Sep 223 min read

No Added Sugar Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Gluten-free no added sugar pumpkin pancakes

Pumpkin Season!

You can't miss the marketing of pumpkin-flavored foods and beverages everywhere you go starting after Labor Day and continuing through Thanksgiving. Pumpkin's what I call a "super squash," packed full of vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and fiber. These contribute to everything from eye to digestive health. Below is a recipe for a quick version of No Added Sugar Pumpkin Spice Pancakes that are also gluten-free. Jump to Recipe

I thought I'd offer an easy pumpkin pancake recipe that not only maintains the nutrition of the squash, but also an opportunity to customize breakfast with toppings and mix-ins that make these pancakes hauntingly good!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

These gluten-free pumpkin pancakes are delicious, and my preference is to top them with almond butter for extra antioxidants, protein, and monounsaturated fats. Trader Joe's carries a naturally sweetened almond butter with no added sugar. It's also the most affordable almond butter I've found to date.

Maple syrup, fruit, nuts, coconut flakes, or other pantry items can also be added.

Gluten-free recipes can be a bit finicky sometimes. Keeping that in mind, I decided to use the gluten-free mix I already had on hand: Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix. Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills also have good pancake mixes. (If you don't have a mix, you can use 1 cup GF flour, 1 tsp baking soda or baking powder, 1 tsp xantham gum, and a pinch of salt).

My mix actually had a recipe on the back of the package for plain pancakes, which I adapted (recipe below). As a dietitian, I wanted to add a few extra ingredients to kick up the nutritional profile.

Nutrition of No Added Sugar Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin

First, the added canned pumpkin puree made the pancakes a healthful breakfast on their own, which is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. (Learn more about pumpkin's nutritional benefits in my blog here.)

Cinnamon

The two teaspoons of cinnamon added in provide polyphenols and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties can help fight off pain, inflammation of the arteries, and may even help protect against cancer. Cinnamon also may lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

Believe it or not, cinnamon may help fight off fungal and bacterial infections, too, including bad breath and cavities!

Almond Butter

Finally, after the pancakes came out of the pan, they were topped with a bit of almond butter. By adding protein to a carb, blood sugar and insulin spikes can be reduced- especially important for people with prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes.

The outcome?

Taste & Texture of No Added Sugar Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

These gluten-free pumpkin spice pancakes came out soft, warm, and with the coziest of flavors. They made a delicious breakfast full of protein, carbs, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants.

The recipe for No Added Sugar Pumpkin Spice Pancakes is below, but remember, you can add your own spices like nutmeg or ginger, toppings like fruit, nuts, nut butter, mascarpone cheese, and even use fresh pumpkin instead of canned. Add your own creativity to make it delicious!

Other Substitutions

The brand of gluten-free pancake mix can be exchanged for another as long as it has xantham gum or is added in by you.
The package recipe called for whole milk, but almond, soy, cashew, or oat milk can replace it. Ensure the milk has some fat and protein to activate the baking powder in the pancake mix.
These gluten-free pumpkin pancakes can be made vegan by eliminating the egg and using a vegan substitute.
Any oil that you have in the cupboard will work.