Cloud Nine Pumpkin Pancakes

Start your morning off right with a few delicious, festive, and healthy pancakes. And if you’re not into the pumpkin, try one of the tasty alternatives.

I love mornings. The smell of tea or coffee, the soft sounds of birds chirping as you wake up, the cool mornings and dimly light sky, and, best of all, breakfast. Now, I have to admit, not all mornings are like that. Most of the time they’re spent in a panic to get dressed, remember to brush my hair, and grab a banana on the way out!

I call these my Cloud of Heaven Pancakes because they’re gluten free, high protein, paleo, vegan, and, best of all, super healthy! For years I’ve been on the search for the perfect vegan pancake; one that is dense yet fluffy, rich but light, and satisfying overall. Through trial and error, I developed my go-to pancake recipe. I love these so much I eat them for lunch and dinner sometimes.

These pancakes can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes and will power you through the entire day. Using a combination of flours, I was able to make this recipe paleo. The pumpkin puree and spices remind me of autumn days (even though it’s 30+ degrees here in Toronto).

I have to admit, I am a little bit of a pancake aficionado, so I make these a few times a week. I like to change up the flavors sometimes by adding cinnamon, nutmeg, cacao nibs, almond extract and in season fruits. If you are not a fan of pumpkin, you can omit the pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree and replace it with one mashed banana and one tablespoon almond butter. This will give the pancake its shape while still being light and airy.

Cloud Nine Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup potato starch
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1¼ cups cashew milk
• 1 scoop Sunwarrior natural protein
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoon fresh organic blueberries

Variations:

If omitting the pumpkin puree and spice, here are some great flavor combinations for pancakes. Replace pumpkin puree with 1 mashed ripe banana and then add one of these four combos:

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon, cashew butter, date paste, and cacao nibs
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and fresh organic berries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon peel, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, and fresh organic blueberries
• 1 tablespoon coconut, and mango and pineapple chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat griddle or pan with coconut oil on medium heat.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Drop 1/3 cup of mixture at a time on heated pan. When the pancake starts to bubble, flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

Get your morning routine started!