Mini German Pancakes

I remember peeking through the oven door as German pancakes rose so beautifully in my Grandmother’s oven. Mini German Pancakes are light, airy egg pancakes.

Often called Dutch baby pancakes, this breakfast has been a family favorite ever since I was a little girl.

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German pancakes are somewhat of a cross between a soufflé and an omelet. While they look fancy and taste divine, they are beyond simple to prepare.

German Pancakes

German Pancakes are such a fun breakfast to make. They’re baked right in the oven and the kids love to watch them as they rise sky high while they cook and then slowly fall down as they are set on the counter.

(Unlike a souffle you actually want these beauties to fall as they cool!)

I use a muffin tin to turn the eggy batter into perfectly round airy pancakes so there’s no flipping or worry about your pancake breaking. A little pat of melted butter in each muffin cup keeps the batter from sticking.

Growing up, this was my Grandmother’s signature breakfast to make for us. We were fortunate to live near enough for weekend visits to our grandparents’ house when we were small children.

Grandmother’s kitchen was my favorite place to spend time when we visited her and Grandpa. She would wake (almost ridiculously) early when she had guests and she never failed to have something in progress for breakfast no matter when you came downstairs.

She was the ultimate hostess and she never failed to fill our visits with an abundance of food, games, and fun when we visited them. I’ll always associate the delicious aroma of these German pancakes baking in the oven with visits to her house.

We love these miniature German Pancakes with fruit and powdered sugar. Try fresh berries or sliced peaches for a breakfast that’s worth waking up for.

These are also delicious with maple syrup, or my grandmother’s Sweet Orange Sauce. There is nothing that brings back memories of Grandmother quite like a warm pitcher of orange sauce waiting to be drizzled over crepes or German pancakes.

German Pancakes Recipe

I love this pancake recipe because I can bake a big batch all at once and have them ready to serve at the same time. There’s no worry about keeping the stack of pancakes warm as you finish cooking the rest of the batter.

That makes baked German Mini Pancakes a fantastically easy homemade breakfast served all on their own or as part of a big morning feast. Every which way I’ve served and eaten these German Pancakes they’ve been a big hit.

Once you’ve tried the amazingness that is a classic German Pancake, you’ll want to try some fun variations like this German Apple Pancake and Cranberry Almond German Pancakes.

When we’re not enjoying German Pancakes, we also love the familiar skillet variety of pancake. Banana Coconut Pecan Pancakes are always a favorite for a big weekend breakfast (or breakfast for dinner!)

Check out 2-Ingredient Cream Cheese Pancakes for a super simple low-carb breakfast treat along with these Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Waffles that also happen to be gluten free!

Speaking of gluten free recipes, it’s totally possible to make German Pancakes with gluten free flour. I’ve substituted a combination of brown rice flour and tapioca starch in this recipe with excellent results.

 Mini German Pancake Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400°. Whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add the milk and whisk smooth. Add the eggs and whisk again. Slice the butter into tiny pieces – a little less than a teaspoon each.

Place a small piece of butter (see Cook’s Note) in each muffin time and then melt the butter in the hot oven, about 2 minutes.

When the butter has melted, remove from the oven and pour about 3 tablespoons of the egg mixture (I used a scant 1/4 cup size scoop) into each muffin tin.

 Bake for 12 minutes, until hugely puffy and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven. The pancakes will fall immediately after removing them from the oven.

Use a spoon to scoop out each pancake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with syrup, or top with fruit.

Mini German Pancakes

5 from 4 votes

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Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

• ▢ 3/4 cup all purpose flour*
• ▢ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ 2/3 cup milk
• ▢ 6 eggs
• ▢ 4-5 tablespoons butter
• ▢ *Gluten Free Alternative
• ▢ 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup tapioca starch

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°. Whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add the milk and whisk smooth. Add the eggs and whisk again. Slice the butter into tiny pieces (a little less than a teaspoon each)
• Place a small piece of butter (see Cook’s Note) in each muffin time and then melt the butter in the hot oven, about 2 minutes. When the butter has melted, remove from the oven and pour about 3 tablespoons of the egg mixture (I used a scant 1/4 cup size scoop) into each muffin tin.
• Bake for 12 minutes, until hugely puffy and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven. The pancakes will fall immediately after removing them from the oven. Use a spoon to scoop out each pancake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with syrup, or top with fruit. Enjoy!

Notes

Here’s a tip for dividing the butter. Slice it into tablespoon amounts and then quarter each tablespoon of butter. You’ll wind up with 20 small cubes of butter.

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{originally published 4/26/16 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/28/19}