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Gingerbread Pancakes

Name: Gingerbread Pancakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 eggs; 1 ½ cups milk; ½ cup molasses; ¼ cup brown sugar; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; ¼ teaspoon salt; Pinch ground nutmeg; 4 tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)

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Gingerbread pancakes are a wonderfully festive breakfast. These fluffy spiced hotcakes are the perfect Christmas pancakes!

Gingerbread is one of my favorite flavors, and I’m always on the lookout for excuses to enjoy it outside of recipes like iced gingerbread spritz.

I used to get my gingerbread fix from the gingerbread latte, but when it was discontinued I needed another way to have that flavor in the morning.

Enter gingerbread pancakes. These spiced molasses pancakes are easy to whip up and make for the perfect way to wake up.

gingerbread pancakes on a plate with stack behind

A few years ago I got into making gingerbread waffles during the holidays. Waffles are always a special treat, but I don’t always want to deal with washing the waffle iron.

I was delighted when I realized that you can use waffle batter to make pancakes, and with a couple of tweaks this gingerbread pancake recipe was ready!

Gingerbread pancake ingredients

Pancakes are pretty simple, and what makes the difference in gingerbread pancakes is the addition of molasses and spices, just like in your favorite holiday cookie.

You’ll need:

Flour
Baking soda
Salt
Ground ginger
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Ground or fresh grated nutmeg
Eggs
Brown sugar
Molasses
Milk

Make sure your spices are fresh and still flavorful.

A lot of folks aren’t aware that spices do expire, so if your spices do not have a strong aroma or you know they are older than a couple of years, it’s time to get a new batch.

The amount of spices in this gingerbread pancakes recipe is my personal preference, so if you want more or less spice, go for it!

Molasses is key for gingerbread in my book, so don’t skip on it. However, if you truly don’t like the flavor of molasses or don’t have any on hand, you can use pure maple syrup in its place, or even dark corn syrup.

I use 2% milk in my pancakes because we always have it on hand, but buttermilk would also be delicious!

If you like, you can make this recipe gluten-free by swapping the flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.

gingerbread pancakes with fork and knife

Recipe tips

There are a few things to keep in mind when making pancakes. I used to be terrible at cooking pancakes, but once I learned these tips, my pancakes come out great every time!

Don’t overmix your batter. While it can be tempting to whisk until smooth or even dump it all into the blender, pancakes are better when the batter still has a few lumps.

Let the batter rest while you preheat your griddle pan. This will let the gluten rest, and also thicken your batter a bit as the flour absorbs the liquid. I rest my batter for about 15 minutes.

Flip your pancakes when bubbles have formed on the top and the outer edges look dry.

Only flip the pancakes once. You can use your spatula to peek underneath to check color if needed, but after a bit of practice you’ll be able to make pancakes without checking. Flipping more than once can deflate the pancakes and make them rubbery instead of fluffy.

Use a large spatula! This may seem like common sense, but try to use a large spatula with a flat edge to flip your pancakes. Trying to flip a pancake with a too-small tool is a recipe for disaster!

gingerbread pancakes with molasses drizzle

Troubleshooting

Why are my pancakes not round?

Pour batter slowly from a measuring cup to make perfect round pancakes. This also ensures each pancake is the same size.

My pancakes are too thick

Whisk in milk by the tablespoon until you reach the desired consistency. Pancake batter should be easily pourable, but not runny.

My pancakes are too thin

Sift a tablespoon of flour over the batter, and mix in. Add more flour as needed until batter is thick enough.

Center of pancakes isn’t cooked

Make sure your griddle or frying pan is not too hot, cooking the outsides of the pancake too quickly.

For a flat-top griddle, cook between 350°F and 375°F.

On the stove, set the burner to medium.

cut pieces of gingerbread pancakes on plate

serving suggestions

If you’re looking for a great Christmas pancake idea, these gingerbread pancakes are a surefire hit.

Serve them with molasses, maple syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream, or all of the above!

Round out your breakfast with baked bacon, a gingerbread latte, or cheese quiche!

Have leftovers? Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Reheat pancakes as needed in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or until heated through.

Other pancake ideas

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It means so much when you enjoy my recipes, so let me know how it goes and leave a comment if you have any questions.