I’m so excited to bring you fluffy, cozy, perfectly spiced gingerbread pancakes for your holiday morning brunch. I know we aren’t all celebrating like we normally would, but it’s important to still take a moment to connect, get creative and create something enjoyable (and delicious!). These fluffy gingerbread pancakes made me so ridiculously happy, especially when drizzled with pure maple syrup and paired with a cup of coffee.
So here’s what I want you to do: make yourself a fun brunch including these pancakes (maybe with a side of these turkey breakfast patties + crispy breakfast potatoes), throw on Home Alone, The Grinch or Santa Claus, and sip something warm while you’re wrapped in a blanket. Enjoy your day. You deserve to!
Now let’s get to the deliciousness…
What you’ll need to make gingerbread pancakes
These healthier gingerbread pancakes are packed with delicious, cozy flavors without using any refined sugars. We’re keeping them whole wheat yet still oh so perfectly fluffy! Here’s what you need to make them:
- Flour: I used whole wheat pastry flour to give these pancakes a healthy dose of whole grains.
- Baking staples: you’ll want to add baking powder (not soda) to keep these pancakes fluffy, and a bit of salt & vanilla extract for flavor.
- Cozy spices: we’re using cinnamon, ground ginger and allspice to give these gingerbread pancakes that warm cozy taste.
- Eggs: you’ll need one egg in this pancake recipe.
- Sweeteners: we’re using some organic molasses and coconut sugar to naturally sweeten these gingerbread pancakes. Just a few tablespoons to get them perfectly flavored.
- Milk: feel free to use any milk you’d like (I usually use dairy free) to add moisture to the batter.
- Toppings & mix-ins: these fluffy gingerbread pancakes are delicious topped with pure maple syrup, whipped cream and even candied nuts! Feel free to mix in some nuts or even chocolate chips.
The magic + health benefit of molasses
If you’ve never baked with molasses before you are in for a TREAT because it’s:
- Naturally packed with iron, vitamin B6, potassium, calcium and magnesium. In fact, did you know that 1 tablespoon of molasses has 20% of your daily iron needs?
- Amazing in baked goods and even savory marinades, BBQ sauces and chilis!
- Perfect for making ginger cookies, gingerbread and always a holiday baking staple in my cupboard.
Tips for making gingerbread pancakes
Be sure to get all of my tips & tricks for making the best pancakes (plus a video) here! For the basics, remember these:
- Once you’ve melted your coconut oil make sure it’s cool to the touch (not hot) before mixing it in with the other ingredients, otherwise it will coagulate the egg. You can also feel free to use melted butter!
- Do not overmix your batter! This will result in a gummy pancake texture.
- Cook your pancakes over medium heat so that they cook evenly. If you flip your pancakes and they appear to be cooking too fast, feel free to reduce the temp to medium-low so that they don’t burn.
How to keep pancakes warm
If you’re serving these for Christmas morning or a winter brunch, you can actually make these gingerbread pancakes ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven! Simply place your oven at 200 degrees F, add your pancakes to a baking sheet or oven-safe plate, and place them in the oven until you’re ready to serve.
How to freeze pancakes
If you want to make these healthier gingerbread pancakes ahead of time and serve them at a later date, you can place the pancakes on a baking sheet so they aren’t touching and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes (this is called a flash freeze), then place them in freezer safe bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, simply add pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm.
More delicious pancake recipes
Get all of our amazing waffle & pancake recipes here!
I hope you love these easy, healthy gingerbread pancakes! If you make them be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes
Incredibly fluffy gingerbread pancakes made with whole wheat flour, warm spices and deliciously sweet molasses. These healthier gingerbread pancakes are dairy free, perfectly spiced, oh so fluffy and the perfect holiday brunch!
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour (or use all purpose flour*)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup non dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 2 tablespoons melted & cooled coconut oil or melted butter
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In a medium bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt. Set aside.
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In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg, molasses, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix with a spoon until just combined. Gently stir in melted coconut oil or melted butter. Do not overmix the batter.
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Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with coconut oil or butter and place over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/3 cup onto skillet and spread out a bit with a spoon if necessary. Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 2 minutes.
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Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe the skillet clean and repeat with more coconut oil (or butter) and remaining batter. You may need to reduce the heat to medium low or low after the first batch to prevent burning. Serves 4, 2 pancakes each. Top with butter and/or pure maple syrup.
*If you use all purpose flour and find that the pancake batter is too thin, feel free to add 1-2 tablespoon more all purpose flour.
Nutrition
Servings: 4 servings
Serving size: 2 pancakes
Calories: 253kcal
Fat: 9.6g
Saturated fat: 6.1g
Carbohydrates: 38.4g
Fiber: 4.5g
Sugar: 10.9g
Protein: 5.8g
This post was originally published on December 13th, 2020, and republished on December 22nd, 2021.
