If you love pumpkin pie and want to translate all those cozy flavors into a dish that’s more socially acceptable for breakfast, then you’ll love these air fryer pumpkin pancakes. Thick, fluffy pancakes are soft, browned, and filled with fall flavors.
What’s not to love about a nice thick pancake? Fill it with pumpkin and spices, and you’ve got the perfect fall breakfast or brunch recipe. It’s a great way to use up a leftover half can of pumpkin from another recipe (which always seems to happen to me)!
Douse these pumpkin cakes in maple syrup, whipped cream, or anything you like for toppings. Try them with my Air Fryer Honey Roasted Pecans!
Pancakes cook up beautifully in the air fryer with minimal tending required. I can even fit 2 at a time in my fryer compared to just one on the stove!
Not a fan of pumpkin? You can also check out my Air Fryer Banana Pancakes for another tasty option!
By the way, if you’ve seen the TikTok air fryer pancake hack with the parchment paper stacks, don’t be fooled. If you try that, your pancakes will be flat, misshapen, and none of the ones in the middle will brown. Sad, pale pancakes aren’t fun for anyone!
What You’ll Need: Ingredients
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp maple extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp olive oil
Special Equipment Note: You’ll need some small, round, oven safe pans for this recipe. While parchment can work, it doesn’t contain the pancakes so they spread and become oddly shaped. I recommend mini pie tins or mini silicone cake pans. You can use 4” diameter size for small pancakes, or 6” size for regular (or depending on the size of your air fryer).
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
Brown sugar can be substituted by white granulated sugar
Feel free to add ½ tsp of other fall seasonings, such as nutmeg, cloves, or allspice, or use a pumpkin pie spice blend instead. The seasonings are not intended to “punch you in the face with flavor” so feel free to add more to your liking
Vanilla may be swapped for the maple extract (maple adds great flavor, but isn’t as commonly in the pantry)
If you don’t have buttermilk add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and pour regular milk up to the 1 cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes
Make sure to get pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie filling (or if you use the latter, omit adding additional spices)
The olive oil can be swapped for other types of oil or melted butter
Variation: Add ¼ cup chocolate chips to the batter for pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes!
How to Make Air Fryer Pancakes
Combine buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, pumpkin, and oil in a medium bowl, stirring to break up the eggs and mix thoroughly
Add the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth
Let the batter rest while you preheat your air fryer to 370°F (or the closest temperature setting your air fryer has)
Spray your pans with nonstick cooking spray
Add about ¼ cup of batter to each pan (or less if you prefer thinner pancakes), tilting the pan or using a spatula to spread the batter around evenly (note if you use 6” pans you should up it to ⅓ cup batter)
Place filled pans into the preheated air fryer basket
Cook on the air fry setting for 5-7 minutes, until the pancakes are golden brown. If you are unsure if they are cooked through, stick a toothpick in the center and make sure it comes out clean
Remove pans from the air fryer (use tongs or oven mitts) and flip the pancakes onto a plate. Spray the pans again, add more batter, and repeat until all pancakes are cooked. Store already cooked pancakes on a plate covered in foil, or in the oven at the minimum temperature setting to stay warm
Serve warm with butter, syrup, or your favorite toppings!
What to Serve With Pumpkin Pancakes
Butter
Maple syrup
Apple cinnamon syrup
Whipped cream
Cinnamon
Roasted candied nuts
Applesauce
Almond butter
Maple yogurt
Poached pears
Candied bacon
Breakfast sausage
Scrambled eggs
Breakfast potatoes
Pumpkin spice latte
Mimosas
There are lots of great toppings, sides, and even drinks to serve with pumpkin pancakes that compliment the flavors perfectly.
Yes, you can cook pancakes in an air fryer. The best way is in small, round, oven safe pans. However, you may use parchment paper or the bottom of the air fryer if needed, but will need to flip them in that case.
The TikTok hack of stacking pancakes between sheets of parchment and air frying them all at once does not work. The pancakes will not brown in the middle, and will squish out into odd, uneven shapes.
What Temperature Setting Do You Use For Pancakes in the Air Fryer?
Typically, the temperature setting should be around 370°F for pancakes in the air fryer. However, as low as 350°F or as high as 400°F will still work, delivering a less and more brown exterior respectively.
Note that if you adjust the temperature, the cooking times may change accordingly.
Can You Reheat Pancakes in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can reheat pancakes in an air fryer. Typically 2-3 minutes at 325°F is enough to warm them through, depending on the size of your specific pancakes.
From frozen, you may need to add an additional 1-2 more minutes to account for the colder state.
How Long to Cook Pancakes in an Air Fryer?
Pancakes generally require 6-8 minutes to cook in an air fryer. The time will vary based on the size of your pancakes, as well as the power of your air fryer.
That time applies to raw pancakes. Frozen pancakes actually take less time, with 4-5 minutes being typical.
Recipe Pro Tips
You do not need to flip the pancakes during cooking, as they’ll brown on the bottom in the pan as they cook
If you don’t have a pan, you can use a piece of parchment, or take out the rack and use the bottom of your air fryer’s basket like a griddle (the latter is not possible on all models). Note that the pancakes will spread more, and will require flipping halfway through cooking, but it’s a workable alternative if you don’t have pans!
This recipe made about 14 silver dollar sized pancakes, and they cooked perfectly in 5 minutes in my Ninja air fryer. Other sizes and air fryer models may vary slightly
Storage and Reheating
Store any leftover pancakes in the refrigerator in a zippered bag or airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months
Reheat pumpkin pancakes in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 325°F, or microwave for about 40 seconds
These delicious air fryer pumpkin pancakes are sure to be the star of your next fall brunch! I love making a big batch while everyone is together around Thanksgiving, but they’re honestly great any time of year!
Using your air fryer takes away the need to stand and tend the pancakes over the stove. Just pop them in and let them do their thing! You’ll have golden brown pancakes with just a little crisp on the outside, with soft, flavorful pumpkin inside.
4-6” mini cake pans or similar (that fit in your air fryer basket)
Nonstick baking spray
Ingredients
1 ½Cups all purpose flour
3Tbspbrown sugar
1 ½Tspbaking powder
½Tspbaking soda
½Tspsalt
1Tspground cinnamon
½Tspground ginger
1Tspmaple extract
1Cupbuttermilk
2Largeeggs
½Cuppumpkin puree
1Tbspolive oil
Instructions
Combine buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, pumpkin, and oil in a medium bowl, stirring to break up the eggs and mix thoroughly
1 Tsp maple extract, 1 Cup buttermilk, 2 Large eggs, ½ Cup pumpkin puree, 1 Tbsp olive oil
Add the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth
1 ½ Cups all purpose flour, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 ½ Tsp baking powder, ½ Tsp baking soda, ½ Tsp salt, 1 Tsp ground cinnamon, ½ Tsp ground ginger
Let the batter rest while you preheat your air fryer to 370°F (or the closest temperature setting your air fryer has)
Spray your pans with nonstick cooking spray
Add about ¼ cup of batter to each pan (or less if you prefer thinner pancakes), tilting the pan or using a spatula to spread the batter around evenly (note if you use 6” pans you should up it to ⅓ cup batter)
Place filled pans into the preheated air fryer basket
Cook on the air fry setting for 5-7 minutes, until the pancakes are golden brown. If you are unsure if they are cooked through, stick a toothpick in the center and make sure it comes out clean
Remove pans from the air fryer (use tongs or oven mitts) and flip the pancakes onto a plate. Spray the pans again, add more batter, and repeat until all pancakes are cooked. Store already cooked pancakes on a plate covered in foil, or in the oven at the minimum temperature setting to stay warm
Serve warm with butter, syrup, or your favorite toppings!
Notes
Brown sugar can be substituted by white granulated sugar
Feel free to add ½ tsp of other fall seasonings, such as nutmeg, cloves, or allspice, or use a pumpkin pie spice blend instead. The seasonings are not intended to “punch you in the face with flavor” so feel free to add more to your liking
Vanilla may be swapped for the maple extract (maple adds great flavor, but isn’t as commonly in the pantry)
If you don’t have buttermilk add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and pour regular milk up to the 1 cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes
Make sure to get pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie filling (or if you use the latter, omit adding additional spices)
The olive oil can be swapped for other types of oil or melted butter
Variation: Add ¼ cup chocolate chips to the batter for pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes!
You do not need to flip the pancakes during cooking, as they’ll brown on the bottom in the pan as they cook
If you don’t have a pan, you can use a piece of parchment, or take out the rack and use the bottom of your air fryer’s basket like a griddle (the latter is not possible on all models). Note that the pancakes will spread more, and will require flipping halfway through cooking, but it’s a workable alternative if you don’t have pans!
This recipe made about 14 silver dollar sized pancakes, and they cooked perfectly in 5 minutes in my Ninja air fryer. Other sizes and air fryer models may vary slightly
Store any leftover pancakes in the refrigerator in a zippered bag or airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months
Reheat pumpkin pancakes in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 325°F, or microwave for about 40 seconds
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand of ingredients, added toppings, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
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I enjoy trying new recipes, creating my own, and dabbling with new techniques all the time. My husband loves to protest when I make him my guinea pig, but it’s all for the love of food!
My cooking philosophy is that great tasting food doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming to make. I'm a home cook with over 20 years of experience feeding myself and others. I've learned from a variety of different people, things I've learned online, and some trial and error as well.
I enjoy cooking a variety of foods, from convenience to comfort foods, as well as international cuisine. You can rest assured that all of my recipes have been actually made, thoroughly tested, and most importantly: tasted! I want you to enjoy my food as much as I do!
