Carrot cake pancakes

These carrot cake pancakes taste just like the classic dessert but they're much quicker to make, lower in fat and perfect for breakfast.

They're also high in fibre and have a gorgeous, nutty texture, thanks to the addition of chopped pecans in the batter.

To make the carrot cake pancake batter, you'll whisk eggs, light brown sugar (for caramel tones) and milk together, followed by wholemeal self-raising flour and mixed spice, which brings those classic warm cinnamon flavours.

Finally, you'll fold in chopped pecans and grated carrot and your batter is ready to fry up into these beautiful, light and fluffy carrot cake pancakes. They're amazing!

Here's the full recipe, complete with step-by-step photographs to help you get every stage of the process absolutely spot on.

Instructions

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar.

Whisk to combine.

Add the flour.

Stir with your whisk to a smooth, thick paste. Stick to whisking in one direction only when making batter - this will help avoid lumps.

Add the mixed spice.

Stir through with your whisk.

Add the milk, a little at a time gently whisking as you go.

Once all the milk is incorporated, you should have a thick, smooth batter.

Add the grated carrot and chopped pecans.

Stir through. 

Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Warm a little butter in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon tablespoons of the carrot cake pancake batter into the pan - make sure to space them far enough apart that they don't merge. 

Cook for about 1 minute until golden underneath, then flip and cook for another 30 second or so until golden brown on both sides, risen and cooked through. 

Transfer the carrot cake pancakes to a plate as you go. You should get approximately 20 in all. Stack the pancakes up to serve.

They’re great with honey, maple syrup, golden syrup or a sprinkling of sugar.

Enjoy your delicious breakfast!

Pointers, tricks and troubleshooting tips for the perfect Carrot cake pancakes

Are Carrot cake pancakes easy to make?

These carrot cake pancakes are so quick and easy to whip up, I’m sure they’ll be an everyday breakfast favourite! 

While these pancakes sound more complex to make than classic pancakes, it’s really very simple. You’ll make a straightforward pancake batter and then add some spices, grated carrot and pecans for that iconic carrot cake taste.

They only take 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook, meaning you can have a hearty and filling breakfast in under 30 minutes.

Will I need any special equipment to make Carrot cake pancakes?

This recipe only requires a bowl, some utensils, a pan and a grater. So not only is it quick and easy to make, but it’s also quick and easy to wash up afterwards!

There's always a complete list of suggested equipment on the recipe card below my recipes if you're in doubt. In addition, I always include links to example products, to show exactly what I used to make each recipe.

Pecans are so expensive where I live! Can I use something else? 

Pecan plants take 10 years to grow and produce fruit. So the price of pecans reflects the lengthy process of growing and harvesting them. Equally, pecans are super popular, so the demand often outweighs the global supply. 

It’s easy to see why pecans are so in demand - they’re so buttery and flavourful, they’re probably one of the best tasting nuts. Plus they’re so good for you! 

All of this makes the sky high prices so infuriating. So if you can’t find any pecans, or the price is astronomical at the moment, feel free to substitute them. Walnuts or Brazil nuts are closest in taste and texture, but they tend to be expensive too. So peanuts would work well as a  more affordable replacement.

How can I tell if milk has gone off?

Spoiled milk is easy to spot (or smell!). 

You should never use milk that is past its Sell By/Use By date. Spoiled dairy can make you very sick if you eat it, so it’s always best to use fresh milk. 

When milk has spoiled you can usually tell from the smell. It should smell sour or smell pretty terrible. Sometimes I find that very cold spoiled milk can smell ok, but it will have a sour taste. So give your milk a little taste before you use it, just in case its spoiled anyway. 

If your milk has really spoiled you can usually tell by looking at the carton. When milk spoils, carbon dioxide is released by the process of bacteria breaking down the fat and protein. This gas expands the air inside the carton, causing it to puff up like a balloon. So if your carton looks like that, you’ll want to discard it immediately without opening it.

How can I tell if eggs have gone off?

It's always best to use fresh eggs, as they can behave differently in recipes as they get older and their quality declines. 

Eggs lose water content as they get older, which means an older egg will be thicker. So for a recipe like Carrot cake pancakes, where water content is key, it’s important to use fresh eggs so you don't end up with dry pancakes.

If your egg has any external cracks, or the inside has any discolouration, odd appearance, or a strange or foul odour, it is most likely rotten.

To avoid cross-contamination, you should wash your hands before and after handling eggs. If your egg has spoiled you should immediately discard it and thoroughly wash anything it may have come into contact with.

Float test

If you aren't sure if your eggs are fresh, you can place an egg in a cup or bowl of water to see if it sinks or floats. This is called a float test. If it floats, the egg has definitely spoiled, as it has excess gas within. 

However, sometimes a spoiled egg can sink, so you should still check your egg separately before adding it to a recipe.

It's best to crack your eggs into a separate bowl or cup so you can check the egg for any broken shell fragments. It also enables you to check that the egg is fresh and safe to use.

Storage

In the UK, it's recommended that eggs are kept consistently below 20C, which means it's best to keep them in the fridge at home. Sell By/ Use By dates are estimated based on the correct storage. So if your eggs aren’t stored correctly they may spoil quickly. 

So make sure you consult your local advice for the best way to keep your eggs as fresh and safe as possible.

Egg safety is crucial if you're cooking for someone in a vulnerable or at-risk group, such as older people, people living with health conditions, or a pregnant person.

A Mummy Too does not give medical advice. Please consult with your medical professional.

How can I tell if butter has gone off?

First, check your butter is within its ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use By’ dates. The Best Before date is a guideline to indicate the quality of the food, whereas a Use By date tells you when a food is no longer safe to eat. 

However, if food isn’t stored according to packet instructions, it may be unsafe to eat at an earlier point than the Use By date. So always check your butter for the following points:

• Make sure the butter has been stored correctly: When butter is exposed to warmth, light and air it will start to oxidise and spoil. So it’s best to store butter in a sealed container in the fridge. Butter absorbs flavour and smell, so it’s also a good idea to keep butter in a sealed container to keep it safe from odours from the fridge.
• Check that there is no colour change. Butter should be a pale yellow, with no inconsistencies. If your butter is darker or has translucent patches, it’s most likely spoiled.
• Mould. If butter has spoiled, or has crumbs and other contaminants, it can grow mould. It’s a firm warning sign that your butter is no longer safe to use.
• Smell. Spoiled butter will smell rancid, similar to spoiled milk.
• Fizziness. If your butter looks and smells fine, still try it before adding it to a recipe. Spoiled butter will have a strange fizzy sort of texture or mouthfeel.

Are Carrot cake pancakes suitable for vegetarians?

Yes! This recipe is completely vegetarian. So feel free to enjoy it as a way to pack in more vitamins in your veggie or omni diet.

However, make sure that you double-check any sauces that you intend to serve with your recipe. Animal-derived ingredients can sneak into the most unsuspecting products!

Are Carrot cake pancakes suitable for vegans?

This Carrot cake pancake recipe contains eggs and dairy, so it isn’t vegan as is. However, the batter should be easy to adapt for a vegan diet as you only need to swap the eggs and milk.

For the milk, you can use the same quantity of plant based milk. When I make vegan recipes, I tend to use unsweetened soy milk as it behaves similarly to dairy milk - though feel free to use the plant-based milk of your choice. 

Most supermarkets have dozens of plant-based milk substitutes available in the refrigerator aisles. Soy, oat and almond milk are all fairly neutral tasting and suitable for baking and cooking.

For the eggs, you'll need to use a vegan replacement. You can usually buy pre-prepared vegan egg replacements in most supermarkets, health food stores or from Amazon. It usually comes in a powdered format, and you have to add a little water to it. 

However, there are also some really simple homemade egg replacers that I often use. Each of the below suggestions is equal to one egg. My personal preference for pancakes is crushed chia seeds, but all of these suggestions should work:

• 1 tablespoon of crushed chia seeds or flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water or plant milk and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
• 3 tablespoons of aquafaba. Aquafaba is the water you get in a tin of chickpeas - yes, chickpeas! Don't worry. It won't taste like hummus.
• 3 tablespoons of applesauce (bear in mind this will add sweetness).

For this pancake recipe, you may want to add a spoonful of vegan yoghurt to make up the water content to the same as a real egg. This is especially relevant if you use chia seeds, as they absorb up to 10 x their size in water.

For frying, you can just use a neutral oil instead of butter, though I prefer to use plant butter for the buttery taste. I use Flora’s Plant butter, but any vegan butter or spread will work fine. 

Brands like Violife, Naturli and Flora are available in supermarkets throughout Europe. However, you might need to go to a health food store like Whole Foods in the US and Australia.

My full Vegan chia seed pancake recipe should help if you need any more advice or tips.

Let me know how you get on in the comments below if you give a vegan version of this recipe a try!

Are Carrot cake pancakes gluten-free?

These Carrot cake pancakes aren’t gluten-free, but they should be easy to adapt to a gluten-free diet.

The only ingredient containing gluten is wheat flour. So all you need to do is substitute the wheat flour for gluten-free flour. You could use plain gluten-free flour like this one from Doves Farm. However, for this recipe, a buckwheat or almond flour could really compliment the flavour of the carrots. 

You can usually find gluten-free flours, like buckwheat or almond, in the baking aisle of your local supermarket. Some stores keep gluten-free flours on the Free From aisle, or with the fried fruit and nuts.

This recipe calls for self-raising flour, so if you use gluten-free flour, make sure to add ½ teaspoon of gluten-free baking powder to compensate.

Double check all of your ingredients labels to make sure that they are gluten-free. Don't forget to check anything extra that you intend to serve the recipe with.

Are Carrot cake pancakes keto-friendly?

Sorry, this Carrot cake pancake recipe contains a fair amount of carbohydrates and sugar, so it isn’t suitable for a ketogenic diet. 

Unfortunately, carrots are one of the worst vegetables for a keto diet, as they contain a high amount of natural sugar and carbohydrates.

Are Carrot cake pancakes healthy?

These Carrot cake pancakes are relatively healthy, if you skip the syrup. I wouldn’t recommend eating them every morning, as they contain a bit of sugar. But pancakes are often more healthy than many high sugar breakfast cereals!

Are Carrot cake pancakes safe to eat while pregnant?

If you fully cook your pancakes, there’s nothing in this recipe that would be a risk to someone pregnant. 

As long as you make sure that all of your ingredients are in good condition and that you prepare your pancakes safely then they would make a great breakfast.

In the UK, pregnant people can eat British Lion stamped eggs raw or runny! So if you use British Lion Eggs you should be safe even if you undercook your pancakes - though they’ll taste best cooked properly of course!

A Mummy Too does not offer medical advice. Please seek help from a medical professional if you need further information or have any concerns.

What goes well with Carrot cake pancakes?

I serve these pancakes with a big drizzle of syrup, but you could take inspiration from carrot cake and serve them with cream and chopped nuts. 

Or some lightly whipped cream cheese, mascarpone or ricotta would work brilliantly dolloped on top of a stack of fluffy Carrot cake pancakes. 

Can I make the Carrot cake pancakes without carrots?

Err, you could - but then they wouldn’t be Carrot cake pancakes! If you don’t have any carrots, but you want to make something similar, you could try making my Sweet potato pancake recipe.

Or, for something with a nutty deep flavour but no added veg, you could try my making Spelt pancake recipe.

Can I add extra chocolate to this recipe?

There’s no such thing as too much chocolate in my books. If you want to add some chocolate chips to this recipe go ahead! One handful in the batter would probably work well. Though take care not to fry the pancakes too high or the chocolate could burn.

You could also drizzle some melted chocolate on top of your Carrot cake pancakes.

How should I store Carrot cake pancakes?

These Carrot cake pancakes are best served fresh from the pan, but they should also keep well in the fridge.

If you’re planning to store and reheat your pancakes later, you should cook them as the recipe states, then let them cool completely. Once cooled, pack any leftover pancakes into an airtight container and put it into the fridge within 2 hours.

How long will Carrot cake pancakes keep?

Your Carrot cake pancakes should keep for up to two days, though they'll be at their best as fresh as possible. They will most likely start to turn soggy quite quickly, so it’s better to eat them fresh.

Can I leave Carrot cake pancakes out on the counter?

No, you should seal up and refrigerate your Carrot cake pancakes to avoid them from getting stale, contaminated or covered in flies!

Can I make Carrot cake pancakes ahead?

These Carrot cake pancakes take less than 20 minutes to prepare and cook, so if you can I’d recommend cooking them fresh. 

However, you can make them up to 2 days ahead and store them in the fridge in an airtight container. Then simply warm them up in the pan on a low heat before serving as normal.

I wouldn't recommend making the batter in advance as the raising agents in the self-raising flour will become less effective the longer the mix sits. So if you use old pancake batter, you'll end up with dense pancakes

Can I keep Carrot cake pancakes in the refrigerator?

Yes, the best place to keep your pancakes is in the fridge. Though make sure that you store them inside an airtight container so they aren’t exposed to any contaminants.

Can I freeze Carrot cake pancakes?

Yes, these Carrot cake pancakes should freeze really well. 

The best way to freeze pancakes is: 

• Make sure the pancakes are completely cooled.
• Once cooled, put them into a sealed container in flat layers.
• Place sheets of baking paper between each layer of pancakes to stop them from sticking together.
• Seal the container and label it with the date.

Make sure to freeze your pancakes within a couple of hours of making them so they’re at their best when you freeze them.

What is the best way to defrost Carrot cake pancakes?

The best way to defrost your whole container of pancakes is to transfer the container from the freezer to the fridge. Leave the container for around 6-8 hours and then reheat them on low-medium heat in a pan.

Or if you just want to defrost 1 pancake, pop it into a sandwich bag or sealed container and leave it in the fridge for an hour. Then reheat as above.

Can I make these Carrot cake pancakes in a different quantity?

These pancakes cook individually, so if you want to make more or less then that’s completely fine! The cooking time won’t be affected by the change in recipe size.

There are plenty of free recipe conversion calculators available online that you can use to make less or more of your Carrot cake pancakes. All the ingredient quantities will update automatically for you so that everything is in the right ratios.

Can I make these Carrot cake pancakes as one big pancake?

I wouldn’t advise it. It would be difficult to flip one big pancake, but it would also take much longer to cook and you’d most likely burn the outside before the inside cooks properly.

Can I make Carrot cake pancakes in a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood Mixer?

You could use a stand mixer to whisk the sugar and eggs together, but I would recommend mixing in the rest of the ingredients by hand. As a stand mix might break the carrots or nuts down more than you need for this recipe.

Can I make Carrot cake pancakes with a food processor?

A food processor would be too powerful for this recipe. You’d end up with a sort of fried carrot and flour smoothie - yuck!

How can I make sure my Carrot cake pancakes turn out perfectly?

The most important points to watch for perfect pancakes are:

• Make sure you have the correct ingredients and ratios. If your pancakes are too wet they won’t cook properly and will burn outside while remaining raw inside. If they’re too dry it will be like eating a placemat.
• When you mix your batter, make sure not to overmix the flour. This will knock the air out of the batter and activate the gluten. This is why it’s best to mix it by hand, rather than using a stand mixer.
• Make sure not to cook the pancakes on very high heat. The pancakes will burn quickly on the outside while remaining raw on the inside.
• Equally, pay attention to the time. These pancakes should only take 1 min 30 seconds (or 2 minutes at the most) to cook.

Why did my Carrot cake pancakes turn out dry/crumbly?

If your Carrot cake pancakes have turned out dry, then it’s most likely because they are overcooked or you didn't add enough milk.

However, the pancake batter should be quite wet, and the carrots will add extra moisture. So it’s highly unlikely that they will dry out while cooking, unless you cook them for a very, very long time.

Why did my Carrot cake pancakes turn out wet/soft/dense?

If your Carrot cakes are still very wet after the cooking time is over, they’re not cooked yet. So try cooking them for a little longer on a lower heat. You could also put a lid over the pan to help keep the heat in.

If they’re really wet and soft, then it may be that you’ve added too much milk, or that you didn’t add enough flour. 

To avoid any mix-ups like this in the future, it’s best to measure out all of your ingredients before you begin cooking. Then place your measured ingredients into individual pots and lay them out in front of you. That way you’ll know you have exactly what needs to be added to the mix.

Why didn’t my Carrot cake pancakes rise?

If your pancakes didn’t rise, it could be down to two issues.

First, the raising agents in your self-raising flour may be ineffective. This can happen when flour gets old, or if it isn't stored properly. Even if your flour is in date, it will become ineffective if it's left open in the cupboard. 

Your pancakes might also stay flat if the batter is overmixed. Over-mixing the batter can knock the air out of it. It also activates the gluten in the flour, which can cause the batter to become tough.

So if you give this recipe another try, make sure that you use fresh, correctly stored flour and that you don't overmix your batter.

How can I add/change the flavours in these Carrot cake pancakes?

The best way to add flavours to this Carrot cake pancakes recipe is to use something dry like spices. This will ensure you don’t change the texture or composition of the batter too much. I used mixed spice, but something like allspice or just nutmeg would work well too. 

Or, you could swap the pecans for another nut or add sesame seeds for a different flavour. You can also add flavour to the topping you choose. As I mentioned before, these pancakes would go well with something creamy. So you could use some citrus zest and whipped cream or ricotta for some extra freshness.

Where is the origin of Carrot cake?

Carrot cake as we know it today is believed to be an English invention. Carrots are naturally sweet, so they have been used as a way of sweetening food since the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until the last 200 years that sugar has been widely available in Europe, so many cooks improvised with ingredients like carrots or sugar beets.

The use of carrots in cake had a surge in popularity in the UK during WW2, due to the shortages of supplies like sugar. So recipes closest to the carrot cake recipes we use now first appeared around that period.

Print this carrot cake pancakes recipe

If you enjoyed this recipe why not check out some of my other pancake recipes.

Pin this carrot cake pancakes recipe

More pancake recipes to try