Apple Pancakes with Vanilla Maple Syrup — These apple pancakes are packed with cinnamon and other fall spices. Slather with butter and dunk them in some homemade vanilla maple syrup!
Easy Apple Pancakes Recipe
It’s that time of year where apples are starting to turn up everywhere. From caramel apples to apple pie to pancakes that taste like apple pie. I confess, I’m not much of a pie-maker. We really don’t need a whole pie at once, and I tend to make bars and cookies because they seem to disappear quicker than a whole pie does.
These apple pancakes are the answer to my pie-less prayers. And they’re much faster to make than making a pie. I know you won’t miss rolling out pie crust. This recipe is adapted from my friend 
Adrianna Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen’s cookbook, Pancakes: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. Adrianna’s recipes are written in a way that leaves nothing to guess, which is so appreciated. I try to write my recipes with lots of detail, and I always appreciate it when I read blogs or cookbooks that are the same.
I am just blown away by how creative she got with the recipes. Carrot Cake Pancakes, Red Velvet, Coffee, Cinnamon Bun, and Banana Bourbon Pancakes all caught my eye. There are also Dinner Pancakes, like Jalepeno Corn Cakes and Smoked Gouda Sweet Potato Latkes.
But since it’s approaching fall, and since I have sweet teeth, I went with Apple Pie Pancakes. It’s standard pancake-making, a bowl of dry ingredients, a bowl of wet poured over dry, and then one grated apple is stirred into the batter before griddling them.
The only changes I made to the recipe were with the spices. I added more cinnamon and nutmeg, and threw in a pinch of cloves. She also suggested peeling the apple but I didn’t bother. Fiber never hurt anyone.
I added vanilla extract to my maple syrup to bring out that apple pie flavor profile. I wanted to make something new, but vanilla maple syrup is my favorite pancake, French toast, or waffle topper.
The cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves pair so perfectly with apples. Your house definitely will smell like fall after making a batch of these. The bits of grated apple lend just a touch of texture to the otherwise soft, fluffy, and lightweight pancakes.
Although summer is my favorite season, if I have to ring in fall, pancakes that remind me of apple pie are always welcome. And so are sky-high fluffy stacks.
What’s in Apple Pancakes?
For these apple cinnamon pancakes, you’ll need:
- Light brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Spices
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Egg
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Grated apple
- Pure maple syrup
How to Make Apple Pancakes
To make these easy apple pancakes, simply whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another. Combine the two, then fold in the grated apple.
Preheat your skillet or griddle and brush with melted butter or oil. Scoop the batter onto the skillet using a quarter-cup measure. You’ll know the pancakes are ready to be flipped once you see tiny bubbles appear all over the top. Flip the pancakes, and continue cooking until golden on both sides.
To make the vanilla maple syrup, all you have to do is whisk together the syrup and a little vanilla extract. Serve the apple cinnamon pancakes warm with a drizzle of vanilla maple syrup and enjoy!
How to Keep Pancakes Warm
If you’re making a big batch of pancakes, you can keep the cooked pancakes warm in a 200ºF oven while you make the rest of the batch. You’ll want to use a baking tray for this and not a plate, as not all plates are oven-safe. The oven temperature needs to be set quite low, otherwise you’ll dry out the apple pancakes.
What are the Best Apples for Pancakes?
You can use any apple variety you’d like in these apple pancakes! For sweeter pancakes, use Honeycrisp or Gala apples. If you prefer something a little less sweet, opt for Granny Smith.
Can I Freeze Pancakes?
Absolutely! To freeze pancakes, first let them cool to room temperature before sealing them inside a freezer bag. You can easily reheat the frozen pancakes in the toaster or microwave.
Can I Use Another Fruit Instead of Apples?
I’m not sure. You may be able to use whole, small berries in this recipe, but I can’t say for certain. Different fruits release different amounts of juice once cookies, so use your best judgement when adapting this recipe.
Can I Use Non-Dairy Milk?
Maybe. Whole milk has more fat than most non-dairy milks, and it keeps these apple pancakes incredibly moist and flavorful. If you substitute a non-dairy milk, let me know how your pancakes turn out!
Can I Use an Egg Substitute?
Again, I’m not sure. I’ve only ever made these apple cinnamon pancakes as written so I don’t know if you can use an egg substitute in this recipe.
Tips for Making Apple Pancakes
Preheating your pan is really important for perfect pancakes. If the skillet isn’t warm enough when you make the first pancake, it won’t rise properly and won’t become golden brown. To test whether or not your skillet is hot enough, flick a little water onto it and see if it sizzles.
If desired, you can adjust the amount of spices in these apple pancakes. I like my pancakes to be super flavorful, but if you’d rather use less cinnamon or cloves, go for it.
If you have extra time on your hands, you could cook down some diced apple with a little cinnamon in a small saucepan and top these apple pancakes with that as well as the vanilla maple syrup. Extra apple pie flavor is always a good idea!
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Apple Pancakes with Vanilla Maple Syrup
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, original recipe calls for 1/8 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated apple, about 1 medium apple
- Butter or vegetable oil for skillet
Vanilla Maple Syrup
- about 1/2 cup maple syrup, warmed gently
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Make the Pancakes
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, measure out the milk. Add the remaining wet ingredients and beat until combined.
- All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps; don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth.
- Gently fold in the grated apple.
- Preheat your skillet over medium heat and brush with 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter or 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
- Using a 1/4-cup measure, scoop batter onto warm skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes, and then flip.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook on the opposite side for about 1 minute, or until golden brown. (My pancakes were slightly larger than 1/4-cup of batter each, and I yielded 7 rather than 8; and they took slightly longer to cook than recipe indicates).
- Transfer cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200F oven to keep warm.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter or oil to the skilled when needed. Serve immediately.
- Make the Vanilla Maple Syrup
- Stir together the syrup, vanilla, and serve over pancakes. Optionally, serve with Vanilla Maple Butter.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Cinnamon French Toast Sticks — These are slightly firm on the outside, tender in the middle, and the cinnamon flavor shines through.
Pumpkin French Toast — Thick slices of French toast that are full of rich pumpkin, cinnamon and brown sugar flavor.
Thick and Fluffy Mini Buttermilk Pancakes — Buttermilk keeps the pancakes tender, light, fluffy, not at all heavy, and these are the thickest, fullest pancakes I’ve ever made.
Pumpkin Waffles — The waffles are brimming with pumpkin flavor between the entire can of pumpkin puree and the pumpkin pie spice.
Overnight Syrup-On-The-Bottom French Toast – Assemble it the night before and wake up to AMAZING French toast the next morning!
This is an excellent recipe. I quadrupled the recipe to freeze pancakes for later. I used a little less ground cloves and nutmeg so my grandchildren would like them better.
For the vanilla maple syrup I added the Madagascar bourbon pure vanilla bean paste. Then I had left over grated apples for garnish. I used 5 large gala apples.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad this turned out excellent and was a hit with your grandchildren!
What kind of apple best
I like red apples like Gala, Fuji, or Braeburn but you can use your favorite.
These are heavenly! I subbed the ground cloves for cardamom and added a handful of walnut pieces. I served them with homemade apple butter.
Total keeper, thank you.
Delicioso. Outstanding recipe. Thanks for sharing these Apple Pie Pancakes, this one is so amazing.
Delicioso. Outstanding recipe. Thanks for sharing these Apple Pie Pancakes, this one is so amazing.
Delicioso. Outstanding recipe. Thanks for sharing these Apple Pie Pancakes, this one is so amazing.
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It’s ok recipe. The texture of the pancakes are kind of doughy. Probably because of the apple but it might be how I cooked it. Loved the spice flavor!
It’s ok recipe. The texture of the pancakes are kind of doughy. Probably because of the apple but it might be how I cooked it. Loved the spice flavor!
It’s ok recipe. The texture of the pancakes are kind of doughy. Probably because of the apple but it might be how I cooked it. Loved the spice flavor!