Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

Every other Thursday, Gena Hamshaw of the blog Choosing Raw shares satisfying, flavorful recipes that also happen to be vegan.

Today: Warm, fluffy, weekday-friendly pancakes to cure your fall cravings.

It’s October, which means that I can pat myself on the back for having waited an appropriate amount of time before diving into pumpkin season with reckless abandon. As always, I spent the second half of August (okay, maybe all of August) eyeing cans of organic pumpkin purée at my local health food store, tempted to start brainstorming ways to infuse anything and everything I make -- oatmeal, smoothies, hummus, baked goods -- with that characteristic orange hue, that generous helping of beta carotene.  

More: Learn how to make your own pumpkin purée here.

But kicking off pumpkin season too early is sort of like listening to Christmas carols at the end of October: It’s your prerogative, of course, but there’s something a little unseemly about it. So I’m glad that I waited patiently, and now that the time has come, I can indulge my pumpkin cravings to my heart’s content. 

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect start to my annual pumpkin mania than these fluffy, sweet pancakes. Rather than preparing them on a leisurely Saturday morning, as is my custom with pancakes, I whipped them up on a busy weekday. My boyfriend and I topped them with some chopped pecans, maple syrup, and pomegranate seeds, and we marveled at how nice it was to savor a special breakfast before the workday had started. For the rest of the day, we both felt as though we’d been granted some sort of special prize, and I got to brainstorm all the delightful ways I was going to use up the leftover pumpkin in my can.

Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

Serves 4

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (you can also use 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 3/4 cups almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus extra for the griddle

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Alpha Smoot

Gena's new book Choosing Raw: Making Raw Foods Part of the Way You Eat is a thorough, relatable guide to incorporating raw and vegan foods into any diet. It's full of no-fuss recipes for every meal, which range from fully raw to mostly cooked, with plenty of snacks and desserts to keep everyone happy.