These butter pecan pancakes are everything that your weekends need this fall. The pancakes are super fluffy, made with rich and nutty brown butter and creamy buttermilk, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and full of crunchy pecans. Topped with butter and pure maple syrup, they make an especially delicious breakfast for a cozy weekend morning.
Looking for more breakfast recipes? You’ll love oatmeal with caramelized bourbon bananas, easy French crepes, baked prosciutto egg cups, and cardamom orange cinnamon rolls.
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Why You’ll Love These Pancakes
Easy to Make. This is a simple pancake batter to whisk up, and it doesn’t need any waiting time either. Just make the batter, heat up your griddle, and cook the pancakes.
Standard Pantry Ingredients. You just need simple pantry ingredients that you likely keep on hand.
Brown Butter. Browning the butter first gives these butter pecan pancakes a rich, nutty flavor that’s just incredible. It really complements the pecans and spices for a more flavorful pancake.
Perfect for Fall. These pancakes are cozy, sweet and comforting – all the things that weekends in the fall should be.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. The butter adds richness and fat, helping the pancakes to brown on the outside as they cook. By browning the butter first, you’ll add even more wonderful flavor to your butter pecan pancakes.
- Brown Sugar. A touch of sweetness and hints of molasses.
- Buttermilk. Adds flavor, richness and acidity, for a tender, fluffy pancake.
- Eggs. Gives the batter structure.
- Flour. All purpose flour gives the pancakes structure and strength.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavens the pancake batter so they rise light and fluffy.
- Spices. For the best flavor, you’ll need vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Pecans. Of course you need pecans, for a nutty crunch throughout the pancakes. I used raw, unsalted pecans.
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter for about 5-7 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until nutty brown solids form at the bottom of the pan. Immediately remove from the heat and scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan with a spatula.
- Pour the browned butter and all the browned bits into a bowl, and whisk in the brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla, until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk briefly to combine. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans. The batter will be thick and fluffy.
- Preheat a griddle to between 315-325 F and lightly grease with butter. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to portion out the batter onto the griddle, leaving several inches between each pancake. The batter is very fluffy and won’t spread on its own, so immediately after scooping it onto the griddle, use a spoon or small offset spatula to gently spread it out a little.
- Cook the pancakes until golden brown underneath, and they can be easily flipped. Flip over, and cook the other side until the pancakes are cooked through.
- Serve the pancakes with butter, maple syrup, and the rest of the chopped pecans.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of buttermilk?
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own sour milk. For every cup of whole milk, stir in 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar. The acid helps to make a very fluffy and tender pancake.
How do I store leftover pancakes?
Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container or freezer bag, refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3-6 months.
What’s the best way to reheat leftover pancakes?
You can reheat them in the microwave for softer pancakes, or in a toaster oven for a crispier texture.
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High Altitude Butter Pecan Pancakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (40g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 ¼ cups (336ml) whole buttermilk
- 2 (110g) large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tbsp (12g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (2.5g) baking soda
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- â…› tsp ground cloves
- ¾ cup (88g) pecans, finely chopped, divided
- butter and pure maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter for about 5-7 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until nutty brown solids form at the bottom of the pan. Immediately remove from the heat and scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan with a spatula.
- Pour the browned butter and all the browned bits into a bowl, and whisk in the brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla, until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk briefly to combine. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans. The batter will be thick and fluffy.
- Preheat a griddle to between 315-325 F and lightly grease with butter. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to portion out the batter onto the griddle, leaving several inches between each pancake. The batter is very fluffy and won't spread on its own, so immediately after scooping it onto the griddle, use a spoon or small offset spatula to gently spread it out a little.
- Cook the pancakes until golden brown underneath, and they can be easily flipped. Flip over, and cook the other side until the pancakes are cooked through.
- Serve the pancakes with butter, maple syrup, and the rest of the chopped pecans.
They are gorgeous and so are your pics!
You mentioned you live at 5000 ft. Any suggestions for 6500 ft altitude adjustments for any of your recipes? Do you think I can just follow your measurements? All of your recipes look tempting to make, but I don’t know if I should make adjustments or not. Your advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance. Lynne
Lynne, it’s possible you might need to make some very slight adjustments, but honestly, I would think you could make most of my recipes without adjusting anything. The rule of thumb is to make adjustments for every 1,000 feet, and I’m in Denver, which is 5,280 feet to be precise. I’d suggest just making my recipes as written the first time, and then making adjustments the next time, if needed. My guess is that they’ll work just fine at your altitude! This article by King Arthur Baking has some good guides on the subject: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
I use all of her recipes and I live at 7,000 feet and I don’t adjust them, they all work perfectly