Pumpkin Pancakes for Halloween Breakfast
- Sweet
- Stovetop
- Oven
Tender skillet pancakes with mashed pumpkin and a warm cinnamon note, cooked without added fat in a non-stick pan. Dense and satisfying, made for a Halloween morning.
- Total
- 35 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 20
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Simmering · Whisking
Instructions
-
Peel and cut the pumpkin into 2 cm cubes, put them in a pot with 200 ml water, and simmer until a knife slides in with no resistance, about 12 minutes. Drain well and mash to a smooth purée with a fork.
~12 min
Simmering breaks down the pumpkin's cell walls so it mashes into a smooth purée, while draining well keeps the batter from turning watery.
Simmering Keep the water at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, so the pumpkin softens evenly without scorching; it's ready when a knife slides in with no resistance.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the pumpkin simmers, whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until slightly pale, about 1 minute. Whisk in 150 ml milk, the cinnamon and salt.
~1 min
Whisking the eggs with sugar dissolves it and starts to lighten the mixture, so the spices and salt distribute evenly through the batter.
Whisking Whisk briskly in a steady circular motion to dissolve the sugar and blend the eggs; stop when the mixture looks slightly pale and even.
-
Add the pumpkin purée to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Fold in the flour just until no dry streaks remain; the batter will be thick and dense, which is expected without leavening.
~3 min
Folding the flour in only until just combined limits gluten development, keeping the pancakes tender rather than tough and rubbery.
-
Heat the non-stick pan over medium heat until a drop of batter sizzles on contact. Spoon in 3 tbsp batter per pancake and spread it lightly into an 8 cm round.
~2 min
A sizzling test drop confirms the pan is hot enough to set the batter quickly, so the pancakes hold their shape instead of spreading flat.
The batter thickens as the pumpkin purée sits; if it becomes too stiff to spread, loosen it with 1 to 2 tbsp milk rather than more flour.
-
Cook the pancakes in batches of 3 until the edges look set and bubbles appear on the surface, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook until golden and firm in the center, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter, about 4 batches in total.
~5 min
Bubbles on the surface and set edges signal the underside is done, so flipping then won't tear the pancake or leave raw batter inside.
Keep the pan at medium heat: pumpkin purée browns faster than plain batter, so lower the heat if the undersides darken before the centers set.
-
Stack the warm pancakes on plates and drizzle each serving with 1 tbsp maple syrup.
~2 min
