Apple butter pancakes made with apple butter right in the batter, topped with sautéed cinnamon apples and cream cheese drizzle. An easy fall griddle breakfast!

apple butter pancakes with cream cheese drizzle and sautéed cinnamon apples stacked on a plate

We’re taking fall seriously around here, y’all. These apple butter pancakes have apple butter mixed right into the batter, then get piled high with buttery sautéed cinnamon apples and a cream cheese drizzle. The only real question is whether they’re breakfast or dessert. I’m still not sure, and I’m not sure it matters.

If you’ve made our Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, you already know the cream cheese drizzle on top of these. It’s the exact same recipe, because when something works, you don’t mess with it. Think of these apple butter pancakes as the fall cousin to those cinnamon roll pancakes. Same fluffy stack, same sweet drizzle, but with warm apple and spice flavor in every single bite.

And before anybody asks: yes, I used store-bought apple butter. I ain’t ashamed. Homemade apple butter is just apples cooked down with a whole lot of sugar, cinnamon, and spices, then blended and reduced. Make it if you want to. A good jar from the store does the job just fine.

apple butter pancakes stacked up with a wedge cut out so you can see the layers of apple butter and apple pancakes

Why You’ll Love these Apple Butter Pancakes

Double the apple flavor. Apple butter goes inside the batter and fresh sautéed apples go on top, so you get those cozy cinnamon and apple notes all the way through.
Light and fluffy every time. Sour cream and a splash of apple cider vinegar give the batter a little tang and help the leaveners do their thing. Watch for those air pockets on the griddle. That’s your fluffy pancake right there.
No syrup needed. Between the apple butter, the glazed apples, and the cream cheese drizzle, these bring plenty of sweetness on their own.
Shortcut friendly. Short on time? Use a boxed pancake mix and store-bought apple butter. You’ll still get fantastic results.
Griddle or skillet, your call. Remember, a griddle is just a big skillet. These work great either way.
Made for fall mornings. Perfect for a weekend brunch, a holiday breakfast with family in town, or a breakfast-for-dessert kind of night.

apple pancakes stacked on a plate with apple butter in between each layer and a cream cheese drizzle

How to Make Apple Butter Pancakes

Step 1: Make the apple topping. Slice or dice your apples into bite-size pieces. Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet (or on the griddle) over medium heat, then add the apples. Season with a pinch of salt and a light sprinkle of cinnamon, then zest the orange right over the top. Add some brown sugar and give everything a good stir.

Add a splash of apple liqueur if you’re using it, then let the apples cook and the liquid reduce. You’ll know it’s ready when you see a nice glaze forming and it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, while the apples still have some texture to them. Don’t cook them to mush. The glaze will thicken more as it cools, so transfer the apples to a bowl and set them aside while you make the pancakes.

*TIP – *Chef’s Note – I’ll be honest, I went back and forth on whether to cook the apples on the griddle. You absolutely can, and I’ve done it plenty of times. I just didn’t feel like cleaning up all that sticky sugar, so I grabbed a skillet. Whatever works for you.

Step 2: Make the apple pancake batter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into a well in your dry ingredients and mix. Then add the apple butter right into the batter and stir until just combined. A few lumps are fine, so don’t overmix. Set the batter aside while you heat up the griddle.

Step 3: Make the cream cheese drizzle. Use a hand mixer to whip together the melted butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth with no lumps. Add a splash of milk if it’s too thick to drizzle. Spoon it into a zip-top bag and set it aside. You’ll snip the corner later and use it like a piping bag.

Step 4: Cook the pancakes. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Let them cook until you see air pockets and bubbles forming across the top and the bottoms are golden. Those air pockets are how you get fluffy pancakes. Flip and cook on the second side until the pancakes are cooked all the way through.

using a quick-release cookie scoop to scoop apple pancake batter on a griddle

*Using boxed pancake mix? Mix it up according to the package and stir in the apple butter.

cooking apple butter pancakes on a griddle

Step 5: Let them cool for a minute. Move the pancakes to a plate and give them a couple of minutes before topping. If you add the drizzle while they’re piping hot off the griddle, it’ll just melt and run right off.

Step 6: Top and serve. Stack up a few pancakes with a spread of apple butter in between each one. Spoon the cinnamon apples over the top, snip a small corner off the cream cheese bag, and drizzle as much as you like over the top. Sprinkle on some chopped nuts for crunch, then finish with a little of that syrup from the apples. Serve warm and enjoy!

Try a Peach Butter Swap

For this recipe, we picked our apples fresh on a family trip to Dahlonega, Georgia. During that trip, I actually found Georgia peach butter. If you know me, you know peach is one of my all-time favorites. You can swap peach butter in for the apple butter and use sautéed peaches instead of apples for a whole new breakfast dessert. Just know that a lot of peach butters are closer to a jelly, so go easy on how much you stir into the batter.

There you go, y’all. Another fantastic dish off the griddle. Breakfast or dessert, you decide. Let me know in the comments what you’re cooking with apples this fall!