Apple Pancakes

This apple pancake recipe features freshly grated apple and ground cinnamon. These apple pancakes are wholesome, delicious and easy to make!

6 Reviews
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apple pancakes

Letโ€™s celebrate the cooler weather with a stack of warm apple pancakes! These apple-flavored pancakes are the perfect autumnal breakfast treat. Theyโ€™re a simple weekend breakfast project that keeps well for quick weekday mornings (they freeze and thaw well, too).

This apple pancake recipe is made from scratch with freshly grated apple, which is enhanced by a touch of ground cinnamon. Tart apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith offer the most impactful flavor. Youโ€™ll see that I used Honeycrisp apples in this batchโ€”theyโ€™re our familyโ€™s favorite, and they yield terrific pancakes.

You might already have everything you need to make these pancakes in your pantry. Letโ€™s make some.

Apple Pancake Tips

Youโ€™ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few tips to help achieve pancake success.

Flour options include white whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour. I try to use whole-grain flours when I can, but all-purpose flour offers the most neutral flavor, allowing the apple to shine. Otherwise, you can use white whole wheat flour (now called โ€œgolden wheatโ€ by King Arthur Flour) for all of the nutrition of whole wheat without the nutty flavor.

Lightly coat your griddle or skillet with oil. I cook my pancakes with avocado oil because it offers a high smoke point and neutral flavor (butter burns quickly). Whichever you use, be sure to wipe off the excess with a paper towel so it doesnโ€™t start smoking.

Start by cooking just one pancake. Once youโ€™ve practiced with one pancake and ensured that your skillet is adequately preheated, you can make more at once. Leave a couple of inches between each pancake to allow for easy flipping.

The pancakes are ready to flip when about 1/2-inch of the perimeter has turned from glossy to matte. The underside should be nicely golden at this point. If youโ€™re uncertain, itโ€™s best to wait a little longer than end up with a doughy mess.

As time goes on, dial down the heat. The skillet gets hotter the longer itโ€™s on the stove. If your pancakes are burning on the outside before they are cooked through on the inside, your skillet is too hot. Turn down the heat a bit after every few pancakes.

Watch How to Make Apple Pancakes

Pancake Serving Suggestions

These apple-infused pancakes are lovely with a drizzle of maple syrup, but even better with something extra. Hereโ€™s a list of toppings or sides to consider:

More Apple Recipes to Enjoy

Here are a few more classic apple recipes to make this autumn:

Please let me know how your pancakes turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you. You can find more pancake recipes here.

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Apple Pancakes

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews

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This apple pancake recipe incorporates freshly grated apple and ground cinnamon. These apple pancakes are wholesome, delicious and easy to make. Recipe yields 8 to 9 pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup buttermilk or make your own*ย 
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
  • ยผ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ยผ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup grated Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple (about 1 medium)ย 
  • Avocado oil or vegetable oil, for greasing the pan

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
  2. In a smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
  3. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Add the grated apple. Stir just until combined (a few small lumps of flour are okay). Let the batter rest for 5 minutes so your pancakes will be nice and fluffy.
  4. Meanwhile, if youโ€™re using an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, heat a large stainless steel or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Youโ€™re ready to start cooking pancakes once a drop of water sizzles on contact with the hot surface. If necessary, lightly oil the cooking surface and wipe off the excess with a paper towel (nonstick surfaces likely wonโ€™t require any oil).
  5. Scoop a scant ยผ cup of batter onto the warm skillet, leaving a couple of inches around each pancake for expansion. Cook until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes, 2 to 3 minutes (youโ€™ll know itโ€™s ready to flip when about ยฝ-inch of the perimeter is matte instead of glossy). Flip the pancakes, then cook until lightly golden on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes more.
  6. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more oil and reducing the heat as necessary (I usually end up on low heat after a whileโ€”if the pancakes are turning too dark on the outside before they cook through, itโ€™s too hot). Serve the pancakes immediately with toppings of your choice, or keep them warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven.
  7. Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen* for up to 2 months. To reheat, stack leftover pancakes and wrap them in a paper towel before gently reheating in the microwave.

Notes

Recipe adapted from myย Whole Wheat Pancakes.

*Make your own buttermilk: Combine 1 cup milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy like almond milk) with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or distilled vinegar. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, then stir again before using. See photos of the process here.ย 

Make it dairy free: Make your own buttermilk with non-dairy milk and replace the butter with avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil.ย 

Make it egg free: I havenโ€™t verified this, but you could likely omit the egg.ย 

Make it vegan: Follow the dairy-free and egg-free suggestions provided above.

Make it gluten free: Substitute Bobโ€™s Red Millโ€™s gluten-free 1-to-1 flour.ย Or, you could try stirring the grated apple into my recipe forย Almond Flour Pancakesโ€”please let me know in the comments if you try that!

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโ€™s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

Kate and Cookie

HELLO, MY NAME IS

Kathryne Taylor

I'm a vegetable enthusiast, dog lover, mother and bestselling cookbook author. I've been sharing recipes here since 2010, and I'm always cooking something new in my Kansas City kitchen. Cook with me!

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Comments

  1. Shannon Stephaniuk

    Hi โ€“ Iโ€™m happy to see this recipe, as I have so many apples right now. Does it have to be Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples? PS โ€“ your banana pancakes, with whole wheat flour, are in heavy rotation at my house :)

    1. Cookie and Kate

      Hi Shannon, those are the varieties Iโ€™ve had good luck with, but there are lots of options. Any type of firm, baking apple should work.

  2. David hardman

    Have you ever tried ployes
    They are yummy. David H

    1. Cookie and Kate

      I havenโ€™t, but they sound interesting. I do enjoy buckwheat flour.

  3. Catherine Cox

    Hi Kate! This is our new favorite Sunday breakfast especially with apples coming on strong. For some reason i chopped my apples really fine instead of grating and it workd out well. This weekend iโ€™m planning on grating the next batch. Again, another great recipe, thank you!!!

  4. Roxy

    Hi Kate,

    Thanks for another delicious sounding recipe!

    Iโ€™ve been following you for a few years now, and you still stand out for providing new sensational recipes that are always reliable, nutritious and donโ€™t cost the earth!

    I have a question for you, do you think cooking apples would work? In my garden is a heavily laden tree of them and Iโ€™m frankly stumped for finding a use for them! I donโ€™t treat myself to puddings often nor do I want a freezer full of apple puree!
    Any advice you have would be very much appreciated.
    Much love, Roxy (Frome, UK) xx

    1. Cookie and Kate

      Hi Roxy, Iโ€™m so glad you enjoy the recipes. I think those apples would work well.

      1. Roxy

        Fantastic! Iโ€™ll give it a try x

  5. Natalie

    This reminded me that I love making your Caramelized Peach and Oat Pancakes using a finely diced apple instead of peaches! I mix the apple into the batter just before I start making the pancakes. I wonder what it would be like if I grated the apple instead, as in this recipe.

  6. marikay Litzau

    The apple pancakes were delicious. I used just picked zestar apples. They were delicate and the maple syrup taste in the pancakes was very tasty.

  7. Eli

    Delicious pancakes, however, the batter stuck to my grill so I panicked and added more oil to the batter for the next batch, which helped keep them from sticking. I love baked apples so this recipe intrigued me. The maple syrup flavoring was a great addition, thanks!

  8. Ginger Shaw

    Delicious! I make apple syrup from fresh apple cider I get from local growers and now I have pancakes worthy of the effort.
    Thank you.

  9. Nancy Oar

    I had a very bad experience with maple syrup when I was young and so I do not use it. Can you just add bakers sugar instead? Honey? date syrup?

    1. Cookie and Kate

      Hi Nancy, you can use honey.

      1. Nancy E Oar

        thank you !

  10. Valerie

    Hi Kate, you likely know this but I just learned that King Arthur has changed the name of its white whole wheat flour to โ€œgolden whole wheat flourโ€. Iโ€™d had a hard time finding white whole wheat flour, saw the golden at Whole Foods then looked online. Apparently, the โ€œwhiteโ€ made the flour seem processed, so they changed the name. Since your recipes introduced me to white whole wheat flour (thanks!) , I thought Iโ€™d mention it.

    1. Cookie and Kate

      Hi Valerie, I recently noticed that as well! Hopefully it doesnโ€™t confuse too many people.

  11. martochka

    These pancakes are wonderful. A perfect fall treat.