Apple pancakes are a spiced favorite! The lightly sweetened cinnamon batter is quick and easy to whip up, and I love the texture and flavor that the grated fresh apple adds. The pancakes cook quickly and get light and fluffy on the griddle.
I can usually fit at least five pancakes on my griddle at a time, so I can have a pile of hot pancakes in only a few minutes. Top it off with Cinnamon Buttermilk Syrup and you’ll be in heaven!
For more pancakes with fruit, try our White Chocolate Berry Pancakes and Strawberry Pancakes.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Coziest breakfast! The warm, cinnamon-spiced apples cooked right into the batter make them feel like a big, cozy hug on a crisp fall morning.
- Easy to whip up. This recipe uses a simple pancake batter, so you’re not spending a ton of time in the kitchen and can get to the deliciousness faster.
- Perfectly soft and fluffy. The texture is amazing! You get that classic, melt-in-your-mouth pancake feel combined with the tender sweetness of the apples in every bite.
Apple Pancakes Ingredients and Substitutions
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups milk
- 1 medium granny smith apple peeled and grated
How to Make Apple Pancakes
BATTER. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and milk.
APPLE. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix gently until just barely combined (a few small lumps are okay). Gently fold in the grated apple.
COOK. Preheat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour the batter by ¼ cup scoops onto the hot griddle and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until there are bubbles across the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, or until cooked through.
SERVE. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Be sure the pan is at the right temperature; about 375°F. Too hot and the outside will burn before the center is done. Too cold and the pancake will become tough.
- Flip when the edges start to cook AND the center batter bubbles.
- Do not press down on the pancake. It will not help it cook faster and only serves to flatten them.
Apple Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups milk
- 1 medium granny smith apple peeled and grated
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix gently until just barely combined (a few small lumps are okay). Gently fold in the grated apple.
- Preheat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour the batter by ¼ cup scoops onto the hot griddle and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until there are bubbles across the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
Notes
- Be sure the pan is at the right temperature; about 375°F. Too hot and the outside will burn before the center is done. Too cold and the pancake will become tough.
- Flip when the edges start to cook AND the center batter bubbles.
- Do not press down on the pancake. It will not help it cook faster and only serves to flatten them.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
I used a tart Granny Smith apple to make this pancake recipe, but you can use sweeter Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Jongold apples. Be sure to peel and grate them before mixing them into the batter.
A few tricks to fluffy apple pancakes include sifting all the dry ingredients together first to avoid overmixing, letting the batter rest after you mix it up, using buttermilk in place of regular milk, using fresh baking powder, and not pressing the pancakes down with a spatula while you cook them.
Store cooked pancakes in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Place pancakes in a single layer on a baking pan and freeze for 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
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This recipe was originally published September 2017.
My batter was a little bit runny(maybe my apple had a lot of water content), but I added 1/4 cup of rolled oats to the batter, a bit of a time, on the second try. I let it sit for a few minutes while I preheated my skillet. Both attempts of this recipe however were absolutely delicious! I felt like I was eating healthy toffee apples 😁
That’s such a great fix! Apples can definitely add extra moisture, and the oats sound like a perfect solution. I’m so glad you loved them!
Made these. They were a bit thin for my preference and needed a bit more sweetness and cinnamon, so I added a bit of white sugar – maybe 1 Tbls, about 1/8 C more flour and another 1/2 tsp cinnamon and they were to my taste. Thanks!
I haven’t made these yet but I was wondering if you could use this recipe to make waffles? My family is mixed about pancakes vs waggles lol
Yes you could give it a try!
Me and my mom love this recipe!! It tastes like fall! We will definitely use it again! Thank you!🍂🍁
Great recipe however tend to be on the wet side and also about a TSP too much baking powder. Reduce both and enjoy!
These were delicious! Not overly sweet. I served them with honey as the syrup, and bacon on the side. The perfect fall breakfast! Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re welcome!! Glad you enjoyed the pancakes!
Love the hint of cinnamon flavor in these apple pancakes. We enjoyed them! Planning to make these on repeat.
My favorite, apple and cinnamon. It came out fully and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
fluffy* sorry 🙂
These are so good! Perfect fall flavor!
These pancakes were easy to make, and very flavorful. It was a delicious Sunday breakfast that we’re looking forward to making again.
Finally I found an Apple Cinnamon recipe that is absolutely 😋 😋 😋 and owns up to its rating. Loved the balance of spice with the apples and the fluffy light texture just right. This deserves an 👏 and 💙 🎀 !
I’m making this for the first time. I added plain yogurt with one cup milk. Hopefully it comes out ok.
I hope you enjoyed the pancakes!
These were great. My very picky 15 month old loved them! We didn’t add syrup, I thought they were perfect without it.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear that it was a success… for your child too! 🙂
All my siblings loved it ^^. Next time though, I’ll use more apples. Just a personal preference ^_^
I followed the recipe exactly except I only had gala apples on hand. It came out excellent. I’ve made apple pancakes with boxed mix before but this was my first time making them from scratch. It was worth it.
I am a high school Foods teacher. I used this recipe during our apple unit. Students loved it. Thank you for such a tasty, easy to follow recipe.
Oh that is so awesome! You’re welcome! I’m glad you could use the recipe in your class!
I love cooking but I’m definitely not a baker… I had an apple to use up so figured I’d give this recipe a shot. I did substitute regular flour with almond flour, but I doubled the egg to make sure it still stuck together. It didn’t. I added some extra baking powder and flour when it wouldn’t stay together in the pan, but still didn’t quite stick like a pancake. I gave up and froze the batter, in the hopes someone here might have a suggestion?? The flavor of my gooey, crumbly pancakes was still DELICIOUS, so I really want to make these work!!
Have you considered baking your concoction in leu of pan frying?
I discovered almond flour changes the whole consistency of the batter instead I used 2 tbsp less of the all purpose (King Arthur)and used 2 tbsp of his wheat flour
Question… your waffle version adds apple sauce… if I want to add apple sauce to the pancake recipe what ingredient(s) has to be modified?
Which waffle recipe are you referring to? I can’t think of which waffle recipe we have on the site that includes applesauce. However, typically applesauce replaces oil or butter when using it to bake. So you could try swapping the oil for applesauce and see how it turns out. I haven’t ever personally tried it, so you’ll have to let us know how they taste if you sub with applesauce.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
These are my new favorite pancakes! I love the flavor! My kids enjoyed them too!
My whole family (including my extremely picky toddler) absolutely loves this recipe!
Delicious, moist, fluffy pancakes! Definitely a go to especially when we have extra apples sitting on the counter. They freeze well !
Yes!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes. They are great ones to freeze for fast breakfasts!
Best pancake recipe ever. I precooked my apple pieces on the stove for like 15 min to make them soft and once in the pancakes its melt in your mouth
That sounds amazing! So glad you love the recipe too!
Very good! Don’t add too much syrup when serving because they are naturally pretty sweet. I used honey crisp apple & 2% milk.
Thanks for sharing!!
Delish. I tweeted it a bit and lessened the all purposed flour by 2 tbsp and replaced 2 tbsp of wheat flour – I used 2 eggs but only 1 egg yolk and replaced egg yolk with 2 tbsp of mashed banana
Also I only used 1/4 of vegetable and added 1/4 more of milk and 2tbsp of vanilla. The consistency was great and I let it sit for 5 minutes because of the wheat flour. My husband even loved it and he’s not a fan of pancakes. I made waffles with it instead
These turned out great! Used almond milk instead of regular milk to cut out some calories. Thanks for the recipe!
Sound like a great substitution. You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed the pancakes!
Tastes great. Kids loved it. Batter was a bit dense so I ended up using a little more than 3/4 cup of milk and cooking on medium low heat. Thank you!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the pancakes!! Thanks for sharing!
So yum, can not even begin to describe it. Personally I found that the batter was originally a bit watery when i first mixed everything, so I added more flour and a bit of baking powder and it all came together. I also LOVE PB so I added that sparingly in between each layer. Dusted it off with cinnamon and drizzled maple syrup and absolutely delish 🤤
Your additions sound heavenly! Thanks for sharing!
The grandkids love all forms of pancakes. Fruity and yummy.
Mmm..the apple flavor is so good!! Super light & fluffy..my kids devoured them!
Thanks a bunch for sharing this apple pancake recipe! the fam really loves it as well! Thanks again!
My daughter turns 12 on the 28th and has requested pancakes for breakfast. I think this is just the recipe to make for her.
I can’t make regular pancakes anymore! We tried these & everyone loved them! The hint of cinnamon with the apple flavor makes them so comforting!
It’s a good recipe but an excessive amount of baking powder. I would half it.
Thank you for trying it!
This is a great tasting recipe! I had to add an additional 1/2c of flour because it was very thin. My first set was apple crapes. After the additional flour they came out perfect. I also added a tsp of vanilla. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will definitely make it again!
Glad to share 🙂 Thank youfor trying it!
The flavor is okay but the texture on these are straight up weird!!
These were the best pancakes ever! No changes to recipe needed. Perfect as is! So yummy!
I am happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing that!
Absolutely the besT pancakes ive ever made. This is my fourth time anD they continue to satisfy! The only thing i did different this time was double the cinnamon, Only because we are cinnamon lovers. These freeze really well, too, so don’t be afraid to make the whole batch! This will definitely be served the next time i have guests for breakfast.
Tip: try Spreading some texas butter on them for an added treat.
Awe, thank you so much for saying that!! More cinnamon never hurts 🙂 Thank you!
Best pancake. I haVe try many and yours is one thatI have no problem with. Thanks.
Awe, I am so glad to hear that! Glad you like them 🙂
This made about 14-16 Large pancakes! I’m not complaining though, they were very tasty. Me and my family enjoy lower-sugar foods, so we halved the sugar to 2 tbsp and we still loved it!
Glad you liked them! Thank you for giving them a try & for letting me know what you thought!
DELICIOUS! LIGHT AND FLUFFY AND GREAT FLAVOR. DID HALF WHOLE WHEAT AND HALF ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
Thank you for sharing what you did! Glad you liked it!
Outstandingly delicious! A bit of a large recipe for our family of 4. can you store the batter, or do you recommend making Them all and Storing them in Tupperware? (This is dad, aka the pancake maker in the hOuse). 🙂 thanks!
So happy you liked them 🙂 Here is some info on the post about storing…Store cooked pancakes in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Or, to store in the freezer, place pancakes in a single layer on a baking pan and freeze for 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight freezer safe container. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Hope that helps!
I made these for my MUM’S BIRTHDAY THEY WERE A HIT WITH EVERYBODY! I’d MADE IT ONCE BEFORE BUT THIS TIME I MADE IT WITH MORE APPLE-IT TASTED EVEN NICER!
Great!! I am glad they were a hit! Thank you!
TRied these this morning and they were amazing. Thank you!
Yay!! Glad you liked them! Thank you!
Great recipe! I inadvertently added four tablespoons of cinnamon instead of just one (bad eyes). Actually came out fine! also, i used a red gala apple – suppose it doesn’t matter much. I noticed the color of the pancake was very dark. I blame the cinnamon!
LOl..well, I am glad you liked them! Yes, it can be any apple & the cinnamon would definitely make it darker 🙂
I am a regular reader of your blog. I try to follow all the steps you have shared here, but every time I get different results. I will try my best to make delicious food for my family. Keep sharing your recipes.
I appreciate you trying some 🙂 Thank you so much!
hey girl- these look so yummy!
Thanks Shawnna!!
love your apple pancakes and the Swedish pancakes Thanks for sharing.
Oh, that makes me so happy to hear! Thanks so much for sharing!
OMG. It looks so yummy!
They are!! I hope you’ll try them. I’d love to know what you think 🙂
I do not have apples. Can I use applesauce?
I personally haven’t tried. Did you try it? I’d love to know!