These delicious high altitude pumpkin pancakes are soft, light and fluffy, full of cozy fall spices, and served with maple cinnamon butter and pure maple syrup. Make the butter extra fancy by shaping it in leaf molds, and serving a stack of pumpkin pancakes with a pretty butter leaf!

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? You’ll love this high altitude pumpkin bread, pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream, and pumpkin bourbon crumble pie.

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Why You’ll Love These Pancakes

Quick and Easy to Make. Just whisk all the ingredients together, dollop the batter onto a griddle, and breakfast is served!

So Festive for Fall. For pumpkin everything season, what better way to start off the day with pumpkin pancakes, followed by a day at the pumpkin patch? And the stunning butter leaves make the prettiest presentation.

Delicious Leftover. These pancakes are as good reheated the next day as they are fresh off the griddle. I love to make a big enough batch to have leftovers through the week for quick breakfasts.

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

Pancakes

Flour. All-purpose flour gives the pancake batter structure and strength.
Sugar. You can use either light or dark brown sugar to add moisture and sweetness with a hint of molasses that complements the flavor of the pumpkin.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavening agents, making the pancakes fluffy as they cook.
Salt. Balances the sweetness.
Spices. I always use a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in pumpkin baked goods. You can also use pumpkin pie spice.
Pumpkin. Be sure to use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Egg. Adds strength.
Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Butter. Melted butter adds fat and flavor, as well as tenderizes the pancakes.
Whole Milk. Moisture.

TIP: For a heartier texture in your pancakes, substitute 25-50% of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, rye flour or buckwheat flour.

Maple Cinnamon Butter

Butter. I use unsalted butter, so if you use salted, you should omit the extra salt.
Maple Syrup. Sweetens the butter.
Spices. Salt, cinnamon and nutmeg for flavor.

Instructions

Pancakes

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

Separately, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, vanilla and milk.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk briefly just until combined. The batter will be thick and a little lumpy.

Preheat your griddle to between 325-350 F. If it’s not non-stick, grease with a little butter or non-stick spray.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure the batter onto the griddle. Since the batter is thick, you’ll need to spread it out a bit with an offset spatula.
Cook the pancakes until bubbles start forming on top, the pancakes are golden brown on the bottom and you can easily flip them over. Flip the pancakes and cook the other side, making sure the pancakes are cooked through completely.
Serve with maple syrup and the maple cinnamon butter.

Three pumpkin pancakes with butter leaves.

TIP: To make the compound butter to mold into leaves, be sure your butter is very soft, but not melted. Melted butter will separate and won’t solidify correctly in the molds.

Maple Cinnamon Butter

With an electric mixer, beat all the ingredients until smooth and well combined, about 1 minute, or just whisk hard by hand to combine everything. Serve with the pancakes.
If you like, use a silicone leaf mold to mold the softened butter. Use an icing spatula to spread the butter into the mold, then freeze for 30 minutes. Pop the leaves out of the mold, and keep refrigerated until needed.

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

Will pumpkin pie filling work instead of canned pumpkin?

No, canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not interchangeable, since the pie filling contains other ingredients besides pumpkin. If you’re not able to get any pumpkin, you can substitute roasted sweet potato puree.

Can I use pumpkin pie spice?

Yes, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice for the blend of spices.

Will this recipe work with gluten free flour or whole wheat flour?

You can use your favorite measure-for-measure gluten free flour blend instead of the all-purpose flour. When using whole wheat flour, I recommend replacing no more than 50% of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, or the pancakes could end up too coarse and crumbly.

What can I use instead of whole milk?

Any milk will work in this recipe, including non-dairy milk options.

What’s a good egg replacement in pancakes?

Generally, you can substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce for each large egg.

For the maple cinnamon butter, should the butter be soft or melted?

You can only make molded butter with softened butter. If you melt the butter, the milk solids separate, and it will not mold into shapes as it solidifies. You can, however, use melted ghee.