These Sweet Potato Pancakes are such a great twist to your traditional breakfast routine. They’re a delicious way to start the morning, packed with a nice sweet potato flavor, mixed with warm spices, and topped with the best pecan butter, and syrup. I dream about the pecan butter, and want to put it on all my breakfast favorites.
These fluffy sweet potato pancakes are a great fluffy, golden pancake with a cozy twist. They’re such a tasty twist on traditional pancakes.
They’re a little bit good for you and a great way to start your day. They’re such delicious pancakes, and are made with simple ingredients, and the best way to use your leftover sweet potatoes.
I first tried sweet potato pancakes when my husband and I went on a trip to Los Angeles for the day. We stopped at a little diner for breakfast. We also got an omelet with steak, but their pancakes were the winner of the day. I altered a recipe I found from Food Network for these.
The Best Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Warm Spices and Sweet Flavor – A delightful sweet, nutty flavor in every bite, paired with cinnamon and nutmeg they’re perfect for a fall or winter morning.
- Nutrient Boost – Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins and fiber, making these a great nutritious way to start the morning.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Pancake Recipe
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Sweet Potato Pancake Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- all purpose flour
- whole wheat flour
- baking powder
- brown sugar – to sweet the pancakes
- ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- whole milk – sub your favorite non dairy milk, almond milk, or soy milk will work too
- applesauce
- whole eggs
- large sweet potato – you can substitute for 3/4 cup of canned sweet potatoes (drain out the syrup)
- toasted pecans
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- honey
How to make sweet potato pancakes?
- Make the pecan butter. Mix the butter, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar and honey together with a rubber spatula, or a hand mixer. Once combined, fold in the chopped pecans. Form the butter into a log and wrap it in parchment paper. Place it in the freezer or fridge to chill.
- Make the pancake batter. Add the pancake ingredients all to a large bowl and mix them until they’re just combined.
- Make the pancakes. Preheat a griddle or large skillet to medium heat, and grease with melted butter. Pour 1/4 cup of the pancake batter on to the griddle, and continue to fit as many pancakes on the griddle as you can. When the pancake top starts to bubble, flip the pancakes over to cook the other side, until both sides are golden brown and the pancakes are cooked through.
- Serve the pancakes warm with slices of pecan butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Tips and Tricks:
- Smooth Mash – Make sure your sweet potato is well mashed for a smooth batter without chunks of potato.
- Let the batter rest – for a few minutes after mixing the ingredients, and before cooking the pancakes to let the ingredients mingle and create a fluffier pancake.
- Adjust as needed – If the batter is too thick add a little more milk as needed. If it’s too thin, add a little flour.
Sweet Potato Pancakes FAQ:
If you don’t eat all the pancakes you can store them by putting them in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can microwave them, or cook them in the toaster to get them warm and enjoy again.
The pancakes can also be frozen. Place a layer of parchment paper between each pancake in a freezer bag. Freeze them for up to 2 months. Reheat them in the microwave or toaster.
While fresh sweet potatoes are best, you can use canned sweet potatoes if you’re in a hurry. Drain the sweet potatoes well to remove the syrup.
Whatever toppings you like on regular pancakes are best for these pancakes. Our sweet pecan butter is a must, I think. Then you can add your favorites, maple syrup, fresh fruit, peanut butter, powdered sugar, or whatever you think you’d enjoy.
These sweet potato pancakes and the pecan butter on top are a must make for breakfast.
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
For the Pecan Butter:
- 1/8 cup pecans
- 8 oz unsalted butter
- 1 TBS brown sugar
- 1 TBS honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Sweet Potato Pancakes:
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 TBS brown sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 tsp unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 sweet potato (cooked, peeled, and mashed)
Instructions
For the Pecan Butter:
- Add the pecans to a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Stir them often, and cook for a few minutes until fragrant, and toasted on all sides. Let them cool for a few minutes, then chop them up into small pieces.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon to a small bowl and mix them together with a rubber spatula, or a hand mixer.
- Fold the pecan pieces evenly into the butter.
- Form the butter into a log and wrap in parchment paper.
- Place in the freezer or fridge to chill until needed.
For the Sweet Potato Pancakes:
- Add all the pancake ingredients to a large bowl and stir together until just combined. Let the batter rest for a few minutes.
- Preheat a griddle or skillet to medium high heat. Grease with butter.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the pancake batter on to the griddle to cook. Repeat with as much additional batter as will fit on the pan.
- When the pancakes start to bubble on the top, flip them over to cook the other side until golden brown, and the pancakes are cooked through.
- Serve the pancakes with slices of the pecan butter, and your choice of syrup, or other toppings.
Nutrition
These sweet potato pancakes with pecan butter were first posted on July 8, 2013. The photos and blog text were updated for clarity on December 15, 2023.
brenda says
in your recipe for Pecan butter – you mention a “cube of butter”. what is that – 1 stick or 1/2 stick or something else?
Ellen Garrett says
Thanks for asking about the butter Brenda. What I meant by a cube of butter was 8 oz of butter. That is 1 stick or 1 cube. I hope that clarifies.
triedandtasty says
You better believe I’m going to be trying this recipe!! Pinning!!