chai gingerbread pancakes
Everyone plans for the big meal at Thanksgiving, but what about breakfast? Start your holiday off on the right foot with these chai gingerbread pancakes. Loaded with chai-inspired spices and molasses, these fluffy and flavorful flapjacks are a great option for the day’s first meal — or any time during the holiday season.
Chai Gingerbread Pancakes Recipe
Breakfast is a really big deal to me — it’s the first opportunity I get in my day to eat, and I do love eating. These fluffy and delicious chai gingerbread pancakes are going to be my new go-to breakfast or brunch dish during the holidays because they are so EASY, and you can make them ahead of time. Here is what you can expect from this recipe:
- A super-simple pancake batter that comes together in minutes
- Ready-to-eat breakfast in 20 minutes or less
- Chai- and gingerbread-inspired spices and flavors in each bite
- Exceedingly fluffy texture
- Easy-to-customize ingredient list
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make these pancakes, you’ll need a few basic, pantry-friendly ingredients. Here is the breakdown:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar, for sweetness
- Baking powder and baking soda, for loft and tenderness (and yes, you need both!)
- Salt, for depth of flavor
- Chai spices: Ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg
- Milk (I recommend using at least 2% milk for best flavor)
- Molasses (mild, unsulphured molasses is what works best here)
- Eggs, for binding
- Butter, for tenderness and flavor
How to Make Chai Gingerbread Pancakes
These pancakes couldn’t be easier to make. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll have a bowl o’ batter ready to cook, and 10 minutes after that, a plateful of pancakes ready to devour. As always, please scroll down to the Recipe for a full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Here’s what you do:
- Step One: Mix the dry ingredients. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chai spices.
- Step Two: Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together milk, molasses, eggs and melted butter.
- Step Three: Make the batter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a slightly lumpy, runny batter forms. Let the batter sit for a few minutes to thicken.
- Step Four: Cook the pancakes. Pour 1/3-cupfuls of batter onto a hot, greased griddle. Cook 2 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another minute until both sides are golden and the pancakes are cooked through.
- Step Five: Enjoy! Serve stacks of pancakes with maple syrup, butter and a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired.
Ingredient Substitution Options
If you want to make any ingredient substitutions, here are the ones I recommend that won’t negatively affect the recipe:
- Gluten-Free Pancakes: You can use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour in this recipe. The pancakes may not be as fluffy, but they’ll still taste great!
- Dairy-Free Pancakes: You can use an alternative milk or water in place of the milk in this recipe, and swap the butter for a non-dairy alternative.
- Spices: You can adjust the spices to your preferences, leave one or more out, etc., but know that the flavor may change from the original recipe as tested here. You could also steal the spice ratios I use in my gingerbread loaf!
How to Store Leftover Pancakes
You can store leftover chai gingerbread pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, allow the pancakes to cool completely, then store them in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. See Recipe Notes for directions on how to cook pancakes from frozen.
From my family to yours, we wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful Thanksgiving.
More Pancake Recipes!
- sourdough pancakes
- oatmeal chocolate chip cookie pancakes
- fluffy coconut flour pancakes
- apple, walnut + brie bread pudding pancakes
- zucchini corn pancakes
Chai Gingerbread Pancakes
Description
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
- Preheat an electric griddle to 350°F (or heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg; whisk into dry ingredients until well-combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together milk, molasses and eggs. Whisk in butter until incorporated.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir until a runny, slightly lumpy batter forms. Set aside for 3 to 5 minutes to thicken.
- Spray or brush griddle with oil or butter. Pour pancake batter onto hot griddle in 1/3-cupfuls. Cook 2 minutes or until edges of pancakes are dry and form tiny bubbles; flip and cook another 1 minute until both sides are golden. Transfer to a serving plate; repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve warm, with extra pats of butter, generous pours of maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy.
- Freeze: Allow pancakes to fully cool at room temperature. Transfer to a resealable plastic food-storage bag; seal and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave frozen pancakes, or heat in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
great idea for Christmas-sy pancakes, fun flavor, and pancakes are already kinda fun to eat anyway so doubly fun, thank you!
Sabrina, Thank you so much!