Applesauce pancakes are a winner for weekend mornings. They strike the balance between being fast and easy to make, but still feeling special enough that they can serve as the centerpiece dish for Christmas morning or another special breakfast. Starting the recipe with pancake mix saves the steps of measuring and mixing dry ingredients, and you don’t have to wonder if you have buttermilk on hand, because just-add-water pancake mix already includes it, albeit dehydrated.
Ingredients for Applesauce Pancakes
- Buttermilk pancake mix: Pancake mix, which contains flour, leavening and sugar, is a shortcut ingredient meant to help you get a stack of applesauce pancakes on the table sooner.
- Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a warm, autumnal aroma to the applesauce pancake batter.
- Applesauce: Chunky cinnamon applesauce is the star ingredient in this recipe. It adds moisture, flavor and tenderness to the pancake batter.
- Water: Most buttermilk pancake mixes include powdered buttermilk, so all you need to add is water to adjust the thickness of the batter.
- Maple syrup and butter: Though not essential to assemble the pancakes, butter and syrup (either maple or pancake syrup) are necessary toppings for serving them.
Directions
Step 1: Mix applesauce pancake batter
Combine the pancake mix and cinnamon. Add the applesauce and water; stir just until moistened.
Step 2: Cook pancakes
Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle and turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until the second side is golden brown. Serve the pancakes with syrup and butter.
Applesauce Pancake Variations
- Use apple butter: Apple butter is just applesauce cooked longer, until the sugars in the fruit caramelize and the mixture thickens. Use it in place of some or all of the applesauce for an intense apple flavor. You may have to add a splash more water to the batter since apple butter has a thicker texture than applesauce.
- Use pears: Trade applesauce for pear sauce (or even pureed pear baby food) for a pear version of these pancakes.
- Add something crunchy: Sprinkle hemp hearts, chia seeds, sunflower seeds or a nutty granola on top of the applesauce pancakes before flipping them to the second side.
- Add dried fruit or nuts: Fold dried cranberries, cherries or raisins into the batter. Add a sprinkle of chopped walnuts, too, if you like.
How to Store Applesauce Pancakes
Once they’re cooled, store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Microwave them to reheat them.
Can you freeze applesauce pancakes?
If you plan to make extra pancakes to freeze and reheat later, finish cooking the pancakes and lay them out on a baking sheet to cool. Then layer the pancakes between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container or a freezer-safe resealable plastic bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
Applesauce Pancakes Tips
Can you use homemade applesauce to make applesauce pancakes?
Certainly, but we’ve tested this applesauce pancake recipe using store-bought applesauce. If your applesauce has a thicker or chunkier texture than the almost pourable kind sold in jars, you may need to adjust the texture of your batter by adding a splash of water to it.
What is the best pancake mix?
We think the best pancake mix is King Arthur Baking Company Diner-Style Pancake and Waffle Mix. Our Test Kitchen cooks performed a blind taste test to see which mix made the best pancake. Out of the 10 tested pancake mix brands, King Arthur’s was deemed the best. Read more about our methodology.
What goes well with applesauce pancakes?
It’s nice to have something with protein to help give applesauce pancakes some staying power from a nutrition perspective. Serve them with bacon, sausage patties, cottage cheese, nut butter or yogurt. All are great options. The apple and cinnamon flavor would also be delicious paired with breakfast sausage links as pigs in blankets.
What’s the best way to keep pancakes warm?
If you’re cooking the pancakes one at a time, preheat your oven to a low temperature and place the pancakes in the oven between cooking. You can also use a preheated slow cooker set to the “Keep Warm” setting.
