Orange-Cardamom Pancakes Recipe (2024)

By Klancy Miller

Orange-Cardamom Pancakes Recipe (1)

Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(825)
Notes
Read community notes

It’s no wonder pancakes are a weekend staple: Their batter comes together in just 5 minutes using ingredients you’re likely to have on hand. Here, ground cardamom and fresh orange zest provide an aromatic boost that is sweet and addictive, but subtle enough that you can still pair your pancakes with any typical accompaniments. The recipe is plentiful enough for 12 full-size pancakes, or twice the number of mini pancakes if preparing brunch for a crowd. (As a bonus, the pancake base also doubles as a waffle batter.) A drizzle of maple syrup and a pat of butter are mandatory; a dollop of warmed orange marmalade or chopped Medjool dates would be rousing.

Learn: How to Make Pancakes

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Ingredients

Yield:12 pancakes (4 to 6 servings)

  • 2cups all-purpose flour
  • 2tablespoons granulated sugar
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • 2teaspoons ground cardamom
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • cups whole milk
  • 2eggs
  • 1teaspoon orange extract
  • 1tablespoon fresh orange zest
  • 3tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for greasing and serving
  • Maple syrup, for drizzling

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

281 calories; 10 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 308 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Orange-Cardamom Pancakes Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, orange extract, orange zest and 3 tablespoons melted butter until combined.

  2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix to combine using a large spoon or rubber spatula. Using a whisk or a handheld electric mixer on high speed, beat the batter until smooth, about 30 seconds.

  3. Step

    3

    Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium. Add butter for greasing, tilting the pan to coat the bottom. Working in batches, cook the pancakes, using about ⅓ cup batter for each. Cook each batch of pancakes until bubbly on top and golden-brown underneath, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook until golden-brown on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, adjusting the temperature and adding more butter as necessary.

  4. Step

    4

    Transfer pancakes to serving plates. Drizzle with maple syrup and top with butter, as desired.

Ratings

4

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825

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Enid Coleslaw

The orange and cardamom are such simple additions but made a nice difference. If you like both, the amounts of zest and cardamom can be easily doubled without them overpowering the pancakes. Also, no need for a mixer...a few quick stirs with a rubber spatula did the trick. Glad to have taken the advice of other commenters and happily substituted orange juice for orange essence.

Annie

I found the orange extract to be overpowering and somewhat chemical in nature. I would use orange juice or Cointreau next time instead. The cardamom is wonderful.

Liz Harris

I substituted fresh orange juice for orange extract. It was delicious.

Sabena

Followed the recipe but added half a teaspoon of Grand Marnier. Pancakes were delicious eaten with maple syrup and bacon. I would definitely make it again. It was a perfect brunch for Easter Sunday.

Hopsing

Good Flavor. I did make a few adjustments. Orange oil - as I keep that on hand. (See King Arthur Flour.com for other great uses), and utilized plain yogurt for 1/3 of the milk. I don't ever beat pancake batter with a mixer (whisk instead) as there is so little fat that it makes the end result on the tough side for me. That said, these are guest worthy and I will make them again. Any good pancake recipe with cardamom and orange zest and oil oil/extract would be a good blend.

Non dairy

I can't do dairy and all I had in hand was coconut cream. I thinned it with some carbonated water and the pancakes came out so fluffy. I do keep orange extract on hand, when I have a glut of oranges I cut off strips of zest and put it in a jar with vodka. I served the pancakes with a segmented orange and it's juice mixed with chopped dates and maple syrup. That syrup was amazing.

Raffi

To up the cardamom flavor, use fresh pods. Toast them in a dry skillet on medium heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan now and then. Let them cool, then remove and grind the seeds. I mucked up and toasted the seeds themselves, out of the pod, but still liked the results. You can put the empty pods in a French press to gently cardamomize your coffee.

sarah

These pancakes were delicious! I don’t have kids so I always forget about pancakes. I didn’t have anything in the house for breakfast so I thought oh pancakes are a great idea! Surprisingly I had all of the ingredients including orange extract. I did add more zest to the recipe but they came out delicious. For some reason I’ve been on a cardamom kick. The flavor combo of the cardamom and the orange is really good.

Michelle

I also substituted fresh juice for extract. Who keeps orange extract on hand? I also added a little vanilla extract. It was delicious and we will make it again. One batch fed two adults and one teen boy.

viv

Hello Shiv, perhaps you might have zested your orange too enthusiastically and caught the white pith bits below the zest. That part is bitter. About the stiffness and dryness, check out the comment by Hopsing below, you've likely over-beaten batter, the gluten got all worked up, so you lost the fluffy factor. :( I'm sure you'd find joy at your next attempt :)

Outstanding!

I used fresh orange juice and 1 and a half cups of white flour and a half cup of ground flaxseed to make them healthier, worked like a charm. Will definitely repeat.

Nick

I made these as written except substituting 2 tsp Cointreau for the 1 tsp orange extract. Flavor was good (more cardamom would’ve been too much) but texture was on the dry side. Served with a quick syrup made from boiled up chopped dates and walnuts in a little orange juice and plenty of maple syrup—great combination.

Lin

Delicious! Used cardamon seeds which I had to grind and a tad of oj as I didn't have any orange extract. Fantastic!

Maria

I used Fiori di Sicilia instead of orange extract and used one cup whole milk and one cup of buttermilk. I let the batter rest or about an hour. This made the lightest, tastiest waffles I've had in a long time.

Diana

Add unsweetened coconut flakes!

substitutions

We made these on a trip and forgot to pack the cardamom. Substituted some finely chopped candied ginger. And used extra zest and a tablespoon of fresh OJ instead of the extract. They were delicious.

Tess

I didn't have cardamom so I subbed for 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger. Turned out delicious - I thought they might be ok, they turned out being REALLY good. I also halved the recipe because I didn't need that much and still had leftovers, so it definitely feeds a lot.

Michael

The orange and cardamom make for a delicious combination of flavors—quite a refreshing mix for breakfast. We used a whole cara cara orange for the zest and half the orange for juice to replace the extract. The remaining portion of the orange we served alongside the pancakes as decoration.For a future iteration, I'd be interested in replacing a portion of the milk with buttermilk to give a slightly sour flavor.

michelem

I also make these with a Tbsp of pumpkin puree in place of the orange, and adding nutmeg and cinnamon for a nice fall Pumpkin Pancake.

chrissy

You know the first pancake of the batch - the wonky reject? Every pancake I make is a reject. My bad luck with flapjacks ends with this recipe.No wonky cakes here - only perfectly fluffy rounds of goodness with a crisp, golden halo. I didn’t even use clarified butter, or add an extra yolk. Can’t wait to make it as written. The secret is in the hot pan!

LC

Top with applesauce and chopped pecans and walnuts

Ed Brereton

I juiced the orange and made a caramel sauce with butter and brown sugar, cream and maple syrup. Custom caramel!

ines' chicken

i added tsp of cinnamon and ground ginger each to the dry ingredients, made for a delicious addition!

DennisD

Try it with syrup made from lightly-heated orange-juice concentrate, butter and sugar.

CS

Didn't have enough cardamom so added 1/4-1/2 tsp each of allspice and ginger. Used oranges instead of orange oil. Zested and Added juice of 2 oranges and milk to equal 1.5 cups.

Sandie Robinson

Used half whole wheat and half white flour. Used beaten egg whites, Cara Cara orange zest and juice and buttermilk ( which I always use in pancakes and waffles). Upped the amount of cardamom and used fresh ground seeds. Delicious!

CJ

A fun way to zazz up your pancakes in the winter! Enjoyed the different taste and was a nice way to take advantage of both oranges and cardamom. I don't keep orange extract on hand so used juice of half an orange and it was just fine!

Lillie

Absolutely fantastic. Cardamom is my favorite spice so I doubled the amount. Also zested an entire orange and the pancakes had an incredible aroma. I didn’t have orange essence on hand so I substituted a couple drops of orange blossom water. Could not stop eating these!!

freja

I didn't have orange extract, used almond instead. No fresh zest, used grated dried orange peel instead, added twice the amount. This was delicious. I'll try the orange juice tip next time

Jill MKE

So good, served with a plantbased breakfast sausage, and maple syrup. The orange was very strong which I like but I could barely taste the cardamom. Next time I'll adjust the recipe as I will be making these again.

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Orange-Cardamom Pancakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to pancakes to make them taste better? ›

Add Flavors

Simply take your favorite flavoring, which could be maple syrup, vanilla, or almond extract, and add a few drops to your pancake batter. Boom! You have yourself some extra yummy pancakes.

Does baking soda make pancakes fluffy? ›

Pancakes and waffles typically both contain baking soda, which causes them to rise. As soon as the baking soda is combined with the wet ingredients (which contain an acidic ingredient, like often buttermilk), it starts producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the batter to rise.

Why are my pancakes tough? ›

Over-mixing pancake batter develops the gluten that will make the pancakes rubbery and tough. For light, fluffy pancakes, you want to mix just until the batter comes together—it's okay if there are still some lumps of flour. Fat (melted butter) makes the pancakes rich and moist.

Do you need to put salt in pancakes? ›

Salt: A pinch of salt will enhance the overall flavor without making your pancakes taste salty. Milk and butter: Milk and butter add moisture and richness to the pancakes. Egg: A whole egg lends even more moisture. Plus, it helps bind the pancake batter together.

Why do restaurant pancakes taste better than homemade? ›

Restaurants use better quality ingredients

However, along with that ease, you may be taking a hit in the overall taste department. Restaurants tend to use real, farm-fresh eggs and real milk when making their pancakes, which as you might guess, adds to a richer, higher-quality eating experience.

Why do diner pancakes taste better? ›

Not to be outdone, IHOP shares that real buttermilk is a key ingredient in its classic pancakes. Classic, whole ingredients are usually the best starting place for better hotcakes, but it's more and more common to see cheaper fillers like cornstarch and the use of shortening instead of butter.

What happens if you add an extra egg to pancake mix? ›

As the pancakes cook the proteins form a network and tense up, becoming rigid and providing that structure. A word of caution though — if you add too many eggs you'll end up with a loose pancake batter that will need to be balanced with more pancake mix.

Do you let pancake batter rest? ›

Q – Should I make my batter in advance? A – Ideally make your batter and let it rest for about 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier.

What happens if you use baking soda instead of baking powder in pancakes? ›

However, if you're in a pinch, the substitution is one teaspoon baking soda equals three teaspoons baking powder. Baking soda is also much stronger than baking powder and, by trying to provide enough leavening, you may wind up with an unpleasant metallic, salty taste in the final baked product.

What is the secret of amazing pancakes? ›

Tips for the Perfect Pancakes

Baking soda should be no more than six months old. Stir the batter only until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated; overbeating will make pancakes tough and chewy instead of fluffy. No Buttermilk, No Problem!

What not to do when making pancakes? ›

Don't let the lumps fool you into overmixing!
  1. You ignore the heat during cooking. If you are not using an electric skillet, you must pay attention to the heat when you start cooking the pancakes. ...
  2. You've been using the wrong pan. ...
  3. You flip your pancakes too soon. ...
  4. You don't fully preheat your pan.

What is the most important ingredient in pancakes? ›

Flour is the main ingredient to any pancake. It provides the structure. Different types of flours alter the structure because some flours absorb more moisture or create more gluten (which binds the structure together) than others.

Why do you put milk instead of water in pancakes? ›

Pancake lovers' biggest complaint when adding water instead of milk is that the flavor seems to change. Pancakes aren't as richly flavored with water. There are a few ways to improve your batter when you've used water, including: Add extra butter.

Does milk instead of water make pancakes better? ›

Can I Use Water Instead of Milk in Pancakes? Milk adds both flavor and texture to pancake batter, so if you are looking to make pancakes without milk, a simple swap to water doesn't always do the trick. For pancakes made without milk, you'll want to add some flavor through melted butter and vanilla extract.

Should I use milk instead of water for pancakes? ›

You sure can! Instead of water, you can use any kind of milk, including almond milk and coconut milk, to mix up the pancake batter.

What can I add to pancake mix to spice it up? ›

Use buttermilk instead of regular milk for a tangier flavor. Add vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for a vanilla flavor. Mix in cinnamon or nutmeg for a warm, spicy flavor. Add a small amount of brown sugar or maple syrup for a touch of sweetness.

Can Flavour be added to pancake? ›

Adding a splash of vanilla extract to your pancake mix will give it a delicious homemade flavor. The vanilla adds a warm, sweet aroma and flavor that makes the pancakes taste like they never have before. Try it today by adding about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the pancake mix before cooking.

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