The Omnipresent Pumpkin
The crisp, clean fall breeze means reacquainting ourselves with cozy sweaters, mugs of cocoa by the fireplace, and–of course–pumpkins. Pumpkins are everywhere. My homepage of Pinterest now resembles a sheet of orange polka dots with all the recipes for pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soups, and even pumpkin smoothies. These grain free pumpkin pancakes are my ode to the ubiquitous October squash. To me, fall invites simple and filling food with warm, satisfying flavors. With only four ingredients and nourishing fats from eggs and coconut oil, these deceptively straightforward pancakes fit the bill.
A Simple, Flourless Recipe
At first glance, the short ingredient list appears to lack a rather key ingredient of pancakes: flour. With the term “grain free” in the title, you probably expect the recipe to call for pricey coconut or almond flour. Instead, eggs and pumpkin puree work as a binder in these pancakes. As one would expect, these flapjacks boast a texture unlike flour-laden ones. I think these resemble thick, hearty crepes. And the best part? They stand up to copious dollops of butter and won’t disintegrate under a river of raw honey or pure maple syrup.
Grain Free Pumpkin Pancakes
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2
Completely grain free healthy pumpkin pancakes that are GAPS legal.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (GAPS legal canned pumpkin puree or homemade)
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- Coconut oil for the pan
- Raw butter, raw honey, maple syrup, or fruit butter for serving
Instructions
- Warm a cast iron pan over medium high heat.
- Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, and cinnamon.
- Add about a tablespoon of coconut oil to the hot pan and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Use about two scant tablespoons of batter for each pancake. They flip best when the pancakes are small.
- Cook until golden on the bottom and slightly opaque in the center and around the edges.
- Flip, brown on the other side, and serve.
- Makes about 8 small pancakes, for 1 large serving or 2 medium servings.
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Ever made grain free pancakes? What’s your favorite? Share below!
I am truly impressed with the resulting picture considering the recipe calls for no alternative flour. I have increasingly been cutting wheat from my diet and have found the joy in the delicious alternatives to the over-processed originals. Thanks for posting this! I will definitely be trying this out as my weekend pancake substitute.
Yes, the texture is amazing! They are pliable and tender and look just like “real” pancakes. I hope you enjoy them!
These look just wonderful! I am excited to try them!
Just made these and they are pretty much like flat little omlettes. Minimal pumpkin taste. Hopefully butter & maple syrup can save them!
I just made these also. The best thing is how fast they are to make. I had the hungry brain fog, and eating these lifted the fog within minutes! They are mostly crepe-like, and tasted largely of egg, so if you’re expecting an exotic pumpkin-cinnamon taste, don’t. 🙂 Butter and maple syrup were great with them. This was the first time I’ve made anything with canned pumpkin. I’ll probably make these again due to how simple it was, but I’ll look for different recipes using coconut or almond flour and compare them.
Thanks for the recipe, Lauren!
As my family is getting ready to begin GAPS, I’ve been trying out some recipes to “ensure” that they understand we still get to eat yummy food. These were a BIG hit! The kiddo said they tasted like pumpkin-y omelettes (which is kind of what they are!) – but slathered in butter w/a bit of real maple syrup – delish!!
they tasted very good but needed to do x4 and it was not even enough, everyone was still hungry. Will try to add almond flour next time…
We were less than impressed by the flavor, so we’re going to try adding a little salt next time we make these. Other than that, we enjoyed the texture.
I didn’t believe these would work, so I tried it right away, being a chef by trade, I add some maple syrup and a pumpkin pie spice, and we had a lovely dinner! Thanks! Love the site, being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis almost 5 years ago I’m still always searching for more information!
I tried these, they were to flat and lacked substance, I tried again and added , 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/8 cup almond flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, let them sit for about 15 mins then cooked as suggested. They were awesome!!! Best way to use squash Ive ever found 🙂
Just a note that this recipe is for people on GAPS diet which does not allow baking soda or baking powder of any kind. So by adding baking soda ,yes, it will taste better but is not good for GAPS people. If you want delicious gluten free pancakes you need to look for recipe with baking soda. I still thought these were good.
These totally saved us when we were on the Gaps intro diet – thank you!
Cooking your own pumpkin is really easy. Did it for the first time myself this year. Simply cut the pumpkin in half length wise, remove seeds and pulp, place face down on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 until a fork can go easily through the skin. Let cool and scrape out of the shell. The strain/squeeze the excess water out of the puree. Use a Cinderella or sugar pumpkin for the best taste and least amount of water. I originally used a jack-o-lantern pumpkin because I was told it wouldn’t make a difference. It does.
These came out more crepe like than pancake. I suppose the solution is to add more pumpkin, but I am excited about the crepe possibilities.
Thanks for another great option! Because we are not doing GAPS, I added a Tablespoon of coconut flour to make them more flipable and added a pinch of salt and a bit of vanilla and a touch of maple syrup to the batter. Love them! Thank you!
Hey there=) I used to make these before my egg allergy. I am also on SCD. What do you think about an apple or pear puree instead of the apple? Has anyone ver tried any egg subs with success?
Thanks!!!
I to have an egg allergy and have learned of a couple egg substitutes such as flax seed and warm water, yogurt (Good in Baking not so much with pancakes). Recently i learned i could have duck eggs so if you want to try those its worth a shot.
I don’t know they did not taste good to me at first.
I tried to cook them as long as I could with out burning them but no did not help.
Then I tried making them with a little almond flour after that I liked them a lot better. ^_^ yay!
It’s not that this is not a good recipe it’s just me and my whole problem with mushy foods. -_-‘
Still a great idea and everyone else seems to like them with or without the almond flour. So greats and keep it coming. I love ur site. ^_^ <3
It’s just so delicious and healthy in the same time!!And the most important thing is that my little one liked them so much(and he’s not a big fan of eggs)!!Thank you so much for the recipe!!
I made these with homemade kabocha squash purée and they were fabulous. They were like mini winter squash crepes. I slathered them with honey and sunflower seed butter. The kids loved them too.
These are so good. Yes, as other reviewers said, they are more like crepes and very “egg-y,” but my kids who are used to the grain-heavy, white flour, real deal pancakes and crepes devoured them. I did add a pinch of salt and some vanilla and served with maple syrup. Very quick and easy.
I have to remark on these pancakes. My kids are incredibly picky eaters, especially my oldest who is on the autism spectrum. They DEVOURED this dish. The texture was perfect, the flavors were mild and we added blueberry jam and a little whipped cream. With a side of yogurt it was perfect. I am so grateful and will be making these over and over and over again. (I did add a little vanilla and nutmeg the second time).
We used 1.5 cups squash and 4 eggs, 1/4 tsp salt and 8 drops stevia. After finally blending the mixture in the blender it turned out great!!!
I used baked sweet potato with these. Total winner with my 2.5 year old. Thank you xx
I substituted sweet potatoes for the pumpkin and served with homemade cinnamon honey (very little honey) butter. Suitable substitute for pancakes since my husband has had to be put on a severe gut cleanse. Great recipe! Thank you!
I added a little bit under 1/4 a cup of coconut flour, some coconut sugar, and almond milk. Perfect with chocolate chips!!
I was a little disappointed with these as is. Added flax meal, vanilla extract and a 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and they were magical.
Just had these for a leisurely Saturday breakfast. Delicious! I’ve made the banana pancakes before, but had some leftover pumpkin purree in the fridge that needed to be used. I googled a pumpkin and egg pancake recipe and yours came up. So glad I found it!
I am such a fan of your stuff! I have used several recipes from your page and have loved everything I have made. I am so glad you have this site. I feel we are kindred spirits, so thank you again for all the wonderfulness you share with the world.
Do these freeze well? Excited to try this recipe!
I tried these tonight. I was a little surprised by the texture but I haven’t had grains in my diet for almost a year so anything close to bread like would most likely have given me the same results. I really didn’t care for them this time. But I am thinking it was my fault. I am going to try again… for those of you that liked the crepe like results I suggest finding a nice crepe like filling for them. The pumpkin crepe filling is especially good but calls for cream cheese, whipping cream and powdered sugar which aren’t a problem for some but a huge no no for others.
I approached these with the expectation that it would be a new way to eat boring old eggs and not that they would resemble pancakes from my “grain days”. I really liked them. So much so that I just ate them all before hubby got out of bed. I liked the texture and subtle taste. I put a little raw honey with blueberries on them.
“Pumpkin pancakes” is a real stretch. The taste and texture I would describe as mildly pumpkin flavored, watery scrambled egg patties. This recipe needs a lot of work. I was excited by how simple the ingredients were beforehand, but the results are lacking.
great! i followed the comments that suggested adding almond flour, baking soda/powder, and a little vanilla. my picky eaters devoured these. only disappointment was that I didn’t make more!
All I can say is yummy, these were perfect as is. I made these for me, my 12 year old and my 21 month old this morning and we all loved them. Thank you so much for a great recipe I’m so excited that I get to eat pancakes again
Well I don’t have GAPS legal pumpkin puree so I am going to substitute the pumpkin with butternut squash. I am putting the squash in the over now so I’ll let you know how they taste. Thank you for this recipe. I am craving pancakes and have no nut butter or coconut flour, it has been added to my shopping list.
Hell my Name is Meike
I’m German. All is phantastic,but my problem is egg allergy so I cannot prepare those wonderful things. Is there anyone who Can help me with eggless recives.? Thank you Very much. Wish you a wonderful 2016
These should help: https://wellnessmama.com/37022/egg-substitute-for-baking/
Just made these and they were lovely! More like crepes like you said 😉 I am making maple syrup from my trees so I put a touch of my fresh made maple syrup on them and yum!!!! I am going to try adding almond flour. People have tried for fun, but love as is 🙂