Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
These pumpkin oatmeal pancakes are made with oat flour, so they're gluten free. They're simple to make with basic ingredients, including real pumpkin!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 3, 2025
These pumpkin oatmeal pancakes make a lovely fall breakfast. They’re flavored with real pumpkin purée and warming spices, so they taste like a treat. This recipe calls for oat flour, which yields perfectly tender yet hearty pancakes that are gluten-free and whole-grain.
If you’re new to oat flour (I’m a big fan), you can easily make it yourself by blending old-fashioned oats in a food processor or blender. Or, go ahead and buy a bag so you can try my Banana Oat Pancakes next. Those pancakes inspired this recipe over ten years ago.
Readers have enjoyed these pumpkin pancakes so much that I’m sharing them again today with updated photos and an instructional video! I hope you’ll make them this weekend.
Pancake Tips for Success
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few tips before you get started.
This recipe is designed specifically for oat flour. If you’d like to make pumpkin pancakes with all-purpose or whole wheat flour, follow my Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe instead.
Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. This is an important step for oat flour-based pancakes—it gives the flour time to soak up some moisture, which thickens the batter to the desired consistency. It also gives you time to preheat the skillet.
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 doesn’t start smoking.
Start by cooking just one pancake. Cook this recipe low and slow to give the pancakes time to turn golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Once you’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 bubbles are forming along their edges. The undersides should be nicely golden at this point. If you’re uncertain, it’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 it’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 Pumpkin Pancakes
Pancake Serving Suggestions
These pumpkin-infused pancakes are lovely with a drizzle of maple syrup like you see here, but even better with something more. Here’s a list of toppings or sides to consider:
- Whipped cream
- Almond butter, pecan butter (my top pick) or peanut butter
- Butter
- Pumpkin butter
- Greek yogurt
- Maple syrup
- Scrambled eggs
More Pumpkin Treats to Enjoy
If you can’t get enough pumpkin and spice this fall, be sure to check out these delicious pumpkin recipes.
- Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups: See gluten-free recipe note.
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Waffles: You’ll have enough leftover pumpkin from this recipe to make a batch!
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread: See gluten-free recipe note.
- Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte: Another great way to use leftover pumpkin.
Please let me know how your pancakes turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
These healthy pumpkin oatmeal pancakes are made with hearty oats and warming spices. Since they’re made with oat flour, they’re gluten free! Note that these pancakes should be cooked low and slow—use a lower temperature than you would with other pancakes so that the insides of the thick batter get nice and fluffy, but the outsides don’t get overdone. Recipe yields 8 to 10 medium-sized pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup oat flour (see notes for how to make your own from old-fashioned oats)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cloves)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- Avocado oil or vegetable oil, for greasing the pan
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, milk, butter, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs. (If your butter or oil goes back to its solid state like mine did at this point, warm the mixture for short 20-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until it is melted again.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. With a big spoon, stir just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Do not overmix, or your pancakes will become too dense!
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. If you’re using an electric griddle, heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, you can wait a few minutes before heating your skillet.
- Warm a large skillet (stainless steel or nonstick) over medium-low heat. You’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 won’t require any oil).
- Scoop ¼ cup batter onto the hot skillet, leaving a couple of inches around the pancake for expansion. Cook until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancake and the underside is golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip the pancake, then cook until lightly golden on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter and dialing down the heat if the pancakes turn dark on the outside before they’re cooked through on the inside.
- Serve the pancakes immediately or keep them warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven. Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, stack leftover pancakes and wrap them in a paper towel before gently reheating in the microwave.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my banana oat pancakes recipe.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to purchase certified gluten-free oat flour or certified gluten-free old-fashioned oats.
How to make your own oat flour: To make oat flour out of old-fashioned oats, simply pour one cup of oats into a food processor and process until it looks like fine sand. See pictures here.
Make it dairy free: Use non-dairy milk like almond milk and coconut oil instead of butter.
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs (I’ve heard this works well from other commenters, but haven’t had a chance to try myself).
Update September 2024: I’ve improved this recipe, adding ¼ cup more milk to thin the batter, increasing the maple syrup from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons to help prevent burning against the pan, and increasing the amount of spice for more autumnal flavor.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Flat pancakes and gooey inside. They don’t look thicker like yours. Tried it thick and couldn’t push it around to form a round pancake so added a little liquid to make it more pourable. They came out flat and still gooey inside even though I cooked them longer than you did. I give up on gf pancakes. Haven’t found a good recipe yet.
I’m sorry to hear that, Judy. These won’t cook properly if you tinker with the liquid amounts, so maybe that’s why. I just use the edge of my measuring cup or a spatula to spread the batter on the hot pan a bit.
I don’t eat eggs. What should I replace it with? Pls let me know if I have any alternative.
You can make flax eggs, works just as well as regular eggs and it’s healthier. It just take ground flax seed and water
I made these pancakes for lunch today because I need to incorporate more oatmeal in my diet. They were so hearty and amazing. I daresay they were more filling than normal pancakes. A definite win!
Hooray! Thank you, Hannah. I have tons of oatmeal recipes for you!
This one didn’t work out for me. The batter was so thick and difficult to cook. I realized the recipe recommends low and slow, but I still think the ingredients need at least double the liquid, if not triple or quadruple. Not our favorite flavor either.
I’m sorry to hear that, Katie. Thank you for your feedback.
Made these for dinner last night. They came out ok, although slightly underdone due to me not getting the perfect heat setting. My only complaint is they’re too salty. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE salt, but next time I make these, I’ll reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. But all in all a very good recipe to work with.
I’m sorry yours turned out salty, Rachel! Hope they’re perfect next time.
Do you think I could substitute freshly ground whole wheat flour in these pumpkin pancakes and your gluten free pumpkin waffle recipe? Also do you have a recipe with turnips, I can’t seem to find one in a search here. I love your blog, it’s a new discovery!
Hi Jen, glad you found my blog! I’m not sure about those substitutions. I love these whole wheat pumpkin pancakes! I’ve actually never cooked with turnips, so it’s about time I do!
Hey Jen, I just made these pancakes with whole wheat flour and they are delicious!! I did find I had to add more milk to the batter to get the right consistency – about double the amount called for, so about 1/2 cup vs 1/4 cup. As someone else commented, I probably doubled the amount of spices called for because I love those autumnal flavours. Deliciousness ensued as is the case with virtually all of Kate’s recipes. Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin would kill for these babies!
Thank you for sharing, Rose! I really appreciate your feedback.
Hi Kate! I was browsing through your recipes and came upon this one. I ADORE pancakes, and I also really love pumpkin!!! It’s the middle of April, but I can’t wait 5 or 6 more months to stick a fork in these pancakes! Thanks for the awesome recipe! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Hello, I loved these pancakes, but my question is, what do you cook them in to not stick to the pan. We won’t cook on aluminum, but when I cook on cast iron or 100 percent stainless steel everything sticks. What do you cook on?
Hi Sonya, I use cast iron almost exclusively. The trick is to get the pan hot before you add oil or any other ingredients.
I just made these this morning and oh my goodness, BEST GF pancakes I’ve made to date!! I substituted 1/2 cup buckwheat for 1/2 cup oat flour (I like its flavour) and it worked amazingly – great texture, fluffy, not stodgy… I also used closer to 1 1/4 cups pumpkin. THANK YOU so much for this amazing recipe!! I’ll be able to make so many variations from it, too =D
Thank you, Melissa! So glad you enjoyed them.
I just made these and OMGoodness! They are divine. Very moist but not doughy or spongy. So perfect! I used pre-made oat flour from Bob’s Redmill and canned pumpkin. Followed the recipe to a T … at least as best I could with my 3 year old assistant ;).
I was nervous because so many of the comments are rating the recipe and saying “looks great” “can’t wait to make it”. A little pet peeve of mine when younhave to dig for comments/ratings that are from people that actually made the recipe! I’m glad I tried it!
Thank you, Jillian! I’m so glad they turned out well for you. Just a tip, to find comments from people who’ve made it—start at the bottom of the list. :)
Just made these, here were my modifications (mostly because I didn’t plan and was missing ingredients):
– I used chia eggs (1 egg = 1 tbsp ground chia seeds mixed with 3 tbs water)
– I omitted the lemon juice (didn’t have any)
– I doubled the milk to get to the right consistency (could have been a result of chia eggs)
– I added 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips because I wasn’t going to be using maple syrup
And they were fantastic! Thank you for this recipe; I can never guess proportions for recipes like this. You should definitely try them with chocolate chips because pumpkin and chocolate is perfect :)
Thanks for sharing, Bree! I’m glad they turned out well for you.
Wonderful Pancakes! Just made these and they were just fantastic.
Thank you, Nikki! Happy to hear it!
I absolutely cannot get these to cook through!! Always wind up with gooey center and crispy outside. Any tips?? Great tasting!
Hi Rosalind, I’m sorry to hear that! You might turn down the heat a little, spread them out a bit more on the skillet. I hope that works for you.
sweater chairs n dog hairs ??? Hummmm most appetizing !
Have a nice day, Paula!
Excellent! Made some whipping cream to go alongside and they tasted much like pumpkin pie! Mmmm
I wanted the batter to be a little less thick so I just added more eggs until i got the consistency I was wanting. Plus I got more protein in!
Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Christine! I’m so glad you enjoyed these!
I tried these pancakes this weekend and they were delicious! They were also very moist. I am trying hard to find healthy recipes that taste good for my husband and this one is definitely a keeper!
Thank you, Liz! I’m so glad you both enjoyed the pancakes. You’re in the right place!
Holy yum were these good! I’m so excited that I found your recipe and blog :) thank you!
Hooray! I’m so glad you found my blog, too! Thanks, Cynthia. :)
Hey Kate. If I wanted to make these vegan, what could I replace the eggs with?
Hey Justin, unfortunately, these don’t do very well without the eggs since they’re gluten free. If you’re not gluten free, you could try these pumpkin pancakes and just omit the eggs.
Awesome, thanks Kate! I will try this out.
awesome – I added 1/2 baking powder and a little more maple syrup – love them
Hi there. Would you permit me to add a few of your recipes to my blog with your link? You have awesome recipes and photos.
Hi Deb, I’m sorry, I don’t allow my recipes to be published elsewhere.
Oh that’s okay. Thanks for responding. Your blog is really beautiful!
Deb
Made these this morning for my 2.5 and 4.5 yr old. They gobbled them right up! A few notes:
– half a lemon is plenty to get a tablespoon of juice
– I cooked them for almost twice as long as you recommend and they were still pretty mushy in the middle, even though they tasted good.
– I was very cautious on the spices and halved the amount of ginger and the spice in the pankcake was still pretty strong. Kids didn’t mind though.
All in all, pretty good. Lots of work, but healthy. So I’ll make again probably.
This recipe looks wonderful! I’m on weight watchers, so I am wondering the calorie count, and nutional value,so I know how to count them.
Kate these look awesome! I m actually cooking them right now! Lol! I do have one question though; all of my gluten free pancakes come out…um…gooey or maybe gummy is the better word. I have tried different flours, different cook times and different heat settings and I’ve mixed and matched as well! Any ideas on what I am doing wrong? Thanks ever so much!
Hi. These look wonderful! Can’t wait to try them. Do you think it would work well with flax meal, coconut or almond flours??? Already have these and have not found certified gluten free oats.
HI Katie the recipe turn out great even though I did not have pumpkin puree but I substitute it with sweet potatoes. This recipe is added to my collection. I have to try the bananá one. Tthank you for sharing.
Made the this morning…..they were a hit with my kids.
Didn’t have oat flour on hand…so I used spelt….worked out just fine.
They taste like pumpkin pie!
Will be a go to recipe on weekends…for sure!
any tips on switching this to a waffle recipe? I love the idea of gluten free & pumpkin waffles. (i LOVE your oat flour waffles already! they are a staple in my house!)
thanks! :)
there is no s on the abbreviation of minutes.
Just made these delicious pancakes this morning…what a seasonal treat for a fall Sunday breakfast! Loved the batter’s consistency which resulted in a hearty, satisfying pancake! Loved the pumpkin flavor supported by the usual cast of spice characters! The only addition I made was half a tspn Sweetleaf baking sugar to give it a bit more sweetness! Worked out perfect!
I have a large quantity of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF baking flour that I’d like to make use of, and need to make pancakes for one GF person. Do you think substituting the oat flour with GF baking flour would be too risky? If not, do you suggest I then make any additional modifications? (I’d like for them to be as fluffy as possible.)
This recipe didn’t work out for me. No matter how I tweaked the temperature and time, the insides were always mushy, not fluffy.
I gave it 2 stars instead of 1, because the flavor is fantastic.
I have been wanting to make these for a week or two and now finally have time during Thanksgiving break. Still adore your blog (and your dog!) but sadly I have to join the ranks of folks who just could not get these to cook.
Maybe this will help with isolating the issue some of us are having: I did grind my own oat flour (in my blender) and I used almond milk. The only other change was I was a bit inattentive and thought the spices were all in equal amounts so I used 1/2 tsp of each (but that shouldn’t matter). The first few came out very thick and raw in the middle, so I tried to thin them down with a bit more almond milk. After that I poured them in the cast iron skillet, smashed them down, then smashed them down again when I turned them. At that point I had cooked them for several minutes each side. They were pretty thin but still felt and tasted quite undercooked in the middle. I finally gave up on eating them now and will just cooked up the rest of the batch to try reheating them in the toaster later.
It’s strange they should have come out so wet because I live in a very dry climate and often have to use more liquid than called for because flours get so dry here.
I did make your apple tart recently and ground my own oat flour for that and it came out great!
I must have done something wrong because these turned out nothing like the picture of yours. I cooked them 20 min on each side and they still weren’t cooked fully. They didn’t rise at all. I followed the recipe to a tee, and the only thing I can think of is that perhaps your can of pumpkin puree, might be smaller, although I think they sell one size only. Perplexed…
Hi! These pumpkin oak pancakes are a new traditions for our family. Thay are amazing! My daughter will not eat any other type of pancake!
I wanted to point out the vanilla is in the ingredient list, but not in the instructions. Y’all might want to add it in for future pancake makers! Thanks
Jennifer, so glad to hear you’re loving these pancakes! And good gracious, that vanilla detail has been missing from the recipe since I published it in 2014. Thank you for pointing that out. Just fixed it. :)
Made these this morning, thanks so much for posting. I wanted to share a few alterations I made due to my macrobiotic diet – the results were fantastic! I replaced the eggs with 6 tablespoons of aquafaba (chickpea water), omitted the maple sugar since I used oatmilk that already has sugar in it, I substituted safflower oil for the coconut oil and added 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric powder for the added inflammation fighting benefits and the lovely color it adds! They were very yummy though as you said a little difficult to time correctly on the griddle. Practice makes perfect ;) Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
Thanks for the tips, Matti! I’m so happy your version worked out well. I’m sure other readers will benefit from this info.
I have made these amazing pancakes four or five times now. My son adores them. I adjust the batter thickness with more/less milk. I found a cast iron pan DOES NOT work. It makes the pancakes way too dark. A large non-stick pan works best. Also I do not use coconut oil for cooking–again it makes them too dark. Cooking spray works great.
Ooh, good tip re: the cast iron pan. Glad these work out well for you!
Yummy! Easy! All pantry staples… high school and middle school kids plus hubby and I all enjoyed (with maple syrup).
Awesome!! Filing this one under “crowd-pleasers” :)
Love this recipe. I’ve subbed orange juice for lemon juice several times when I didn’t have lemon but had a cutie. The cook time is about spot on for us.
Good to hear that, Laura!
This is a solid recipe! I eat grain-free when possible, but almost exclusively gluten free. My parents eat gluten. I’m staying with them for a few days and wanted to try butternut squash pancakes. After looking at a lot of different recipes, this was the only one that used ingredients my parents already had at their house. The pancakes turned out well! My dad actually finished them off, I was shocked.
I made several adjustments to the recipe. I ground my oatmeal in a vitamix and added all of the dry ingredients to it. I set that aside. I didn’t use ginger. Next, I used butternut squash, not pumpkin. I steamed a little bit more than a cup until tender then blended. I added the wet ingredients to the squash and blended it on speed 2-3 until combined. I didn’t use lemon juice.
I hand stirred the dry and wet together in a bowl and let it sit for 20 minutes or so. I made three pancakes and put the rest of the batter in the fridge for the next day. The pancakes cooked better after the batter sat in the fridge for a day. The first batch was runny, even with sitting for 20 minutes.
I’m so glad this worked out for you, Anne! Your version sounds great- the butternut squash especially.
Could I use just whole wheat flour or regular oats instead of the oat flour (I don’t have a food processor, believe it or not – I only have a blender – maybe I could use that?!)
I hear a blender works fine, as long as it’s a powerful one. Using regular oats would alter the cook time and texture, and the swap-out for oat flour is not a 1:1 ratio with regular whole wheat flour, so I don’t think that’d work as well. Sorry to disappoint!
I made the pumpkin pancakes, they were fantastic! Thankyou for sharing.
Great! Thanks, Tracy.
Its not fall but I love pumpkin so gave them a go! Taste is scrumptious. I have to figure out better the frying so not to burn the outside. I thought I had it very low, apparently not low enough.
I’m glad they tasted great, Sona!
I really love these pancakes far more than wheatflour pancakes! Thanks so much for figuring out the recipe so this new GF person can enjoy pancakes again. I made a change which makes them really light and fluffy. Separate the eggs. Add the yoke to the other liquid ingredients as in your recipe. Whip the whites until fluffy then fold through after you have mixed together the wet and dry ingredients. I have to admit I haven’t left them to stand before cooking as I just can’t wait the extra 10 minutes to eat them so am not sure if the whipped whites should be added before or after standing.
I have also made them with the sweet potato that has purple skin but is white on the inside – very silky. I tried orange sweet potato but didn’t like it so much as it can be a bit stringy/coarser and heavier than either the pumpkin or purple/white sweet potato.
So I’ve made several pumpkin pancake recipes and this one is the BEST!!!! The taste is amazing and I love the fact that they are healthy!!! I added a bit more cinnamon since I love the flavor so much! Great job and thanks for sharing!!!
Awesome! Thank you, Blanca for your comment. If you would want to leave a star review, that would be great!
The recipe is good though it needs at least 3/4 cup liquid (milk) to actually make a workable batter. I also swapped the lemon juice and baking soda for baking powder. I have had more consistent results with that.
Note: I live at high altitude so that could also account for why the recipe did not work for me as written.
Thank you for your feedback, Michelle. I think your altitude might be a factor, but I’ll try to retest these with your changes soon.
My baby loves these! She’s 9 mos. I make them in rounds small enough so she can hold it herself and freeze the batch so they can be thawed overnight, on demand. They’re fabulous!
Winning over babies, that is great! Thanks for sharing and providing a review. I really appreciate it.
I make A LOT of recipes from your site. At least 4 meals a week in our house are vegetarian, and probably 2 of those are Cookie and Kate! Anything that can get mashed up for the baby, does! We have a few favorites we always come back to, and are always excited about new ones you post. And if ever I’m like, oh I need a recipe for XXX, I always search the archives here first- even for just inspiration. <3 We love, love, love you and what you do!
(Your granola recipe- I've adapted slightly for myself and make a double batch every couple of weeks. We eat it nearly everyday. There is no granola out there on the market or any recipe that compares!)
I just finished making up a double batch of these delicious pancakes. I used my lid to my terra-cotta garlic roaster while they cook and this was the magic touch to getting them done without over cooking. Can’t wait till the grandkids come over to try them out.
I didn’t have oat flour or oats on hand, so I made almond flour out of almonds. Close but not the same. Still worked out! Had to cook longer. The taste was really good. I will probably buy oatmeal or oat flour to see what they are really supposed to taste like. They were very filling and will definitely make these again.
I am happy they still tasted good, even though you didn’t use oat flour. Unfortunately, almond flour isn’t a 1-to-1 substitution. Thanks so much for the review, Beverly!
Made these luscious pancakes on Thanksgiving morning. They turned out great!! definitely a keeper!!
Happy to hear that, Carol! Thank you for your review.
These are yummy! I was hoping to keep them all for myself, but they were a hit with my little ones too. Thank you for a great start to our day!
That is a good thing, right Alisha! Means you just need to make more next time.
I’ve made these multiple times and they are really good. I’ve subbed orange juice for the lemon juice when I forgot a lemon and it works just as well. My only advice is to make sure you cook for the time listed and they should be brown on both sides and delicious! I had a friend who tried the recipe and I think used too low of temp and it didn’t work for her. But they always work for me.
Thanks for sharing, Laura! I’m happy it worked with orange juice.