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Let’s celebrate the cooler weather with a stack of warm apple pancakes! These apple-flavored pancakes are the perfect autumnal breakfast treat. They’re a simple weekend breakfast project that keeps well for quick weekday mornings (they freeze and thaw well, too).
This apple pancake recipe is made from scratch with freshly grated apple, which is enhanced by a touch of ground cinnamon. Tart apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith offer the most impactful flavor. You’ll see that I used Honeycrisp apples in this batch—they’re our family’s favorite, and they yield terrific pancakes.
You might already have everything you need to make these pancakes in your pantry. Let’s make some.
Apple Pancake Tips
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few tips to help achieve pancake success.
Flour options include white whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour. I try to use whole-grain flours when I can, but all-purpose flour offers the most neutral flavor, allowing the apple to shine. Otherwise, you can use white whole wheat flour (now called “golden wheat” by King Arthur Flour) for all of the nutrition of whole wheat without the nutty flavor.
Lightly coat your griddle or skillet with oil. I cook my pancakes with avocado oil because it offers a high smoke point and neutral flavor (butter burns quickly). Whichever you use, be sure to wipe off the excess with a paper towel so it doesn’t start smoking.
Start by cooking just one pancake. Once you’ve practiced with one pancake and ensured that your skillet is adequately preheated, you can make more at once. Leave a couple of inches between each pancake to allow for easy flipping.
The pancakes are ready to flip when about 1/2-inch of the perimeter has turned from glossy to matte. The underside should be nicely golden at this point. If you’re uncertain, it’s best to wait a little longer than end up with a doughy mess.
As time goes on, dial down the heat. The skillet gets hotter the longer it’s on the stove. If your pancakes are burning on the outside before they are cooked through on the inside, your skillet is too hot. Turn down the heat a bit after every few pancakes.
Watch How to Make Apple Pancakes
Pancake Serving Suggestions
These apple-infused pancakes are lovely with a drizzle of maple syrup, but even better with something extra. Here’s a list of toppings or sides to consider:
More Apple Recipes to Enjoy
Here are a few more classic apple recipes to make this autumn:
Please let me know how your pancakes turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you. You can find more pancake recipes here.
Apple Pancakes
This apple pancake recipe incorporates freshly grated apple and ground cinnamon. These apple pancakes are wholesome, delicious and easy to make. Recipe yields 8 to 9 pancakes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Add the grated apple. Stir just until combined (a few small lumps of flour are okay). Let the batter rest for 5 minutes so your pancakes will be nice and fluffy.
- Meanwhile, if you’re using an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, heat a large stainless steel or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. You’re ready to start cooking pancakes once a drop of water sizzles on contact with the hot surface. If necessary, lightly oil the cooking surface and wipe off the excess with a paper towel (nonstick surfaces likely won’t require any oil).
- Scoop a scant ¼ cup of batter onto the warm skillet, leaving a couple of inches around each pancake for expansion. Cook until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes, 2 to 3 minutes (you’ll know it’s ready to flip when about ½-inch of the perimeter is matte instead of glossy). Flip the pancakes, then cook until lightly golden on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more oil and reducing the heat as necessary (I usually end up on low heat after a while—if the pancakes are turning too dark on the outside before they cook through, it’s too hot). Serve the pancakes immediately with toppings of your choice, or keep them warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven.
- Leftover pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen* for up to 2 months. To reheat, stack leftover pancakes and wrap them in a paper towel before gently reheating in the microwave.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my Whole Wheat Pancakes.
*Make your own buttermilk: Combine 1 cup milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy like almond milk) with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or distilled vinegar. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, then stir again before using. See photos of the process here.
Make it dairy free: Make your own buttermilk with non-dairy milk and replace the butter with avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil.
Make it egg free: I haven’t verified this, but you could likely omit the egg.
Make it vegan: Follow the dairy-free and egg-free suggestions provided above.
Make it gluten free: Substitute Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free 1-to-1 flour. Or, you could try stirring the grated apple into my recipe for Almond Flour Pancakes—please let me know in the comments if you try that!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
