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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More Fall Breakfast Recipes:
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Pumpkin Pancakes — The pancakes are soft, fluffy, and are packed with pumpkin and the flavors of fall.
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!
I love these! My so. Has dairy and egg white allergies so I used Soy milk and two egg yolks and sunflower oil instead of butter.
I also made them a little smaller so I got 12 pancakes, My kids are only 2 & 3 so they don’t like large pancakes.
I think I would use less clove next time but that’s a personal taste preference. My toddlers ate these up!
I love these! My so. Has dairy and egg white allergies so I used Soy milk and two egg yolks and sunflower oil instead of butter.
I also made them a little smaller so I got 12 pancakes, My kids are only 2 & 3 so they don’t like large pancakes.
I think I would use less clove next time but that’s a personal taste preference. My toddlers ate these up!
Glad you were able to customize these for your family based on your needs and they were a hit!
I really love your amazing pancake recipe but, I’m a bit stuck when you add the grated apple to the pancake mixture- are you suppose to fry it?
Just add the apples into the batter and then fry up the pancakes like you normally would with pancakes.
I made a double batch of the original recipe and the flavor was really good but the pancakes turned out pretty dense. While cooking the second half of batter I added 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of baking soda and it made all the difference in the world. They were light, fluffy, and delicious!!
Great job making those tweaks and glad they turned out great in the end!
The recipe as written had great flavor, but the texture was too dense. I made a double batch, and for the second half of the batter I added 1T. Apple Cider Vinegar and 1t. Baking Soda. It made all the difference in the world!! They were fluffy and delicious!!
I don’t usually leave comments on recipes, but I have to say, we didn’t care for these. I found the cloves to be too much and they were rubbery like the previous poster commented. I do use King Arthur flour and I buy the bread flour. My baking powder was just purchased 2 weeks ago so I am really not sure why these didn’t turn out. If I made them again, I would decrease the amount of cloves and I’m wondering if adding baking soda would have helped them turn out fluffy. As is, I would not make them again, but I encourage others to try it and adjust it how you see fit.
The recipe is from a friend’s cookbook. Thanks for trying it, sorry it wasn’t for you.
these were delicious! I was making them for myself so I cut the recipe down by 4, and they still turned out perfect! I loved the syrup with them. the only thing I might change is adding a few chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Do these freeze well?
I personally haven’t tried so can’t say.
These are good but pretty heavy on the spices, and I only put 1.5 tsp of cinnamon rather than 2. I will absolutely make them again but really cutting down on the SPICE!
I made these with my girls as we had leftover apples from apple picking and these were amazing!!!! My husband who will not touch a pancake asked “is there more”? We all commented on how much flavor these had ,I wish I had made a triple batch! Thanks so much for a beautiful and tasty start to a fall day!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Glad it was a family hit!
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing:)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I just made these and they were truly light and fluffy just as promised. However, we all found the amount of cloves to be overpowering. I will try these again, but would halve the amount of cloves.
Glad you enjoyed the pancakes and yes, with seasonings like that, you can always adjust to taste since everyone’s preferences are different.
They smell wondeful but the texture was awful, wish I would have read the comments before making.
Sorry you had problems with the texture. It’s not my recipe but one I got from the cookbook I linked to and I’ve never ran into any issues personally but thanks for trying the recipe.
Just made these this morning. The taste is indeed very good but the texture pretty poor with a rubbery consistency. Compared to my old faithful from Anne Lindsay they are pretty inferior. I’m thinking the problem is that it should be a tablespoon of baking powder not a teaspoon. Anyway, a good idea and I’m going to add the spices and apple to Anne’s healthy wholewheat recipe next time and see how thye turn out.
Thanks for trying the recipe and the recipe is from the cookbook and author whom I referenced at the bottom of the post, so not my original recipe, but I reprinted it with her permission. I didn’t experience what you’re mentioning so not sure what to say.
My batter was really runny so I added 1/4 cup of rolled oats. I also used olive oil instead of butter and turbinado sugar instead of the brown sugar.
Making the substitutions you made could have contributed to the runny batter (oil rather than butter does tend to make things more runny and loose in general in baking) but glad it all worked out with the oats.
I made these for dinner tonight. They had a fantastic flavor….but mine were not fluffy like yours. The batter was thin and so were the pancakes. My baking powder was fresh. It is not only your recipe it seems like every pancake I make are thin, never fluffy. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong?
Switch flour brands! King Arthur brand all-purpose flour has more gluten than other brands and just the slight bit more gluten will help give lift and thickness to anything from cookies to pancakes. Totally worth the extra few bucks! Also maybe try adding a few extra tablespoons of flour if the batter seems overly thin, but try K.A. first!
Thanks for the suggestion…I put the King Authur flour on my shopping list for this week. Cant’t wait to try them again.
It’s a total game-changer in ALL baking and cooking!