Grain-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
What’s the secret to grain-free vegan pancakes? A combination of almond flour, coconut flour, and tapioca starch. Pumpkin adds plant-based moisture. Plus, a hint of seasonal spice comes from the Pumpkin Pie Spice blend of ginger, cinnamon, and clover.
These pancakes make the perfect recipe for special diets! Make a batch if you’re hosting a crowd over the holidays. Or serve to someone who may be on a restrictive, gluten-free diet. Extras freeze really well and make the perfect go-to snack for a quick morning.
You’ll love this delicious plant-based recipe! It is:
- Perfect for brunch
- Kid-Friendly
- Perfect for special diets like gluten-free, grain-free, high-fat/low-carb, Paleo, or Keto
- Full of seasonal Fall Flavor
- Freezer-Friendly
If you love this recipe, you should also check out: Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes, Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes, and Cherry Pecan Grain-Free Granola.
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips:
Pancake Griddle Tip: You’ve probably heard that the first batch of pancakes you try to make is trash: that the griddle is too hot and the outside will burn. This isn’t true! What’s the secret to avoiding this? Preheat your griddle…FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. Before you even pull out a mixing bowl or measure one ingredient, get your pan preheating over medium-high heat. If you’re nervous, you can start at medium heat then raise it if the edges of the pancakes aren’t getting brown.
Oil-Free Pancakes: Pancakes are one of the few recipes I find incredibly challenging to cook without oil. If you have a good-quality non-stick pan and pre-heat it for at least 10 minutes, you may be fine without oil. However, I usually use a light spray to ensure no sticking.
What is Tapioca Flour? Tapioca flour, sometimes also called tapioca starch, is ground from the tapioca plant. It is a natural thickener, and you can use it like cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Among these three options, tapioca tends to work the best for grain-free baking. You can find tapioca flour online or in the baking aisle of most groceries.
Super-Fine Almond Flour: You want to use super-fine almond flour for this recipe. This means the almond are ground really well, which will give you a light, fluffy batter. You can try grinding your own almonds, but I find you end up with clumps and the batter tends to be dense and heavy.
Tapioca flour is also called tapioca starch. It is a natural thickener, like arrowroot or cornstarch. It helps adds structure to gluten-free and grain-free recipes 
Choose Super-Fine Almond Flour for your plant-based baking recipes. The almonds are ground really well, which will give you a light, fluffy batter
No sugar recipe: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories. This plant-based pancake recipe doesn’t use any sugar, maple syrup, or other refined sweeteners. If you want more sweetness, you can add a couple tablespoons of your preferred vegan sweetener (like maple syrup, Stevia, or brown sugar). Another option would be to added diced fruit to the batter. Or, you can serve with fresh berries, sliced bananas, or a Strawberry Compote.
Sweet Pancake Mix-Ins: For an extra pop of sweet flavor, add diced fruit or other mix-ins to this pancake batter. You can add wild blueberries, diced banana, diced peaches, diced pear, or even vegan chocolate chips.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin Pie Spice is a pre-made blend of warm, fall spices: cinnamon, ginger, and clove. If your grocery has a bulk aisle, check there first. The spices are usually fresher, cheaper, and you can buy just the amount you need. If you prefer to make your own blend, the ratio is: 1 part cinnamon to ½ part ginger to ¼ part ground clove. You can add unique touches with ground nutmeg, ground cardamom, or different varieties of cinnamon.
Weigh Your Ingredients: For precise measuring and consistent results, always weigh your ingredients. A small kitchen scale makes this easy to do. This will save you time and give you more delicious muffins and breads.
Chef’s Plant-Based Baking Tip: Flax meal combines with warm water for a gooey, egg-like coating in this vegan recipe. You can flavor with chipotle, curry powder, or cinnamon for other delicious options 
Always whisk the dry ingredients together to remove clumps 
Add the pumpkin puree and almond milk to the flax eggs. Combine for the wet mixture. 
Pumpkin puree adds moisture for these healthy plant-based pancakes 
The batter will be quite thick for these pancakes 
Portion about 1/4 cup per pancake. 
Almond Flour Pumpkin Pancakes – Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Plant-Based Vegan Breakfast Recipe from Plants-Rule 
Cook the pancakes on one side until golden brown. Flip and cook on the reverse until done.
Watch this Cooking Video to Learn More:
Pumpkin Almond Flour Pancakes – Grain-Free Vegan Recipe
Almond and coconut flours create the grain-free base for these plant-based pumpkin pancakes. This vegan recipe gets a spice from classic fall spices: ginger, cinnamon, and clove. This makes the perfect recipe for a chilly winter morning.
- Medium
- Servings: 4
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Yield: 20 pancakes
Pumpkin Almond Flour Pancakes – Grain-Free Vegan Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal (26g)
- 3/4 cup warm water (6 ounces)
- 1 cup fine ground almond flour (96g)
- 1 cup tapioca flour (122g)
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour (45g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Dash of salt
- ½ tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (240g)
- ¼ cup unsweetened, plain almond milk (or other plant-based milk 4 ounces
- 1 tablespoons Spray oil like coconut or canola, for the pan
Instructions
- Preheat a large griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat. Lightly spray with oil (if using).
- To make the flax eggs: In a medium bowl, combine the ground flaxseed meal and warm water. Let sit 5 minutes, until gooey and egg-like.
- To make the Pumpkin Almond Flour Pancakes: In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a dash of salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Once the flax egg has set, add the canned pumpkin puree and almond milk to the bowl. Whisk together to fully incorporate all of the wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk together until combine. It’s okay to have a few lumps. You want to be careful not to overmix the batter, so only mix for 30-60 seconds.
- Scoop about ¼ cup of batter onto the pre-heated griddle. Repeat with remaining batter. If you’re using a non-stick pan, you’ll probably need to work in batches. I can usually fit about 8 small pancakes onto one big 12-inch pan.
- Cook the pancakes 7-8 minutes on one side, until golden brown around the edges. Flip and cook on the second side until done, another 7-8 minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 350F oven until ready to serve.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 423 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 21 g | 32 % |
| Saturated Fat 3 g | 14 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 3 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 645 mg | 27 % |
| Potassium 42 mg | 1 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 54 g | 18 % |
| Dietary Fiber 9 g | 38 % |
| Sugars 4 g | |
| Protein 9 g | 19 % |
| Vitamin A | 140 % |
| Vitamin C | 4 % |
| Calcium | 153 % |
| Iron | 17 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- Super-Fine Almond Flour (3 Pound)
- Anthony’s Organic Tapioca Flour Starch, 2.5lbs, Gluten Free & Non GMO
- Frontier Pumpkin Pie Spice Salt-Free Blend, 1.92-Ounce Bottle
- Spectrum Essentials Organic Ground Flaxseed, 24 Ounce
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