These fluffy whole wheat pumpkin pancakes are served with homemade candied bacon that will make you swoon! There’s nothing better than an easy pancake breakfast that combines warm pumpkin spice flavors with sweet and salty strips of crispy bacon.
Why This Pancake Recipe Works
- Perfect textures. The pumpkin pancakes are so soft and fluffy, and the bacon is super crispy and caramelized.
- Salty and sweet. The pancakes are great on their own, but with the candied bacon served alongside them, you get the ideal ratio of salty and sweet. You HAVE to make sure that you get the pancake, the syrup, and the bacon all in one bite! It’s absolute heaven.
- Ultra-cozy. A combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves makes these pancakes one of the most cozy and comforting breakfasts around! They’re particularly popular in my house in the fall/winter, but you could make them any time of year.
- Great for the weekend. I love to indulge with this pumpkin pancakes recipe on Saturday mornings. They take about half an hour to make, and they’re the best way to kick off your weekend.
What You’ll Need
These pancakes are made from scratch with kitchen and pantry staples. And you only need 2 other ingredients to candy the bacon! To see the exact ingredient amounts, check out the recipe card below.
For the Candied Bacon
- Maple syrup – Use pure maple syrup rather than an artificial syrup whenever possible.
- Brown sugar – This works with the syrup to help the bacon get nicely crispy and caramelized.
- Bacon
For the Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
- White whole wheat flour – Spoon and level the flour rather than scooping it directly into your measuring cup.
- Brown sugar
- Baking soda and baking powder – These work together to help the pancakes fluff up beautifully.
- Salt – A fraction of a teaspoon of salt does wonders when it comes to enhancing the other flavors in your pancakes.
- Pumpkin spices – You’ll need ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves for that classic pumpkin spice taste.
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Coconut oil – Make sure to melt this before you begin.
- Milk – I like to use 2% for this recipe, but feel free to use what you have.
- Pumpkin puree – You can make your own or buy it canned, either way works.
How to Make Pumpkin Pancakes with Candied Bacon
Here’s how to make unbeatable candied bacon and flawless whole wheat pumpkin pancakes. For the full set of directions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Make the Candied Bacon
- Add the syrup and sugar to the bacon. After you preheat the oven to 400°F, place the bacon on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. Next, brush some maple syrup on the bacon and sprinkle it with brown sugar.
- Bake. Bake your bacon for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven, flip it, and repeat the process of candying and baking. After 10 minutes of baking the second side, remove it from the oven and set it aside.
Make the Pumpkin Pancakes
- Combine the dry ingredients. Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir with a whisk until combined.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients to a medium-sized bowl, and whisk again until combined and smooth. Then, pour the wet ingredient mixture into the combined dry ingredients, and stir until smooth.
- Cook the pancakes. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat, add 2/3 cup of batter to the skillet (you may have to spread it out to form a circle), and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat the process until all the batter is used.
- Enjoy! Serve your pancakes with candied bacon and some more maple syrup.
Tips & Recipe Variations
- Don’t use pumpkin pie mix. People often assume that pumpkin pie mix is just canned pumpkin puree. However, this is not the case. Pumpkin pie mix has quite a few added ingredients that will affect the outcome of your entire dish. Make sure you’re using pumpkin puree for these pancakes!
- Avoid over-mixing. Be careful not to over-mix your pancake batter. You want to mix it until it’s smooth, but not much past that. A little lumpiness is a-okay.
- Grease the skillet. Don’t forget to add a little bit of butter or oil to your skillet before cooking each pancake. This prevents them from sticking to the surface of the skillet.
- Keep the pancakes warm. Want everyone to enjoy their pancakes all together? You can keep ready-made ones warm by placing them in a 200°F oven while you prepare the rest.
- Add some chocolate chips! If you want your pumpkin pancakes to be extra sweet, try throwing some chocolate chips into the batter. You could also try chopped nuts (like pecans) as add-ins.
Serving Suggestions
- Make more bacon! If you’re a bacon lover like me and want more than one or two strips to yourself, go ahead and double the recipe! “The more the merrier” is especially true when it comes to candied bacon.
- Add candied nuts. Try sprinkling some candied pecans over your pumpkin pancakes for a sweet and salty crunch that complements the crispy bacon!
- Top with whipped cream. A dollop of whipped cream adds a really nice touch to these pancakes – kind of like a pumpkin spice latte! A melty dab of salted butter is also an excellent choice.
- Pair with festive mimosas. I look forward to serving up my boozy apple cider mimosas every fall! My favorite way to do so? Alongside these fluffy pancakes and crispy bacon. Mmmmm.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. These pancakes stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge, if stored properly. Once they’ve cooled, place any leftover pancakes in an airtight container and refrigerate. The cooled bacon can be refrigerated in a resealable bag for up to 5 days.
- Reheating. You can reheat your pancakes in the microwave or toaster oven. The candied bacon should be warmed up in the oven or toaster oven to keep it nice and crispy.
- Freezing the pancakes. Place the cooled pancakes in a freezer-safe container with a layer of wax paper in between each pancake. Thaw them out in the fridge overnight before reheating and enjoying.
- Freezing the bacon. To freeze the bacon, wrap each piece in aluminum foil once cooled. Then, seal the wrapped bacon in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
More Pancake Recipes
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes with Cinnamon Apple Compote
- Thick & Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
- Fluffy Pancakes with Strawberry Compote & Vanilla Mascarpone
- Flourless Peanut Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes with Candied Bacon
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Description
Whole wheat pumpkin pancakes are made with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar for one of the coziest breakfasts you’ll ever try! Add some candied bacon, and they’re downright irresistible.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Candied Bacon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 6 strips of bacon
For the Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
Instructions
Make the Candied Bacon
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place the bacon on a wire racked on top of a tin foil lined baking sheet. Brush maple syrup on the top side of the bacon. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the bacon from the oven, flip and repeat the process. Bacon an additional 10 minutes or until it is as crispy as you like it. Set aside.
Make the Pumpkin Pancakes
- In a large bowl, add white whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. Stir with a whisk.
- In a medium bowl, add a egg, vanilla extract, coconut oil, milk, and pumpkin puree. Using a whisk, mix until combined and smooth.
- Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is smooth.
- Heat a large skillet to medium high heat.
- Add 2/3 cup of batter to the skillet (you may have to spread it out to form a circle) and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat process until all the pancakes are done.
- Serve with candied bacon and syrup!
Notes
- Makes 10-12 pancakes.
- To store. These pancakes stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge, if stored properly. Once they’ve cooled, place any leftover pancakes in an airtight container and refrigerate. The cooled bacon can be refrigerated in a resealable bag for up to 5 days.
- To reheat. You can reheat your pancakes in the microwave or toaster oven. The candied bacon should be warmed up in the oven or toaster oven to keep it nice and crispy.
- To freeze the pancakes. Place the cooled pancakes in a freezer-safe container with a layer of wax paper in between each pancake. Thaw them out in the fridge overnight before reheating and enjoying.
- To freeze the bacon. To freeze the bacon, wrap each piece in aluminum foil once cooled. Then, seal the wrapped bacon in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
