Carrot cake pancakes are lightly spiced carrot pancakes that are topped with cream cheese frosting and toasted nuts. The pancakes take less than 15 minutes to whip up, and they make a great spring or Easter breakfast.
Ever wish that you could have a big slice of carrot cake for breakfast? If so, these carrot cake pancakes are just the breakfast for you!
Packed with all of the flavors of carrot cake – warm spices, sweet carrot, and a hint of vanilla – these fluffy pancakes come together in less than 15 minutes. So, not only are they tasty, they’re also super easy to make.
The pancakes make a great spring breakfast or easy Easter breakfast. Give this easy carrot cake pancake recipe a try, and you it may become your new favorite Easter breakfast!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Buttermilk: You can use regular or low-fat buttermilk in this recipe. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute.
- Vegetable oil: Or a similar neutral oil like canola oil or olive oil.
- Flour: It’s important to properly measure the flour. I recommend weighing the flour or sifting it, lightly spooning into the measuring cup, and leveling.
- Spices: Feel free to adjust the type and amount of spices according to your liking.
- Kosher salt: You could use a couple of pinches of table salt instead of kosher salt.
- Carrots: I grate the carrot on the smaller hole.
- Cream cheese: I recommend using full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese. I don’t recommend using fat-free cream cheese in this recipe.
- Granulated sugar: The frosting is lightly sweetened. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to taste.
- Nuts: The nuts add a great bit of crunch to the pancakes. You can omit them if you want or need to.
How to make carrot cake pancakes
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including instructions, is given below.
Step 1: Whisk buttermilk and egg together in a large bowl.
Step 2: Stir in oil and vanilla until combined.
Step 3: Whisk in flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Do not overmix.
Step 4: Using a rubber spatula, fold in grated carrots.
Step 5: Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Step 6: Grease the skillet using half of the butter.
Step 7: Using ¼ cup measuring cup, portion batter into skillet.
Step 8: Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 9: Flip pancakes and continue to cook until the second side is lightly golden brown, about 1-2 minutes longer.
Step 10: Keep cooked pancakes warm while you finish the rest of the batter, using the remaining butter to grease the skillet as needed.
Step 11: To make the cream cheese frosting, add cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until cream cheese is light and smooth.
Step 12: Beat in heavy cream until it thickens, around 2 minutes.
Step 13: Serve pancakes warm topped with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and garnished with toasted nuts.
Recipe Tips!
- Mixing: It’s important to mix the batter by hand and avoid overmixing it. This will help keep the pancakes light and fluffy and prevent them from getting tough.
- To freeze: Let the cooked pancakes cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack. Once cooled store in a singly layer in a freezer-safe container. If you want to store more than one layer, place a piece of wax paper in between the layers to keep them from sticking.
Storage
Store any leftover carrot cake pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 3 days when properly stored in the fridge.
More carrot cake recipes!
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Carrot Cake Pancakes
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup grated carrots about 1 large carrot
- 2 tablespoons butter for cooking
Cream cheese frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Serving
- Maple syrup
- Chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Whisk buttermilk and egg together in a large bowl.1 ¾ cups buttermilk, 1 large egg
- Stir in oil and vanilla until combined.2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk in flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Do not overmix.1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in grated carrots.1 cup grated carrots
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Grease the skillet using half of the butter.2 tablespoons butter
- Using ¼ cup measuring cup, portion batter into skillet.
- Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip pancakes and continue to cook until the second side is lightly golden brown, about 1-2 minutes longer.
- Keep cooked pancakes warm while you finish the rest of the batter, using the remaining butter to grease the skillet as needed.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, add cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until cream cheese is light and smooth.4 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Beat in heavy cream until it thickens, around 2 minutes.1/4 cup heavy cream
- Serve pancakes warm topped with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and garnished with toasted nuts.
Notes
- Buttermilk: You can use regular or low-fat buttermilk in this recipe. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute.
- Vegetable oil: Or a similar neutral oil like canola oil or olive oil.
- Flour: It’s important to properly measure the flour. I recommend weighing the flour or sifting it, lightly spooning into the measuring cup, and leveling.
- Spices: Feel free to adjust the type and amount of spices according to your liking.
- Kosher salt: You could use a couple of pinches of table salt instead of kosher salt.
- Carrots: I grate the carrot on the smaller hole.
- Cream cheese: I recommend using full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese. I don’t recommend using fat-free cream cheese in this recipe.
- Granulated sugar: The frosting is lightly sweetened. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to taste.
- Nuts: The nuts add a great bit of crunch to the pancakes. You can omit them if you want or need to.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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