This easy recipe for gingerbread pancakes with warm buttered apples on top takes this favorite breakfast dish to new heights of wonderfulness!
So there are regular pancakes (which I love, just for the record) and then there are gingerbread pancakes with a buttery apple topping (which I love to the moon and back again.
Here’s why we love this recipe
Gingerbread pancakes are pretty close to regular pancakes, except with a few extra ingredients that make them all gingerbread-tasting-ish.
Some you would expect (ground ginger and cinnamon and brown sugar) and some you might not (hello, molasses!), but they all come together in a perfect gingerbread way.
Ingredients you need for this pancake recipe
- Apples: Any kind you like!
- Butter: I usually use salted, but unsalted is fine too.
- Brown Sugar: I use light brown, but dark brown is fine too.
- Cinnamon
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour
- Ground Ginger: Look for it in the spices aisle
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Eggs: I use extra large
- Molasses
- Maple Syrup (optional, for serving)
Here’s how you make these festive pancakes
STEP 1: First make the simple and simply wonderful apple topping, so that it is all ready to pop on top of the warm pancakes as they come off your griddle. All you need is an apple or two, some butter, a little brown sugar and a little cinnamon.
Dice the apple into little pieces (no need to take off the skin, hurray!). Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat and then add in your apples with the sugar and the cinnamon.
STEP 2: Stir it around for just a few minutes until the apples are soft, and then set it aside to cool a little bit while you make pancakes!
STEP 3: Mix together flour, ginger, remaining cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.
STEP 4: Whisk together eggs, remaining brown sugar, molasses and melted butter. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined (don’t worry if there are a few lumps!)
STEP 5: Measure out the batter in 1/4 cup increments (if you have a 1/4 cup measuring cup that’s the easiest way…you can just scoop it out) and cook them over medium heat – no hotter than that – until the bottom is golden brown and there are a few bubbles on the top.
One thing that you definitely need to keep in mind is that because of all the sweet goodness in these…the brown sugar and the molasses…they will burn if you have the heat too high or don’t keep a good eye on them.
So do keep that heat at medium and feel free to keep peeking at the undersides of them as they brown up.
STEP 6: Flip ’em over, press down a teeny bit and cook the other side, still watching carefully. This recipe is going to make about 8 good sized pancakes, so you will probably need to do them in batches.
You can keep the already-cooked pancakes warm in a 200 degree oven – just pop them on a cookie sheet while you cook up the others.
STEP 7: Once all the pancakes are done, scoop out a generous spoonful of apples and scatter on the top of each serving, and then drizzle on as much maple syrup as you like.
Gingerbread Pancakes FAQ
They can! When you are ready to serve, heat up the apple mixture on the stove over medium heat, and the pancakes on a cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven until they are warm.
The syrup definitely adds another level of sweetness to this recipe, so if you want a milder taste (and for the gingerbread taste to really stand out) you can skip the syrup.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Yep, this is kind of like dessert for breakfast…or dinner, depending on your schedule! And it’s guaranteed to make you feel like Christmas, even if you are making them in July.
Happy pancakes!
Other pancake recipes we love
 Move over banana bread and make way for the banana bread pancakes! With maple rum syrup, of course. |
 This fun and easy recipe for sheet pan pancakes cooks up a whole batch of pancakes at once. Mix and match your toppings for a breakfast treat! |
 This hearty recipe for bacon and egg pancakes combines all of your breakfast favorites into one tower of deliciousness! A perfect weekend brunch dish. |
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section. Your thoughts and advice will help both us and your fellow readers. 🥰
PrintGingerbread Pancakes with Buttered Apples
This easy recipe for gingerbread pancakes with warm buttered apples on top takes this favorite breakfast dish to new heights of wonderfulness!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 good-sized pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 apples, cored and diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet until melted. Add apples, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and stir until apples are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
- Spray a griddle or large frying pan with nonstick spray, and heat oven to 200 if you are going to use it to keep the pancakes warm.
- Mix together flour, ginger, remaining cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Whisk together eggs, remaining brown sugar, molasses and melted butter. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined (don’t worry if there are a few lumps!)
- Heat griddle over medium heat for 2 minutes. Scoop out 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake and pour onto heated griddle. Cook until the underside is golden and there are a few bubbles on the top, peeking at the underside a few times to make sure the pancakes aren’t cooking too fast. Flip, press down a little and continue cooking until the second side is done.
- If you need to cook in two batches, keep the first batch warm on a cookie sheet in the heated oven.
- Divide pancakes among plates, top with apple mixture and syrup and serve!
Equipment We Used to Make This Recipe
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Buy Now → Notes
Apples: You can use any variety you like (we love Macintosh best) and you can peel or not peel them (we leave the peels on).
Griddle vs Skillet: If you have a griddle I highly recommend using it – you can fit more pancakes on it, and they are easier to flip! If not, your biggest skillet is going to work just fine.
Keywords: vegetarian gingerbread pancakes with buttered apples, gingerbread pancake recipe, holiday pancakes recipe
Life's a Bowl says
These look delicious and perfect for fall! I am lovinggg pancakes lately and can’t seem to get enough :P
Kate says
Thank you! It’s definitely pancake season. Hurray!
Theresa Murphy says
Those look wonderful! My kids love pancakes and I always try to keep a bunch in the freezer for quick school morning breakfasts. I make a ginger pear honey with pears from a tree in our yard and am thinking that would be quite tasty warmed up and drizzled on these! Thanks for ringing in fall with a bang!
Kate says
That honey sounds PERFECT for these pancakes (and probably for lots of other things too – it would be heaven in a cup of tea!)