Gingerbread-Spiced Einkorn Pancakes (with Freshly Milled Flour)

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BySarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen Posted on

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These fluffy whole grain Einkorn pancakes are made with honey, freshly milled ancient grains, and traditional German gingerbread spices They’re a flavor-bomb, disguised as a healthy, whole foods breakfast.

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A stack of pancakes with maple syrup being poured from above, dripping down the sides and pooling at the bottom of the plate.
A stack of pancakes with maple syrup being poured from above, dripping down the sides and pooling at the bottom of the plate. Cinnamon sticks and whole einkorn berries are scattered on op of the black and white striped tea towel that's lining the background.

I love fall mornings. The lights are dimmer, the socks warmer, and the coffee milkier. And fall weekends? They’re just the best for putting on a frilly apron and cooking pancakes while standing a little closer to the oven than usual.

These pancakes are very near and dear to my heart. I was craving something fall-flavored that went beyond just cinnamon, or the generic pumpkin pie spice that creeps up around every corner this time of year. That’s how I landed on my favorite spice blend — German gingerbread.

What’s different about German Gingerbread?

There are, of course, just as many variations of German gingerbread spice (called Lebkuchengewürz) as there are of pumpkin pie spice. But curiously, most of them don’t contain any ginger at all.

Confusing? Not really. Our word for gingerbread is different. It hints at the Latin (or, depending on who you ask, ancient German) root word for the originally bread-like shape. So, no ginger for us.

But that’s okay. Instead of ginger, our cozy-core ingredients are honey, cinnamon, cloves and mace. I borrowed the spice blend from our all-time favorite vintage German gingerbread recipe. The one from my husband’s grandma’s cookbook, probably dating back well over a century. You just can’t go wrong with that kind of tried-and-true favorite.

And let me tell you, I may have shed a happy tear when I took the first bite out of my little stack. The gingerbread flavor is intense, the texture fluffy and light and the ingredients so wholesome that you’ll actually get up after breakfast and feel like taking on the world.

These are my new loophole for indulging in gingerbread a little early. Before the holiday season kicks in and I have all the things on my mind (but not pancakes).

I really hope you’ll give them a try!
(And if the spice blend feels too fussy to pull off before coffee — your favorite pumpkin pie spice totally works.)

Why You’ll Love These Freshly Milled Gingerbread-Spiced Einkorn Pancakes

  • Cozy German Gingerbread Flavor – spiced with tradition (but no ginger!)
  • Soft, Fluffy Texture – light and tender, even with whole grain
  • Wholesome Start to the Day – perfect for slow, nourishing mornings
  • Made with Whole Food Ingredients – nothing processed, nothing weird
  • Quick and Easy to Make – minimal effort, maximum cozy
  • Great for Leftovers – they reheat like a dream the next morning

Ingredients and Substitutions

These pancakes come together with just a few staple, whole food ingredients:

Freshly Milled Flour – Milling flour at home and using it right away preserves all its nutrients. But honestly? It’s the aromatic flavor for me. If you don’t mill your own flour (yet), store-bought whole grain einkorn flour will absolutely work.

Whole Milk – For dairy-free pancakes, use a whole milk style oat milk or your favorite plant milk.

Butter – I use unsalted butter, but for a dairy free swap, go with a high quality vegan block butter or refined coconut oil.

Homemade Spice Blend – This is the secret to the perfect gingerbread flavor! I use a combination of cinnamon, cloves and mace. If you don’t keep all those spices on hand, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice or German Lebkuchengewürz will still make delicious pancakes.

Honey – Honey is the other key to that signature gingerbread flavor. Use whatever you have on hand — mild or bold, floral or woodsy — they all work beautifully.

How to Make Freshly Milled Gingerbread-Spiced Einkorn Pancakes (Step-by-Step)

01

Weigh out whole Einkorn berries and mill them on the finest setting of your grain mill. Add salt, baking soda and spices and whisk to combine.

02

In a large bowl, whisk together melted and cooled butter, eggs, honey and milk.

03

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until the batter is still a little lumpy but mostly combined.
Let the batter rest for ~15 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.

A small bowl filled with freshly milled einkorn flour and dark brown spices, sitting next to a larger bowl, filled with mixed wet ingredients. Both bowls are laid out on a moody, black and white striped tea towel, next to a set of golden measuring spoons.
Two bowls are laid out on a striped tea towel. The smaller one is empty, the larger on is full of mixed, thickened and slightly lumpy pancake batter.

04

Heat a large nonstick or cast iron pan over medium-low heat and lightly grease with butter or coconut oil.
Use a ¼-cup measure to scoop the mousse-like pancake batter into the hot, greased skillet. Don’t scrape it out, or you’ll deflate all the bubbles.

05

Cook until small bubbles break through the surface and the edges start to set, around 2 minutes. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook the other side for another minute or until browned.

06

Stack the finished pancakes on a small plate as they finish cooking, until you’ve used up all the batter.

07

Serve with maple syrup.

A stack of pancakes with maple syrup being poured from above.
A stack of pancakes with maple syrup being poured from above, pooling on the top.
A stack of pancakes with maple syrup being poured from above, dripping down the sides.

Tips

  • Love Your Lumps: Don’t overmix the batter. It should be mostly combined, with a few lumps remaining. Don’t worry, those lumps will hydrate during the rest and disappear as they cook. If you mix until smooth, the pancakes will cook up flat.
  • Don’t Deflate the Batter: Avoid scooping the batter out of your ½-cup measure or you’ll pop all the bubbles. Shake the batter out of the cup into the pan gently instead.
  • Keep Pancakes Hot (Without an Oven): I find that stacking the cooked pancakes on a plate beside the pan keeps them more than hot enough. No need to turn on the oven.
  • Size Matter (Apparently): I like using a ¼-cup measure to scoop out roughly the same amount of batter each time. You can also use 3–4 tablespoons if you’re eyeballing it, but it’s a little fussier.
    When my kids request pancakes, they insist I make them in a small 8-inch (20cm) skillet and use a ½-cup measure instead. They swear they taste better that way. I can neither confirm nor deny their claim, but I figured the opinion of small critics might be valuable to you too.
Overhead shot of a stack of dark golden brown gingerbread-spiced einkorn pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup.

How to Serve Gingerbread-Spiced Einkorn Pancakes

Everyone has a favorite pancake topping, right? Since these pancakes are boldly spiced, I prefer to keep the things a little simpler:

  • Straight up maple syrup is my favorite here. It adds a kind of robust sweetness that coaxes out all the spices.
  • Stewed apples (or any fall fruit) are a perfect match to these pancakes. Add in a handful of raisins if you like. Or try a variation of my Easy Oven-Baked Fruit Compote — it’s especially good with softer stone fruits.
  • Want to go extra decadent? Warm a bit of Nutella—or your favorite homemade dupe—and drizzle it in thin ribbons over a warm stack. Close your eyes and enjoy.
  • To turn these wholesome pancakes into a complete, balanced breakfast, serve them with Greek yogurt and a light drizzle of honey. Yum.

How to Store and Freeze Freshly Milled Einkorn Pancakes

To Store:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They’ll firm up in the cold, but once reheated (in a microwave or toaster), they’ll return to their soft and fluffy selves.

To Freeze:
I’ll be honest: I don’t usually meal-prep pancakes.

But if you want to, let the pancakes cool completely, then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. Reheat straight from frozen.

Need more detailed tips? The Pioneer Woman has a full guide on freezing pancakes like you mean it.

More from the Grains & Greens Kitchen

See All Breakfast Recipes
If you make these Gingerbread-spiced Einkorn Pancakes…

I’d love to hear how they turned out!

P.S. September 26th is National Pancake Day in the US!
If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out my other pancake recipes:

happy baking!

Gingerbread-Spiced Einkorn Pancakes (with Freshly Milled Flour)

These Gingerbread-Spiced Einkorn Pancakes are the coziest way to welcome fall. Made with freshly milled whole grain einkorn flour and a vintage German spice blend (no ginger required!), they’re light, fluffy, and full of deep, warming flavor. Sweetened with honey, quick to make, and perfect with maple syrup or stewed fruit — a wholesome fall breakfast you’ll want on repeat.
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A stack of pancakes with maple syrup being poured from above, dripping down the sides and pooling at the bottom of the plate. Cinnamon sticks and whole einkorn berries are scattered on op of the black and white striped tea towel that's lining the background.
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Resting Time:15 minutes
Total Time:35 minutes
Equipment
  • Grain Mill - optional, but highly recommended
  • wire whisk - I love a silicone balloon whisk that doesn't scratch my bowls
  • frying pan - nonstick or cast iron
  • ¼-cup measure - for scooping batter into the pan
  • spatula - for flipping pancakes neatly
Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 260 g freshly milled Einkorn flour - from 1½ cups whole Einkorn berries
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground mace

Wet Ingredients

  • 60 g melted butter - 4 tbsp
  • 360 ml whole milk - 1½ cups
  • 2 large eggs
  • 50 g honey - 2 tbsp

Other Ingredients

  • butter - for greasing the pan
Instructions

Prepare Dry Ingredients

  • Weigh out whole Einkorn berries and mill them on the finest setting of your grain mill. Add salt, baking soda and spices and whisk to combine.

Combine Wet Ingredients

  • In a large bowl, whisk together melted and cooled butter, eggs, honey and milk.

Mix Batter

  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until the batter is still a little lumpy but mostly combined.
  • Let the batter rest for around 15 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.

Cook Pancakes

  • Heat a large nonstick or cast iron pan over medium-low heat and lightly grease with butter or coconut oil.
  • Use a ¼-cup measure to scoop the mousse-like pancake batter into the hot, greased skillet. Don’t scrape it out, or you’ll pop all the bubbles.
  • Cook until small bubbles break through the surface and the edges start to set, around 2 minutes. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook the other side for another minute or until browned.

Stack and Serve

  • Stack the finished pancakes on a small plate as they finish cooking, until you’ve used up all the batter. Serve with maple syrup, honey, or stewed fruit.
Notes
  • Use a whole milk style plant milk and coconut oil or vegan block butter for dairy-free pancakes.
  • Don’t overmix the batter. It will make the pancakes cook up flat. Any small lumps will disappear during resting and cooking.
  • Stack the cooked pancakes on a plate beside the pan to keep them hot while you cook the rest.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. They’ll firm up, so reheat before serving.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 515kcal
Author: Sarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen

Recipe FAQs

Of course! Store-bought whole grain einkorn flour makes dreamy pancakes. If you want to use all-purpose einkorn flour, start with 1 cup of milk and only add the rest if the batter seems too thick.

I haven’t tried, but in my experience Einkorn and Spelt behave very similarly in this kind of recipe. If the batter seems too thick with fresh milled spelt flour, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the right consistency.

Any fall-themed spice blend will be delicious. Pumpkin pie spice, German Lebkuchengewürz, or even straight-up cinnamon will still make cozy, flavorful pancakes. And if you’re missing just one of the spices, just use ground ginger instead. Go ahead, put the ginger back in gingerbread.

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Oh yumm! This sounds wunderbar! Love me some German Lebkuchen and would not have thought to make pancakes with that flavor, and why wouldn’t I, I can totally imagine the deliciousness. This sounds perfect for fall mornings, what a great idea!

    Reply