I vividly remember the first time I had a “German Pancake.” I was a little girl and my parents had gone out of town and one of my favorite babysitters, Amy Arneson, was staying with us. She placed a big glass cake pan in the oven and I remember watching in wonder as it morphed from a flat, silky batter, into an enormous fluffy cloud in the hot oven. To be honest, I’m not sure if German pancakes have anything to do with Germany because when you make a smaller batch in a cast iron skillet, they’re called “Dutch Babies.” Either way we apparently have Europeans to thank? And thank them you will, because this easy recipe is bound to become a family favorite!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Eggs
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can!
- Powdered sugar
- Additional toppings – As desired- berries, berry sauce, maple syrup, whipped cream, buttermilk caramel syrup, etc.
How to Make German Pancakes
- This couldn’t be easier. First of all, you’ll toss some butter in a pan and place that pan in the oven to get hot. You want and need a hot pan for the best pancake so leave it in there until the butter melts, and it will even start to brown.
- While it’s heating up, you’ll mix up eggs, milk and flour with a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla. Then you just pour it in your hot pan. (My cute pan is from Crow Country Home, by the way. I bought it here.)
- Pop that pan in the oven and in 15-20 minutes or so it will puff up into a delicious pillowy pancake. My kids love standing near the oven and watching it morph. I actually go less by a timer and more by sight since it seems to cook a little different every time. It will start to sink down once it comes out, but no worries, that’s normal!
- Drizzle it with a little more melted butter, and we like a dusting of powdered sugar and additional toppings as desired.
Storing and Other Tips
- These are definitely best fresh, straight out of the oven! If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within a couple of days for best results.
- When it comes to toppings, the sky is the limit! You can do good ol’ maple syrup, or fresh berries and whipped cream, or lemon juice and powdered sugar just to name a few. We love this Kodiak Cakes Berry Syrup, and if you want a homemade version, check out our Strawberry or Blueberry Syrups, or this Buttermilk Syrup is also fantastic.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make the batter up to 24 hours in advance, but definitely bake fresh!
A good hot pan helps the batter puff immediately when it hits the oven, which is key to getting those tall edges and tender center.
Yes, you can divide the batter among smaller oven-safe dishes or skillets. Just keep in mind they’ll bake faster than a larger pancake, so keep an eye on them and try to keep them in similarly-sized dishes so they will cook at the same time. You may want to set your baking dishes on a baking sheet for easy removal from the hot oven.
German Pancakes
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups milk
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick butter, divided
- powdered sugar
Additional toppings as desired
- Berries, berry sauce, maple syrup, whipped cream, buttermilk caramel syrup, etc.
Instructions
- Chop 6 tablespoons of the butter into chunks and place in a 9×13 pan. Place pan in oven and preheat to 400℉. Place remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small dish and microwave until melted completely. Set aside.
- While the oven is preheating, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt, and vanilla in a blender, or simply whisk until completely smooth. Remove pan from oven when butter is melted and tilt pan to distribute butter evenly on the bottom of pan and slightly up sides, or a silicone brush.
- Pour batter into pan and then return to oven. Bake for 15-25 minutes or so, or until puffed up and golden brown on top. All ovens cook differently, so just keep an eye on it!
- Remove from oven and immediately pour remaining melted butter over the top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into large pieces and top with desired toppings.
Notes
- Although a 9×13 pan seems like a lot, these will go fast! I find 1 pan feeds my family of 6 if there are other things to accompany the meal, or hearty toppings (like lots of fruit.) If it’s all we’re eating, I often make 2 for my hungry boys!
- Nutrition info was calculated for 1/6th of a pan, with no toppings other than the butter poured on at the end of baking.
- These are definitely best fresh and hot from the oven. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2 days for best results.
- If you need to plan ahead, you can make the batter up to 24 hours in advance, stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Questions & Reviews
I love German Pancakes…we have had lots of snow here in the NW. Love the fruit. Sometimes a little lemon juice on them with the powdered sugar is delicious.
Looks delicious and I love your pretty pan, too!
Can you use buttermilk for these? Or any other substitute like almond milk or coconut milk?
I think any kind of milk would work, although I’ve never tried buttermilk!
I usually love this recipe but I had some leftover soy milk which I tried today and it did NOT work. I say stick to the regular milk!
Haha, ya good to know!
I prefer buttermilk in this recipe! Only used 4T butter to melt prior to pouring batter. Serve with squeezed lemon and powdered sugar.
I actually read about you in a First magazine. Was very interest because I have been saving recipes for about 70 years. I have saved so many and still use the tried and true and recipes I make up. I love your site. Thanks so much for the info.
That looks amazing! Is the inside like a pancake or more like custard?
Neither- kind of a mix of the two. More like a really thick crepe.
The German Pancake/Dutch Baby is probably from the same root as the Dutch/Deutsche of Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants from Germany. Either way, European-named breakfast foods are delicious and I am super keen to try this one out!
My recipe is similar. It calls for 6 T. butter, which makes it less appealing to me. I’ve experimented and reduced the butter by half and it still works. I do have to spray the pan with Pam, however.
I think 8 tbsp of butter is too much and it overwhelms the taste with butter. I’ll try 6 tbsp or less next time. Thank you!
When we stayed at bed-and-breakfasts in Germany, they served us cold cuts, sliced cheese, and kind of hard bread. So, yeah, I’m not sure why our breakfast foods have European names. But they’re delicious! (The cold cuts weren’t bad, either…)
This sounds good. I do have a question about the flour. Is it all purpose flour? If so, do you know what makes this dish rise the way it does? Thanks in advance.
Yes, just regular all purpose flour!
The eggs make it poof
Yum! Does the fat % of the milk make a difference? We always have skin for drinking, but always question cooking with it. Thank you.
Skim should be fine. I’ve even used water and they are still delicious!