Simple Dutch Pancake Recipe (Foolproof!)
Being so scared of messing up, I usually don’t bake that much… But! This is divine! And simple and crazy delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe! Laura
Picture this. You enter the room with a beautiful, golden, puffed-up pancake in a skillet. The oohs and ahhs for this impressive Dutch pancake recipe ring in your ears. Your guests don’t realize how simple it is.
You warn them to look quickly because the pancake collapses fast. But they are already busy adding fresh fruit and maple syrup on top, ready to dig in.
The Dutch pancake – also known as a German pancake, pannekoeken, Dutch baby, or Dutch puff – originated in Germany, not the Netherlands.
What to expect
Crepe meets popover: This Dutch pancake is like a cross between a French crepe and a Yorkshire pudding—thin, slightly custardy in the center, with puffed, golden edges.
Quick and Simple: From start to finish, it takes about 30 minutes. Just pour a basic pancake batter into a buttered skillet and bake for 20 minutes. No flipping or fussing.
A showstopper (with a mind of its own): The center will collapse a few minutes after baking, but it still holds a shallow, bowl-like shape—perfect for toppings and still impressive on the table.
Foolproof Method: We tested different techniques and landed on the easiest, most effective one – dump all ingredients in a blender and blitz. That’s it. (More on alternate methods below if you’re curious.)
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Basic pancake ingredients: The batter is made with eggs, flour, milk, sugar, and vanilla. The key difference between a Dutch baby recipe and a pancake recipe is in the cooking method (see FAQ for more details).
Sweet topping ideas: berry sauce, fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches or bananas, caramelized bananas, strawberry jam or peach jam (warmed up with a splash of water). Whipped cream, lemon curd, or yogurt are pretty good too!
Substitutes
- Sugar: Use maple syrup or honey instead.
- Milk: Use non-dairy milk like oat, almond, or soy.
- Flour: Try a gluten-free 1:1 blend (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill). Or here’s a gluten-free dutch pancake recipe.
Variations
- Flavor options: Add lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon, or a pinch of nutmeg to the batter
- Make a savory Dutch baby: Omit vanilla and sugar. Add a pinch of black pepper or fresh herbs to the batter. Top with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, onions or peppers, cheese, a curry, or lox (smoked salmon) and a few capers.
Step-by-step instructions
Tips for prepping batter
The Kitchn tested a few timing options. Here’s what they found.
- You can let the batter rest for 10 minutes to a few hours – whatever suits you.
- An overnight rest is not necessary but is fine if more convenient. Take the batter out of the fridge half an hour before baking it.
What to serve with a Dutch pancake
Typically, a Dutch pancake is served for breakfast or brunch, but my husband and I sometimes enjoy it for dinner. The standard way to serve the pancake is dusted with powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
As part of a brunch menu, you can pair the pancake with a breakfast egg bake, carrot cake oatmeal, an easy potato skillet breakfast with ham, foolproof Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs, a side of crispy bacon or ham, and a tropical fruit salad.
Or check out our full list of vegetarian brunch recipes for Mother’s Day.
Recipe FAQs
A Dutch pancake is much larger and much thinner than a regular fluffy pancake. The center is almost custard-like. It’s baked in the oven (instead of on the stovetop) and is puffed and taller around the edges. No leavening agent such as baking powder is used in a Dutch pancake.
The story goes that a daughter of a Seattle diner owner served 3 small pancakes which she mistakenly referred to as Dutch babies, when she actually meant Deutsch (German).
Other techniques for Dutch babies (if you’re curious)
Most Dutch pancake recipes are nearly identical, with slight variations in oven temperature (375–450°F / 191–232°C) and bake time (15–25 minutes).
- Cook’s Illustrated uses a unique cold oven method, placing the skillet and batter in the oven before turning it on. I tested it and found it puffed slightly more, but collapsed just as quickly. Handy if you forget to preheat the oven, but not essential.
- The Kitchn explored other small tweaks with the hot oven method – resting the batter longer, whisking by hand vs. a blender, mixing ingredients separately. The results? Minimal difference.
Since the results of the variations in process were so similar, I chose the easiest method: everything blended together, baked in a hot oven—easy, fast, and reliably good.
More pancake recipes
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Simple Dutch Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- oven-proof 9-10 inch skillet (23-25 cm) e.g. cast iron skillet
- immersion blender or electric mixer, food processor, whisk or fork.
Ingredients
Dutch pancake batter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk or 2% milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- optional flavors, Note 1
Prep and toppings/garnish
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Topping/garnish options: Note 2
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN AND SKILLET: Place skillet on oven rack in the middle position. Heat oven to 400F/204C for at least 10-15 minutes. Note 3 for cold oven method.
- MAKE BATTER: While oven and skillet are heating, heat milk in microwave for 20 seconds to bring it to room temperature (if you forget, it's ok – it will still puff up Some say the pancake will be puffier if batter is at room temp). Blend all ingredients together with whisk, fork or blender until you get a thin, smooth batter.
- BAKE PANCAKE: Remove hot skillet from preheated oven. Place butter in pan to melt, brushing it over bottom of the pan and edges of the pan to prevent sticking. Pour batter on top of melted butter. Place skillet in oven. Close oven door and bake for 20 minutes or until pancake is golden brown and puffy.
- SERVE IMMEDIATELY: Remove pan and bring to table immediately. Place on hot pad. Dust with powdered sugar (also called confectioners' sugar, icing sugar) and add toppings or serve on the side. Middle of pancake will collapse in a minute or two.
Recipe Notes
- Optional flavorings for batter: add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Or 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest or orange zest.
- Toppings/garnish options for Dutch pancake:
- Classic: dusting of powdered sugar with a drizzle of maple syrup or squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- Other sweet toppings – fresh berries, your favorite fruit, berry sauce, preserves, caramelized bananas, whipped cream, jam, yogurt, lemon curd, drizzle of dark chocolate or nutella.
- Savory topping ideas: sautéed mushrooms, peppers, spinach and onions, a curry, lox, etc.
- Cold oven method to bake pancake (by Cooks Illustrated) – if you forget to heat the oven!: Melt butter in skillet on stove top. Add batter. Place in cold oven. Then turned on the heat to 375F/191C to bake the pancake for 23-25 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
- Substitutes:
-
- Sugar: Use maple syrup or honey instead.
-
- Milk: Use non-dairy milk like oat, almond, or soy.
-
- Flour: Try a gluten-free 1:1 blend (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill). Or here’s a gluten-free dutch pancake recipe.
-
- Make ahead:
- I don’t recommend making the entire pancake ahead, but you can prepare the batter ahead of time (10 minutes to overnight).
- If you make the batter the night before for convenience, store it in an airtight container for up to a day. Whisk before using. One site noted this apparently makes the pancake collapse a little quicker when removing it from the oven.
Being so scared of messing up, i usualy don’t bake that much or better said nothing i haven’t seen on my grandma do it 100 times 🙂 But! This is divine! And simple and crazy delicious! Thank you so much for the recepie! All the best XO
Laura
Good for you Laura for taking the plunge! With success too! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Also.. i used some strawberries/blueberries over a good amount of lightly swetened mascarpone.. I’m forever in love with this “fluff” ?
sounds delicious