combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk all wet ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
- Put a medium sized pan on your stove over medium heat. You know it’s ready when small amounts of water sprinkled over it evaporates immediately. At this point, you can pour your buttermilk mixture into your flour mixture and gently stir. Do not over mix – you want a coarse, lumpy batter with bits of flour remaining.
- Put a little oil or butter (or a combination) on your pan and start dropping your pancake mixture about ⅓ cup at a time. Flatten slightly with a spoon or the bottom of your cup. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
- Serve warm topped with candied pecans and maple syrup.
For the Candied Pecans:
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a skillet over medium heat, stir all ingredients together until sugar is melted and all pecans are coated (4-5 minutes). Make sure to stir constantly so your sugar doesn’t burn.
- Transfer mixture to your baking sheet and spread evenly so the pecans don’t stick together. Wait for the sugar to cool and harden (1-2 minutes) before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Happy pancake making!
Did you make pumpkin buttermilk pancakes? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
And let’s get social! Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter.
Ellie Chan
I’ve never tried making pancakes with buttermilk before but I do love pancakes on a Sunday morning, the idea of adding pumpkin, spices and candied pecans really sounds delicious, it makes Sunday brunch a bit more fun!
Jacque
I am obsessed with anything pumpkin based!
Dawn
Just from looking at these pancakes I can totally tell that they are the bomb 😉 And candied pecans? YES! I need those in my life – with a big stack of these pancakes and lots of maple syrup and coffee. Wish I had time during the week to prepare these for breakfast. Then again, if I wait for the weekend, they’re extra special 🙂 Love how super fluffy they look, btw!!
Jolina
Hi Dawn! Good news: they freeze incredibly well! What we usually do is make batch on the weekend and freeze the rest. Pancake happiness all week! And yes to lotsssss of maple syrup 🙂 Hope you’re having a happy weekend!
Angie
Those really look spectacular! YUM!
Sami Summers
Oh my my my. You had me at Pumpkin, Buttermilk, and Candied Pecans. This sounds like the perfect recipe for the day before Thanksgiving. Pancakes are wonderful, how do you think these would be as waffles. though?
Jolina
Hi Sami! I would definitely serve this the day before, of or after 🙂 They’re really good! And about your question, I wasn’t really sure but hopefully this link helps – https://altonbrown.com/the-difference-between-waffles-and-pancakes/ (bottomline is I guess they won’t work as well as waffles?)
Kendel
Pumpkin errythaaaaang 😉 I need to get in on this fall vibe (even though it’s spring in New Zealand). Also, candied pecans. Am I monster for never having these? Swear, I haven’t tried them before. I’m calling it: terrible person. Think I need to try this, even if it’s just for the pecans 😉
Jolina
I think candied pecans are a great idea any season 🙂 And so are these pancakes! Enjoy Kendel!
Jill
The best thing about pumpkin season is pumpkin pancakes. It’s a family favorite.
Jolina
I gotta say, I’m actually a “new” fan of pumpkin (more of an apple girl) but I’m super loving it. And these pancakes are the bomb if I say so myself 🙂
Sreekar
Have never heard of such recipe before. its surely original. And your simple steps surely will help newbies like me to do something worthy in the kitchen too!
Glenda
This Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes with Candied Pecans looks so tasty. Thank you for the recipe. I plan to make this for my family for sure.
Felicia Broccolo
ohh my. These are mouthwatering. Can’t wait to try this recipe, I’m sure it’ll be one that we use often!
Holly A Habeck
Wow, these pancakes look DELISH! I definitely need to try making some soon.
Brandi
This is one gorgeous stack of pancakes. I would love these for breakfast.
Candy Rachelle
Wow!! The pumpkin buttermilk pancakes candied pecans look so delicious and really tempting. I really love pecans. I didn’t know that it can be perfect for a pancake. I am looking forward to trying this recipe.
Jade Brey
You have just made me soo hungry! I’m not that great in the kitchen when it comes to baking (I’m a better cook..I think, who knows lol) but this recipe looks like too good of an opportunity to pass up! And I love pecans so def going to try it.
Jolina
You’re in luck then, this does not require any baking at all 🙂 Hope you like it Jade!
Mardene Carr
Oh wow, I am so saving this. I am going to try and make this, I hope it looks half as good as yours