Pumpkin Pancakes: Fluffy Grated Pumpkin Pancakes with Kefir

Pumpkin pancakes are the fastest way to use up a piece of pumpkin left over from soup or pie. Finely grated pumpkin softens in the batter in minutes, giving the pancakes a bright orange color and a mild sweetness, so you only need a tablespoon of sugar. They differ from potato pancakes in that they are soft and fluffy, not crispy: pumpkin has almost no starch, so the pancake is held together by flour and egg.

This recipe is for grated pumpkin pancakes with kefir. The acidity of the kefir activates the baking soda, so the pancakes rise and stay fluffy even when cooled. There is no need to boil or purée the pumpkin—a fine grater is enough. The batter is mixed in one bowl in 10 minutes, rests for another 10 minutes, and frying takes about 20 minutes.

This batch makes 16 palm-sized pancakes—four portions of four pancakes each. These are convenient pumpkin pancakes for breakfast: you can mix the batter the night before without the baking soda, and in the morning just stir it in and fry. The same base works for sweet pancakes with farmer cheese or apples, and savory ones with cheese, potatoes, or zucchini; you will find all variations with quantities below.

The full recipe is in the card: you can recalculate the quantities for a different number of pancakes, check off what you have already added, and print it out. Below the card, each step is explained in more detail.

Ingredients and how to choose them

Pumpkin. Butternut squash is best for pancakes: its flesh is dense, sweet, and not as watery, so the batter doesn't become runny. Sugar pumpkins and Hokkaido also work well. Large yellow carving pumpkins are more watery and blander in flavor—if you grate them, lightly squeeze them in your hand and add an extra tablespoon of flour. The recipe requires 1.1 lb (500 g) of already peeled, seedless flesh—this is about 1.4–1.5 lb (650–700 g) of unpeeled pumpkin. The differences between varieties are described in the section on types of pumpkins.

Kefir. Any fat content kefir works, preferably at room temperature—cold kefir slows down the baking soda. It can be replaced with plain yogurt, buttermilk, or clabbered milk. Pumpkin pancakes with yogurt turn out slightly denser, so thin out thick Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of water. With regular milk, the baking soda will have nothing to react with—in that case, use 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead.

Flour. Regular all-purpose flour. 1 1/2 cups (180 g) is the amount for butternut squash; the batter should be thick like sour cream and slide slowly off the spoon. Add the flour in two batches: pumpkins vary in juiciness, so you might not need the last tablespoon.

Eggs bind the grated pumpkin with the flour. Without them, the pancakes will fall apart when flipped, so do not reduce the number of eggs.

Baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon. You need half a teaspoon of baking soda—it's not worth adding more, as a soapy taste will appear. Salt is necessary even for sweet pancakes: without it, the pumpkin tastes bland. One tablespoon of sugar is enough, and the cinnamon can be replaced with a pinch of nutmeg or ground ginger.

Frying oil. Choose an odorless canola or sunflower oil. Butter burns at such high heat, so it is better to put it on the already cooked pancakes.

How to make pumpkin pancakes step by step

1. Grate the pumpkin. Peel the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, and grate it on a fine grater (the small holes of a box grater). This is the most important step: the pancake is only in the pan for 6–8 minutes, and coarse shreds of raw pumpkin will remain hard in that time. Butternut squash does not need to be squeezed—its juices replace some of the liquid. If a puddle has formed at the bottom of the bowl, pour it off.

2. Mix the wet ingredients. Crack the eggs into the pumpkin, pour in the kefir, add the sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and mix with a spoon. You don't need a mixer—beating causes the pumpkin to release more juice.

3. Stir in the flour and baking soda. Mix the baking soda with the flour and add it in two batches. Mix only until no dry flour remains: overmixing develops gluten and makes the pancakes rubbery instead of fluffy.

4. Let it rest for 10 minutes. During this time, the flour hydrates, and the baking soda reacts with the kefir—bubbles appear in the batter. Do not stir them out: they are what makes the pancakes rise. Do not let the batter sit for more than 20–30 minutes, as the salt draws juices from the pumpkin and the batter becomes runny.

5. Fry on medium heat. Heat the pan, add a tablespoon of oil, and reduce the heat to medium. Drop the batter by a heaping tablespoon and spread it slightly—the pancake should be about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick and 3–3.5 inches (8–9 cm) in diameter. Fry the first side for 3–4 minutes until the edges become matte and the bottom is golden. Heat that is too high is the most common cause of failure: the outside browns in a minute, while the pumpkin inside remains raw.

6. Flip and cover. After flipping the pancakes, cover the pan with a lid and fry for another 3 minutes. The steam trapped under the lid cooks the center of the pancake and softens the pumpkin. If you want a crispier crust, remove the lid for the last minute.

7. Drain. Place the cooked pancakes on a paper towel—it absorbs excess oil. Before each new batch, add a tablespoon of oil and wait for it to heat up. In total, you will have three to four panfuls.

Common mistakes

Pancakes are flat, not fluffy. The batter was too runny or sat for too long. Add a tablespoon of flour, and only mix in the baking soda right before frying. Fluffy pumpkin pancakes come from a thick batter that doesn't spread out on its own in the pan.

Raw inside. The grater was too coarse, the heat was too high, or they were fried without a lid. Reduce the heat and fry the second side covered.

Fall apart when flipping. Too little flour or you are flipping too early. Wait until the bottom sets, and fry smaller pancakes—they are easier to flip.

Absorb too much oil. The batter was dropped into unheated oil. The oil should sizzle slightly as soon as the batter is added.

Tastes like baking soda. Too much was added, or there was too little kefir. Half a teaspoon is perfectly enough for this amount.

Variations: with farmer cheese, apples, cheese, potatoes, and flourless

The main recipe is easily adaptable. The table shows quantities for the same 1.1 lb (500 g) pumpkin base, with explanations below.

Variation	What to change in the main recipe	What to know
With farmer cheese	+ 7 oz (200 g) farmer cheese, only 3.5 tbsp (50 ml) kefir, 1 cup (120 g) flour	More filling, higher in protein, fry on lower heat
With apples	12 oz (350 g) pumpkin + 7 oz (200 g) grated apples, no sugar	Squeeze the apples, they are juicier
With farmer cheese and apples	12 oz (350 g) pumpkin, 5 oz (150 g) apples, 7 oz (200 g) farmer cheese, 3.5 tbsp (50 ml) kefir, 1 cup (130 g) flour	The sweetest without sugar
With cheese (savory)	No sugar or cinnamon, + 3 oz (80 g) grated cheese, a garlic clove	Cheese is salty—use only a pinch of salt
With potatoes	10.5 oz (300 g) pumpkin + 10.5 oz (300 g) potatoes, an onion, no kefir or baking soda, 3 tbsp flour	Fry thinner, without a lid—they will be crispy
With zucchini	9 oz (250 g) pumpkin + 9 oz (250 g) zucchini, no sugar, 1/3 cup (100 ml) kefir	Salt the zucchini and squeeze it well
Flourless	Instead of flour, 1 1/3 cups (120 g) ground rolled oats or 1/2 cup (70 g) cornstarch	Let the batter rest for 15 min to thicken
From purée	1 cup (250 g) pumpkin purée, 1 egg, 2/3 cup (150 ml) kefir, 1 1/2 cups (200 g) flour	Smooth, American-style pancakes

Pumpkin pancakes with farmer cheese

Mix 7 oz (200 g) of mashed farmer cheese into the batter, reduce the kefir to 3.5 tbsp (50 ml), and use 1 cup (120 g) of flour: the cheese itself thickens the batter. These pumpkin farmer cheese pancakes are more filling and higher in protein, but the cheese browns quickly, so fry them on lower heat and always under a lid. Pumpkin pancakes with regular cottage cheese also work—drain it beforehand so the batter doesn't become runny; soft cheese curds will remain visible in the pancakes. If you want more cheese and less pan-frying, a baked farmer cheese casserole is a better fit.

Pumpkin pancakes with apples

Replace a third of the pumpkin with apples: 12 oz (350 g) of pumpkin and 7 oz (200 g) of coarsely grated tart baking apples. Lightly squeeze the apples and omit the sugar entirely—there will be enough sweetness. Pumpkin and apple pancakes are more fragrant and pair well with cinnamon. Combining both add-ins makes pumpkin pancakes with farmer cheese and apples: 12 oz (350 g) pumpkin, 5 oz (150 g) apples, 7 oz (200 g) farmer cheese, 3.5 tbsp (50 ml) kefir, and about 1 cup (130 g) flour. Pumpkin and banana pancakes are made similarly—instead of apples, mix in one mashed ripe banana, and for pumpkin and carrot pancakes, replace a third of the pumpkin with finely grated carrot.

Savory pumpkin pancakes: with cheese, potatoes, and zucchini

For savory pancakes, remove the sugar and cinnamon from the recipe and add black pepper. Pumpkin pancakes with cheese: mix 3 oz (80 g) of grated cheese, a pressed garlic clove, and a tablespoon of chopped dill or scallions into the batter; add only a pinch of salt. Pumpkin and potato pancakes: finely grate 10.5 oz (300 g) of pumpkin and 10.5 oz (300 g) of raw potatoes, squeeze the potato mixture, and mix in a grated onion, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons of flour, and salt. No kefir or baking soda is needed. Pumpkin pancakes with potatoes are fried thinner and without a lid—the potato starch provides what the pumpkin lacks, resulting in crispy pumpkin pancakes with golden edges. Pumpkin and zucchini pancakes: use 9 oz (250 g) of both vegetables, salt the zucchini, let it sit for 10 minutes, and squeeze it tightly; pour in 1/3 cup (100 ml) of kefir. Savory pancakes are delicious with sour cream and garlic or alongside a bowl of pumpkin soup.

Flourless, gluten-free, eggless

Flourless pumpkin pancakes are made with ground rolled oats (1 1/3 cups / 120 g instead of 180 g of flour)—let the batter rest for 15 minutes so the oats can hydrate. Another method is pumpkin pancakes with starch: 1/2 cup (70 g) of cornstarch or potato starch and 7 oz (200 g) of farmer cheese instead of flour; they are more delicate but more fragile, so fry them small. For gluten-free pancakes, rice or corn flour works well, and the rolled oats must be certified gluten-free. For eggless pancakes, replace each egg with a tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 10 minutes, and add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.

From pumpkin purée: pancakes, crêpes, and aebleskivers

Pumpkin purée pancakes turn out smooth and thicker, similar to American pancakes: 1 cup (250 g) of thick purée, 1 egg, 2/3 cup (150 ml) of kefir, 1 1/2 cups (200 g) of flour, 1–2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Fry in a dry or lightly greased pan for 2–3 minutes per side. To learn how to boil or roast purée, read the section on pumpkin porridge and purée.

Pumpkin crêpes are only made from purée, as grated pumpkin prevents the batter from spreading thinly: 3/4 cup (200 g) of purée, 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) of milk, 1 1/4 cups (150 g) of flour, a tablespoon of oil, a pinch of salt. The batter should be like thin cream; the crêpes can be filled with farmer cheese. Pumpkin aebleskivers (puffs cooked in a pan with round wells) use the same purée pancake batter, just add an extra 3.5 tbsp (50 ml) of kefir—a thinner batter fills the wells evenly.

In the oven and waffle maker

Method	Temperature	Time	Notes
In a pan	Medium heat	3–4 min. + 3 min. under a lid	Fluffiest, with a golden crust
In the oven	400°F (200°C)	12 min. + flip + 6–8 min.	On oiled parchment paper
In a waffle maker	Medium setting	5–6 min.	Thicker batter, grease the plates
In an aebleskiver pan	Medium heat	2 min. per side	Only batter from purée

Pumpkin pancakes in the oven are a convenient method when you are making a larger batch or don't want to stand by the stove: all 16 pancakes fit on one baking sheet. They are less fluffy, but you only need oil to grease the paper. Pumpkin pancakes in a waffle maker turn out crispier on the outside; add 2 extra tablespoons of flour to the batter and a tablespoon of oil so the waffles don't stick.

For kids and babies

Pumpkin pancakes for kids are usually popular due to their color and mild sweetness—fry them smaller, about the size of a teacup bottom, and serve with yogurt. For babies who are already eating finger foods, fry the pancakes without salt and sugar, preferably in the oven or a pan with almost no oil, and do not sweeten with honey—it is not suitable for children under one year old. Consult your pediatrician regarding dairy products and eggs in your baby's diet.

Lighter version

Pumpkin pancakes are already not a heavy dish: more than half of the batter consists of vegetables. However, a few changes make them even lighter—here are the actual numbers for one pancake:

The oil makes the biggest difference. Frying in a non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon of oil instead of 3 means a pancake has about 72 calories instead of 83, and baking in the oven while also omitting sugar brings it to about 68 calories, which is almost a fifth less. The sugar itself doesn't change much: without it, a pancake has about 79 calories. Whole wheat flour barely reduces the calories (about 79 calories), but the fiber in the pancake increases from 0.5 to 1.7 g. The farmer cheese variation is similar in calories (about 78 calories), but it has 3.4 g of protein instead of 2.6 g, so these pancakes keep you full longer. Pancakes with apples without sugar have the same amount—about 83 calories. So healthy pumpkin pancakes are not a different recipe, but the same one, just fried with less oil and served with yogurt instead of jam.

How many calories are in pumpkin pancakes

One pancake from this recipe (about 2 oz / 60 g of batter) has about 83 calories, 2.6 g of protein, 2.7 g of fat, and 12 g of carbohydrates. A portion of four pancakes is about 330 calories. All the oil intended for frying is counted, although some of it remains in the pan and on the paper towel, so the actual number is slightly lower. Below is how many calories each ingredient contributes.

What to serve with, how to store and freeze

Serve sweet pancakes with sour cream, plain yogurt, honey, or applesauce, and savory ones with sour cream and dill, a farmer cheese spread, or lightly cured salmon. If you are bringing all the pancakes to the table at once, place them on a wooden board rather than in a deep bowl: on a board, they won't steam each other and the crust won't soften. They are also great sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Cooked pancakes keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 days. Reheat them in a dry pan under a lid or for 5–6 minutes in a 340°F (170°C) oven—they will become soft and soggy in the microwave. The pancakes can be frozen: once cooled, place them in a single layer on a board, freeze, then transfer to a bag; store for up to 2 months and reheat from frozen in the oven for about 10 minutes. It's not worth storing raw batter—it becomes runny and darkens within a few hours. If you want to prep the night before, store the grated pumpkin separately in the fridge and mix the batter in the morning.

If you still have pumpkin left, the grated flesh can also be used to bake a moist pumpkin cake and pumpkin muffins, and more ideas—from soups to stews—are gathered in the pumpkin recipes roundup.