These soft and fluffy apple pancakes are packed with juicy apples and infused with cinnamon's warm, comforting flavor. Topped with sweet, soft sautéed apples, this easy apple pancake recipe makes the perfect cozy breakfast for a fall morning.
Packed with grated apples and a hint of cinnamon, these apple pancakes are super simple to make. Whether you're cooking for a crowd or just treating yourself, these pancakes bring warm autumnal vibes to the table with every bite.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Incredibly quick and easy to make for a crowd, the batter makes 16-ish pancakes.
Great for meal prep! It’s never too early to cook these make-ahead cinnamon apple pancakes.
Whether you prefer to serve these with maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream, or a handful of chopped nuts, these pancakes pair well with everything.
Bonus: full of your favorite fall flavors—apples and cinnamon!
Recipe Ingredients
Apples: Any variety of apples will work in this cinnamon apple pancake recipe. Sweet tart ones are my favorite for baking and cooking!
- Granny Smith
- Gala
- Golden Delicious
- Honey crisp
Flour: I used all-purpose flour. For gluten-free apple pancakes, replace it with your favorite gluten-free flour, like I did for my easy banana pancakes.
Buttermilk makes the pancakes tender, light, and lovely. Store-bought is fine, or you can make it at home like I did for my soft and moist strawberry lemon bundt cake.
Baking soda and powder are leavening agents that help the pancakes rise and have that fluffy, light texture we all love.
Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs, and your batter will mix more easily and smoothly. To make eggless pancakes, use flax eggs as I did in my eggless chocolate chip cookies!
Coconut Oil: If you prefer, you can substitute coconut oil with melted butter or any neutral-tasting vegetable oil.
Sugar: sweetens the batter and helps the pancakes caramelize and brown, giving them a nice golden color. Raw, cane, brown, or any sugar you prefer will do the job in a jiffy. You can also use coconut sugar like I did for my peanut butter apple muffins.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Apple Cinnamon Pancakes?
Step 1: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon powder in a bowl.
Step 2: Mix buttermilk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla extract in another bowl.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients over the dry ones until combined. We want the batter to be just moistened. Fold in the grated apples.
Step 4: Don't overmix the batter. It will be a bit lumpy and that's okay!
Step 5: Grease a skillet with oil and heat it. Pour a small ladle full of batter on the skillet. Let the pancake cook for 3-4 minutes till the underside is golden and there are a few bubbles on top of the pancake.
Step 6: Carefully flip it over. Cook on the other side till golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Repeat till all the batter is used up.
Step 7: Serve warm with sautéed apples and maple syrup!
Pancake Toppings
For some, the only acceptable topping for apple cinnamon pancakes is maple syrup. Then you have homes like mine, where we love to experiment with food. So, I chose to top them with sautéed apples along with the classic maple syrup. You can try:
- Honey
- Homemade apple butter
- Fresh fruits
- Powdered sugar
- Chopped nuts for crunch
- Apple sauce, vegan caramel sauce, or chocolate sauce
- Wonderful with creamy cashew ricotta
- Ice cream to give the recipe for apple pancakes a dessert-like twist
Pro Tips
- Make sure your baking powder is fresh for the best apple pancake recipe. Check the expiration date before you add it.
- I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Don’t overmix the batter if you want to make light and fluffy apple cinnamon pancakes. Even if there are a few lumps, let them be. They will disappear when you cook the pancakes. Too much mixing makes for dense pancakes.
- Allow the batter to rest for about 10 minutes before cooking. This helps the flour hydrate fully and results in fluffier pancakes.
- Cook at 190 to 200 °C (375 to 400 °F).
- Flip the pancakes only once and only when the underside is golden, the edges look set, and you see a couple of bubbles on the top (2–3 minutes).
- Flip very gently, and do not press it down.
How To Store
You can meal-prep with this apple cinnamon pancake recipe because the pancakes store super well. Cool them completely before storing them, or they’ll become soggy.
Refrigerate - Stack the cooled pancakes in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag and store them for up to 3 days.
Freeze- Place the apple cinnamon pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Once frozen, transfer to a ziplock bag or airtight container. Add a piece of parchment or wax paper between two pancakes so they don’t stick together.
Reheat- Reheat refrigerated apple pancakes in a microwave or skillet for 20 to 30 seconds. You’ll need to cook the frozen pancakes for longer.
FAQs
Wash your apples thoroughly, and then peel them. Use a box grater to grate the apples using the coarse side. It works great!
Heat butter or coconut oil in a skillet. Add diced apples and sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon powder. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the apples are just softened. We absolutely love these on top of our gluten-free apple waffles!
📖 Recipe
Apple Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup All-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1.5 cup Buttermilk
- 1 Egg
- 3 tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 Apples, peeled and grated
Topping
- Sautéed apples
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon powder in a bowl.
- Mix buttermilk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla extract in another bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones and mix until just combined.
- Gently fold in the grated apples. don't overmix. The batter will be a bit lumpy and that's okay!
- Grease a skillet with oil and heat it. Pour a small ladle full of batter on the skillet.Let the pancake cook for 3-4 minutes till the underside is golden and there are a few bubbles on top of the pancake.
- Carefully flip it over. Cook on the other side till golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Repeat till all the batter is used up.
- Serve warm with sautéed apples and maple syrup. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can make use store-bought buttermilk or make your own. Combine 1.5 cups of milk and 1.5 tablespoons of vinegar, mix, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it curdles. Stir the buttermilk before using.
- For the fluffiest pancakes, don't overmix the batter. Just mix until the ingredients are combined.
- Your skillet should not be too hot. The ideal cooking temperature for making pancakes is - 190 to 200 °C (375 to 400 °F).
Neha Jain says
Hey! Any egg replacements please?
Natasha Minocha says
You can try flax egg, that is - 3 tbsp water + 1 tbsp flax meal. Mix well and keep aside for 5-10 minutes, until gelatinous. Then add it to the batter as in the recipe. Hope this helps:)