These Gingerbread Christmas Pancakes have butterscotch pudding in the batter and no molasses or cloves for a creamy, mild, fluffy, and incredibly delicious Christmas Pancake, that pairs perfectly with this tangy Cranberry Compote. It's like eating a delicious butterscotch gingerbread cookie in pancake form!
They are easy to make and a really festive holiday breakfast, making them the ideal pancake for Christmas morning or for the perfect holiday breakfast or brunch! Although, they are great any time of year.
🍒Reader Review
"These gingerbread pancakes were SOOO delicious!!! I even made some homemade gingerbread syrup to go with them! Kids loved em!!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jump to:
- 🍒Reader Review
- 🥘 Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪How to make Cranberry Compote
- 🔪How to Make Gingerbread Christmas Pancakes
- Top Tips
- 👪 Serving Size
- 🥗 What to serve with Christmas Pancakes
- 🌡️Storage
- ❔Recipe FAQ's
- 📋 More Christmas Gingerbread Recipes
- 📋 Gingerbread Christmas Pancakes (with cranberry compote) Recipe
If you love Christmas gingerbread things, be sure to try my Gingerbread Christmas Smoothie. And if you're in search of Holiday Pancake recipes, try my Sheet Pan Sugar Cookie Pancakes!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
You will need the following simple ingredients for these festive pancakes:
- Cook and serve butterscotch pudding and pie filling (affiliate link) Pudding in the batter makes these gingerbread extra rich and creamy! *Do NOT use instant pudding
- Ground ginger and cinnamon. These spices, when combined with butterscotch pudding give these pancakes a luscious texture and gingerbread flavor.
- Frozen cranberries. I use frozen cranberries for the topping because they are economical and convenient.
*See recipe card for full recipe list of ingredients and quantities
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Pudding - you could use vanilla cook and serve pudding and a ½ teaspoon butterscotch extract if you can't find butterscotch pudding *Do NOT use instant pudding
- Shapes - you could use a cookie cutter to cut them into gingerbread men shapes
- Compote - you could use a different type of compote (blueberry, raspberry, or strawberry)
- Syrup - you could use different types of syrup (i.e. gingerbread syrup)
- Cranberries - use fresh cranberries as a substitute for frozen.
🔪How to make Cranberry Compote
These gingerbread pancakes are amazing on their own, but the addition of Cranberry Compote totally elevates them! And this compote is really easy to make. I use frozen cranberries because they are perfect for this and fresh cranberries are more difficult to find.
I recommend making the Cranberry compote first. I often make it the night before.
- Step 1: In a saucepan, bring the cranberries, sugar, and water to a boil.
- Step 2: Reduce heat to medium-high and add vanilla and orange zest, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the compote is syrupy.
- Step 3: Add the cornstarch to 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
- Step 4: Add cornstarch mixture to compote and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until it thickens slightly.
- Step 5: Let cool and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 30 minutes.
🔪How to Make Gingerbread Christmas Pancakes
Prep: Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium heat (or use a hot griddle) and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Step 1: Mix flour, pudding powder, baking powder. cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, and brown sugar together in a medium bowl.
- Step 2: In a separate small bowl, mix egg, milk, oil and vanilla.
- Step 3: Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Step 4: Pour about a ½ cup pancake batter into pan (I use an 8 inch pan) to desired size of pancake, depending on how big you like your pancakes and the size of your pan. When bubbles start to appear and break through on the surface, flip the pancake.
- Step 5: Then cook on other side until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter until it's all gone.
Top Tips
Uniform Pancakes -If you want all your pancakes to be uniform and the same size, cook them individually in an 8-inch frying pan. You can get them close to the same size by cooking them on a griddle or in a larger frying pan and measuring the exact same amount of batter (I used ⅓- ½ cup for these)
Extra Fluffy Pancakes - add an extra egg for extra fluffy pancakes!
👪 Serving Size
This holiday pancakes recipe makes 7 - 8 inch fluffy pancakes. You can double or triple this recipe adjusting the serving size on the recipe card. Just click on the serving size and select the number of servings you’d like and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly.
🥗 What to serve with Christmas Pancakes
This easy recipe for gingerbread pancakes pairs well with crispy bacon or sausages or turkey bacon or turkey sausages and my Cranberry Christmas Brunch Punch! They also go well with this Fresh Fruit Salad (shown).
🌡️Storage
- Fridge: These fluffy gingerbread pancakes can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days, in the fridge. Keep the cranberry compote stored in a separate container in the fridge for the same length of time.
- Freezer: leftover pancakes for up to 3 months. I recommend you freeze them flat and only stack them in 2 on top of each other in a Ziplock freezer bag or airtight container. Ideally, it's best if you put parchment paper between the layers. Freeze the cranberry compote separately, in an airtight container as well for up to 3 months
- Reheat: you can reheat the pancakes in the oven at 300ºF/180ºC for approximately 10 minutes. Alternatively, use a toaster oven or microwave, in 30-second increments until heated through.
❔Recipe FAQ's
You are either making them too big (more than ½ cup of batter) or cooking them on higher heat than they should be cooked at. Cook the pancakes on medium to medium-low heat or they will cook to fast on the outside and not cook on the inside.
Baking powder and/or baking soda are leaveners that makes pancakes fluffy. You can also add another egg to make it extra fluffy.
Gingerbread really is the ideal festive flavor for the holiday season! And this pancake is the perfect Christmas breakfast!
So if you're looking for delicious Christmas pancake ideas or gingerbread pancakes for a special breakfast or Christmas brunch, you will love these Gingerbread Christmas Pancakes with pudding!
And if you love gingerbread pancakes, try my Strawberry Gingerbread Pancake Cupcakes!
📋 More Christmas Gingerbread Recipes
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📋 Gingerbread Christmas Pancakes (with cranberry compote) Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ 175 g -pkg cook and serve butterscotch pudding
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cranberry Compote
- 3 cups frozen cranberries
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Garnish
- whipped cream
- maple syrup
Instructions
Gingerbread Pudding Pancakes
- Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray
- Mix flour, dry pudding powder, baking powder. cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda and brown sugar together in a large bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ 175 g -pkg cook and serve butterscotch pudding, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, oil and vanilla.1 large egg, 2 cups milk, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter (about ⅓ cup ) into pan to desired size of pancake, depending on how big you like your pancakes and the size of your pan.
- When bubbles appear on surface, then flip and cook on other side until lightly brown.
- Repeat with remaining batter until all gone.
Cranberry Compote
- In a saucepan, bring the cranberries, sugar, and water to a boil.3 cups frozen cranberries, 1 cup white granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
- Reduce heat to medium high and add vanilla and orange zest, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the compote is syrupy.2 teaspoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add the cornstarch to 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add to compote and cook for 2-3 more minutes or until it thickens slightly.1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Let cool and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 30 minutes.
Notes
- These fluffy gingerbread pancakes can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days, in the fridge. Keep the cranberry compote stored in a separate container in the fridge for the same length of time.
- Freeze leftover pancakes for up to 3 months. I recommend you freeze them flat and only stack them in 2 on top of each other in a Ziplock freezer bag or airtight container. Ideally, it's best if you put parchment paper between the layers.
- Freeze the cranberry compote separately, in an airtight container as well.
Laura
These gingerbread pancakes were SOOO delicious!!! I even made some homemade gingerbread syrup to go with them! Kids loved em!!
Terri Gilson
I’m so glad you loved them, Laura! And I love the gingerbread syrup idea!Thanks for taking the time to leg me know!
Laura
Hi, I was going to make these.... can I substitute the milk for buttermilk instead?
Terri Gilson
Hi Laura,
That should be okay, but I would leave out the baking powder. See this article: https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-substitute-buttermilk-for-milk-in-pancakes/
I'd love to know how they turn out!
Happy holidays!
Terri
Denise@urbnspice
I absolutely agree about the over-use of cloves and molasses, and I would also add nutmeg to that list. I am so glad that you have come up with a fantastic idea for gingerbread pancakes with the perfect balance of spices - the addition of the pudding is brilliant! I will be sure to try them over the holiday season. They sound fantastic, Terri! Happy Holidays!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Denise! Yes, totally agree with nutmeg!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
As soon as November hits, I'm all about the gingerbread goodies. That includes pancakes! I just know I'd love these!! Definitely happy that you made ginger the life of the party with these!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Katherine! Yes, haha ginger is definitely the life of the party!
Allison
Oh my goodness! I didn’t think that it was possible to be hungry again right after breakfast, but your photos have done it. The idea of using butterscotch pudding in pancakes is so intriguing; I never would have thought to do it myself. And the cranberry compote is such a tasty and festive touch. I can’t wait to give these a try this weekend. 🙂
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Allison!
Isabelle @ Crumb
I am totally here for the no-molasses and no-cloves gingerbread! Not that I have anything against either of those ingredients, but I agree with you that they can be a little overpowering. I'm very intrigued by the use of butterscotch pudding... super-excited to try this one out!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Isabelle - I hope you enjoy it!
Scarlet at Family Focus Blog
Wow. These gingerbread pancakes sound like the perfect holiday treat. Great idea. Thanks for the yummy holiday recipe.
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Scarlet!
Colleen
Although I do like molasses and cloves, I agree that some recipes go overboard. Like you, I think the ginger should be the star of the gingerbread. 🙂 These pancakes look amazing!