German Pancakes
This easy German pancakes recipe requires just 5 basic kitchen ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. This is a great spin on traditional pancakes, giving you another pancake breakfast option in your recipe book. And if you want a healthier version, be sure to try my Healthy German Pancakes recipe.
Why this recipe works
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. This recipe is the best because we add all the ingredients together to a blender — making this recipe quick to prepare and easy to clean up. Plus, if you have a busy morning (or evening — yes, this is a frequent dinner item at my house), instead of standing by a griddle flipping pancakes, these beauties bake on their own.
Ingredients needed
- Butter: The butter will melt in the pan while the oven is preheating. Pouring the batter into the melted butter will not only prevent sticking, but it gives a nice buttery flavor and coating on the pancakes that tastes amazing!
- Eggs – This recipe uses half a dozen eggs.
Step-by-step instructions
- 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.
- Meanwhile, add the eggs, flour, milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend on medium-high for 30-45 seconds.
- Pour the batter in the 9×13-inch butter-coated pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
- Remove and serve immediately with syrup and/or fresh berries and powdered sugar.
Recipe tips
- 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.
- Be sure to blend the batter for the full 30 seconds. Beating the air into the batter will help the pancakes puff up beautifully.
- Dairy free option: If you are looking for a dairy-free breakfast, you can swap out the milk in this recipe for soy milk, 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.
FAQs
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.
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.
This feeds my small family. If you are feeding big eaters, this will feed 2 individuals.
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. So, basically they are the same thing.
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, giving your batter time to let the glutens and proteins in the flour develop can help (meaning, don’t mix and pour and bake right away). Let your batter sit for a minute to develop, then give it another pulse or two in the blender to add more air into the eggs, which can help lift the pancakes. Also, make sure your oven — or pan if you are using a pan — are heated thoroughly to the correct temperature.
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German Pancakes
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
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.
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One Comment on “German Pancakes”
I’ve made German pancakes so many times, and I could never get a good rise on them. I love it when they bubble up a ton! And mine were always flat. I tried this recipe and can finally get that big bubbly German pancake!