Adding pumpkin purée is one of the easiest ways to take classic pancakes up a notch. It adds a lovely, autumnal orange hue and keeps the pancakes very moist. And complementing its flavor with brown sugar and warm spices (like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg) makes these tall, fluffy buttermilk pancakes a breakfast worth waking up for.

How to make perfect pumpkin pancakes

Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda and spices together.

Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk melted butter, buttermilk, pumpkin purée, eggs, brown sugar and salt together.

Make the batter and let it rest. Fold the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes so the batter can thicken and the flour can hydrate.

Cook the pancakes. Cook 1/4-cup portions of the batter in a nonstick pan or griddle. Make sure to let them cook at least 2 1/2 minutes on each side (lower the heat if you need to) so they cook all the way through.

Important ingredients in pumpkin pancakes

Canned pumpkin: Make sure you get canned pumpkin that doesn’t contain sugar or spices (i.e., not pumpkin pie mix) so you can control the sweetness and spice levels.

Buttermilk: You can use low-fat or whole buttermilk.

Spices: If you have an actual pumpkin pie spice blend on hand, use 2 3/4 teaspoons of the blend and skip the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

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