Sweet Potato Pancakes

These hearty sweet potato pancakes are a cozy fall breakfast option, blending nutritious sweet potatoes with the indulgence of chocolate chips. They’re filling, easy to make, and perfect for using up leftover mashed sweet potatoes. With just the right amount of spice and a touch of sweetness, these pancakes are a great way to kick off your morning. Pair them with a drizzle of maple syrup and a pat of butter for a comforting, delicious start to your day.

This sweet potato pancake recipe dates back to almost exactly 11 years ago when we were weeks away from a move that never ended up happening and temporarily living with my parents (which thankfully also never happened). I had completely forgotten about that whole situation until reading this old post (before I deleted it all for this update).

Life’s weird. In retrospect, I’m glad that move fell through. Even though at the time, I had grand plans for an amazing kitchen renovation in what would’ve been our new house. I even bought my dream stove ahead of the move that we ended up selling on eBay for something like 50% of what we paid. Sadly, these sweet potato pancakes never got to be made on it.

As I update this post, it’s officially the first day of fall. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for a fall-esque stack of pancakes made with mashed sweet potato, chocolate chips and hearty oats.

I’m a big fan of this recipe because it’s not as dramatically fall as pumpkin pancakes, but it’s still firmly in the “colder weather is here, let’s get cozy” camp.

They’re hearty, perfectly spiced, subtly sweet and incredibly fluffy and flavorful. I can’t think of a better way to start a weekend morning (or weekday if you’re ambitious and did some meal-prepping) than with a stack of these on my plate. I like to enjoy them drizzled with maple syrup and a pat of butter with some cinnamon flavored Greek yogurt on the side.

Why You Should Make These

• Low sugar — The natural sweetness of the cooked sweet potato reduces the need for added sugar in this recipe. There’s just a touch of brown sugar used in the batter.
• Filling and nutritious — The fiber from the sweet potatoes makes these filling and hearty. Using oat flour also adds both fiber and protein.
• Use up leftovers — If you have leftover mashed sweet potatoes from dinner, these pancakes are a great way to repurpose them into breakfast.
• Easy to make — With just 5 minutes of prep time, these come together in minutes. If you have a large pancake griddle, you can even cook these all at once and the whole recipe will be ready in under 15 minutes.

Sweet Potato Pancake Ingredients

Mashed sweet potatoes: Of course, you’ll need cooked sweet potatoes to make this recipe. There’s a few options here: use leftover mashed potatoes, cook a raw sweet potato in the microwave until soft, then scoop out the flesh and mash or, use canned mashed sweet potato. In this sweet potato brownie recipe, I also explain a quick way to boil them for use in baking recipes.

Dry ingredients: These include oat flour, white whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and chocolate chips.

Wet ingredients: Includes mashed sweet potato, milk, egg, applesauce, coconut oil and vanilla extract.

How To Make This Sweet Potato Pancake Recipe

Like most pancake recipes, these are made by mixing the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry ingredients in another, then combining them into a thick batter before folding in the chocolate chips.

Mix the batter

Combine the mashed sweet potato, milk, egg, applesauce, coconut oil and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk until everything is well combined and smooth.

Stir together the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix the batter.

Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.

Cook the pancakes

Heat a non-stick skillet or pancake griddle over medium heat. Once hot, grease with a bit of butter or spray. Spoon the batter onto the cooking surface in approximately quarter cup increments and form into a circle.

My Pro Tip

Recipe Tip

The batter will be a bit thick so you’ll likely have to spread the pancakes into a circle using the back of a spoon or spatula.

Cook until you see bubbles forming in the middle of the pancake and the edges are set. Flip once the bottom of the pancake is golden brown and cook on the other side until heated through.

Serve

When it comes to pancakes, how you serve them is the best part! Serve these with a pat of butter, maple syrup and additional chocolate chips if desired.

Tips, Tricks and Variations

• Try using leftover mashed purple potatoes for a fun twist on sweet potato pancakes.
• Swap out chocolate chips for walnuts or pecans. Or, add both!
• You can make this same recipe with mashed pumpkin or squash if you don’t have sweet potatoes. Maple baked acorn squash, carnival squash or roasted buttercup squash are all great options. If you prefer a classic pumpkin pancake, we have three options: a paleo pumpkin pancake recipe, pumpkin protein pancakes and oatmeal pumpkin pancakes.
• Don’t overmix. Too much mixing leads to dense pancakes. If you want light and fluffy pancakes, you have to resist the urge to mix!
• Add more spices. This recipe is light on the fall spices, but if you want to amp up those flavors, add nutmeg, cloves and ginger to the batter. This sweet potato waffle recipe has a great mix of warm fall spices in it you can copy.
• Try dried fruit. Instead of chocolate chips or nuts, dried fruit like cranberries, cherries and figs all complement the flavor of sweet potato really well.

Storage and Reheating

This recipe makes 2 servings but I often double it and store the leftovers for another breakfast or two later in the week. When storing the pancakes, keep them in an airtight container or storage bag, but only after they’ve cooled completely. They’ll last about one week.

You can reheat them in a microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel or throw them on the stovetop in a skillet for a minute until warmed through.

Sweet potato pancakes freeze well too. Once they’ve cooled down completely, they can be frozen in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight then reheat as previously stated.

More Sweet Potato Baked Goods

These sweet potato bars, this sweet potato raisin bread or whole wheat sweet potato banana muffins are all fall favorites. They make wonderful options for breakfast, snacks or even dessert.