These spiced Eggnog Pancakes cook up fluffy and are so good, y’all! They’re the perfect addition to your holiday breakfast or brunch. Finish off your stack of eggnog pancakes with homemade cranberry maple syrup that’s a balanced combination of sweet and tart for the best holiday breakfast ever.
Y’all, these eggnog pancakes are all you need this winter when you crave a comforting warm breakfast with your matching holiday pjs on. I have this obsession with pancakes, which I keep telling you about, and these eggnog pancakes are my Christmas favorite! Enjoy them all eggnog season long for a festive weekend breakfast or a special Christmas morning breakfast.
The Heart & Soul Of This Eggnog Pancake Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern American
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Fluffy pancakes with hints of nutmeg are moist and decadent thanks to the addition of the eggnog, while the cranberry maple syrup is both sweet and tart, making the perfect topping for eggnog pancakes.
Skill Level: Beginner. Anybody can get at these!
Sweet Spots
- Seasonal Twist on Everyone’s Favorite Breakfast: I love the idea of making fun seasonal twists on the recipes we grew up loving, and these eggnog pancakes are winter happiness on a plate. First and foremost, the addition of eggnog to a pancake recipe is everything!
- Amped Up Maple Syrup: The only thing that could make these pancakes even better was the addition of cranberries in a stove-top syrupy sauce creation — cranberry maple syrup. The tartness was a perfect match for the sweetness of the maple syrup. I added a bit of butter to the syrup too. It felt just like a traditional stack of pancakes but with that perfect winter twist, you are craving now.
- Great Way to Use Up Extra Eggnog: If you have any eggnog leftover from a party and your don’t feel like drinking it, using it in baked goods is a great way to use it up!
Ingredients to Make Eggnog Pancakes
- All-purpose flour: The solid foundation to create the structure for the pancakes.
- Baking powder: Gives your pancakes the ideal fluffy lift.
- Kosher salt: Even your pancakes need a pinch of salt to bring all those flavors together and balance them out.
- Ground nutmeg: A dash of ground nutmeg for that festive flavor that melds so perfectly with eggnog.
- Eggs: Lightly beaten large eggs to bind all the ingredients together.
- Milk: Mixed in with the eggnog to mellow out the sweetness to ensure your pancakes aren’t overly sugary sweet.
- Eggnog: Eggnog has the thick consistency of buttermilk so it makes the pancakes come out moist and delicious. The spices in the eggnog also help enhance the flavor to an already splendid recipe. If dairy eggnog is not available, you will find canned eggnog in the baking section of your local grocery store.
- Neutral cooking oil: Used to coat the pan or griddle for a smooth, non-stick experience.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup for a sweet, woodsy hug to top your pancakes.
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries for a tart twist to your syrup.
- Unsalted butter: Butter rounds out the syrup with a velvety finish. Unsalted butter works best so you don’t add saltiness to the syrup.
How to Make Eggnog Pancakes
Step 1: Mix up the Pancake Batter
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together in a small bowl.
- Whisk them together.
- Combine the eggs, milk, and eggnog in a large mixing bowl.
- Use a whisk to mix them together.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Use a whisk to mix together. The batter will be slightly lumpy, do not over-mix.
Step 2: Cooking the Pancakes
- Heat your griddle or a large skillet over medium heat and use the cooking oil to lightly grease the surface. Pour a quarter cup of batter onto a greased hot surface. Cook the pancakes until lightly golden on one side.
- Flip each pancake over when the tops are bubbly and the edges are slightly dry. This is usually about 2-3 minutes per side.
PRO TIP: Make sure you add more cooking oil to your griddle or skillet in between each of the batches.
Step 3: Make the Cranberry Maple Syrup
- Bring the maple syrup and 1 1/2 cups of cranberries to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the cranberries pop. Crush the cranberries in the pan.
- Add the remaining ½ cup of cranberries and simmer just until they begin to pop.
- Add the butter and stir until it’s melted.
- Serve the warm syrup over your eggnog pancakes.
Tips for Making the Best Eggnog Pancakes
To create perfect Eggnog and Cranberry Pancakes, I have a few tips below that always make my pancakes unforgettable.
- Make Sure You Preheat Your Griddle or Skillet: I personally love using a griddle but a plain ole skillet (even a cast iron baby!) is totally fine. Preheat your pan over a medium-high heat. Your pan is hot enough when you sprinkle a tiny bit of water on it and the water evaporates.
- Don’t Skip the Oil: You need to make sure you liberally spread some oil in the pan or griddle. This will help keep the pancakes from sticking and also provides crisp edges on your pancakes.
- Measure Out Your Pancake Batter: For perfect uniform pancakes, use a measuring cup. Measure a half cup of batter and pour it onto the griddle or skillet. By measuring out the batter, you create not only visually uniform pancakes but you ensure that they cook at the same speed.
- Watch Pancakes Carefully: Pancakes can burn super fast so make sure you watch them. Bubbles will form in the batter as your pancakes cook. When those bubbles begin to pop get ready to flip! Let the pancake sit for about another minute and then remove it from the heat.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Swap the Cranberries. Other berries work well too! Try it with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blueberries. Or even better mixed berries!
- Use Frozen Cranberries. Fresh cranberries are very seasonal and often only found in the fall and early winter months so if you can’t get them frozen will work too!
- Add Some Cinnamon. Add more warming spices for a slightly different eggnog pancake flavor.
- Use Homemade Eggnog. Store-bought keeps things super simple but you can also make your own eggnog to enjoy and add to recipes.
- Don’t Want to Use Oil. Remember this is what gives your pancakes those crispy edges but if you’d prefer to skip it you can use cooking or baking spray instead. I don’t recommend cooking your pancakes butter as it may burn more easily.
What to Serve with Eggnog Cranberry Pancakes
- Perfect for a Holiday Brunch. Serve them up along with my easy breakfast casserole and some mimosas for sipping!
- For Hosting Guests. Start things off with a breakfast board for the guests to graze on before the main meal.
- Serve Other Breakfast Favorites. The sky is the limit especially when serving a crowd. Sawmill gravy, candied bacon or brown sugar bacon, and biscuits and gravy casserole are just a few around my house.
How to Store & Reheat Eggnog Pancakes
To keep your Eggnog Pancakes fresh store them in the fridge. Layer the pancakes with wax paper in between in an airtight container. The Maple Cranberry Syrup can be stored in the fridge in a sealed jar.
Reheat the pancakes in the microwave or warm them in a skillet for that just-made taste. For the sauce, you can gently reheat it in a saucepan or microwave. When it’s ready, drizzle it over your warm, fluffy pancakes!
How long will eggnog pancakes last in the fridge?
The pancakes will last up to three days in the fridge, while the homemade cranberry maple syrup will last up to a week.
Can I freeze eggnog pancakes?
Yep you know it boos. Store them layered with wax paper and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and store them in the freezer for up to three months. You can also flash freeze them individually by laying them out on a parchment-lined baking tray and then once they’re frozen transfer them to a storage container. This method makes it easy to remove one or two pancakes at a time as you need them.
Thaw the pancakes out in the fridge overnight and then reheat em up!
Frequently Asked Questions
Flipping at the right time is the secret to perfect pancakes. There are two visual cues you can use to know when to flip your pancakes. Look for bubbles to form on top of your pancakes that don’t fill back in and slightly dry edges. These tell you it’s time to flip them over.
No, I don’t recommend it. Your pancakes will cook up fluffier when the batter is mixed just before cooking. You can make the cranberry syrup the night before and whisk together your dry ingredients to save some time. Then the next morning you simply need to heat up the syrup and finish mixing the pancakes.
Yes, you can. Use flax or chia eggs in place of the eggs in the recipe. Swap the regular eggnog for vegan eggnog and use coconut milk or another dairy-free milk in place of the milk. Use your favorite brand of vegan butter for the syrup.
I hope you try out these Eggnog Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup this holiday season! Your family and friends will devour and savor each bite of fluffy pancakes with that bomb eggnog flavor.
More Pancake Recipes to Try
- Brown Sugar Pancakes with Bacon Maple Butter
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Oreo Pancakes
- French Toast Pancakes
- Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes
- Blueberry Pancakes
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Eggnog Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup
Equipment
Ingredients
Eggnog Pancakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ cup eggnog
- ¼ cup neutral cooking oil
Maple Cranberry Syrup
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 cups fresh cranberries divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
For Pancakes
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and eggnog. Slowly whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Batter will be slightly lumpy, do not overmix.
- Use some of the cooking oil to lightly grease a griddle or large skillet. Heat over medium heat. For each pancake, pour ¼ cup batter onto hot surface. Cook until light golden, and flip when tops are bubbly and edges slightly dry 2-3 minutes per side. You will need to add more cooking oil to griddle/skillet in-between batches.
For Syrup
- Bring maple syrup and 1 ½ cups cranberries to boil over medium-high heat in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cranberries pop, about 7 minutes.
- Crush cranberries in pan, using a spatula. Stir in remaining ½ cup cranberries. Simmer just until they begin to pop, about 2 minutes.
- Add butter and stir until melted. Serve warm over pancakes.
Thanks for sharing! Do they reheat well?
Yes they do. In fact, I have a whole section in the post about how to store the pancakes. They last 3 days in the fridge and you can also freeze them and reheat.
This looks so good! What a great recipe to make with kids!