These pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon butter are 100% inspired by the (un)official TV show of fall and my favorite series of all time- Gilmore Girls. Luke makes pumpkin pancakes with homemade cinnamon butter in one of the early seasons of the show, which he serves to our favorite mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory.
I love these pumpkin pancakes because they are fluffy, sweet but not too sweet, and taste just like fall. This is also what I call a “cheater” recipe, meaning it has some sort of shortcut. In this case, the shortcut is using Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix as the base, making these pancakes extra easy to whip up in a hurry.
The cinnamon butter is also super simple, requiring only 5 ingredients and less than 5 minutes to make. It has both honey and light brown sugar in it, but it’s not overly sweet. I pour maple syrup over my pancakes, so I don’t want any other component to be super sugary.
Read on for the yummiest Gilmore-approved fall breakfast recipe. And if you haven’t watched Gilmore Girls yet, turn on one of my favorite fall episodes while you cook.
RECIPE: Luke's Diner Pumpkin Pancakes With Homemade Cinnamon Butter
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix (shop on Amazon)
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (shop on Amazon)
- Butter or other oil for cooking the pancakes
1. Mix the Krusteaz mix, water, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin, brown sugar, and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl until well incorporated. Do not overmix as this could cause the pancakes to turn out tough/rubbery.
2. Melt butter in a medium frying pan on medium/low heat, enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. When the butter has melted, add your pancake batter. This recipe will make 5-6 small pancakes (about 4 inches across) or 2-3 larger pancakes.
3. Allow the pancakes to cook until you can see the outer edge beginning to cook through, approximately 3 minutes depending on heat and size of the pancake. Flip and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.
4. Serve with cinnamon butter or maple syrup- or both! Enjoy!
Cinnamon Butter
- 4 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions:
1. Using a hand mixer, beat together the room-temperature butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
2. Either serve right away or store in the fridge. I like to roll it into a ball using plastic wrap, but you could also store the butter in a jar or other container.
Have you made these pumpkin pancakes?
Let me know how you like them down below. If you’re looking for another fall sweet treat that Rory and Lorelai would love, check out this cinnamon swirl cake that pairs perfectly with the Gilmore beverage of choice- coffee.
Pin the image below to come back to this recipe later!
2 Responses
This looks so scrumptious Camy, YUM!!! 😋 I just may have to have at some point. Your bro made some pancakes last night for Oliver- he does make thee best… Super fluffy & perfection all around, definitely what your picture looks like! That cinnamon butter though 😏🤤
Aw that’s so sweet. They sound yummy!
Yes, love the cinnamon butter! 😊