Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Ginger Syrup
Paleo pumpkin pancakes are a delightful autumn breakfast recipe. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, fluffy, soft, and deliciously spiced. Drizzle my homemade maple ginger syrup on top for a breakfast the whole family will love.
Now that pumpkin season is in full swing, there’s been a lot of baking happening in my kitchen. From pumpkin pie to pumpkin bread, the recipes are never ending. But with the last bits of pumpkin puree left, it’s a no brainer to whip up a spiced version of my reader favorite paleo pancakes recipe.
That classic pancake recipe has been sampled to perfection since Downshiftology began, but I think adding a generous dose of autumnal flavor will give your taste buds a delicious surprise.
Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes Ingredients
While the list of ingredients may look long, the recipe is actually quite simple to make with a few pantry staples.
Dry Ingredients
- Flour Blend – the same triumvirate of flours that I use on most of my baked goods recipes, including almond flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour.
- Pumpkin Spice – can’t have pumpkin pancakes without pumpkin spice!
- Baking Soda + Salt – to help make the pancakes fluffy and taste good.
Wet Ingredients
- Eggs – Gotta have eggs in the pancake batter to hold everything together.
- Almond Milk – you could also use cashew milk, oat milk, hemp milk, banana milk, or any other dairy-free milk.
- Pumpkin Puree – make sure you use plain pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Vinegar – this reacts with the baking soda to create light and fluffy pancakes.
- Vanilla Extract + Honey – just a little natural sweetness in the pancakes themselves.
Topping
- Maple Syrup – I love dark maple syrup, but any variety will work.
- Ginger – freshly grated ginger adds incredible flavor to the maple syrup, trust me!
How To Make Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
For the fluffiest pancakes, it’s best to mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl, and the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Then, pour the wet into the dry and stir everything together until you have a smooth batter.
Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and coat it with butter, ghee, or coconut oil. I personally prefer to use ghee as it doesn’t burn but has delicious flavor. Pour the pancake mix onto the skillet using a pancake pen or ladle. I recommend keeping your pancakes 3-4 inches wide so that it makes it easier to flip. Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, and flip to cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Don’t Forget The Maple Ginger Syrup
Let’s talk about this amazing maple ginger syrup. Even though it’s a simple tweak, it will definitely kick your syrup up a notch.
First, heat the maple syrup in a small pot on low heat. Using a microplane fine grater (it’s the best for super fine, almost mulchy ginger), grate the ginger and stir into the maple syrup. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes and you’ll have a delectable ginger infused maple syrup.
Spruce Up This Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
I love to top a stack of pancakes with chopped pecans, but walnuts are also great. And have a little fun by playing around with spices. A dash of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, or allspice all work with this recipe beautifully!
Want a nut-free version? Just use my nut-free paleo pancakes recipe as the base instead. Of course, if using the nut-free version, just omit the pecans sprinkled on top and splurge on a little extra maple ginger syrup.
For another seasonal recipe… make sure to check out my paleo apple cinnamon pancakes.
To Store, Freeze and Reheat Pancakes
Pancakes are so easy to meal prep for the future. Here’s what you do:
- Cool and Freeze: After you’ve make the pancakes, let them cool. Then, freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined plate or baking tray. Once they’re completely frozen, you can group them together in a plastic bag or other storage container.
- Reheat: To reheat frozen pancakes, just microwave them for a minute or two.
- Storage: Frozen pancakes will last for several months in the freezer. That means you can enjoy these paleo pumpkin pancakes year round!
Craving More Pumpkin Recipes?
Don’t let that leftover pumpkin spice and puree go to waste. Whip up these delicious desserts!
- Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding Mousse
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Paleo Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Coconut Macaroons
- Raw White Chocolate and Pumpkin Cheesecake
Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe Video
Want to see how I make this recipe? Watch the quick step-by-step video below!
Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Ginger Syrup
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup almond milk,
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp honey, or maple syrup
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ghee, butter or coconut oil (to coat skillet)
- chopped pecans, to sprinkle on top
Maple Ginger Syrup
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
Instructions
- Heat the maple syrup in a small pot on low heat. Add the grated ginger and stir together. Let warm for 15 minutes to infuse the flavors. Set aside.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Whisk all of the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until you have a smooth batter.
- Heat a skillet or electric griddle on medium-high heat and coat with ghee, butter or coconut oil. Use a pancake pen or or ladle to spoon the batter onto the skillet, keeping your pancakes approximately 3-4 inches in diameter. They're much easier to flip smaller. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkle of chopped pecans and maple ginger syrup.
Lisa's Tips
- If you make a lot of pancakes, I highly recommend an electric griddle. It's great for making larger batches fast.
- I'm obsessed with my pancake pen for making pancakes. Pancakes are perfectly sized and there's no more drips all over the place.
Nutrition
Originally published Oct 2016, but updated with new photos and information.
We didn’t like these.. we loved them. That’s a direct quote from one of my three kids. I substituted home made kefir for the almond milk and vinegar. Beautiful fluffy soft crispy on the edges pancakes. So yum and the pumpkin spice flavours are still in my mouth as I write this review. We’ve been doing whole30 and I’m yet to introduce any grains so finding this grain free recipe was such a treat.
Happy to hear both you and the kiddos enjoyed these pumpkin pancakes Joey!
I absolutely love these pancakes. Fantastic recipe!
Thank you for this recipe
I love these pancakes
Hi Lisa,
Love your recipes!! These pancakes are delicious, and I made them multiple times. I just recently found out that I have to avoid eggs, so I tried substituting the eggs with 1 TBSP of flaxseed and 3 TBSP of water for each egg. The consistency is not right, and they are hard to flip. Do you have any suggestions on what to substitute the eggs with?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried these with egg substitutes yet.
Really great! These types of recipes have really come a long way since I last attempted to make them and yours is so spot on! Kept everything the same except used potato starch flour instead of tapioca flour since I didn’t have any and I omitted the baking powder as I avoid heavy metals oh and I did double the vanilla. Cooked with ghee then topped with a bit more ghee and the ginger maple syrup – so good- taste, texture…. I would prob add a bit more salt to the batter for the flavors to pop a bit more, otherwise it’s a perfect recipe – thanks so much!!
I love these pancakes. I have made the multiple times and this is a reminder to make them again soon. They are delicious with the warm maple syrup infused with fresh ginger!
Oh my word these were amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and definitely don’t skip the ginger maple syrup! Some in my family thought these pancakes reminded them of gingerbread men. I felt so good eating these knowing they are healthy and they are filling. Thanks Lisa! Your recipes always turn out delicious.
My father in law has a colostomy bag and I want to make these. No tapioca for him… can I replace it with coconut flour?
Unfortunately coconut flour is highly absorbent and that much would make these pancakes super dry and dense. Can he have arrowroot powder? That would be a better substitute.
Omg…just made these. So quick to throw together and tastes amazing!!!
Hi Lisa,
This is just for the syrup, which is absolutely delicious!! I served it with some store bough multi grain waffles, my hubby who always refuses multigrain because he thinks it is gross, asked for seconds with this syrup. lol. Quick question, can I make extra and refrigerate, and if so how long? Thanks for the lovely recipes.
Hi Liz – happy you loved the maple ginger syrup! It’s divine, isn’t it? :) And yes, you can make extra and store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
hello lisa! one pancake is considered one portion for nutrional purposes?
thank yooou
Hi Michelle – yes, the nutritional information is for one pancake :)
I made this for my Mum and it is absolutely amazing. Ty.
Glad she enjoyed this recipe Anjel :)
Is there a substitution for the eggs like chia/flax (ground or whole) or aquafaba?
Hi Kay – unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg substitute. But if you do, let me know how it turns out!
Hi Lisa, This recipe is so superior to others I tried. Thanks. By the way I used brown rice flour instead of tapioca flour and they were still delicious.
Good to know this works well with brown rice flour in replacement for tapioca!
I made these for my breakfast now.They turned out really well. And the ginger in maple syrup is…OMG amazing. I am extra happy and extra energetic now. Thankyouuuuu for this recipe.
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed his recipe Priyanka!
Hi Lisa,
I would love to try this recipe, however, I’m not a fan of coconut flour. Can you offer a substitution? Please.
Hi Suzanne – you could try with a little bit more of the other flours, but it might alter the texture a bit.
OMG these were so good !!! What makes them so awesome is the ginger in the syrup 😋🤤 We will definitely make more and try the apple cinnamon ones too!!!
The ginger definitely does make a difference :) Glad you loved these pancakes!
Huge success with my family. They believe that gluten free is dull but the flavor of these delicious pancakes beat all odds :). They are tasty and fluffy and the nuts really elevated the flavors. Just a tip for those trying out this recipe. Perhaps due to the liquid content of the canned pumpkin puree I used or the size of eggs, the batter was a little runny following these measurements. BUT… I just followed my instincts :) and added a little more of the flour blend and voila… texture was perfect. I am already working on a new batch that I plan to freeze to have it in handy for those “lazy” days… Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Glad you were able to save your pancakes Lily! Adding a little extra flour definitely will do the trick to help thicken the batter up a bit :)
This looks like a wonderful recipe to make.
So I went out and got all necessary ingredients needed to do so. However, I couldn’t find any “Pumpkin Spice” at the few places I went. Not a big deal. But in the beginning of your video I heard you mentioned that you will link on how to make pumkin spice. So I looked all up and down your page and couldn’t find it. Wong give up, willl loot it up on Pinterest.
Appreciate the wonderful recipes.
Hi Sheldon – great point about the pumpkin spice. I thought I had added it to the website as well, but just doubled checked and you’re right. I’ll try to add it soon!
What other flour to replace the almond flour can I use in your recipe for PALEO PUMPKIN PANCAKES ?
Thanks.
Hi Dolores – You can actually reference my nut-free paleo pancake recipe I have on my site and use that as the base!
Do you have any suggestions for tweaking this recipe to lower the carb count?
Hi thnx for the recipe. I do not have tapioca flour, do u have a substitute please?
You can also use arrowroot flour or a gluten-free flour blend :)
Hi Lisa, do you use a certain brand for your flours? Also is tapioca flour similar to or the same a cassava flour? They both come from the same plant, correct? I did try this recipe because I LOVE pancakes and am a huge fan of pumpkin but they did not spread properly and seem a bit thick also a touch on the gritty side. I’m sure this is due to one of the products I used so I would love to try again and hopefully can add this and many other of your recipes to my new healthier way of eating. Thank you for all the tip tricks and videos!
Hi Joey – The flours I use are linked on the Shop page on my website. And while tapioca and cassava flour both come from the cassava plant, they’re processed differently so bake quite differently as well. In other words, they’re not interchangeable. Hope your next try comes out even better!
Your paleo pancakes are a big hit in my gluten free household, so I will definitely be trying the pumpkin spice version!!
Amazing! You’re going to love this pumpkin version then :)
Is there a substitute I can use for the coconut flour, maybe extra almond flour or a gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill? I enjoy your website and YouTube channel. Thanks for the great tips and recipes!
Hi Wanita – there isn’t a great alternative for the coconut flour, other than to use a little bit more of the other flours. Hope it works for you!
If I use fresh pumpkin for the puree does it have to be cooked or raw?
For this recipe, I’m using canned pumpkin puree – which is normally cooked!
Served these for breakfast this morning and they did not disappoint! Definitely a great and tasty way to start my day!
Wonderful! :)
Served this for breakfast this morning and I couldn’t have started my day any better; these were hands down delicious! My whole family loved them!
Glad everyone enjoyed these pancakes!
The type of tower (pancakes tower) that can make any day a special day :-) Delicious and so easy to make – just perfect!
This will absolutely brighten up any morning :)
I can’t wait to try this recipe at home, it looks very tasty!
Hope you love this one Shadi! :)
What a breakfast these pancakes will make!! Can’t wait to make them!!
You’re going to love these pancakes!
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for all the yummy healthy recipes! I was wondering if I can use any kind of squash (like acorn or butternut) instead pumpkin?
I haven’t tried this with other squashes, but if you can make it into a puree, it could work!
First Sunday morning of Fall, Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes with Bacon, of course 😊
I’m glad you loved the recipe Letty!
These are welcome fall treat! Very easy to make and store. They are a definite keeper I couldn’t wait to taste them. The ginger elevates the syrup to a much higher level. Thank you Lisa you never disappoint. 💞
Absolutely the perfect Fall treat :) Glad you enjoyed these Rhonda!
Really bummed that this recipe did not work out for me. I made this twice and each time it didn’t come together like a pancake batter. The first time I tried replacing the eggs with applesauce and the batter turned out to be really thick. I plopped a few pancakes down and it would not hold at all. I tried a few and they were so wet and runny still. So I thought it was because I used applesauce and not eggs. Next day I tried it again, recipe exactly with eggs this time. Still a super thick batter but I thought since there were eggs in there, it should hold and cook through. Nope. Didn’t hold still, was still wet and doughy like in the middle. I tried smoothing the batter out thinner since it doesn’t spread but that still didn’t work. My batter doesn’t turn out as smooth and pancake-batter-like like hers in the video. Is it the brand of flours I use? I don’t know. But I WILL make that ginger maple syrup again. That stuff is amazing. However, this is unfortunately not going to be my go-to recipe this fall for paleo pumpkin pancakes.
Hi Felishia – I’m glad you loved the maple ginger syrup! If your batter is really thick, that could be due to the flours you used. I’d just thin it down with a little more liquid before cooking. Hope you next batch comes out better!
Yummy, Lisa! No pumpkin, used mashed sweet potato instead – worked well
These pumpkin pancakes are so light and fluffy! They taste delicious, too! I’ll definitely make these again.
how much pumpkin do we use to make pumpkin puree
I used canned pumpkin puree in this recipe.
I have tried to make your paleo Apple pancakes but the batter comes out thick, the pan starts to smoke and it’s almost impossible to flip the pancake, which comes out burnt every time. What do you recommend to fix this outcome?
Hi Paul – it sounds like your batter is too thick and your pan is too hot. You can thin the batter with a little more milk and I’d recommend reducing the temperature of your stove. You can watch the video above to see the correct consistency of the batter. Hope you’re next try turns out better!
Love these. I keep a double recipe in the freezer.
Hi Gayle – This is such a great freezer breakfast to keep on hand!
What can be used in lieu of the tapioca flour?
Hi Kathleen – you can sub arrowroot powder for the tapioca flour in this recipe.
Very yummy, I am going to also try with applesauce in place of the pumpkin!
Hi Kristal – Apple sauce works for a more apple cinnamon flavor :)
For the nutrition info; what’s the serving size? Does it include the toppings? Thanks :)
Hi Elena – the nutrition info is 1 pancake, including the toppings! Hope this helps :)
Just made this recipe as waffles. I separated the eggs and whipped the whites with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, folding them in at the end. Substituted apple cider vinegar since I didn’t have white wine vinegar. Yummy!
Yum – I’m sure they were nice and fluffy waffles!
OMG!!! Just made them for the perfect fall weekend breakfast!!! It might have been the best pancakes I ever had… #downshiftology on insta of course!!!
Yay – love to hear that! These are a favorite of mine as well. I definitely need to make a double batch soon (so I can have them ready to go in the freezer). :) And I’ll check out the pic on IG! x
I’ll take your advice and make a batch for the freezer too!!!
Has anyone tried these as waffles? I want to make some stat!
I think that’s a great idea! I may have to whip up a batch next week to report back on how delicious they are (with lots more crevices for the syrup). ;)
I made these also : ) and they were yummy! My kids loved them. I wanted to know why you added the vinegar?
I did want to mention…I have trouble using tapioca starch. For some reason replacing one starch with the other (as in gluten-free baking- my naturopath put it that way) doesn’t seem to “fix” the problem. And then to boot, where is this tapioca starch coming from? local? what kind of processing? After making the pancakes, a couple sat out while I was cleaning up. I wanted an extra bite of one of them, but they felt so rubbery and hard!? I don’t know…gave me a weird feeling.
So glad you and your kids liked them Francesca! :) The vinegar works with the baking soda to help make them fluffy (as an acid/bicarbinate reaction). You could also use lemon juice instead of the vinegar or baking powder to replace both (though baking powders may contain gluten/corn). As a celiac, I do spend the extra for high quality ingredients to ensure safe processing and sourcing. And as for leaving the pancakes out, well, they get gobbled up quickly in my house so I haven’t had that problem. ;) I have made several double batches, frozen and then re-heated though and they’ve come out perfect!
Love the autumn treat twist on your pancake recipe! And yes, please keep the awesome videos coming! :)
It’s such a versatile recipe! Thanks Liz! xo