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Bursting with fresh apple flavor and laced with cinnamon, these fluffy apple pancakes are a delicious way to enjoy your favorite fall flavors for a weekend morning breakfast or brunch. These are sure to be a family favorite!
Fall brings with it an abundance of fresh apples, and apple pancakes are one of my favorite ways to use them. They’re fluffy, light, and full of sweet apple flavor. A stack of these cinnamon and vanilla-scented pancakes has the flavors of apple pie but is easy enough for a quick breakfast. This is one of my favorite autumn recipes and will make a tasty addition to your brunch table!
Excellent apple cinnamon pancakes start with the perfect apple, which is luckily easy to come by during apple season! While any type of apple will work, I lean towards a slightly sweeter variety, like Honeycrisp or Gala, for this recipe. No matter the type, make sure it is free of blemishes or soft spots and one you enjoy eating. For more easy apple recipes, try my apple muffins, baked apples, and apple galette.
Ingredients To Make Apple Pancakes
Baking powder — baking powder will make the pancakes tall and ultra fluffy.
Sugar — granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to the pancakes and helps create their fluffy texture.
Cinnamon — ground cinnamon is a must if you want a cozy fall flavor.
Milk — whole milk makes the most tender pancakes, but 2% milk would also work fine.
Egg — a large egg acts as a binder so the batter the pancakes are fluffy but also have a slightly chewiness and don’t just fall apart.
Butter — you need unsalted butter to cook the pancakes to golden perfection. Melted butter in the pancake batter actually helps the batter brown when it hits the hot skillet. Without it, pancakes are more pale and less flavorful.
Apple — choose a firm apple with no bruises or soft spots. I like a sweeter apple variety for this recipe to had a natural sweetness to the pancakes.
How To Make Apple Pancakes
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Add the melted butter. Stir gently to combine. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps or streaks of flour.
4. Fold in the grated apple.
5. Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Grease the griddle with nonstick cooking spray or brush evenly with melted butter. Using a ¼ cup measure, drop the pancake batter onto the griddle or skillet. Leaving about 1” of space in between each pancake to allow them to spread. Reduce the heat to medium.
6. Cook for about 3 minutes or until bubbles appear all over the top side of the pancake. Flip the pancakes and cook for about 2 more minutes, until golden brown and the centers are cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat.
Serving Suggestions
These delicious apple pancakes are perfect with a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, but sometimes it’s nice to elevate them! Try one of these ideas:
- Make fried apples as a topping. I like to dice the apples instead of use apple slices to get a small piece of cooked apple in every bite. A half recipe should be enough to top these pancakes, or make the full recipe and freeze half for later.
- Drizzle the pancakes with caramel sauce, which is reminiscent of eating caramel apples for breakfast!
- Top with a sprinkle of chopped candied pecans or candied bacon adds a delightful crunch and sweet-and-savory bite.
Recipe Variations
- Use different spices: Add grated nutmeg or pumpkin spice in place of the cinnamon for extra warmth and autumn flavor.
- Swap in brown sugar: For more of a caramel-like flavor, swap the granulated sugar for light brown sugar.
- Buttermilk: It adds tang and even makes the pancakes fluffier. Don’t have buttermilk? Try my easy homemade buttermilk tutorial!
- Add mix-ins: Stir in a cup of chocolate chips or chopped toasted walnuts or toasted pecans for a twist.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
Feel free to make this simple apple pancakes recipe a day in advance. Once they cool completely, refrigerate in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve them. And if you have leftover pancakes, let them cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or toaster oven.
Tips for Cooking the Perfect Pancakes
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set your egg and milk out 30 or so minutes before you start working on these pancakes so they can come up to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are easier to incorporate into a batter, making it easier to avoid over-mixing.
- Don’t overmix the batter. The apple pancakes will turn out tough or gummy if mixed too much. Small lumps in the batter are okay and actual creates fluffier pancakes.
- Use a heavy bottom skillet or griddle: Cast iron is best as it retains heat, which helps the pancakes cook evenly. But any heavy skillet will work great! You can also use an electric griddle if you prefer to cook them in a large batch.
- Use lower heat than you might think: Pancakes need low to medium heat so they cook slowly enough to set the center of the batter and don’t burn on the outside. You may need to adjust to medium-low or low heat to keep the tops from getting too brown on the second or third batch.
- For consistently sized pancakes: Use an ice cream scoop. This also makes scooping very easy!
- Flip the pancakes at the right time: Wait until bubbles appear on the top to flip them. Don’t flip too soon, or the raw batter can spill over the edge or stick to the spatula and make a mess.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the cooked pancakes freeze very well. Place a square of wax or parchment paper between each pancake and store them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. They will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in the microwave or toaster oven.
This is totally up to you! I prefer peeling the apples so there aren’t firm bits of apple peel in the pancakes, but you definitely do not need to. Skip peeling them if you prefer the texture or don’t want to take the time to do it.
Apple pancakes don’t have much sugar, so a sweeter apple, like Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Gala, adds natural sweetness. Keep in mind that pancakes are usually served with maple syrup, so the pancakes themselves don’t need to be super sweet. For that reason, a tart apple, like Granny Smith or McIntosh, also works well in this recipe. If you’re a fan of sweet and tart apples, try Braeburn apples.
If you’ve tried this apple pancakes recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Apple Pancakes Recipe
Equipment
- Griddle or large nonstick skillet
- Box grater
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour (160g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup milk (240ml)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons butter melted (56g)
- 1 medium apple grated (1 cup, 170g)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk to combine the milk, egg and vanilla.
- Make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk mixture. Add the melted butter. Stir gently to combine (it’s ok if the batter is lumpy and a few streaks of flour remain.) Gently fold in the grated apple.
- Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Grease with nonstick cooking spray or brush evenly with more melted butter.
- Using a ¼ cup measure, drop the pancake batter onto the griddle or skillet, leaving about 1” of space in between each pancake. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and little bubbles appear all over the top side of the pancake. Flip the pancakes and cook for about 2 more minutes, until golden brown and the centers are cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve topped with fried apples, maple syrup and/or butter.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set your egg and milk out 30 or so minutes before you start working on these pancakes so they can come up to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are easier to incorporate into a batter, making it easier to avoid over-mixing.
- Don’t overmix the batter. The apple pancakes will turn out tough or gummy if mixed too much. Small lumps in the batter are okay and actual creates fluffier pancakes.
- Use a heavy bottom skillet or griddle: Cast iron is best as it retains heat, which helps the pancakes cook evenly. But any heavy skillet will work great! You can also use an electric griddle if you prefer to cook them in a large batch.
- Use lower heat than you might think: Pancakes need low to medium heat so they cook slowly enough to set the center of the batter and don’t burn on the outside. You may need to adjust to medium-low or low heat to keep the tops from getting too brown on the second or third batch.
- For consistently sized pancakes: Use an ice cream scoop. This also makes scooping very easy!
- Flip the pancakes at the right time: Wait until bubbles appear on the top to flip them. Don’t flip too soon, or the raw batter can spill over the edge or stick to the spatula and make a mess.
Nutrition
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