Halloween Pancakes

Whip up a Halloween morning surprise with these festive pancakes! These fluffy pancakes are dyed vibrant orange and jet black, and have the subtle fall flavor of pumpkin spice! Made with pantry staples, they're perfect for themed brunches or a spooky start to the day.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Briana

Equipment

digital food scale
mixing bowls
Whisk
Rubber Spatula
griddle (or skillet)
spatula

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2.5 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (optional, can substitute cinnamon)
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 cups whole milk, room temperature
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon black gel food coloring (or more if needed for color)
½ teaspoon orange gel food coloring (or more if needed for color)
raspberry syrup for serving, optional

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, 2.5 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (or cinnamon), 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda, and 1.5 teaspoons of salt. Weigh the final dry mixture using a food scale to get a final weight on it, then divide the dry mixture in half.
In a separate mixing bowl or container, whisk together 1.5 cups of milk, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Weigh the wet ingredients, and separate half of the batter into a separate container once again.
Add ½ teaspoon of orange gel food coloring to one of the wet containers until a vibrant orange color is achieved. In the other wet container, add ½ teaspoon of black food coloring to make a black base of the batter. Combine each of the bowls of dry ingredients with the wet ingredients to make one orange batter and one black batter.
Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together very gently. It's okay if there are lumps in the batter! This will help us achieve a really light and airy pancake. Don't overmix! Allow the batter to rest for just a few minutes before making the pancakes.
Rub or brush a hot griddle or skillet with a small amount of butter to lightly grease the pan. Working in batches, add about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Don't overcrowd the skillet or griddle, give yourself room to flip the pancakes.
Cook for a few minutes until golden on the bottom and bubbles start to appear on the top, then flip over and cook an additional minute or until golden brown. Add more butter with each new batch of pancakes.
Serve hot with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup or our "bloody" raspberry syrup. You can also add food coloring to maple syrup if you prefer.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For best results, don't put butter or syrup on the pancakes before storing or the will become soggy. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Notes

- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure the eggs and milk are at room temperature so they combine with the warm melted butter easily. If the milk and eggs are too cold, it will cause the butter to clump up in the batter.
- Mix the dry ingredients really well. Make sure to whisk your dry ingredients together really well. This ensures an even distribution of baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
- Use a food scale. To ensure you divide the batter exactly in half, you can use a food scale to help you out both the wet and dry ingredients.
- Make two separate batters. We know it seems like extra work to separate the batches of the pancake batter, but this helps you achieve the color you want in your pancakes without combining everything all at once. Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, we want to avoid continuing to disturb the batter by doing things like adding more food coloring and mixing. Mixing more than you need to can make the pancakes flat, and dense. This is why we suggest making the two containers of wet ingredients a vibrant color before combining them with the dry ingredients. Do keep in mind that colors tend to darken slightly as the pancakes cook.
- Avoid overmixing the batter. As we mentioned above, you want to mix the batter until just combined. Overmixing can lead to tough pancakes. A few lumps in the batter are okay!
- Use fresh leavening agents. Ensure that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. Their leavening power decreases over time, which can affect the rise of your pancakes.
- Rest the batter. Letting the batter rest for just a couple of minutes before cooking can help the ingredients meld together and result in fluffier pancakes.
- Maintain consistent heat. Maintain a medium heat when cooking. If the pan is too hot, the pancakes can burn on the outside while remaining raw on the inside.
- Your pan matters to prevent sticking. Use a good quality non-stick pan like a cast iron skillet, or griddle. If not using non-stick, lightly grease the pan with butter or oil to prevent sticking.
- Uniformity. Use the same ladle or measuring cup to pour the batter onto the pan. This ensures uniformly sized pancakes.
- Flip at the right time. Wait for bubbles to form on the surface and the edges to look set before flipping. This ensures a golden-brown finish on both sides and helps prevent sticking.
- Don't continue to flip the pancakes or press down on them with a spatula! This is really one of our top tips. When we flip the pancakes and disturb them too much, this pushes out the bubbles that have been created by the vinegar and leaveners. Don't press down on the pancakes for the fluffiest result.
- Keep warm. If making a large batch, keep the cooked pancakes in a warm oven set to a low temperature while you finish the rest.
- To freeze. Allow the pancakes to cool off completely, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. After frozen solid, transfer to a freezer safe container and store for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave, in the air fryer, or on the stovetop.

Nutrition