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Pumpkin pancake is one of my favourite dessert. It can be easily made and stored to be eaten at a later time. While pumpkin is more available in the Autumn, if you are able to buy in year round, you can make this anytime. It has natural sweetness so you don’t need to add a lot of sugar to it. It’s also a great snack for kids or breakfast on the go for those busy days.

Ingredients

There are only three ingredients in this recipe (pumpkin, sugar and glutinous rice flour). Most of the time it can be bought at any grocery store. The only ingredient that you may need to get at a specialty store is the glutinous rice flour. It’s basically ground up glutinous rice. The rice flour gives the pancake a chewy texture, similar to mochi. I personally love the chewy texture so this is one of my favourite snacks.

Glutinous rice flour that can be found in a grocery store.
Glutinous rice flour

The pumpkin I used is actually a type of squash (pumpkin are considered part of squash family). This particular squash is called Kabocha which is a Japanese squash. I found the texture to be more dense and less watery which makes the pancake more solid and not overly runny. If you did use other pumpkins, I would add a bit more glutinous rice flour and sugar as the taste might be too bland. Make sure to add it slowly to avoid overly dry dough which will be tough.

Pro tip

  • When scooping out the flesh, the peel might break apart, be gentle so you don’t include the peel into the mixture
  • When pan frying use medium low to low heat. If cooked on higher heat, the pancake can burn on the outside and under cook on the inside
Pumpkin pancake on plate

Pumpkin pancake

A different way of cooking pumpkin
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Breakfast
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g Kabocha
  • 30 g granulated sugar
  • 200 g glutinous rice flour
  • oil for pan frying

Instructions
 

  • Cut the kabocha in half and take out the seeds.
    Steamed kabocha (Japanese squash)- alternative to pumpkins
  • Put the kabocha into a steamer (bamboo or steel) for 20 min on medium high, until a knife or fork pokes through easily
  • Take the Kabocha out and let it cool down, about 10-15 minutes
  • Scoop out the flesh and discard the outer peel. Mash using a fork or potato masher
    Mashed kabocha (Japanese squash)
  • add in sugar and glutinous rice flour. Hand mix until all the rice flour is incorporated.
    Kabocha (Japanese squash) pancake dough
  • Break and roll the Kabocha dough into roughly 30g pieces (about 17 balls).
    kabocha glutinous rice dough rolled into balls for pancakes
  • Flatten them into 5cm or 2 inches pancake.
  • Turn the heat to medium low. Brush a bit of oil on a bottom of a frying pan. Pan fry them on each side for about 1 minute
    Kabocha dough flattened into pancake and fried
  • Take them out and they can be eaten right away or stored in the fridge in a container. If you want to eat it again, I would reheat it in the microwave for about 20-30s depending on the microwave.
    Finished Pumpkin (kabocha) pancakes
Keyword pancake

Filled pumpkin pancake

If you have any filling like taro cream or red bean paste, it can be added as a filling for this pancake. When you do add the filling, make sure to roll the dough into round pancake. Then put a small amount of filling and slowly fold the edges together and roll it into a ball. You can gently flatten it and pan fry it. Hope you enjoy this quick recipe!