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My Gingerbread Pancakes are bound to become a new Christmas morning classic in your home. Each pancake is infused with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, bringing all the festive gingerbread flavor of the classic dessert to your breakfast plate.
These gingerbread pancakes are a merry blend of fluffy texture and warming spices that capture the essence of the holiday season. Made from primarily pantry staples, this is a breakfast recipe that’s easy enough for the holiday hustle but tastes like a special treat! Bursting with molasses, warm ginger, and cinnamon flavor, they make a special breakfast that can be made in no time.
Whether you’re serving them up for a big family gathering or a cozy Christmas breakfast for two, these fluffy gingerbread pancakes are the perfect option. My recipe makes a generous dozen pancakes, so there’s plenty to go around. They also freeze beautifully, so you can keep the festive flavors coming all winter long. For more easy Christmas breakfast ideas, check out my Gingerbread Muffins, Monkey Bread, and gingerbread waffles recipe next!
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Baking powder & baking soda — you’ll need both raising agents to achieve superlative pancake texture.
Warm spices — ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves form the backbone of this cozy pancake recipe. For a twist, you can use 3x as much grated fresh ginger in place of the dried ground ginger if needed.
Whole milk — I prefer the richer mouthfeel that full-fat dairy brings to the table, but you’re welcome to swap in the dairy or plant-based milk of your choice.
Eggs — use large eggs and if you have time, bring them to room temperature. If not, soak them in a bowl of warm water while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.
Unsulphured molasses — most molasses at the supermarket is unsulphured, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding it. Just avoid using blackstrap molasses; it has a higher acidity, which affects how the pancakes fry up.
Unsalted butter + salt — butter brings richness to the batter, but starting with unsalted will give you greater control over the end product. If you use salted butter, omit the added salt (at least until after you try the first pancake and adjust as needed).
How To Make Gingerbread Pancakes
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
2. Add the milk, eggs, molasses, and melted butter to a separate bowl.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk together until just combined. (A few lumps are okay.)
5. Preheat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with butter. Working in batches, drop the prepared pancake mix by about ¼ to ⅓ cup for each pancake onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles form on top and the bottom is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden on the other side, about 2 minutes. Continue, buttering the pan between batches. Serve the warm gingerbread pancakes with butter and maple syrup, if desired.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Leave the lumps! Leaving your pancake batter a little bit lumpy actually cooks up into the perfect fluffy pancakes. Make sure there aren’t any dry streaks of flour remaining, but don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth. Less work, with a good benefit!
- Keep cooked pancakes warm by placing a wire rack set inside a sheet pan in the oven at 200F. After each pancake is done, pop it in the oven to keep it toasty until the whole batch is ready to serve. That way the whole family can eat a stack of warm pancakes all at the same time.
- Mind your stovetop. Different cooktops perform differently, so medium heat on my stove might really be medium-low heat on yours. If your gingerbread pancakes are browning too quickly, turn it down. Conversely, if they’re looking pale and aren’t easy to flip after 2-3 minutes, you might need to turn the heat up.
- For sweeter pancakes, replace 2 tablespoons of the molasses with 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar. You’ll still get the deep, molasses flavor but with an extra hint of sweetness in each pancake.
- Add mix-ins! For more fun and flavor, sprinkle chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or chopped toasted nuts onto each pancake at the start of cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
In our home, we love topping our easy gingerbread pancakes with a generous swirl of whipped cream and a sweet cascade of pure maple syrup. For a fresh and wholesome twist, we often opt for sliced bananas, a medley of berries, or these warmly spiced skillet fried apples. A sprinkle of chopped nuts or granola adds the perfect crunch. And for those who lean towards savory breakfasts, crispy bacon or a browned sausage makes an excellent companion.
Sure! I suggest letting them cool on a wire rack after cooking. Once they’re room temperature, stack them, using pieces of parchment paper to separate the layers, then place in a zip-top bag or airtight container. They’ll keep in the fridge for 5-7 days or the freezer for up to 6 weeks. To serve, simply warm in a toaster oven until heated through.
To swap in your favorite gluten-free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour (preferably one with xanthan gum), follow the substitution instructions on the package and mix the flour into the pancake batter as directed in the recipe. Make sure to let the batter rest for 30 minutes to give the flour ample time to rehydrate, or you’ll risk a gritty consistency.
If you’ve tried this Gingerbread Pancakes recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Gingerbread Pancakes
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Large skillet or griddle
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1¼ cup whole milk (300ml)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses (80ml)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (56g)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, molasses, and melted butter until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk together until just combined. (A few lumps are okay.)
- Preheat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with butter.
- Working in batches, drop the batter by about ¼ to ⅓ cup for each pancake onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles form on top and the bottom is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden on the other side, about 2 minutes. Continue, buttering the pan between batches. Serve the warm pancakes with butter and maple syrup, if desired.
Notes
- Leave the lumps! Leaving your pancake batter a little bit lumpy actually cooks up into the perfect fluffy pancakes. Make sure there aren’t any dry streaks of flour remaining, but don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth. Less work, with a good benefit!
- Keep cooked pancakes warm by placing a wire rack set inside a sheet pan in the oven at 200F. After each pancake is done, pop it in the oven to keep it toasty until the whole batch is ready to serve. That way the whole family can eat a stack of warm pancakes all at the same time.
- Mind your stovetop. Different cooktops perform differently, so medium heat on my stove might really be medium-low heat on yours. If your gingerbread pancakes are browning too quickly, turn it down. Conversely, if they’re looking pale and aren’t easy to flip after 2-3 minutes, you might need to turn the heat up.
- For sweeter pancakes, replace 2 tablespoons of the molasses with 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar. You’ll still get the deep, molasses flavor but with an extra hint of sweetness in each pancake.
- Add mix-ins! For more fun and flavor, sprinkle chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or chopped toasted nuts onto each pancake at the start of cooking.
Nutrition
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