I’m a fan of any form of pancakes (I seriously love breakfast), especially this delicious German pancakes recipe! This recipe requires just 5 basic kitchen ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. Did I mention how easy this recipe is?! This is a great spin on traditional pancakes, giving you another pancake breakfast option in your recipe book. 

A slice of a German Pancake on a white plate with syrup over the pancake.

A Family Tradition

This recipe is my late grandmother’s famous German Pancake recipe. I did tweak the recipe just a little bit. Her recipe doesn’t call for vanilla extract but I love the addition vanilla adds to this recipe.

Growing up, German pancakes were a staple in my home. And it’s something I now make for my kids. I’m a sucker for special breakfast — although I do love me a bowl of my favorite cereal. Since this recipe is so simple, I find it’s a great one to make with your kids. Help them measure out the flour and teach them to crack an egg! Cooking in the kitchen in the morning is a fun start for not just your day, but the entire family.

Brown maple syrup being poured overtop a German Pancake.

German Pancake Ingredients

One thing I love about this recipe is that it uses only 5 basic kitchen/pantry staple ingredients. When I’m in a time crunch for getting dinner on the table, often times I will make these German pancakes because I always have the ingredients on hand (plus we just love this recipe)!

  • Butter – you’ll melt the butter in the pan to prevent the pancakes from sticking. Plus it’s butter… what’s breakfast without butter? 😀
  • Eggs – 6 eggs to be exact. 
  • Flour
  • Milk
  • Vanilla extract – adds flavor.

German Pancake batter being poured into a thirteen by nine inch casserole dish.

How to Make German Pancakes

  1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place the butter in a 9”x13” baking dish. While the oven is preheating, put the pan inside to melt the butter while you prepare the pancake batter. Note: keep an eye on the butter. Once melted, remove the pan from the oven. 
  2. Meanwhile, add the eggs, flour, milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend on medium-high for 30 seconds.
  3. Pour the batter in the 9”x13” butter coated pan. 
  4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. 
  5. Remove and serve immediately with syrup and/or fresh berries and powdered sugar.

Overhead photo of a German Pancake in a casserole dish.

FAQ and Recipe Tips

Can I use a hand mixer instead of a blender? Definitely! I find it’s much easier to just pop everything into a blender and mix it up. But if you don’t have a blender, or if you’d rather use your hand mixer, that’s just fine. 

Can I substitute the milk for a dairy-free option? If you are looking for a dairy-free breakfast, you can swap out the milk in this recipe for soymilk, almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, rice milk, etc. However, remember that each milk will have a different flavor, resulting in a differing flavor of German pancakes. Keep that in mind when choosing which dairy-free milk option you choose. 

How many people does German pancakes feed? This feeds my small family. If you are feeding big eaters, this will feed 2 individuals. 

Are German pancakes actually German? According to Cook’s Illustrated, German pancakes — or Dutch babies as they are also known as — are supposedly from Germany, but the Dutch reference apparently comes from an American restaurant owner who heard “Deutsch,” the word for German in the German language and thought it was Dutch.

Why won’t my German pancakes rise? If you notice, German pancakes don’t include baking powder or yeast. So it can be tricky to get a good rise. There are two key things to keep in mind to get a good rise in your German pancakes. According to thekitchn.com, letting your batter rest can help give the glutens and proteins in the flour time to develop, plus making sure your oven — or pan if you are using a pan — are heated thoroughly to the correct temperature.

A slice of German Pancake on a plate that sitting on an orange linen napkin.

More Breakfast Recipes

A square slice of German Pancake on a white plate with syrup overtop.

A slice of a German Pancake on a white plate with syrup over the pancake.
Print Review

German Pancakes

A really easy breakfast recipe that uses basic kitchen ingredients.
Prep Time: 2 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 22 mins
Servings: 4 slices

Ingredients
 

  • 4 tablespoons butter - unsalted or salted is fine
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk - any percentage is good (I usually use 2% or whole milk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the butter in a 9”x13” baking dish. Place the pan in the oven as it’s preheating. This will melt the butter while you prepare the pancake batter. Note: keep an eye on the butter. Once butter is melted remove from the oven. 
  • Meanwhile, add the eggs, flour, milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend on medium-high for 30 seconds or until thoroughly combined.
  • Pour the batter in the 9”x13” butter coated pan. 
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. (Mine usually takes 20 minutes to bake).
  • Remove and serve immediately with syrup and/or fresh berries and powdered sugar. 

Notes

Recipe from my grandmother (with the small addition of vanilla extract because I love the flavor it adds).
Nutritional information based on 1 individual serving. This feed my small family just fine. If feeding big eaters this will feed about 2 adults. 
Mixing options: If you don't have a blender you can mix the batter with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. 
Dairy free option: If you are looking for a dairy-free breakfast, you can swap out the milk in this recipe for soymilk, almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, rice milk, etc. However, remember that each milk will have a different flavor, resulting in a differing flavor of German pancakes. Keep that in mind when choosing which dairy-free milk option you choose. 

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal (17%)Carbohydrates: 27g (9%)Protein: 14g (28%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 10g (50%)Cholesterol: 282mg (94%)Sodium: 221mg (9%)Potassium: 205mg (6%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 805IU (16%)Calcium: 114mg (11%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
author: Whitney
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: German
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