These Apple Cinnamon Pancakes are a delicious fall breakfast treat. They’re fluffy and easy to make with flour, grated apple, and cinnamon. Serve them with my warm spiced apple topping.

My family loves making pancakes for breakfast every Sunday morning. During the fall, we like to switch things up by making these apple cinnamon pancakes or my healthy pumpkin pancakes.

I first tried apple cinnamon pancakes at restaurant in Victoria, British Columbia. They were incredible and it inspired me to my own healthy version of apple cinnamon pancakes at home.

What makes these pancakes so delicious is the grated apple. It keeps the pancake moist and fluffy.

The key is to cook them slowly over medium-low heat so they can cook all the way through. You can enjoy them on their own or top them with my warm apple cinnamon topping.

Table of Contents

Apple Cinnamon Pancake Ingredients

Milk: I use whole milk for this recipe, but I’ve also had success with 2% milk or oat milk as a dairy-free option.

White vinegar: When the vinegar is combined with the milk, it curdles to create a buttermilk-like consistency. You can also use fresh lemon juice if you prefer.

Egg: This helps bind the ingredients together.

Brown sugar: This helps the pancakes to get nice and golden brown. I use brown sugar, but you can substitute with pure maple syrup if you prefer.

Vanilla extract: This gives the pancakes good flavor.

Butter: I use unsalted butter, which gives these pancakes great flavor. You can use salted butter, just make sure to leave out the added salt in the recipe.

Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. You can use whole wheat flour if you prefer.

Baking powder and baking soda: Using both baking powder and baking soda can help make the pancakes light and fluffy.

Cinnamon: I use Ceylon cinnamon. This gives the pancakes good flavor.

Salt: I use fine sea salt to help balance the flavors.

Grated apple: I recommend using a sweet apple such as Gala or Honeycrisp for these pancakes.

Stewed apple topping: My cinnamon apple topping is made with apples, salted butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon.

How to make cinnamon apple pancakes

Make the homemade buttermilk. In a large mixing bowl, add the milk and vinegar (or lemon juice if using). Stir together with a fork and let rest for 5 minutes. The milk will curdle slightly.

Mix the wet ingredients. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter to the homemade buttermilk mixture. Whisk to combine.

Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Use a whisk or fork to mix together until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Gently stir in the grated apple.

You want to make sure there are no dry clumps of flour stuck to the bottom of the bowl. It’s normal for the pancake batter to be slightly lumpy. AVOID OVERMIXING THE BATTER.

Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes. This allows the flour to fully hydrate and the batter to thicken, which will give you fluffier pancakes. During this time, you can preheat the skillet or griddle and get your pancake toppings ready.

Make the stewed apples. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the chopped or sliced apples, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and whole cloves.

Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft. Remove the cloves before serving.

Cook the pancakes. While the pancake batter is resting, heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, brush the skillet with melted butter, ghee, or cooking spray.

Scoop ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle to form a pancake. Depending on the size of your skillet or griddle, you may be able to fit 2 to 3 pancakes.

Cook until the edges of the pancake look set and you notice bubbles start to appear on the top, about 2-3 minutes. Confidently flip the pancake and let the other side cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the pancake is cooked through.

Serve and enjoy! Serve warm with the stewed apples and more maple syrup if desired.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

You can make the pancakes and stewed apple topping up to 3 days in advance. Keep them stored separately in an airtight container in the fridge. I like to reheat my pancakes in the toaster.

More delicious pancake recipes:

Please let me know how you like these Apple Cinnamon Panakes recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love these pancakes as much as I do.