Wholesomely Hannah

healing through food, SCD-based recipes

Paleo Pumpkin Pancake Skillets

healthier paleo pumpkin pancake skillet

The perfect cozy pancake breakfast for 2: this Fall-inspired pumpkin recipe has been a recent fav!

Small-Batch Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

Small-batch recipes are my favorite types of recipes to make. I’m not a fan of leftovers so quick and easy single-serve or small-batch recipes are my THING. Naturally, I already have a single-serve pumpkin pancake recipe that I love making at this time of year. For these pumpkin pancake skillets, I tweaked a few things in my original recipe to make them a little fluffier.

Baked paleo pumpkin pancake skillet made with almond flour

The smell of pumpkin pancakes on a chilly October morning is also just about as good as it gets. Between the warm spices, melty paleo chocolate chips, and buttery crumb topping, these pancake skillets never fail to hit it out of the park.

Baking in Cast Iron Skillets

There’s something about eating a warm pancake out of a rustic cast iron skillet that immediately screams Fall. It’s cozy, nostalgic, and simply the epitome of what all comfort foods should be made in.

I adore my cute mini cast iron skillets to bake recipes like this! It’s so fun to serve pre-portioned desserts like this for family, friends, or honestly just for myself. As the holidays come up, days get colder, and all the cozy sweaters come out I’m fully back into the swing of baking warm recipes again. I bought a pack of 4 mini cast iron skillets a few years ago and they truly do last forever!

I used to be so intimidated cooking and baking with cast iron skillets since they can be particular to wash properly. As I’ve started using them more frequently, I realized that taking care of these skillets is actually pretty simple! Here’s a few tips and tricks I’ve learned:

  1. Don’t use dish soap! I know it sounds gross, but trust me when I say that cooking and baking at high temperatures gets rid of any bacteria. I always make sure to gently scrub off any leftover food though, of course. Dish soap can be harsh and degrade the iron skillet over time so I avoid using it to make these pans last!
  2. These skillets actually get BETTER over time! As you keep cooking and baking with them, they become “seasoned” and actually help enhance the flavor of the foods you cook on them. After cooking or baking with a cast iron skillet, simply make sure to lightly coat the skillet with a little bit of oil (I like using either avocado or coconut oil) to help “lock in” the flavors.
  3. Cooking with a cast iron skillet could potentially increase the iron content of foods, decreasing the prevalence of iron-deficient anemia. However, a recent 2021 review paper found that only 50% of studies done on this relationship had significant increases in blood iron levels. So the jury is still out on this one!

Baking with Chickpea Flour

I have created several chickpea-based recipes in the past BUT I only just discovered how incredible chickpea flour is! While dense & fudge-y chickpea brownies and blondies are incredible, chickpea flour can be used for fluffy muffins, cookies, and. (yes, you guessed it) pancakes.

A vegan pumpkin pancake recipe

A few important chickpea flour notes to consider:

  1. Chickpea flour doesn’t rise as much as traditional wheat flour. Because it’s a gluten free flour, it doesn’t have the ability to form the network of proteins that can trap air while baking to get a super fluffy texture. However, it seems to work very similarly to almond flour based on my own experiences! In conclusion, with the help of an egg and some baking soda, you can still get a little bit of a “fluff factor” out of chickpea flour if you play your cards right.
  2. Chickpea flour (in my opinion) has a slightly sweet aftertaste that works super well in desserts! I promise that the bean-like aroma and flavor pretty much dissipates when you pair it with other flavors in a recipe.
  3. Chickpea flour is super high in prebiotic fiber! Specifically, its high in type 2 resistant starch (RS2) which is known to be the primary fuel source of butyrate-producing bacteria in our gut. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid molecule that plays a ton of roles in improving our health.

Study: “Dietary type 2 resistant starch improves systemic inflammation…” (Yang and others, 2020)

Study: “Conserved and variable responses of the gut microbiome to resistant starch type 2″ (Bendiks and others, 2019)

Study: “In vitro Fermentation Reveals Changes in Butyrate Production Dependent on Resistant Starch Source and Microbiome Composition” (Cockburn and others, 2021)

What You’ll Need:

How to Make Paleo Pumpkin Skillets:

Step 1: Make the crumb topping and set it aside for later. Stir together all of the dry ingredients, then add the pumpkin puree and unsweetened coconut yogurt.

Step 2: Stir well until a moderately thick batter forms and fold in paleo chocolate chips.

Step 3: Transfer the batter evenly between 2 lightly greased cast iron skillets. Sprinkle half of the crumb topping over the batter in each skillet and bake.

How to make a gluten-free baked pancake skillet

Step 4: (Optional) Drizzle with melted coconut butter and honey to serve!

Healthy grain-free baked breakfast idea

More of My Favorite Pumpkin Recipes:

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Paleo Pumpkin Pancake Skillets

  • Author: Hannah Carney
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 2 mini pancake skillets 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

A paleo pumpkin pancake recipe baked in a cast iron skillet for perfect crispy edges and a soft fluffy center. This healthy pancake recipe is so perfect for chilly Fall mornings! Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Refined-Sugar-Free, Paleo, Low Carb, Vegan, Dairy-Free. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1 tbsp. coconut flour
  • 1/2 tbsp. tapioca flour
  • 1 tbsp. monk fruit
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/8 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt 
  • 2 tbsp. pumpkin puree 

Crumb Topping: 

  • 1 tbsp. creamy almond butter
  • 1 tsp. coconut oil, melted
  • 1 1/2 tbsp almond flour
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 
  • 1 tsp. honey (sub for maple syrup if vegan)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare two 3.5″ cast iron skillets (or oven-safe ramekins) by lightly coating them with coconut oil. 
  2. Make the crumb topping: stir all of the “crumb topping” ingredients together in a small dish and set aside. 
  3. Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, monk fruit, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and sea salt together in a small mixing flour. Stir well before adding the coconut yogurt and pumpkin puree. Mix until a thick batter forms. 
  4. Fold in the paleo chocolate chips and transfer half the batter into each prepared cast iron skillet. 
  5. Sprinkle half of the crumb topping over the batter in each skillet, very lightly pressing the crumbs into the surface of the batter. 
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the center of the pancake comes out clean with a toothpick. Let cool for about 5 minutes, serve warm. 
  7. (Optional) Drizzle with melted coconut butter and honey to serve. 
  • Category: breakfast
  • Method: bake

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 pancake skillet
  • Calories: 220
  • Sugar: 4
  • Fat: 16
  • Carbohydrates: 14
  • Fiber: 3
  • Protein: 2

Keywords: pancake skillet, pumpkin pancakes, Fall baking, healthy baking, single-serve pancake recipe, healthy breakfast, grain-free, gluten-free, vegan pancakes, refined-sugar-free, gut health