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German Pancakes are a hot and puffy golden pancake that only requires 5 minutes of prep! This classic breakfast is always a huge hit at our house!
We love a good classic breakfast at our house. Try this Breakfast Casserole, these delicious Quick 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls, or my Grandma’s Perfect Fluffy Pancakes for a breakfast the family won’t be able to get enough of!
German Pancakes Recipe
Breakfast is always a struggle at our house because mornings are always so busy! I love to surprise the kiddos with a delicious and hot breakfast at least once a week before school. That is why we love German pancakes at our house. They only take 5 minutes of prep with ingredients that you have on hand. This breakfast is totally doable, even for the busiest families!
My kids love to watch things baking in the oven and this recipe is the best to watch! As the german pancakes bake in the oven, they get puffy and golden. Once we take them out, I love sprinkling them with some powdered sugar and topping them with some syrup and berries. But the best part about pancakes is that you can make them however you like!
Are German Pancakes really from Germany?
German Pancakes or Dutch Baby Pancakes are not German Pancakes the way they are prepared in Germany. The American “German Pancakes” are more like a popover, either entirely baked in the oven or started in a pan and finished in the oven.
German Puff Pancakes Ingredients
If you haven’t tried this classic breakfast, you need to make it. We absolutely love it at our house, and it is so fun and easy to make! It is sure to be a huge hit with family or guests!
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best for it to thicken.
- Eggs: This helps with the form and taste of the pancake.
- Milk: This helps make the batter creamy and smooth.
- Butter: Melt the butter before adding it to the batter.
- Sugar: The sugar sweetens the pancakes up!
- Salt: Just a pinch will help it rise.
How to Make German Pancakes from Scratch?
Make this German pancake recipe even easier by adding the batter to a blender for about 30 seconds. Start with blending the wet ingredients together first and then add the dry ingredients until they are smooth. Once the lumps are out, place the batter in the cast iron skillet.
- Whisk Together: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter, salt, and sugar. Add the flour and stir until incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
- Bake in a Skillet: Add one tablespoon of melted butter to the bottom of a 9 or 11-inch cast iron skillet. Pour the batter into a skillet and bake for 12-18 minutes or just until the edges start to brown. Top with desired toppings.
Tips and Tricks
The best thing about baking German pancakes is watching them rise up and over the pan while baking in the oven. Getting that nice fluffy texture and high rise takes a few tips and tricks to make the perfect German pancakes.
- Eggs: Fresh eggs are best! Taking the time to whisk each egg individually will also help fluff up the pancake. This does take extra time but can be so worth it!
- Flour: For best results, use all-purpose flour to help with the rise and thickness of each pancake.
- Preheating the pan: Before adding the batter to the pan, it helps to melt butter ahead of time to help the pancake rise. The butter will help as a non-stick agent, which creates a taller rise and also keeps the pancake from sticking to the pan.
- Golden Brown Color: German pancakes are a little tricky to know whether they are done. As it is baking in the oven, the sides of the pancake will rise about 1 to 2 inches and even creep over the top of the skillet. Once the edges and top of the German pancake is nice and golden brown, you know to remove the pancake from the oven. The middle of the pancake will be a yellow egg color. Once the pancake is removed from the oven, in a short amount of time, the German oven pancake will fall a bit. This happens as it is cooling.
Optional Toppings to Try
Traditionally adding syrup or sprinkling powdered sugar are always popular choices. Once the German pancake is baked and ready to serve, add your favorite toppings and create a delicious breakfast everyone will love.
- Syrup: Buttermilk syrup or any berry syrup.
- Jam: Strawberry jam is my favorite!
- Fresh Berries: Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries go together so well and balance out the sweet flavor of German pancakes.
- Powdered Sugar: Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top!
- Chocolate Chips: Add the chocolate chips right on top of the pancake while it is warm.
- Cinnamon Sugar: A little more sweetness!
- Nutella: This adds a delicious, chocolatey taste!
More Delicious Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast might just be the best meal of the day! It can be sweet, savory or anything in between! I’ve gathered up a few more of my very favorite breakfast recipes that you must try. You’re entire family will love them!
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German Oven Pancake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium sized bowl whisk the eggs, milk, 2 Tablespoons melted butter, salt and sugar. Add the flour and stir until incorporated being careful not to overmix.
- Add 1 tablespoon melted butter to the bottom of a 9 or 11 inch cast iron skillet. Pour the batter into a skillet and bake for 12-18 minutes or just until the edges start to brown. Top with desired toppings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a new favourite at our house. Topped with icing sugar, raspberries, blackberries and maple syrup, and feeds 2 adults and a child using a 10″ cast iron pan. Absolutely divine!
What about proportions? Can the recipe be changed?
A recipe for 3 people, or 5 people or 8 people?
I like to use myfitnesspal.com or skinnytaste.com for any nutritional information. Hope that helps answer your questions.
This recipe is so yummy and so simple to make!! I substituted the flour and milk with gluten-free flour and almond milk. The cold milk and eggs did make the melted butter solidify, but I just mixed it a little longer and it still worked. I put my 10inch cast iron skillet into the oven as it was warming up, then added the tbsp of butter to the heated skillet before pouring in the batter. It turned out great!
This was really interesting. Not what I was expecting for sure. It was good- but came out very thin, and tasted very eggy and reminiscent of french toast. I did use a 9×13 since I did not have a cast iron on hand. Maybe that played a part?
A 9×13 should have worked. A tip would be to beat the eggs for a long period of time in order to get more of a fluffiness texture. You will also either want to add 3 more eggs for the 9×13 pan. That is probably why it was flat. Hope you will try them again. They are a quick and easy breakfast that fills you up and is very delicious! One of our family favorites! XOXO
Is this supposed to be really eggy? Or did I not mix in the flour enough? My new cast iron pan (that I seasoned last night) must need a few more runs because it also stuck so bad.
GREAT recipe … very light, fluffy and delicate flavor. I unless you were serving other items, making a single recipe would be more realistic to serve 2-3 adults.. Slid right out of my cast iron pan and super easy clean-up. Easy to whip-up for either something different or for a special occasion – definitely worthy to serve on Christmas morning. I will certainly make this again and again
This Dutch Baby is the best tasting, easiest pancake ever. We love it with the powder sugar and lemon topped with fresh berries. Thank you for sharing the best recipe ever.
It truly is! I am so glad you love it as much as I do. Thank you for sharing and following along with me! XOOX
This is absolutely delicious! I have made it 3 times, and the only change I make is to add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
I bake it in a stoneware pie plate, and it turns out perfectly after 15 minutes.
We serve it with lots of maple syrup, and it serves 2-my husband and me!
Thanks so much for a new family favorite!
Thank you so much for the BEST Dutch Baby we have ever tasted. My husband and I like trying new ones but we will forever make this one. It is so tasty. The best we have ever had. Yours is even better then the one we get at the German Resturant. All we can say is YUM AND WOW!! Thanks again.
Alyssa, Thank you so much for sharing your Dutch Baby Recipe. My husband and I like to try different recipes but yours is the best we have ever had. YUM!!! Thank you again for the wonderful Dutch Baby we had this morning.
Made for a special mother’s day meal for my wife. I did it in cast iron. The only thing I added. (Because I can’t leave things alone). Cinnamon to the butter before pouring in the mixture. Not to much, could barely tast it. I will be making this for my adult kids and there kids
Thank you and it was easy to make
I tried to give you 5 stars , it wouldn’t let me
That is great to hear! I am so glad that you made it for your wife! It is a family favorite in our home! Thank you for sharing and letting me know about the stars. I appreciate each one of them;)!! XOXO
This German pancake was simple and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and it was a huge hit. Thanks!
Yes please. Out with the traditional pancakes. This receipe is ?. Thanks for sharing.
This was great and the family loved it. Next time though I will use room temperature eggs and warm the milk a bit to keep the butter from solidifying, and add the flour a bit slower (it clumped on me this time :/)
I made this last week exactly as it’s written and served with sliced strawberries and blue berries. It was fantastic and it looked beautiful in my cast iron skillet. Will be making again tomorrow morning. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
What if you do not have a cast iron skillet? Your recipe does not indicate how many this recipe serves.
You can always use a glass pan with the same instructions. This will feed 4-6 adults. Hope that helps! XOXO
I actually found that my 10″ stainless steel pans work really well.
The pancakes puff up high but they don’t spill over.
I actually use them more than my cast iron for this recipe.