Festive, warmly-spiced Gingerbread Pancakes are a wonderful holiday season breakfast. They are light, fluffy, and full of gingerbread flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Pancakes Recipe
- Perfect Christmas pancakes: Gingerbread just screams Christmas to me, there is something magical about all those warm spices together. If you love gingerbread, make sure to check out my favorite Gingerbread Muffins, Gingerbread Man Cookies and classic Gingerbread!
- Light and fluffy: Just as all good pancakes, these gingerbread pancakes turn out with a light and fluffy texture each and every time.
- Made with pantry staples: These Christmas pancakes are made with molasses and a handful of spices to create that classic gingerbread flavor, plus a handful of pantry staples.
(Want more pancake ideas? How about these festive Grinch Pancakes! Or try these refreshing Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Easy Pumpkin Pancakes, cinnamon-y Churro Pancakes, sweet Chocolate Pancakes, and classic Fluffy Pancakes!)
The Ingredients You’ll Need
So just what will you need to make these? Here’s the list of ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Flour: Basic all-purpose flour is my go-to.
- Baking Powder: Make sure to use baking powder, not baking soda, or the pancakes won’t have a fluffy texture.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves give the pancakes that classic gingerbread spiciness.
- Sugar: A little granulated sugar adds a touch of sweetness.
- Eggs: Beat the eggs lightly before adding them to the batter.
- Buttermilk: For a slightly tangy taste. It also helps to give the pancakes a fluffy texture.
- Oil: Use a neutral cooking oil, such as vegetable oil.
- Molasses: I use blackstrap, but you can use lighter molasses if you prefer.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives the best flavor.
How to Make Gingerbread Pancakes
Making this gingerbread pancakes recipe is an easy process – you basically just need to mix up the batter, and pour small scoops of it onto your griddle. Here’s an overview of how to make them. Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Make the Batter: Combine the dry ingredients then add in the eggs, buttermilk, oil, molasses and vanilla. Stir until just combined.
- Cook the Pancakes: Heat the griddle with cooking oil. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle then cook until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook the other side. Repeat with all remaining batter.
- Enjoy! Serve with butter and syrup, or any other toppings you like.
Cook’s Notes
As simple and back-to-basics as pancakes are, there are a few helpful pointers that are good to know. These cook’s notes will help guarantee fluffy, light, flavorful gingerbread pancakes, every time.
- Buttermilk: I do recommend using real buttermilk to make these pancakes for the best texture and flavor. However, if you don’t have any, you can always make this easy substitute. Combine about 1 ½ teaspoons of white vinegar with enough milk to make 1 ½ cups. Let this sit for 5 minutes to thicken before using.
- Molasses Flavor: If you want an even more molasses-y flavor, you can swap the granulated sugar for brown sugar (light or dark will both work!).
- Mixing: I can’t emphasize enough that overmixing is a big problem for pancakes. If you have had trouble with tough pancakes before, the odds are that overmixing was the problem. Make sure you mix to get a fairly smooth batter, but it’s better to have some small lumps than to overmix.
- Turning: The pancakes are ready to flip when there are small bubbles rising through the batter, not just on the edges but in the middle.
Serving Suggestions
To round out your breakfast menu, you can add all of your breakfast favorites – think scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and orange juice! You could also make one or more of these flavorful breakfast recipes:
- Breakfast Casserole: A savory breakfast casserole is always welcome, especially this rich Biscuits and Gravy Casserole. It’s all the goodness of homemade biscuits and sausage gravy, in one hearty dish.
- Crispy Bacon: Take the hassle out of cooking bacon with this easy tutorial on How to Cook Bacon in the Oven. You’ll never stand over a hot skillet turning bacon again!
- Fruit Salad: Fresh, colorful fruit salad adds so much to your breakfast table! This Ambrosia Salad is extra-retro and fun to serve for the holidays.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. To refrigerate, just place the cooled gingerbread pancakes in an airtight container or food storage bag, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. To reheat gingerbread pancakes, you can use your microwave, toaster oven, or heat them on the stovetop in a skillet. Heat just until warmed through.
- Freeze. If you want to freeze these, I recommend putting a small piece of parchment paper between each pancake. Then place them in a freezer-friendly zip-top bag, and store them in your freezer for up to 3 months.
More Holiday Breakfast Recipes
- Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Overnight Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Overnight Ham Breakfast Casserole
- Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- Apple Pie French Toast Casserole
Yield: 8 Pancakes
Gingerbread Pancakes
Festive, warmly-spiced Gingerbread Pancakes are a wonderful holiday season breakfast. They are light, fluffy, and full of gingerbread flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and sugar.
- Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, molasses, and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Do not over stir, which can lead to flat, rubbery pancakes.
- Heat a greased griddle over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles when it hits the surface. Pour the pancake batter, ⅓ cup at a time on griddle and cook until golden brown on the bottom, and bubbles forming on top.
- Flip, and cook until second side is golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is cooked.
- Serve with butter and syrup, or as desired!
Notes
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: If you want to freeze these, I recommend putting a small piece of parchment paper between each pancake. Then place them in a freezer-friendly zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: In the microwave, toaster oven, or on the stovetop in a skillet.
- I use blackstrap, but you can use a lighter molasses if you prefer.
- I do recommend using real buttermilk to make these pancakes for the best texture and flavor. However, if you don’t have any, you can always make your own substitute. Combine whole milk with a little white vinegar (about 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar) and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
- If you want an even more molasses-y flavor, you can swap the granulated sugar for brown sugar (light or dark will both work!).
Nutrition
Serving: 1, Calories: 454kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 582mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 19g
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These pancakes are delicious. Full of rich flavor. Thank you for the recipe. I made them as directed but did not have buttermilk. I put 2tsp of fresh lemon juice in 2%milk and everything was fine.