This Oven Pancake recipe is made in a skillet by layering apples along with cinnamon and spices with prepackaged pancake mix which is baked into a simple, delicious breakfast idea. Gluten-free.
We cannot wait for you and your family to enjoy this apple cinnamon pancake recipe featuring minimal ingredients compared to other pancakes recipes. Take advantage of apples being in season by creating this quick, easy and flavor-filled apple breakfast recipe!
Make breakfast a priority by serving this skillet pancake alongside turkey bacon, eggs and hashbrowns!
What is the Best Way to Make an Oven Baked Pancake?
With a complete pancake mix! The fact this recipe uses your preferred gluten-free pancake mix versus measuring out every dry ingredient to make a homemade pancake mix is the number one reason it is our go-to skillet pancake.
Pancake mixes have all the ingredients accurately measured and ready to go so all you have to do is add mix-ins or toppings if desired. This cuts back on the time spent in the kitchen in the morning and instead leaves more time to spend with your family!
Oven baked pancakes are meant for families looking to simplify mornings yet kickstart the day with a nutritious breakfast. You will have the pancake prepped, baked & served in just 20 minutes.
Delicious Pancake Toppings
We do love to keep this recipe simple by spreading with butter then drizzling with maple syrup, especially since it is already so flavorful with the cinnamon apples. However, you can always add additional toppings if desired!
Choose any of these to add to your ingredient list:
- Blueberries
- Sliced bananas
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Shredded coconut
- Chopped nuts
- Powdered sugar
- Nut butter or Nutella
Oven Pancake Ingredients
- Apples – from granny smith and Honeycrisp to gala and fuji, you can use whichever apple you have on hand or is on sale this week. While granny smith and Honeycrisp offer a sweet and tangy flavor, gala and fuji apples deliver a subtle yet sweet flavor profile to the pancake.
- Maple syrup
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Gluten-free pancake mix – our go-to is Bob’s Red Mill for a gluten-free pancake mix but any brand will do!
How To Make Pancakes in the Oven
Preheat the oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Layer the apples
To the oven-safe skillet add apples, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Cover the skillet with a lid.
Cook the apples
Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and the apples are softened.
Prepare the pancake mix
Make the pancake mix per package instructions then pour over the cooked apple mixture.
Bake then flip onto a serving platter
Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the pancake from the skillet. Place a serving platter over the top of the skillet, using potholders, and flip the skillet over onto a platter. Serve with syrup, butter, or more fresh fruit.
Pancake Additions
We couldn’t leave you with this recipe without sharing our top 5 favorite additions to mix into this apple cinnamon skillet pancake. While we sure do love any of the pancake toppings listed above, there are times when we want to boost the flavor with a mix-in instead.
Consider any of these to add to the skillet with the apple slices:
- Pear slices
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Chocolate chips
- Almond or vanilla extract
Recipe Notes & Tips For Making Pancakes
- This recipe is meant to be hands-off, which means once the batter is poured into the skillet, no flipping is required until removing the entire pancake from the pan.
- Make ahead by preparing at the start of the week then storing in the fridge. You can place a piece of parchment paper between each pancake if making multiple so they don’t stick together.
- Slice the pancakes or cut into small squares. You can even use large cooking cutters to press shapes into the cooked pancake. This is a fun activity for kids!
- Stir pancake batter until all the clumps are gone.
Storing Oven Pancakes
In The Fridge
Let the pancakes cool completely then store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. We recommend storing the pancake in slices to make it super easy to grab a serving from the fridge and reheat.
Cut a variety size of slices to accommodate varying appetites.
In The Freezer
The freezer is also an excellent place to store pancakes and this baked pancake recipe is no exception. For a comprehensive guide to freezing all types of pancakes, we have you covered with our How To Freeze Pancakes resource.
Specifically for these baked pancakes, let the recipe cool completely. To speed up the cooling process, remove from the skillet and set on a plate. Then, add the entire pancake or individual slices into a freezer Ziploc bag and store for up to 3 months.
The pancakes can be reheated straight from the freezer or defrosted in the fridge overnight then warmed.
Reheating Pancakes
Baked pancakes reheat extremely well in both the microwave or oven.
For microwave reheating, place a slice on a microwave safe plate and heat in 30-second increments until heated through. Add any toppings then enjoy!
To reheat in the oven, preheat to 325 degrees then heat in a skillet or on a sheet pan for 5-7 minutes or until hot. We prefer using the oven when reheating multiple pancake slices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pick your favorite or check out this Apple Variety guide to find the apple that best suits your taste!
Along with serving with toppings like syrup, butter and/or more fresh fruit, this recipe pairs well with traditional breakfast favorites such as bacon, sausage, eggs and hashbrowns.
Pancakes in the oven should be cooked at 350 degrees. This temperature allows the apples to soften, the cinnamon sugar flavor to infuse into the batter and the pancake to become light and fluffy.
Turn the oven temperature down to 200 degrees then keep the pancake in the skillet or on a oven safe platter in the oven until ready to serve.
Pancakes For A Crowd
There is nothing better than impressing your friends and family with a delicious recipe and this oven pancake does just that! Depending on the size of your crowd, you have a few different options.
You could bake a single pancake, slice into thin slices and serve with a large spread of other breakfast options. The other idea would be to bake two or three pancakes to serve on platters and let your guests slice their desired size pancake.
Kids In The Kitchen
Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.
- When baking apples in a recipe, it is best to remove the peel so the slices can cook evenly and the recipe has a appetizing texture. Always ask a kitchen helper to assist in removing the apple peels, it can be a bit tricky. Save the peels for a snack while the pancake cooks or drizzle with lemon juice and enjoy later! Did you know the peels of a Granny smith apple will be tangier than a Gala apple? Use both apple varieties in this recipe so you can taste the difference between the flavor of the apple peels.
- The best pan for pancakes that you are cooking in an oven is going to be a cast iron skillet because it holds heat very well without burning the ingredients. Plus, you can cook with it on the stove then carefully with an oven mitt transfer to the oven. If you don’t own a cast iron pan, no worries, you can still make this recipe using an oven safe skillet.
- Every brand of gluten-free pancake mix is likely going to have different preparation instructions. Locate the directions for your mix on the side or back of the bag or box. Remember to read all of the directions, gather the ingredients then mix together the batter. This way, if you are missing an ingredient, your kitchen helper can help locate it before you get started mixing.
Other Gluten-Free Pancake Recipes
- Pancake in a Mug
- Microwave Pancakes
- Almond Milk Pancakes
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
More Breakfast Ideas
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Apple Cinnamon Oven Pancake
Ingredients
- 2 medium apples peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ✅
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ✅
- 1 cup gluten-free pancake mix, prepared per box instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Layer the apples. To the oven-safe skillet add apples, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Cover the skillet with a lid.2 medium apples, 3 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ⭐️Cook the apples. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and the apples are softened.
- Prepare the pancake mix. Make the pancake mix per package instructions then pour over the cooked apple mixture.1 cup gluten-free pancake mix, prepared per box instructions
- ⭐️Bake then flip onto a serving platter. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the pancake from the skillet. Place a serving platter over the top of the skillet, using potholders, and flip the skillet over onto a platter. Serve with syrup, butter, or more fresh fruit.
Notes
- This recipe is meant to be hands-off, which means once the batter is poured into the skillet, no flipping is required until removing the entire pancake from the pan.
- Make ahead by preparing at the start of the week then storing in the fridge. You can place a piece of parchment paper between each pancake if making multiple so they don’t stick together.
- Slice the pancakes or cut into small squares. You can even use large cooking cutters to press shapes into the cooked pancake. This is a fun activity for kids!
- Stir pancake batter until all the clumps are gone.
Nutrition
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Ashlyn says
My husband loved this. I’m going to try it with peaches next.
Mary says
I have made this twice. The second time I added toasted pecans and it turned out great. Nice, easy recipe. Thanks!
Susan says
What size skillet do I use?
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Susan, I used a 10-inch skillet for this recipe. I hope that helps!
Talya says
Quick, easy Sunday morning breakfast! I added a splash of bourbon and about a half tbsp of brown sugar to the apple mixture. I’ll definitely make this again! I may try it with packs and blueberries next!
Shourouq says
Can i used flour instead if pancake mix?
Jodi Danen, RDN says
I wouldn’t recommend just flour in place of pancake mix, but you could use a homemade pancake mix in place of store-bought.
Shourouq says
Thank you so much 😊
Angelina says
Hi, just a little clarification please. The ingredient list states 1 cup pancake mix, prepared per box instructions and then 1 cup of water. The instructions say to mix the pancake mix and the water. So does that mean mix the water with the prepared mix (which in my case calls for 2/3 cup of water) or should I just mix 1 cup dry mix with 1 cup of water? Thanks in adavance for clearing this up. I just didn’t want it to be too thick or too watery.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Angelina. You can go ahead and mix the 2/3 cup of water with the box mix then move forward with adding the additional water. It does get thinned a bit more to bake up well with the other ingredients. I’d love to hear how you like it!