Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes are the perfect Fall breakfast treat. Scented with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and lemon, these fragrant pancakes have chocolate chips for a kid-friendly breakfast.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
It’s that time of year when I crave pumpkin and pumpkin spice. These Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes combine both into a favorite breakfast treat.
I’ve made lots of pumpkin treats over the years, including Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Donuts, Pumpkin Spice Coffee Chocolate Marble Cake, and Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread.
I’ve also been dreaming of making Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes for my kids the last couple of weeks, but didn’t have the chance to try them until they were off from school one day. During the school week, I’m just not in the mood to whip up a batch of pancakes at six o’clock in the morning, and on the weekends, the boys have their sports activities at all different times.
It’s been a while since I made Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes for breakfast, so I had to sit down for a few minutes to think through how to make these Pumpkin Spice Pancakes. To make these on the healthier side, I used half ground oats, brown rice flour and some tapioca starch. For some sweetness, I added maple syrup and mini chocolate chips to the batter. Flavored with pumpkin spice mix and a touch of vanilla, these were so good that I found myself chomping down on three of these pancakes! Now I know why I don’t make pancakes very often.
These pancakes were some of the most tender pancakes I’ve eaten. They’re not of the fluffy variety, but they are so good. The first time I made these pancakes, I did not use any lemon juice. But, after reading a little about baking soda and baking powder, I was reminded that acid (lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk) activates baking soda (alkaline) when mixed in the right amount, producing larger batter bubbles. Remember that the volcano experiment from science class when your teacher mixed baking soda with vinegar?
Often, recipes for pancakes, muffins and quick breads include both baking soda and baking powder because baking soda alone doesn’t give enough rise – baking powder gives the recipe a little more lift. Used in combination, you also get more flavor (from the acid) and golden brown pancakes (from the alkaline environment).
Just this past weekend, I made another batch of these Pumpkin Pancakes, this time adding lemon juice in addition to the yogurt, which resulted in a slightly fluffier pancake (sorry we gobbled that batch up before I could get any pictures). The pancakes also developed a nice browned and slightly crunchy exterior.
Like I said, these Pumpkin Pancakes are fantastic as is, but my inner geek still wants to experiment with the amount of acid, baking soda and baking powder to see if I can come up with a fluffier version. No complaints from any of the kids or my husband – they loved them!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats ground fine in a food processor
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup low-fat milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- coconut oil
Instructions
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Mix together ground oats, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix together yogurt, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and olive oil. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Let sit for 15-20 minutes so flours absorb liquid ingredients.
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Melt coconut oil in cast iron skillet on medium heat. Use 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop up batter and pour into skillet. Cook pancakes until you see bubbles form on top and bottoms are nicely browned. Flip pancakes and cook other side until browned.
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Perfect way to start anyone’s morning!
Thanks Marnely – these are a real treat to wake up to. Now I just need to teach my kids how to make them!
Pumpkin and chocolate: such an addictive combination (and what a fun treat for breakfast!).
i love these Jeanette! I am totally making this for my kids
These are spectacular Jeanette and I cannot wait to make them! And bless you for giving us a foolproof GF pancake recipe!! WAHOO!
Have you tried freezing any after you cooked them Jeanette? This is exactly the kind of thing I love to have in the freezer for last minute breakfasts!
Alyssa – I haven’t tried freezing these. I don’t think they’d freeze too well. The first time I made them, I kept some in the refrigerator and reheated them a few days later. The texture was definitely not the same. Maybe keep some of the batter in the refrigerator and try making them when you want?
Oh wow these look amazing Jeanette. These photos are so gorgeous, by the way!
My son loves pumpkin spice and I will make these this weekend. He will be so surprised. Thanks for the recipe.
Ooh, look at that big stack of pancakes–I love it! My mom always added chocolate chips to pumpkin pancakes too. 🙂
I want to INHALE these pancakes in a really serious way. I bet they’d be great with cinnamon chips also!
Am definitely giving this a go. I love anything rolled oats and rolled oats pancakes are a staple at our house. You fancied them up just RIGHT! 🙂
Jeanette,
I just finished a 21 Day Cleanse with the Clean program and am noticing that my sinuses totally cleared up while I was DF,GF, Sugar free, all things free 🙂 So I know that I will have to limit or eliminate dairy or gluten from my diet. So this is all new to me and I’m amazed at all the yummy recipes I’m finding floating around! Can you tell me where you find gluten free rolled oats?
Thanks and I can’t wait to try these pancakes, I LOVE all things pumpkin. I may be making a pumpkin shake for a morning smoothie tomorrow!
Sandi – Bob’s Red Mill makes gluten-free oats that are sold at Whole Foods; also, I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s too.
A delicious fall treat!
I am loving pancakes lately – these will be next for me!
The texture of these pancakes looks fantastic! I agree about using a combination of baking soda and baking powder…it always produces the best results for me, too.
Jeanette thanks for all the great GF recipes. I’m also dairy free so I’m going to experiment with soy milk and coconut yoghurt. I’ll let you know when I have success.
Hi Gillian – hope you like these – these are very tender and delicate.
I am sure this is an attractive item for many, including me. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to enjoy it.