Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pancakes

Leftovers never tasted so good.

Pancakes are good. Buttermilk pancakes made with brown sugar, butter, and leftover candied sweet potato are even better. This recipe for buttermilk sweet potato pancakes transforms Thanksgiving side dish leftovers into an amazing, post-feast breakfast.

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Thanksgiving leftovers can be tough — literally and figuratively. Sure, you can reheat everything into “Thanksgiving Dinner: The (Less Exciting) Sequel.” But I love when an old dish gets a whole new purpose in life, and becomes something fresh and wholly unrelated to yesterday’s dinner.

Enter these buttermilk sweet potato pancakes. These taste like traditional (good) breakfast pancakes, but with a bonus. In addition to their mild orange color, the sweet potato makes it extra moist, even silky. Add maple syrup and a generous dollop of butter and you just won breakfast.

Recipe Notes: Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pancakes

• You can easily use plain sweet potatoes instead of candied sweet potato leftovers. Just add 1 tablespoon of packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and a pinch of salt to each cup of plain sweet potato and proceed. This mimics candied sweet potato.
• This recipe is more about silky and rich texture than in-your-face sweet potato flavor. The candied sweet potatoes serve mostly to add moistness, color, and richness. Nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon add interest and mild flavor.
• Your skillet temperature is key. Cook pancakes on a too-hot skillet and the outsides will burn while the inside stays raw. These sweet potato pancakes cook best on a medium-low heat, on a lightly-greased skillet. Sweet potatoes contain moisture and make a more dense pancake than regular pancake batter, so they will need longer to cook through.
• Variation: Add a 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

Did you make these pancakes with your Thanksgiving leftovers? How’d they taste?

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pancakes

Transform a Thanksgiving side dish into a fabulous pancake breakfast.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keywords:: breakfast, brunch, buttermilk pancakes, leftovers, pancakes, sweet potato, thanksgiving, yams

Servings: 12 to 14 pancakes, for 2 to 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 cup leftover mashed sweet potato, or 1 cup plain sweet potato mixed with 1 tablespoon each melted butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt
• 2 ¼ cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch grated nutmeg
• neutral vegetable oil (such as canola) to grease the pan

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°F. This will be your warming oven.
• Combine the buttermilk, sweet potatoes, egg, vanilla, brown sugar, and melted butter in a bowl. Whisk until fully emulsified. It should look pale orange.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until fully mixed. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not overmix.
• Lightly grease a large skillet over medium heat. Test the skillet with a small drop of batter. It should gently sizzle. Add 1/3 cup batches of batter to the skillet, leaving space between each. Lower the heat to medium-low if the pancakes are browning too quickly.
• When the bottom of the pancakes have browned and the tops form bubbles and look dry around the edges, flip. Cook for another two minutes or so, until golden brown.
• Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat, greasing the skillet as necessary. Serve hot with pure maple syrup.