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Pumpkin pancakes with pancake mix happen at my house on the first cold-ish morning in Vegas, which is usually sometime in October and involves me putting on a sweater at 68 degrees. You already have the box. All you’re adding is pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, a little sugar, and vanilla, and the batter is done before the pan is even hot.
Here’s the part that’s super important: I use less pumpkin than most recipes tell you to. Half a cup per two cups of mix. Go heavier and you get that dense, slightly gummy middle everyone blames on the pancakes not cooking through. If you like this kind of shortcut, I have a whole post on how to make boxed pancakes taste homemade that pairs well with this one.
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix
- Why These Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix Work
- Key Ingredients
- The Pumpkin To Pancake Mix Ratio
- Substitutions And Additions
- How To Make Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix
- Expert tips
- Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix FAQs
- More Pumpkin Breakfast Favorites
- Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix Recipe
Quick Look: Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix
- What it is 🥞 : Boxed pancake mix turned into pumpkin pancakes with four pantry add-ins.
- Why it works ⭐ : Half a cup of pumpkin per two cups of mix, not the two-thirds most recipes use.
- Why you’ll love it 💛 : No flour, no baking powder, no measuring five dry ingredients before coffee.
- What to watch for ⚠️ : The batter should mound on the spoon. Thin batter means flat, wet pancakes.
- Pan notes 🍳 : Medium heat, not medium-high. Pumpkin browns faster than plain pancake batter.
- Make ahead ❄️ : Freeze cooked pancakes up to 3 months and reheat straight in the toaster.
Why These Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix Work
Most recipes that tell you how to turn pancake mix into pumpkin pancakes have you dump in two-thirds of a cup of puree per two cups of mix. That’s too much. Pumpkin puree is heavy and full of moisture, and it weighs the batter down faster than the leavening in the box can lift it. You end up with pancakes that look done on the outside and feel a little wet in the middle.
Half a cup is the number I landed on. It’s enough that they actually taste like pumpkin, and light enough that they still rise. I also pull the liquid back slightly from what the box calls for, because the puree is bringing its own.
The other thing this recipe does is leave the box alone otherwise. No extra flour, no baking powder, no eggs added on top of a mix that already has them. If you want the from-scratch version instead, my fluffy pumpkin pancakes made from scratch are worth the extra ten minutes on a weekend.
Key Ingredients
- Pancake mix. I use a complete mix, the just-add-water kind. Krusteaz is what’s usually in my pantry. If your box calls for eggs and milk, that’s fine too, and there’s a conversion below.
- Pumpkin puree. Plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and it will make these cloying.
- Pumpkin pie spice. Store-bought works, but homemade pumpkin pie spice is five spices you already own and tastes noticeably fresher.
- Granulated sugar. Just a tablespoon. Boxed mix is already sweet, and pumpkin needs a little help.
- Vanilla extract. Small amount, but it rounds out the spice.
- Water or milk. Milk gives you a richer pancake. Water works and is what the box assumes.
The Pumpkin To Pancake Mix Ratio
This is the part nobody writes down, so here it is. Whatever amount of mix you’re working with, this is how much pumpkin to add to pancake mix:
| Pancake mix | Pumpkin puree | Pumpkin pie spice | Sugar | Vanilla | Liquid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/2 tsp | 1 1/2 tsp | 1 tsp | 2/3 cup |
| 2 cups | 1/2 cup | 1 tsp | 1 tbsp | 2 tsp | 1 1/4 cups |
| 3 cups | 3/4 cup | 1 1/2 tsp | 1 1/2 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp |
If your mix needs eggs and milk. Traditional mixes like Bisquick or Stonewall Kitchen aren’t just-add-water. Follow the box exactly for eggs, milk, and butter for the amount of mix you’re using, then add the pumpkin, spice, sugar, and vanilla from the chart above, and hold back 2 tablespoons of the milk the box asks for. The pumpkin makes up the difference.
If you’re using a protein pancake mix. It works, and it’s a little denser. Add an extra tablespoon of liquid.
Substitutions And Additions
- Milk instead of water. Richer, slightly softer edges. If you’re out of both dairy and non-dairy milk, my notes on making pancakes without milk cover what else you can use.
- Protein pancake mix. A reader named Jamie made these with protein pancake mix and said the pumpkin gave it a nice flavor. Add a splash more liquid, since protein mixes drink it up.
- Brown sugar instead of granulated. A touch more caramel flavor. Same amount.
- Mix-ins. Chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or dried cranberries, about half a cup. Sprinkle them onto the pancakes after you pour the batter into the pan rather than stirring them through, so they don’t sink and scorch.
- Waffles. This batter goes in a waffle iron, but thin it with 2 extra tablespoons of liquid first. My buttermilk waffles post has the timing if you’ve never done boxed batter in an iron.
How To Make Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix
- Whisk the pancake mix, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl.
- Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla, and water or milk. Whisk just until you don’t see dry mix anymore. Lumps are fine and actually a good sign. Check the batter. It should mound slightly on the spoon and fall off slowly. If it runs off like cream, whisk in a tablespoon of dry mix.
- Cook on a buttered nonstick pan over medium heat, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Scoop with a 1/3 cup measure. Flip when the edges look set and the bubbles in the center stop filling back in.
- Serve warm with maple syrup, butter, or whipped cream.
Expert tips
- Don’t press the pancakes with the spatula after flipping. You’re squeezing out the lift you just got.
- Let the batter sit 2 minutes before the first pancake. The mix hydrates and the batter thickens noticeably.
- Wipe the pan between batches. Browned butter from the last round makes the next pancakes look spotty.
- Halve the recipe if it’s just you. My small batch pancakes for two post uses the same scaling logic.
Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix FAQs
Yes, and you don’t need to change anything structural about the mix. You’re adding pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, sugar, and vanilla, then pulling the liquid back slightly to account for the moisture the pumpkin brings. No extra flour, no extra leavening.
A quarter cup of pumpkin puree per cup of dry pancake mix. For a standard two-cup batch that’s half a cup. Most recipes push it to two-thirds of a cup and that’s where the dense, gummy middle comes from.
I wouldn’t. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, so if you swap it in one-for-one you’ll get pancakes that are too sweet and taste flatly of cinnamon. If it’s all you have, skip the sugar and cut the pumpkin pie spice in half.
They freeze well. Cool them completely, stack with parchment between each one, and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in the toaster. You can also freeze pancake batter ahead of time if you’d rather cook them fresh.
Two usual causes. Too much pumpkin, which is a ratio problem, or heat that’s too high, which browns the outside before the center sets. Drop to medium and give them the full 1 to 2 minutes a side.
More Pumpkin Breakfast Favorites
Made these? Leave a star rating and tell me which mix you used. I keep a running list from the comments, and it’s genuinely useful to other people standing in the pancake aisle trying to figure out if their box will work. If you want the rest of my fall breakfast recipes as they go up, join my newsletter here.
Pumpkin Pancakes With Pancake Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cup pancake mix
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/4 cup water or milk
Instructions
- Whisk the pancake mix, pumpkin pie spice, and granulated sugar in a large bowl.2 cup pancake mix, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tbsp sugar
- Add in the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and water or milk. Whisk until combined, but make sure to not overmix it.1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 & 1/4 cup water
- Heat up a nonstick pan on medium heat. Once hot, brush with some butter.
- Use a ladle or a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop out the batter. Cook the pancake for 1-2 minutes per side or until bubbles appear in the center and the edges look set. Flip and cook some more.
- Serve warm with maple syrup or whipped cream and enjoy!
Notes
- 1 cup mix / 1/4 cup pumpkin / 1/2 tsp spice /2/3 cup liquid.
- 2 cups mix / 1/2 cup pumpkin / 1 tsp spice / 1 1/4 cups liquid.
- 3 cups mix / 3/4 cup pumpkin / 1 1/2 tsp spice / 1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp liquid.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were really good and so easy! It’s a perfect way to use up that leftover pumpkin! It gives the protein pancake mix a nice flavor. I used milk instead of water with the mix. Yum!
I love to hear this!
I will be making these for sure looks delicious can’t wait thx
You’re very welcome!
found this recipe just in time as I’ve been working through a box of pancake mix and needed to change it up. easy to throw together and has a very pleasant taste.
Thank you!
Just made these. So yummy!
Thank you!