Close-up, top-down view of a single pumpkin pancake with a caramelized cinnamon swirl in the center. The pancake is served on a small white plate and rests on a wooden cutting board with a curved handle. To the left, two intense orange mini pumpkins and a striped cloth are visible on a marble countertop. / Primer plano en plano cenital de una torre de panqueques de calabaza individual con un remolino de canela caramelizado en el centro. Los panqueques está servidos en un plato blanco pequeño y se apoya sobre una tabla de cortar de madera con un mango curvado. A la izquierda se ven dos calabazas baby de color naranja intenso y una tela a rayas de fondo sobre una encimera de mármol.

Pumpkin Swirl Pancakes

Helga Glaesel de BlandingOctober 6, 2025

This post is also available in ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

There’s no better way to welcome fall than with a stack of warm, spiced pancakes straight from the griddle. These Pumpkin Pancakes are soft, fluffy, and filled with the comforting flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar, and real pumpkin purée. Every bite tastes like a cozy morning — the kind where you linger over coffee and enjoy a slow weekend morning.

Top them with butter and maple syrup or take it up a notch with a sweet cinnamon butter for extra autumn magic. Whether you’re cooking a family brunch or sneaking in a quiet breakfast just for yourself, these pancakes are the perfect way to celebrate the return of sweater weather and everything we love about this time of year.

Helga

Pumpkin Swirl Pancakes

Yields about 8 pancakes

Ingredients, for the Pumpkin Pancakes:
1 ¾ cups (about 220 g) all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp (40 g) brown sugar
1 ½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
¾ tsp (4 g) baking soda
¼ tsp (1–2 g) salt
1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon
½ tsp (1 g) pumpkin pie spice, optional
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
(sub: 1 ¼ cups milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar)
½ cup (120 g) pumpkin purée
1 large egg, room temperature
1 Tbsp (14 g) melted salted butter, cooled
1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract

Ingredients, for the Cinnamon Swirl:
3 Tbsp (42 g) salted butter, softened
3 Tbsp (38 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (3 g) cinnamon
1 Tbsp pancake batter

Instructions:

For the pancake batter, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice (if using). Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, eggs, melted and slightly cooled butter, and vanilla until smooth.
Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet and whisk until just combined (it’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy). Set aside and allow the batter to rest for 10-15 minutes (do NOT skip — this allows the flour to absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier).
For the cinnamon swirl mixture: in a small bowl, mix the softened (almost melted) butter, sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp of the pumpkin pancake batter until well combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or a small sandwich bag with a small portion of the corner/tip snipped off. This is what you’re going to use to pipe the cinnamon swirl into the pancakes.
Cook the pancakes: heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium or medium-low heat (depending on how strong the heat from your stovetop is) and grease with butter.
Scoop about ⅓ cup of batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Let the pancakes cook on the pan for 1 minute.
Then, using the piping bag full of the cinnamon swirl mixture, starting at the middle, gently swirl and create a spiral of the cinnamon swirl mixture into each pancake, pushing slightly into the batter. Try your best to keep the swirl slightly away from the edges so it doesn’t melt off the sides.
Cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface. Then use a spatula to gently flip the pancakes over and cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes, until golden and cooked through. You can adjust the heat on your stovetop as needed throughout the cooking process if the pancakes seem like they’re browning too quickly.
Repeat the process with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon swirl mixture, wiping the pan as needed between each batch.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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