Carrot Cake Pancakes, full of carrots, nuts, and spices, is a tasty twist on pancakes, and it’s like eating your favorite cake for breakfast!
Carrot Cake Pancakes are the perfect way to treat the family to an easy and special breakfast! Made with simple pantry ingredients, plus shredded carrots, chopped walnuts, and spices, They are irresistible when topped with warm maple syrup!
Cake for Breakfast
There’s no need to feel sneaky about eating cake for breakfast when you make Carrot Cake Pancakes! Fluffy and loaded with carrot cake flavors, these pancakes are a snap to make and you can never flip enough to keep up with how fast they disappear. This pancake recipe uses simple pantry items and skips the buttermilk, which I love in pancakes but don’t usually have on hand. So, fry up some bacon or your other favorite breakfast sides to have with these amazing pancakes and make the morning feel extra special!
Put the oven to work cooking up delicious savory sides like Bacon or use the air fryer to make crispy Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes to enjoy with your pancakes!
Other Recipes to Serve with Carrot Cake Pancakes
- If you’re looking for a portable way to enjoy your cake for breakfast, you have to try these amazing Baked Carrot Cake Donuts!
- You know you must make a Classic Carrot Cake now, so here’s a delicious recipe to satisfy that craving.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients: To make these pancakes, you will need all-purpose flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and toasted chopped walnuts.
Wet Ingredients: For this dish, set out the milk, beat an egg, and melt some butter. You can use whatever milk you have on hand.
Spices: This recipe will also need a little salt and pumpkin pie spice.
Produce: Pick up a large carrot or a couple of smaller carrots at the store. Be sure to shred the carrots and dry the shreds before using them.
How to Make Carrot Cake Pancakes
STEP ONE: Peel the carrots and shred them using a box grater or a food processor. You want to end up with 1/2 cup of shredded carrots. Then, spread the carrots out on a paper towel. Use another paper towel to press down and remove any excess moisture. Leave the carrots on the paper towel for now.
STEP TWO: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar. Whisk the milk, beaten egg, and melted butter in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
STEP THREE: Add the shredded carrots and walnuts to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix. Then, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
STEP FOUR: Let the batter rest for 30 minutes. You can cook the pancakes right away, but they taste even better if you let them sit.
STEP FIVE: Place a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and melt some butter in the pan. Once hot, pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake into the pa, but don’t overcrowd. Cook until bubbles appear on top of the pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Serve these pancakes warm with your favorite toppings, like maple syrup and extra walnuts.
Tips for Success
- Once you have shredded the carrot or purchased pre-shredded carrots, allow them to dry on a paper towel. Carrots have a lot of moisture, which is great for cakes but pancakes don’t need it.
- You can if you prefer buttermilk in this recipe or want a buttermilk substitution.
- The batter is quite thick, so once you pour it, you must spread it with the bottom of the ladle or utensil you use.
- Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, place the desired number in the microwave and heat for 10-30 seconds or until warmed through.
How do I grate carrots for pancakes?
You can easily shred carrots using a box grater or pop chopped carrots into a food processor. Grated carrots will give you wonderful thin carrot shreds, which works well for folks who don’t want to know there are veggies in their pancakes! When you shred carrots in a food processor, the carrots will be a little more noticeable in the pancakes but not enough to change the texture. Pre-shredded carrots that you can purchase at the store are pretty thick, so if you have to go with those, then tossing them in the food processor will help reduce the size.
What is the secret to good pancakes?
Everyone has their special steps for making the best pancakes but there are a few universal tips that may help your pancakes turn out even better! First, be sure your baking powder isn’t expired to ensure your pancakes rise well. Secondly, don’t overmix the batter. Once all the dry ingredients have been mixed in let the batter rest, even if there are a few lumps. This leads us to the next tip, which is to let the batter rest. The rest time will help the ingredients moisten and come together for the baking powder to start working and for tougher ingredients, like carrots, to soften. Lastly, don’t cook the pancakes over too high heat; remember to flip them only once while cooking.
More Delicious Pancakes to Flip for!
- Silver Dollar Pancakes
- Banana Pancakes
- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Pumpkin Spice Butter
- S’Mores Chocolate Chip Pancakes
*This post originally posted on 04/06/2014.
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ cups 2% milk (or whole milk)
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ cup walnuts toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and shred them using a bow grater or food processor until you have 1/2 cup of carrots. Lay the shredded carrots on a paper towel and press down with another paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar.
- Add the shredded carrots and walnuts to the dry ingredients, and then pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Let the pancake batter rest for 30 minutes. (If you need to cook pancakes right away, you can. The batter gets better if you have to let it sit, though.)
- Place a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Melt some butter in the skillet and then spoon 1/4 cup of pancake batter into the skillet for each pancake. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Cook until bubbles form on top of each pancake. Flip the pancakes over and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve warm with maple syrup and extra walnuts, if desired.
Christine from Cook the Story says
Wish I had a plate full of these right now!
Wanderdust says
This looks delicious. I think I will be making this but without the walnuts and pumpkin spice. 🙂 By the way, when recipes call for buttermilk just substitute the same amount of regular milk plus a tablespoon of white vinegar. it’s an old Norwegian trick passed down from my Great Grandma and works deliciously.
Wanderdust says
These were great. I made them. Substituted canola oil for the melted butter and stirred up the whole mix in the blender so no visible carrot shreddings and so I wouldn’t have to wait half an hour for it to soak. The kids loved them. They had them with nutella, Brazilian-style. (I left out the pumpkin spice and walnuts). Thanks for the yummy recipe. If I do it again I will use a full cup of carrot shreddings and they will be even more moist and healthy.