3 Ingredient Pumpkin Pancakes Are the Perfect Weekday Breakfast

by Alicia Butler, October 5, 2022

Now that it’s officially October Pumpkin/Pre-Holiday Season, I’ve been adding pumpkin puree to everything that seems reasonable to add it to. 

Coffee creamer, pasta, mashed potatoes, dips, and (of course) my morning pancakes. 

And because I’m not about messing around with making pancakes from scratch on any day (never mind a weekday when I usually eat them), I’ve been adding pumpkin to pancake mix made — thus, “inventing” pumpkin pancakes with pancake mix right here in my own home.

Are these 3-ingredient pumpkin pancakes hard to make? No. They take like 10 minutes. Do they dirty up a bunch of dishes and pans that’ll sit in the sink for days? Absolutely not. (Okay, one small skillet.) Pumpkin pancakes using pancake mix are so easy to whip up that you can make them on a weekday.

They’re super flavorful, don’t cost a lot, and won’t leave you with days or weeks of leftover pancakes well into the official start of Thanksgiving Season.  

Read on as we answer the age-old question, “Can I add pumpkin puree to pancake mix?”

This post may contain affiliate links, so if you buy something after clicking on a link, I might (fingers crossed!) just get a little commission. Good news: I only recommend products that I love! Which means you can feel good about all of my recs.

Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix FAQ 

No one:

Me: Oh, so you want me to answer some “pumpkin pancakes with pancake mix” frequently asked questions? M-kay!

Q: Can I add pumpkin puree to pancake mix?

A: Yes! Not only is adding pumpkin puree to pancake mix very tasty (and an easy way to make your pancakes taste pumpkin-y), but adding pumpkin puree to pancake mix will make your pancakes moist and fluff, too!

Q: What are pumpkin pancakes made of?

A: These pumpkin pancakes are made of pancake mix, canned pumpkin, egg, and spices. 

Q: How do you make pancakes light and fluffy?

A: These pancakes are made fluffy with egg and canned pumpkin. 

Since thick pancake batter makes for fluffier pancakes, you’ll want your batter to be thiiiick (but not too thick). I’m talkin’ Tom Sellick’s thighs in Magnum P.I. short-shorts thick.

If your pancakes are too thick, they might not be so light and fluffy. Like Tom Sellick’s mustache in Magnum P.I.

By using canned pumpkin, egg, and pancake mix in these pumpkin pancakes, you’ll get a batter that’s thick enough to create some fluff — but not too dense. Because you’ll beat your egg before adding your pancake mix, you’ll also force some air into the batter, making it even lighter and fluffier than if you used an alternative thickener, like milk.

Q: What makes pancakes fluffy water or milk?

A: Speaking of milk, you could use milk in your pancakes to make them even fluffier. Or yogurt if you’re down like that.

But I find that the combo of a beaten egg and the canned pumpkin thickens this pumpkin pancake batter sufficiently. No dairy necessary here. 

Pancake Mix Pumpkin Pancakes Deets

Let’s break down the time, cost, and portions of this truly autumnal breakfast delight. 

Time

It takes about 10 minutes to make this recipe. While I’m mixing the pancakes, I heat a skillet on the stove on medium heat. 

The time it takes to crack an egg, measure the pancake mix, plop two spoonfuls of canned pumpkin, and sprinkle some spices into a mason jar is about five minutes total. Then, it takes about five minutes to cook these bad boys.

This is a common weekday breakfast for me. I usually only take about a 30-minute breakfast break from work, so these pancakes feel like a treat that takes very little time away from my more important tasks (like running this website).

Cost

You can find pancake mix for as little as $2 a box (maybe less if you have a Costco membership). Though, I like to splurge a little when it comes to pancake mix. 

I use protein pancake mix because if I eat too many carbs first thing in the morning (especially with syrup), I get so hangry two hours later that I find myself standing in front of the fridge, shoving deli turkey and leftover ground beef down my gullet. 

Mostly true story.

If you’re like me, you can find protein pancake mix on the cheap at Aldis or Trader Joe’s or even Whole Foods if you roll like that. It ranges in price from $2.50 to more than $5 a box. My Birch Benders protein pancake mix costs around $4.50, but I only buy it when it’s on sale. 

Servings

This pumpkin pancake recipe makes one serving. You can adjust the ingredients (multiply one times the number of friends you have) to make more pancakes.

If you’ve read any of my recipes, you know that I rarely make things in portions that can be divided into two. That’s because I like to fly solo. And most recipes figure everyone is always making food for lots of friends (or that they like leftovers at all). 

Who wants to stand over a hot stove and make batches upon batches of food (okay, sometimes I do)? But who wants that idea shoved down their throats as a baseline in all recipes? Just like with my Costco French onion soup dupe, there will be no standard serving sizes.

This recipe makes approximately two fluffy pancakes. Just enough for one moderately hungry gal.

Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancakes Mix Ingredients

Pancake Mix

It should come as no surprise that the first ingredient in this recipe is pancake mix. Use whichever brand mix floats your boat, but I like protein pancake mixes, like Birch Benders.

You can use whichever pancake mix fits into your budget, dietary restrictions, and personal preferences.

My favorite part of these pancakes is they don’t require a lot of ingredients. Just use whatever pancake mix you have on hand, some pumpkin puree, and one egg (or egg substitute), and you’ve got yourself breakfast. If you’re planning on doing Halloween in Salem or checking out the Kancamagus Highway fall foliage, make these in your Airbnb to start your autumn morning right.

Egg

I originally started adding an egg to this recipe because I wanted to add more protein to my breakfasts overall. I soon realized that adding an egg would make these pancakes super fluffy, too. Bonus!

Just beat one egg in a mason jar before adding your other ingredients. The egg will moisten the pancake mix, and you won’t need to add as much other liquid as you would without it. 

You can also use egg substitutes, like Egg Beaters, if you’re not somebody who buys eggs on the reg. Just don’t leave the egg out. Trust me, it’s sort of the unsung hero of this recipe.

Canned Pumpkin 

Of course, you can’t make pumpkin pancakes without pumpkin. 

On a whim, I added a few spoonfuls of canned pumpkin my mom had left open in the fridge to my usual pancake mix pancakes, and bam! Pumpkin pancakes were born. 

Sorry, this isn’t a more exciting origin story. We just commonly have a can of pumpkin open in the fridge in the months of September and October around here.

You can use any type of pumpkin puree. Or, try a different puree. Butternut squash pancakes and apple pancakes sound good, too. 

Just note, the thinner the puree, the less water/more pancake mix you should use in this recipe. 

Pumpkin Pie Seasonings 

I also add typical pumpkin pie seasonings to these pancakes. I really like buying spice blends because they save space in the spice drawer and you can get a lot of flavor out of one packet of spices —  instead of buying a half-dozen spices just for one recipe.

Because I haven’t had pumpkin pie spice on hand recently, I used what I did have in these pancakes — Vietnamese cinnamon and nutmeg (two of the main players in pumpkin pie spice). 

You could use cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, cloves, or ginger in your recipe. Or, you could spice it up (har, har) and use whatever reminds you of autumn in your pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancake Toppings

Compound Butter

You could really take things to the next level by making compound butter for your pancakes beforehand. 

The night before (or anytime before making this), just let some butter cool to room temperature. Add complementary spices or flavors, like vanilla, maple flavoring, or brown sugar. Mix it all around and pop it back into the fridge.

When it’s time to top your pancakes, use this butter for an extra punch of flavor.

Pecans

When I whipped together this recipe, I topped my pumpkin pancakes with pecans. Say that a million times fast. 

Pecans remind me of pecan pie, which reminds me of Thanksgiving, which reminds me of pumpkin pie. It’s like a flow chart of fall bliss. 

I crushed my pecans up before sprinkling them over the top of my buttered, syrupy pancakes. 

Walnuts

Walnuts are another great nut to sprinkle on your pancakes. Similar to pecans, they’ll add some great texture and flavor.

Pepitas

If you’re a nut-free home (or if you just prefer), you could always top your pancakes with pepitas. Technically, pepitas are shell-less pumpkin seeds, so you can get really matchy-matchy by topping your pumpkin pancakes with pepitas. 

Canned Apples

If you want to really celebrate the season, you could always top your pumpkin pancakes with canned, spiced apples — otherwise known as apple pie filling.

In fact, you could top pancakes with any autumn fruit, including dried cherries, cranberries, or fresh apples. 

But canned apples are the easiest fall fruit with which to top pancakes, in my opinion. If you get the kind that are already spiced for pies, you’ll be able to pack even more flavor into this super simple recipe. 

If you really want to get crazy, you could even top your pancakes with canned or fresh pears.

Reasons to Use Pancake Mix 

Could you make these pancakes from scratch? Sure, but nothing says privilege like having the time to make pumpkin pancakes from scratch… on a weekday. You psychopath.

Pancake Mix Saves Time

I use pancake mix whenever I’m making pancakes because pancake mix saves time. Plus, I’ve got nothin’ to prove by making pancakes from scratch.

All you need to do for this pumpkin pancakes using pancake mix recipe is measure out one serving of pancake mix and the rest of the above ingredients. It only takes about 10 minutes total to make this recipe (about the same time it probably takes to read this entire recipe — sorry! Blame algorithms!), and I’ve got better things to do than measure flour, baking powder, eggs, blah, blah, blah. 

Bottom line: using pancake mix saves time.

Very Little Measuring

The time it takes to measure flour, eggs, baking powder, and alllll the other ingredients you’d find in homemade pumpkin pancakes is just way too much for me to deal with.

I have a measuring scale, and I measure the pancake mix in the same mason jar that I beat the egg in. Other than forks and spoons, this is a two-dish recipe. 

Easy Cleanup

I don’t like to make a huge mess in the kitchen because I hate cleaning. And because I hate it, I usually just… don’t.

Mixing bowls, skillets, pans, etc. will sit in the kitchen sink (they’ve gotta soak, alright?) for days (weeks) on end if left to my own devices. 

Since I can pop the utensils, mason jar, spatula, etc. in the dishwasher, I only need to let a small skillet sit in the sink for days on end.

3-Ingredient Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix Recipe

Servings: 1