Carrot Cake Pancakes

Indulge in fluffy carrot cake pancakes that make weekends special. Perfectly spiced and really easy to make, they make the ultimate breakfast, brunch or dessert treat.

Also try carrot Bundt cake, carrot roll cake, 3-ingredient banana pancakes, delicious sheet pan buttermilk pancakes, or pancake nachos.

Why You’ll Love It

So delicious: With hints of warm and earthy spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, the fluffy carrot cake pancakes are so good. And the vanilla almond sauce is also very tasty.
Easy to make: Apart from mixing up the batter and whipping up the sauce, there’s nothing else to do apart from cook them and eat them!
Can prepare them ahead: Make the pancake batter the evening before, to save time the following morning.
Customize the flavors: You can change up the add-ins, use different spices or even serve them with a different sauce. Making your own pancakes means you have full control of what goes into them.

Carrot Pancake Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Self-rising flour: This whole wheat flour is the main ingredient in the pancake batter.
Light brown sugar: This adds sweetness and lends to that traditional carrot cake flavor.
Ground cinnamon: A classic for carrot cake.
Ground nutmeg: For a hint of warm spice.
Ground ginger: Ginger is another classic carrot cake spice.
Eggs: Using room temperature eggs allows them to be incorporated into the batter more easily.
Whole milk: Any milk or nondairy milk will work
Salted butter: Or use unsalted plus a pinch of salt.
Vanilla extract: Adds to the warmth and complexity of these pancakes
Finely grated carrots: It’s important to hand grate the carrots rather than using a food processor or buying pre-shredded carrots at the store. Processing the carrots can lead to them becoming overprocessed and watery and the pre-shredded carrots can be undercooked.
Raisins: Optional but good. I love using golden raisins, but any raisins will do.
Walnuts pieces: Also optional but they add a nice crunch. Chopped pecans would be amazing too. If you can only find whole walnuts, put them in a bag and give them a few good whacks with a rolling pin to crush them into smaller pieces.
Cream cheese: This gives richness and a bit of tang to the sauce.
Maple syrup: I used pure maple syrup but pancake syrup would work too
Almond extract: This really brings out the flavor of the walnuts if you choose to use them. If you don’t have almond extract or aren’t using almonds, you can omit it.

How to Make Carrot Cake Pancakes

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Prepare the pancake batter: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients – eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Grate your carrots (I love this grater!) Stir the carrots into the batter, along with the raisins and walnuts if using. Let the batter rest.
Prepare the sauce: Whip the sauce ingredients together using a hand mixer. Set the cream cheese mixture to one side while you cook the pancakes.
Cook the pancakes: Pour scoops of batter on to a hot, greased skillet or griddle, cooking for a few minutes on each side over a medium heat.
Plate up and serve hot: Serve the pancakes with the sauce, garnishing with more raisins and/or walnuts if liked.

Substitutions and Variations

Self-rising flour: Make your own by combining 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder with 2 cups of all-purpose flour.
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free self-rising flour. If you can’t find it, use regular gluten-free flour and add 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder to it.
Salted butter: If using unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon salt to the batter.
Add fruit: Make banana pancakes by adding sliced bananas or some mashed banana to the batter.

Serving Suggestions

For brunch: Add a generous pat of butter or a drizzle of maple syrup over the pancakes. Pair them with savory breakfast items like bacon, eggs benedict, breakfast burritos, or even biscuits and gravy casserole.
For dessert: Enjoy them with a scoop of homemade ice cream or some whipped cream. You could even pair them with a piece of actual carrot cake or crumble some over the top of the sauce.

How to Store Carrot Cake Pancakes

Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: Add them to a sheet tray in a single layer and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then, transfer the pancakes to a resealable plastic bag. Alternatively, you can stack them unfrozen with parchment paper between each pancake. Freeze pancakes for up to 2 months.
Thaw: Defrost the pancakes in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for an hour or so.
Reheat: You can warm them back up in a skillet on the stove or microwave them.