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These Caribbean pumpkin pancakes – known as Arepa di Pampuna – are a traditional dish of Curaçao and an absolute favourite of mine!
They’re made with pumpkin puree, fragrant cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and eggs and are the perfect, crispy pancake for autumn.
Enjoy them for a weekend breakfast, a Thanksgiving brunch or as a satisfying mid-morning snack.
Street Food, Snacks and More in Curaçao
Arepa di pampuna is one of the most beloved local dishes of Curaçao. While basking on the island’s 35 dreamy beaches and relaxing in one of Curaçao’s beautiful all-inclusive resorts are definitely among the top things to do in Curaçao, another of its main attractions happens to be its food!
On a recent foray to the island, I set out to learn more. I put myself in the expert hands of Curaçao guidebook author Sue Campbell and local chef Chadia Hammoud for a week of culinary explorations that included everything tasty from street food to fine-dining to beach bars.
What I discovered is that although the islands of the Dutch Caribbean have some traditional dishes such as keshi yena in common, there are important differences in their cuisine due to their historical roots.
Curaçao’s deep-water harbour and its strategic location made it the ideal hub for trade. For centuries, people from around the world passed though and settled on this Dutch Caribbean island contributing their culinary and cultural legacy.
Today, over 55 nationalities call Curaçao home. You can see Afro-Caribbean, Venezuelan, Portuguese Jewish, Dutch, Surinamese, Indonesian, Spanish and other influences in the cuisine.
One of the best places to sample the traditional food of Curaçao is at the Plasa Bieu (Old Market) in Willemstad. Here you can try stobas (stews) and sopas (soups) that make up a typical Curaçaoan meal. They’re often served with funchi (cornmeal polenta).
Another must-stop for food fans is one of the many roadside food stands where you can sample pastechi, a famous, fast-food snack of fried dough filled with meat, cheese or seafood.
On Sundays, you’ll often see arepa di pampuna (pumpkin pancake) offered for sale as a breakfast snack.
Slightly denser than the pancakes we’re accustomed to in Canada and the United States, they’re fragrant with nutmeg and cinnamon and make a delicious breakfast or mid-morning snack.
Is Pumpkin Good For You?
It’s very easy to make these special treats at home, especially when cooking pumpkins are available in farmer’s markets in September and October.
Fresh pumpkin is a great source of Vitamin A, and Vitamin C, thiamine and riboflavin. And with no oil in the batter, these arepa di pampuna are good-for-you healthy!
The traditional spices include nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon which makes this Caribbean pumpkin pancake recipe perfect for a fall brunch or Thanksgiving breakfast!
With a chill in the fall air hinting winter is on its way, who wouldn’t love a taste of the sunny Caribbean!
How to Make Caribbean Pumpkin Pancakes – Arepa di Pampuna or Arepa di Papoena
This recipe for arepa di pampuna recipe comes from Komedor Krioyo, a family-style restaurant in Landhuis Dokterstuin in Curaçao that specializes in regional cuisine.
Although the restaurant is super popular among locals for its Menu of the Day featuring a wide variety of stobas (stews), their pumpkin pancakes are also worth a trip.
But if you can’t get to Curaçao, with just a few pantry ingredients you can whip up these delicious Caribbean-style pumpkin pancakes at home.
Here’s what you need:
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Sugar
- Salt
- Cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg
- Vanilla
- Milk
- Pumpkin Puree
- Eggs
- Icing sugar, powdered sugar or confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)
- Raisins (optional)
- Vegetable oil for frying
To make your own pumpkin puree from scratch, just peel a fresh cooking pumpkin, split and remove all the seeds. Chop the pumpkin into pieces and boil it in water until soft. Drain completely, mash and allow it to cool before using it in this recipe.
1. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat until frothy.
2. Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla and milk. Stir well until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder with the cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the liquid pumpkin mixture. Mix lightly. Add raisins if desired. Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes.
5. In a frying pan (or an electric skillet) pour a thin layer of vegetable oil and set to medium heat ( 350 Fahrenheit on an electric skillet).
6. When the oil is hot enough (a drop of water should dance on the surface), slowly pour 1/3 cup of the mixture into the oil. If your batter is thick, you may need to smooth the top of each pancake to make a round symmetrical shape.
Tip: Allow each pancake some space. Try not to crowd the pan when cooking.
7. When one side of each pancake is completely cooked, bubbles should begin to appear on the surface and they should be a golden brown colour on the cooked side. Gently flip each pancake over with a spatula.
8. When both sides of the pancake are cooked, remove it from the heat and place it on a separate dish and cover lightly.
9. Repeat the process until done, adding more oil as needed. When adding oil, allow the oil to get hot again. Adjust the heat of the skillet as needed.
10. Sprinkle the cooked pancakes with a light dusting of icing sugar using a sifter or wire strainer.
Tips on Serving Arepa di Pampuna
In Curaçao, arepa di pampuna are traditionally served plain or with a light dusting of icing sugar. But if you like butter and maple syrup, feel free to do so.
- If you make the pancakes in advance, just stack them in layers on a piece of foil, wrap tightly and heat in a 350 Fahrenheit oven until hot.
- Can you freeze pumpkin pancakes? Absolutely! To freeze, label a resealable plastic, BPA-free bag with the date they were made. Once the pancakes have cooled to room temperature, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place them inside the freezer bag and remove the air using a straw. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
- Raisins are often included in the batter but are totally optional.
- For extra nutmeg flavour, I also love pumpkin pancakes topped with the delicious nutmeg syrup you can buy in Grenada.
- If you have extra fresh pumpkin use it up in this easy recipe for chop-up, a popular vegetable side dish in Antigua and Barbuda.
Pumpkin Pancakes - Arepa di Pampuna from Curacao
Equipment
- Skillet
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Whisk or electric beater
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly-grated if available
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- raisins 1/2 cup optional
- icing sugar powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar for dusting
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Break the eggs into a bowl and beat until frothy.
- Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla and milk. Stir well until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder with the cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once to the liquid pumpkin mixture. Mix lightly. Add raisins if desired. Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes.
- In a frying pan (or an electric skillet set at 350 Fahrenheit ) pour a thin layer of vegetable oil and set to medium heat.
- When oil is hot enough (a drop of water should dance on the surface), slowly pour 1/3 cup of the mixture into the oil.
- If your batter is thick, you may need to smooth the top of each pancake to make a round symmetrical shape.
- When one side of each pancake is completely cooked, bubbles should begin to appear on the surface and they should be a golden brown colour on the cooked side. Gently flip each pancake over with a spatula.
- When both sides of the pancake are cooked, remove it from the heat and place it on a separate dish and cover.
- Repeat the process until done, adding more oil as needed. When adding oil, allow the oil to get hot again. Adjust the heat of the skillet as needed. The pancakes should be a golden brown colour.
- Sprinkle the cooked pancakes with a light dusting of icing sugar using a sifter or wire strainer.
Pumpkin Puree
- For pumpkin puree you can use either home-made pumpkin puree or a can of store-bought pumpkin puree. Just be sure to purchase pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling, which has sugar, spices and other ingredients already added.To make your own pumpkin puree from scratch, just peel a fresh pumpkin, split and remove all the seeds. Chop the pumpkin into pieces and boil it in water until soft. Drain completely, mash and allow it to cool before using it in this recipe.
Notes
- Serve plain or with a light dusting of icing sugar.
- If you make them in advance, just stack them in layers on a piece of foil, wrap tightly and heat in a 350 Fahrenheit oven until hot.
- To freeze, label a resealable plastic, BPA-free bag with the date they were made. Once the pancakes have cooled to room temperature, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place them inside the freezer bag and remove the air using a straw. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
Nutrition
If You Enjoyed These Pancakes, You’ll Love This Breakfast Recipe:
Try This Dish at its Source On Curaçao in the Dutch Caribbean
Location: Curaçao is the largest of the ABC islands, a collection that includes Aruba and Bonaire. It’s located in the southern Caribbean just off the coast of South America near Venezuela.
Although considered part of the Dutch Caribbean, it is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The colourful Handelskade backdrop of the capital, Willemstad, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Curaçao Tourist Board: Get visitor information, travel itineraries, details on events and more on the official Curaçao Tourist Board website.
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Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.
Read more about Michele Peterson.
Freezer Tomatillo and Tomato Salsa
Amy
I was on a cruise and our stop at Curaçao had an unfortunate rain storm when we were supposed to be swimming with turtles. Our tour guide made the best of things and offered a change in plans with a tour around Willemstad, but the market closed. We never had these pancakes there, but we are thankful to have this recipe to try them at home. They are a delicious way to utilize the pumpkins we grow in our yard.
Michele Peterson
Too bad you missed the turtles but I’m glad you’ll have a chance to enjoy this taste of Curacao as a reminder of your visit!
Marie Porter
This is PERFECT for the weather we’re having this week!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
My mouth is literally watering. My family would love this.
Sarah James
What a great idea for breakfast, like the idea of adding raisins.
Alexandra
The perfect fall breakfast – they taste absolutely delicious!
Sue
Wow how intriguing! I never imagined such a thing as pumpkin pancakes. But I’ve been craving pancakes lately as well as anything pumpkin-spiced, so these satisfy both! I’ll try mine both with and without syrup – both sound good to me!
Chris Collins
These are PERFECT for Fall! Can’t wait to tuck into the recipe 🙂
Anita
I made these lovely pancakes with canned pumpkin puree and they were delicious. I bet they’ll be even more so with homemade pumpkin puree.
Beth Sachs
Perfect for Halloween! My kids will love these pancakes I’m sure.
Emmeline
So now we know where my mind’s at when I read “curacao” I only thought about the liqueur so I thought well yes please gimme pancakes with alcohol in them! Even though that wasn’t the case – these look delicious and I can’t wait to make them as soon as I find some good pumpkins in store.
Michele Peterson
What a brilliant idea! I think that a splash of Curaçao liqueur would be a great flavour to add – oranges do go naturally with breakfast!
Carrie Robinson
Such a perfect breakfast idea for fall time! 🙂
Michele Peterson
Pumpkin and spice really do scream fall don’t they!