Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Syrup

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Syrup, the name alone is enough to make me grin. That was a real breakfast treat.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

These pancakes really deserve their decadent name. With spicy notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, these taste surprisingly like carrot cake. I wasn’t expecting so much carrot flavor to shine through, but it does.

They taste amazing with the cream cheese syrup from the recipe below, and they taste wonderful when topped with my grandmother’s waffle sauce, too.

I enjoy these pancakes as much as I do the zucchini waffles we make all summer. These pancakes were a win for the whole family.

My baby managed to eat three of these pancakes while I made the rest of our breakfast. (Edited to add: This little baby turns 13 in a few months, so you can tell this is a LONG-TERM favorite.)

When I first made these, I baked a lot with whole wheat flour. And while I enjoyed the pancakes when we made them with wheat flour, if I’m honest I like them even better now when they’re made a little lighter and fluffier with all-purpose flour.

You could even split the difference and make them 50/50 with half whole wheat flour. Whether you make them with regular flour, whole wheat flour, or a mixture of both, I can promise you they’ll be delicious.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Making pancakes is a fairly simple process. It’s become such a routine for me that I do the same basic steps every time. Mix in your dry ingredients.

Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk together as well. Pour wet to dry and whisk – but don’t mix too vigorously.

I always add my mix-ins, in this case carrots, last. Stir just until combined. After mixing wet and dry pancake ingredients together, the baking soda will start working immediately, so be careful not to disrupt this process by over-mixing.

After the dough has rested for 5-10 minutes, the pancakes are ready for the griddle. It may vary but make sure the top of the batter is coated with small bubbles, this will help ensure the fluffiest pancakes.

For another fun breakfast with carrot cake flavors, try Carrot Cake Oatmeal next.

Homemade Pancake Supplies

If you make pancakes often, there’s nothing better than a great electric griddle to streamline the cooking process. A few years ago, when my 15 year old griddle finally died, I tested every single griddle I could get my hands on.

When I finally tried this extra large electric griddle, I knew I had found THE ONE. It’s a little pricey, but I’m telling you now, it hands down beats all the others.

This flexible nylon spatula is a must-have for making pancakes, as is a whisk. If you’re not familiar with the awesomeness of a pancake and waffle beater, you’re missing out. It’s a crazy looking tool, but it stirs the batter just enough without over-mixing it.

I’ve tried pretty much every nifty pancake pouring device, and I stand by a good ol’ measuring cup as the easiest way to make pancakes. I use the ¼ or ⅓ cup sizes for most pancake preparations – you can improvise for all kinds of sizes with this kit that I use every day.

carrot pancakes

Ingredients for pancakes

• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• sugar
• Cinammon
• nutmeg
• Ginger
• kosher salt
• buttermilk
• eggs
• shredded carrots
• vegetable oil or butter

Cream Cheese Syrup Ingredients

• Room with cream cheese
• maple syrup
• heavy cream

Pancake instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs.
2. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just to combine. Fold in the grated carrots, being careful not to overmix.
3. Heat a griddle or pan and heat just a little butter or oil in it. Pour the batter onto the griddle in ¼ cup portions. Cook over medium heat until the surface bubbles. Flip the pancakes and continue cooking until the second side is golden brown.

syrup instructions

1. In a medium bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese until smooth. Add the syrup and beat again to combine. Taste and add syrup until desired sweetness is achieved.
2. Add a squirt or two of heavy cream to the bowl and beat again until the syrup reaches a pourable consistency. If you prefer the syrup to be a little sweeter, you may not need the cream as it may already be thin enough to pour.
3. Serve the pancakes warm with syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.

Cream Cheese Syrup

As purist as I am and as much as I love real maple syrup on pancakes, I also love a variety of flavorful sauces or syrups to complement the pancake’s flavor.

Cream cheese frosting is a must on carrot cake for me, so it only made sense to create cream cheese maple syrup for these carrot cake pancakes. Whisk together the cream cheese and maple syrup, it really is that easy.

I mentioned my grandmother’s custard, which is amazing on waffles, but some of our other favorites include brown sugar syrup on applesauce pancakes. Buttermilk syrup adds a delicious caramel-like sweetness to pecan pancakes.

Sweet Orange Sauce has been a favorite part of our weekend breakfasts for as long as I can remember. My grandmother always served this sauce with her pancakes and crepes.

{originally posted 9/20/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 1/17/23}