A cross between a French crepe and an American pancake, thin yet dense, Dutch Pancakes (Pannenkoeken) are a wonderful thing. This recipe comes courtesy of my husband, who was born and raised in Holland. He loves to make these Dutch Pancakes for a family breakfast on weekend mornings.
All of my husband’s immediate family lives in The Netherlands. So, we’ve been over there a bunch of times to visit and to sightsee. One of our favorite things to eat, when we are over there, is Dutch pancakes and Holland is full of pancake restaurants. Pancakes in Holland are not just for breakfast, they have savory versions for lunch and even dinner.
One of the best things in the world to eat, is a savory Dutch pancake made with Dutch cheese and speck, served with a frosty mug of beer. You can’t beat it, especially when enjoyed outside on the terrace on a sunny day.
They really should have Dutch pancake restaurants here in the US. But until then, you can make and enjoy your own Dutch pancakes at home. This recipe is for plain pancakes, with some suggested add-ins. My husband will often add apples or bananas to the batter. Or, you can go the savory route and add cheese (hard cheeses work best) and ham or bacon.
We like to eat these Dutch Pancakes rolled up. They are delicious when sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup. I like to top them with fresh fruit or berries.
The raspberries I used in the pictures here were freshly picked by me and the girls at Silferleaf Farm in Concord. The berries were so ripe and delicious that one of my girls couldn’t resist stealing one mid photo.
Dutch Pancakes
Notes
With the exception of cheese, if you're adding fruit or other ingredients, add them immediately after ladling the batter into the pan. When adding cheese, add as the batter starts to solidify.
For savory pancakes (dinner or lunch) experiment with combinations of ham and cheese, bacon and cheese, broccoli or spinach with cheese, or create your own...
For dessert pancakes, top plain pancakes with fruit and whipped cream or chocolate sauce.
Top cooked pancake with some confectioner's sugar and/or (maple) syrup.
Ingredients
Pancake Batter
- 2 cups flour (all white or any blend you like)
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp. milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
Fruity Variations
- Sliced Apples (e.g. Granny Smith) or
- Sliced Banana or
- Blueberry or
- Topped with Strawberry and Whipped Cream or ...
Savory Variations
- Grated Sharp Cheese (e.g. Old Amsterdam, Aged Gouda or Cheddar)
- Bacon (cooked and chopped)
- Broccoli (steamed and chopped)
- Ham
- Spinach
Instructions
For the batter:
- Combine the flour and salt.
- Mix the eggs into the flour.
- Add milk slowly (about 1/2 cup at a time) while mixing, getting rid off any lumps in the batter.
For each plain pancake:
- Lightly coat frying pan (non-stick or seasoned skillet) with butter (Pam spray works well) over medium-high heat.
- Ladle 1/2 cup of batter into frying pan, coating the bottom evenly.
- Flip the pancake once all batter solidifies and brown the other side (~15-30 seconds).
Come on over for those lovely Dutch pancakes. Working on the Dutch pancake thing as we speak! At least in CA that is….have a look at Royal Dutch Delights.
Thank you. My grandmother grew up on Holland and made these for us. She called them flinches or at least that’s what it sounded like. She added some sugar to the batter though. We ate them as you said – just with butter and sugar and rolled up. We would wait for our turn for the next one off the pan. Any time I try to describe them people just say ” oh, crepes” LOL
[…] Original Dutch pancakes are thinner and larger than American style pancakes and they may have ingredients like bacon, apple or cheese incorporated in the pancake itself. Traditional Dutch pancakes are popular at kids’ birthday parties. We love pancakes for dessert too. […]
Joy, since I can’t go out and buy Dutch Speck in Colorado, what would be a good substitute?
Hi Rose, bacon is a good substitute for speck. You can either add uncooked bacon to the pan, either in strips or chopped, let it cook for just a bit (depends on how well you like the bacon cooked) and then ladle the batter over top. Or you can add cooked chopped bacon to the batter, then ladle into the pan.
Hope you give it a try and enjoy!
[…] If you would like a different recipe that has more exactness, I’ve linked you one right here: Joy Love Food Dutch Pancakes […]
I fell in love with Dutch pancakes when visiting the Netherlands and had such a taste for them this morning. Usually I cannot find a recipe which is accurate. This is it! Thank you! They were the perfect consistency and taste.
Hi Bonnie, thanks for stopping by! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed our Dutch Pancakes!
My grandmother made these all the time. But she would put berries or apple slices in the batter. When done she sprinkled cinnamon and brown sugar on them and we never had maple syrup so she made a syrup with brown sugar and I believe water boiled it and that’s what we had on them. They were the greatest. Really miss grandma’s cooking
This is a nice one too for dinner(or lunch)
Chop 2 unions and 250 grams of mushrooms in a blender (untill it’s crumbly)
Than stir frie it in a pan in a little olive oil,
than put in a whole Boursin(the small version) or creamcheese with herbs.
When it’s melted, put the ragout on your pancake…delicious!! Enjoy!!
Hi Rachel, thanks for stopping by, that sounds like a delicious variation!
These look awesome! I’ve not had Dutch Pancakes before but they look like a slightly thicker version of our English pancakes – yum!
Thanks for sharing another scrumptious recipe with us Joy – congrats – you are one of our Featured Guests at Inspire Me Monday this week (tell your husband he can share his recipes with us ANY time!) 🙂
Your pancakes look amazing! Thanks so much for linking up on Merry Monday! This post was shared via my Twitter! Have a great Weekend!
Kim
[…] 2nd Favorite Thing this week is these Yummy Dutch Pancakes from Joy Love […]
I love this so much I’m featuring you tomorrow! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you tomorrow! Pinned!
Just Pinned your delicious Dutch Pancakes, thanks so much for sharing them with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
These look delicious! I went to The Netherlands about 10 years ago, and I’d love to go back some day. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
These are just beautiful and happy to know about a real Dutch pancake. I’m sort of on a mission to have folks know that Dutch Baby Pancakes came about because someone’s daughter could not pronounce the word Deutsch and something German became something Dutch. Why yes, I am of German heritage! 🙂
I just ate a bowl of strawberries for breakfast; what a waste…I could have had them with these gorgeous pancakes!
We love pancakes of all varieties around here, so I am excited to try this one. They’ll be perfect with all the fresh berries hitting our local markets this next month. Thank you for sharing it! 🙂
I LOVEEE Dutch Pancakes. These look fantastic!!
Yum!! I recently made crepes but these look so much better! I have to try this and those sausage rolls too!
These look amazing and i LOVE raspberries!
This looks so good and now I’m hungry…lol. Pinned and will be making this for our weekend breakfast.
I’m a lover of all pancakes and I definitely need to try these! I love how versatile they are with the filling options.
And I thought I’d tried every possible type of pancake. I am only familiar with the Dutch pancakes that get puffy when baked. Will have to try these.
I’ve never had one, but now I want to try them after seeing these! I love the different variations you came up with. Visiting from Friendship Friday Blog Party. 🙂 Pinning!
Thanks for coming by Kim, I hope you give these a try and enjoy!
Looks so good!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Debbie
Thanks Debbie!
Thank you so much for attending week 11 of #PureBlogLove and linking your fantastic blog post. These Dutch pancakes have my mouth watering. They look perfect! Bet the whole family loves weekend breakfasts with these on the menu 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you have in store for our party next week Thursday 8 PM EST- Sundays at midnight. Your post has been added to the #PureBlogLove Pinterest board for all to see 🙂 Have a great day!
Nicole
Thanks so much Nicole!
[…] Dutch Pancakes via […]
[…] lastly…I am going to need some dessert to indulge in. And these Dutch Pancakes from Joy Love Food are going to do the trick. They remind me of the sweet and buttery lacy pancakes I get at my […]
Wow- those look great! I know what I want for breakfast this weekend! Thanks for sharing them with us at Foodie Fridays…watch for a tweet in a little bit! 🙂
Thanks Michelle, I love Foodie Fridays! Hope you try the pancakes and enjoy!
OMG I love Dutch pancakes!!! And these look incredible!!! I think these may be right up my alley! Thanks for sharing them with us on #foodie Fridays!!!! Glad to see ya there!
Thanks Mila, hope you give the pancakes a try!
Oh I will enjoy them! And I am featuring them as part of my #FoodieFridays faves this week!!! Come on over and check it out!!! Thanks so much for linking with us!!! We are looking forward to seeing more from of these types of creations soon!