Classic Dutch Pancake Recipe (Pannenkoeken)

This Dutch pancake recipe is a family recipe. The classic Dutch pancake, pannenkoek, is a whole pan size pancake that is thicker than a crêpe. I am born and raised in The Netherlands and I can tell you if you want to make the original Dutch pancakes, you should try this pancake recipe.

This recipe is for the classic Dutch Pancakes, so not the Dutch baby. It is really funny. We actually don’t make Dutch babies here in the Netherlands.

What are dutch pancakes? 🇾🇪

Dutch pancakes are a type of pancakes that originated in The Netherlands. ‘Pannenkoeken‘ ( the Dutch word of Pancakes) is a Dutch delicacy, made of flour, eggs, milk, and sugar. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

You can make them sweet or savory, depending on your liking, and your toppings. In most restaurants, ‘natural pancakes’ are served with powdered sugar and syrup. The traditional way to eat them is rolled up.

Do you have plans to come to The Netherlands? then you should try to order ‘pannenkoeken’ somewhere, you can order them in various ways. For example with Nutella, sugar and cinnamon, ham and cheese, bacon, or with apple. Try out my recipe for Dutch Butter Cake (Boterkoek), if you want to make another Dutch recipe.

What is the difference between dutch and american pancakes?

The difference between Dutch pancakes and American pancakes is that the Dutch pancakes are much thinner and larger than the thick American pancakes.

The nice thing about these Dutch pancakes is that you can make them to your liking. If you prefer sweetness, you can make the pancakes in a classic way with icing sugar and syrup or with cinnamon and sugar. Or try the pancakes with chocolate spread (Nutella). If you prefer savory, you can make them with ham, cheese, or bacon. It doesn’t matter what you like, whatever you throw on these pancakes. It will taste great.

Ingredients Dutch Pancakes

There are three ingredients needed for making classic Dutch pancakes: flour, eggs, and milk. To give the pancakes more taste, I always add some salt. Butter or oil is needed to bake them in the pan.

• Flour: you can use all-purpose flour or self-raising flour. You will have fluffier pancakes using self-raising flour. You can also add a little bit of baking powder into the batter to make the pancakes fluffier, according to your liking.
• Eggs: are needed for the thickness and fluffiness of the pancakes. Eggs make the pancakes airier. If you add more eggs, the pancakes become thicker.
• Milk: you can also replace the milk with buttermilk.
• Salt: adds taste to baking. Just add a tiny bit of salt for the flavor.
• Butter or oil: you have to add a little bit of butter or oil to the pan for baking them. It also prevents the pancakes from cracking and gives the pancakes more taste.

Optional: If you want to make sweet pancakes, you can add these ingredients. Do you want to make savory pancakes? Then you have to omit these ingredients

• Cinnamon: you can add a little bit of cinnamon to the pancake batter for the typical pancake flavor.
• Vanilla-flavored sugar or vanilla extract: it makes the pancakes a little bit sweeter.

Step-by-step instructions

Jump to Recipe

1. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them together.
2. Add the milk and the eggs and mix everything together with a mixer to a smooth pancake mix. You can also use a whisk or a blender to mix everything together. Using a blender to mix everything together makes the batter fluffier.
3. Put some oil or butter in a frying pan and wait for it to heat up. Scoop some dough into the pan with a ladle. Stir with the pan until the batter is evenly spread all over. Fry the pancakes on medium-low heat.
4. When the pancake has set and the top is no longer liquid and has a nice color on the bottom, you can turn it over with a spatula. Leave the pancake on the fire for a while until the bottom has also got a nice color. Optional: do you want to add bacon, ham, apple, or something else to your pancake? Then you have to do that now before the dough is completely hard.
5. Put the pancake on a plate and decorate it with your favorite toppings. Like with the classic Dutch combination of icing sugar and syrup or cinnamon and sugar. Repeat the steps a few more times until the batter is completely used up.

👉🏻 For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

Equipment

You don’t need a lot of equipment for the Dutch Pancake Recipe. You only need a whisk, a mixing bowl, and a frying pan.

• Whisk, blender, or hand mixer
• Mixing bowl
• Frying pan
• Optional: spatula

Storage

Refrigerator: Did you make too many pancakes? That does not matter, if you wrap the baked pancakes with cling film you can keep them in the fridge for about two days. You can keep the pancake batter covered in the fridge for a day.

Freezer: When packed in a freezer bag, you can also freeze the fried pancakes for up to three weeks. Make sure the pancakes are also completely cooled before you freeze them. Note: the quality of the pancakes will deteriorate in the freezer.

Can you heat up Dutch Pancakes?

Did you make too many pancakes, and do you have some leftovers? You can heat them up in the microwave for about 30 – 60 seconds. You can also heat them up in a frying pan.

Expert tips

• Hot frying pan: the first pancake often fails because the pan is not yet hot enough. To check if your pan is ready, drop a few drops of water into the pan. If they dance through the pan as small droplets you can start baking. Be patient.
• Use butter or oil: spread the oil evenly over the pan and add a little bit of oil to the batter to prevent cracks in the pancake. Using butter or oil in the pan also gives the pancakes more taste and it also provides better browning.
• Rest the batter: Let the batter rest for a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking. This makes the Dutch pancakes airier, and it results in a firm, smooth, and thin pancake.
• Flip the pancake: It is time to turn your pancake if the top of your pancake is no longer shiny and has holes in it. If the edges are coming loose from the pan and become brown it is time to flip the pancake.
• Use your best frying pan: use a cast iron pan or a pan with a non-stick coating. Make sure there are no old leftovers in the pan because they will burn the pancake.

Serving size

This recipe is for making about 9 or 10 Dutch pancakes. The amount of pancakes depends on the size of your pan and the thickness of the pancakes. If you make large thick pancakes, you will get less from the batter than when you make thin pancakes.

Variations

• Gluten-free: you can make the Dutch pancakes gluten-free by replacing the flour with buckwheat flour or rice flour.
• Lactose allergy: you can replace the milk with water, soda, soja milk, oat milk, beer, or apple juice.
• Egg allergy: you can leave out the eggs. You can add some baking powder instead of the eggs to make the pancakes fluffier. Be careful with flipping the pancakes, the pancakes break easier without eggs. You can also add one crushed banana into the batter instead of eggs, but it won’t taste any more like a classic Dutch Pancake.

⭐️ Did you make this? Please leave a star rating below or a review in the comments section.

Recipe Classic Dutch Pancake (Pannenkoek)

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