35 Pancake Ideas That Put Basic Flapjacks to Shame
Nothing springs us out of bed quite like the aroma of homemade pancakes. But we’re thinking it’s time we get more creative than a sprinkle of chocolate chips. Behold: 35 easy, creative pancake ideas that will spice up weekday mornings, Sunday brunch and heck, even breakfast-for-dinner night. They range from savory specialties (like a ham-and-egg Dutch baby) to sweet masterpieces (like cinnamon roll pancakes with vanilla icing) that your whole fam will be eager to scarf down—even before you’ve poured their coffee.
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Matt Russell/Lazy Baking
1. One-Cup Pancakes
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
This recipe is so easy that you’ll have it memorized after your first attempt. Make the simple stack a bit fancy with Greek yogurt, jam and lemon zest.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
2. Sheet Tray Pancakes with Peaches and Strawberries
Time Commitment: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, one pan
Alfresco brunch for a crowd, anyone? We can’t think of a better way to show off your first stone fruit haul of the season.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
3. Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Sure, you could go the maple syrup route…but we’re partial to this three-ingredient vanilla glaze.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
4. Pancake Tacos with Cheese and Bacon
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Complete with scrambled eggs for extra protein. Serve these handhelds with plenty of hot sauce and coffee.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
5. Swedish Pancakes
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
Think of these lighter pancakes as a cross between American flapjacks and French crepes. Here, they’re layered with raspberry jam and dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
6. Croque Madame Dutch Baby
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, high protein
Complete with buttery, nutmeg-laced béchamel sauce.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
7. Nutella Pancakes
Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
The only thing better than slathering your pancakes in hazelnut-cocoa spread? Stuffing them with frozen discs of it instead, so each pancake has a molten chocolatey core once it’s cooked. Molten lava cake but make it breakfast.
Heath Goldman
8. Chrissy Teigen’s Blueberry Cream Cheese Pancakes
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy
Each pancake is studded with what Chrissy calls “cream cheese bombs,” or frozen cubes of cream cheese that turn soft and creamy as the flapjacks warm through.
Christina Holmes/Alpine Cooking
9. Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Shredded Pancakes)
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, one pan
Also referred to as Emperor’s Mess, this rustic dish of buttery shredded magic has been around since the 19th century.
Erin McDowell
10. Easy Red Velvet Pancakes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
Bring on the cream cheese icing. Your guests will be so impressed that they’ll have no clue you started with red velvet cake mix.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
11. Gluten-Free Almond Flour Pancakes
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: gluten free,
Gussy up these wheat-free wonders with cinnamon, chocolate fudge, peanut butter, whipped cream or any fruit your heart desires.
Sarah Copeland/Chronicle Books
12. Johnnycakes with Rhubarb and Sour Cherries
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy
Pucker up, friends. Not only is this stack crowned with tart-sweet rhubarb-cherry maple syrup, but it’s also finished with a dollop of tangy plain yogurt.
Photo: Tyler Mauk/Styling: Anne Mauk
13. Sheet Pan Pancakes with Chocolate Chips
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Slice the one-pan gem into slabs or cut it into strips instead so the kids can dunk them into syrup like French toast sticks.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
14. Dutch Baby Pancake
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
German pancake. Bismarck. Dutch puff. Whatever you call it, you’ll be shocked how easy it is to prepare. (You can even mix the batter in the blender if you’re feeling extra lazy.)
Erin McDowell
15. Sweet Crepes with Caramelized Pears and Mascarpone Cream
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Crepes are basically just pancakes without leavening. Make the batter in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to two days ahead of Mother’s Day brunch.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
16. Gingerbread Pancakes
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Make these spiced cuties on Christmas morning once and they’ll become an annual tradition. Might we suggest washing ’em down with homemade eggnog?
Photo: Mike Grippi/Styling: Kaitlin Wayne
17. Baileys Red Velvet Pancakes with Whipped Cream
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy
AKA our new favorite way to use Irish cream. Swap crushed freeze-dried raspberries in for red food coloring to turn the batter pink—their flavor will pair beautifully with the cocoa.
Two Peas & Their Pod
18. Pumpkin Pancakes
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
The ultimate way to fuel up ahead of trick-or-treating. Tangy buttermilk and warm spices like ginger, clove and nutmeg counteract the sweetness of the canned pumpkin purée.
Grandbaby Cakes
19. Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Ricotta cheese in the batter ensures fluffy, moist and unbelievably tender pancakes every damn time.
Half Baked Harvest
20. Sweet Cherry Buckwheat Pancakes with Bourbon Butter Syrup and Bacon
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Trading AP flour for buckwheat is an easy way to zhuzh up your usual stack. (Salty-sweet, bourbon-spiked syrup doesn’t hurt either.)
Spoon Fork Bacon
21. Coconut Banana Pancakes
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, one bowl, kid-friendly
An edible tropical vacation that’s well worth getting out of bed for. Bonus points for toasting the shredded coconut before sprinkling it onto the pancakes.
Pinch of Yum
22. Fluffiest Blueberry Pancakes
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <30 minutes
Buttermilk isn’t exactly a pantry staple. Luckily, you can sub in milk and white vinegar.
Cookie and Kate
23. Whole Wheat Pancakes
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
You kids may be wise to you putting their sandwiches on whole-wheat bread instead of white, but we’re betting they’ll be less suspicious of a syrup-soaked short stack.
Half Baked Harvest
24. Browned Butter Cinnamon Peach Dutch Baby
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
The peaches are baked in nutty, luscious brown butter before being mixed into the batter. Need we say more?
Grandbaby Cakes
25. Pineapple Upside-Down Pancakes
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, <30 minutes
We don’t know about you, but we’re topping ours with vanilla ice cream *and* maple syrup, thank you very much.
I Am A Food Blog
26. Japanese Souffle Pancakes
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
The key to these light-as-cloud delicacies is whipping the egg whites into meringue before adding them to the batter.
Wholesome Yum
27. Low-Carb Keto Pancakes
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: low carb, keto-friendly, <30 minutes, gluten free
Using almond flour, coconut flour and monk fruit allulose instead of AP flour and sugar keep the net carbs at a low 3 grams per serving.
A Cookie Named Desire
28. Chocolate Buckwheat Pancakes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Dessert for breakfast is always a good idea. Top the pancakes with chopped nuts, raspberries, strawberries or caramel sauce.
Half Baked Harvest
29. Rice Krispie Treat Pancakes with Browned Butter Syrup
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
This breakfast is peak nostalgia. If your kids are thrown off by the idea of brown butter syrup, casually mention there’s a hefty scoop of melted marshmallows in the pancake batter and they’ll be sold.
Grandbaby Cakes
30. Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
The pancakes are studded with old-fashioned oats, shredded apples and chopped pecans, so feel free to drench your plate in Honeycrisp-brown sugar topping.
Salt & Wind
31. Crepes with Meyer Lemon Curd and Berries
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy
If you can’t find Meyer lemons near you, substitute a 50/50 mix of lemon and orange juices instead. (We’d suggest cara cara oranges for extra sweetness.)
Half Baked Harvest
32. Buttermilk Pancakes with Chamomile Cream and Gingered Strawberries
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy
Pro tip: Make a double (or um, triple) batch of the chamomile-honey whipped cream for galettes, tarts, pies, waffles, cakes and beyond.
Grandbaby Cakes
33. Ginger-Orange Pancakes
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
There’s OJ in the pancakes, but the recipe also calls for a touch of orange extract to drive the citrusy flavor home.
Ambitious Kitchen
34. Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes, one bowl, gluten free
All you need to do to prepare the batter is plop all the ingredients in the blender and blitz until combined. In the words of Ina Garten, how easy is that?
Salt & Wind
35. Black-and-White Pancake Cake
Time Commitment: minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Sure, you can reserve this uber-decadent behemoth for dessert…but we’re betting your kiddos wouldn’t mind having a slice for breakfast.
Victoria Bellafiore
Want more recipe inspo?
Check out our cookbook, Only the Good Stuff!
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