Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin pancakes are the best argument for keeping a can of pumpkin in the pantry year-round. These take about twenty minutes, they use half a can, and they taste like the inside of a pumpkin pie in a form you are allowed to eat for breakfast. Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix does the structural work, so there is no measuring baking powder or guessing at ratios. Two things are worth knowing before you start: buy canned pumpkin rather than pie filling, and do not wait for these to bubble, because they will not. More on both below. So good, no one will guess they are gluten-free, the way Pamela's has done it since 1988.

Is There a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancake Mix?

There isn't one worth hunting for, and you don't need it. Seasonal pumpkin pancake mixes appear on shelves in September, most contain wheat, and the gluten-free ones are hard to find and gone by November.

Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix plus half a cup of canned pumpkin and some spice gets you there, and it works in September or in March. One mix, any season, no hunting.

The mix already contains the leavening and salt, so the pumpkin and spice are the only additions. It is the same mix you would use for regular pancakes, waffles, muffins, or biscuits, which is a better use of pantry space than a seasonal box you use twice.

The mix these are built on Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix A complete baking mix with leavening and salt included. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, quick breads, biscuits. GFCO-certified.

Canned Pumpkin, Not Pumpkin Pie Filling

Buy the can that says 100% pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and it will make these cloying and throw the liquid ratio off.

The cans sit next to each other, look nearly identical, and this is the single most common mistake in any pumpkin recipe.

You need half a cup, which is about a third of a standard 15-ounce can. The rest keeps in the fridge for five days or freezes in half-cup portions for three months, which is exactly enough for another batch.

Do not substitute fresh pumpkin puree without draining it. Fresh runs much wetter than canned, and the batter will not hold together.

How to Tell When Pumpkin Pancakes Are Done

These will not bubble like regular pancakes. The pumpkin puree makes a denser batter that does not release air the same way, so waiting for the bubbles you would look for in a plain pancake means burning the first side.

Flip when the edges look set and dry and the pancake slides freely in the pan, roughly 3 minutes on the first side and 2 on the second.

Cook one or two at a time. The brown sugar means these scorch faster than plain pancakes, and a crowded pan makes it hard to catch.

Medium heat, not medium-high. Heat the pan on high, then turn it down before the first pancake goes in.

Butter Pecan Syrup

Worth the five minutes. It turns a weekday breakfast into something you would order.

What you need

• 1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup

How to make it

Warm the pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until they smell nutty, about 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, add the butter, and stir until the nuts are coated. Add the maple syrup and warm through. Serve alongside the pancakes.

Toasting is the whole point. Raw pecans in syrup taste dusty, and three minutes in a dry pan is the difference. Watch them, because pecans go from fragrant to burnt quickly.

Contains tree nuts and dairy.

Pumpkin Butter Pancakes

If you have a jar of pumpkin butter, it makes a richer version. Use 1/2 cup pumpkin butter in place of the canned pumpkin, swap the water for 1 cup buttermilk, and cut the brown sugar to 2 tablespoons, since pumpkin butter is already sweetened.

Keep the same mix quantity and egg. Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter with the wet ingredients.

Pumpkin butter is a seasonal item, so this is a September through December variation. It is worth doing if you find it.

What These Pancakes Contain

These pancakes contain dairy, egg, and tree nuts.

Tree nuts come from the mix. Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix contains almond meal, so these cannot be made nut-free even without the pecans. Worth knowing before you cook for a group.

Dairy comes from the cultured buttermilk in the mix. The butter pecan syrup adds more.

Eggs are structural, so these are not egg-free or vegan.

Two things to check on your own shelf. Pumpkin pie spice blends vary, and some contain anti-caking agents. And if you are avoiding corn, check your baking situation, since some spice blends carry cornstarch.

Everything from Pamela's is certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization and made in a certified gluten-free, peanut-free facility.