Dutch Baby Pancake
This Dutch Baby Pancake is the perfect breakfast or brunch. It’s soft in the middle with buttery, golden, crispy edges. Serve hot with all your favorite sweet or savory toppings!
Easy Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe
Looking for something a little more impressive than your classic American pancakes? This Dutch baby pancake is a simple recipe that will be a hit at brunch.
It’s light, soft, and eggy in the center with golden-brown puffy edges. It takes a quick 10 minutes to prep, is perfect for a crowd, and can be served in so many different ways!
What is a Dutch Baby?
A Dutch baby is a large German pancake that’s a mix between a crepe and an American pancake. It’s made with a simple batter of ultra-whipped eggs, flour, sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla that’s poured into a preheated skillet and baked until airy and crispy on the edges with a soft center.
How to Make a Dutch Baby Pancake
This Dutch baby pancake recipe takes just a few minutes to prep and requires minimal ingredients you probably already have on hand. Here’s a summary of the recipe:
See the recipe card below for the ingredient amounts and full instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF, place butter into an oven-safe skillet, then place the skillet into the oven and let the butter melt.
- Add the eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, and vanilla to a blender.
- Process until smooth.
- Transfer the batter to the hot skillet, then immediately place back in the oven until the pancake is set.
- Serve immediately with fresh berries, powdered sugar, or a spritz of lemon juice.
Other Topping Ideas
Feel free to get creative with whatever toppings you like! Sweet or savory! Here are a few more ideas:
- Sweet: Whipped cream, maple syrup, lemon curd, cinnamon and sugar, fruit jam, sliced banana, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc.
- Savory: Goat or feta cheese, bacon jam, pesto, sautéed greens, you name it.
Tips for This German Pancake Recipe
- Preheat the pan! This is key for that classic puffy, slightly crispy German pancake texture.
- Beat the eggs well. I recommend using a blender or electric mixer to make sure you get the egg mixture nice and airy before cooking it.
- The batter will be very thin; just a little bit thicker than crepe batter.
- Use a cast iron skillet if you have one. Cast iron heats more evenly than other materials and helps yield an even better texture.
- If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a regular baking pan.
- If all you have is a 9×13-inch baking pan, you can use that, just double the recipe to get the right thickness.
- The pancake will sink a bit as it cools. This is normal! It should mostly hold its shape.
- Serve immediately! Dutch babies are best hot right out of the skillet.
Pairing Suggestions
A Dutch baby pancake makes an excellent sweet OR savory breakfast or brunch option. If you’re looking for ways to round your meal out, here are a few side dish ideas!
- Sweet: Serve with a side of homemade fruit salad, banana bread muffins, lemon blueberry muffins, or a simple blueberry smoothie.
- Savory: Enjoy it as a more savory breakfast or brunch with home fries, turkey sausage, bacon and eggs, hash brown casserole, you name it.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator: Your finished Dutch baby is best enjoyed right away. However, if you do have leftovers they will last in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: To warm the leftovers, heat them in the microwave on half power until warmed through.
What is the Difference Between a Dutch Baby and Yorkshire Pudding?
One tends to be sweeter and one tends to be more savory!
Yorkshire pudding is usually baked in a pan that’s greased with beef drippings. It also tends to be served as a savory meal.
A Dutch baby is usually baked in a pan that’s greased with butter and is most commonly served as a sweet meal.
Can You Make a Dutch Baby Pancake Without a Cast Iron Skillet?
Totally! People have been making this dish for a long time using all kinds of baking dishes.
Feel free to use whatever cake pan, casserole dish, or other oven-safe pan you have in your kitchen. Just be sure to use something that is about 10-inches around or adjust the recipe accordingly.
What Makes a Dutch Baby Rise?
There are a couple of factors that contribute to the texture of a Dutch baby: the hot skillet and the whipped eggs.
Preheating the skillet before you add in the batter helps the batter puff up immediately as you add it to the pan. Incorporating air into the batter via the eggs helps it puff up in the oven.
Both are key to the Dutch baby’s signature texture!
Other Breakfast Recipes to Try:
- Bisquick Breakfast Casserole with Ham
- Blueberry Pancakes
- Strawberry Oatmeal
- Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
- Banana Nutella Muffins
Like This Recipe?
We’d love it if you would leave a 5 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, and place the butter into a 10-inch oven-safe skillet.3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Place the dish in the oven and allow butter to melt.
- While butter is melting, place the eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer or blender. Combine until smooth.3 large eggs⅔ cup whole milk⅔ cup all-purpose flour2 tablespoons granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Carefully pour the batter into the hot dish over the melted butter.
- Place the dish back in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes and cook until the center of the pancake is set.
- Serve warm with fresh berries, a dusting of powdered sugar, or a spritz of lemon juice.
- Scroll up to the post to see tips, FAQs, and storage options.
Notes
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of 1/6 of the pancake. Actual calories will vary.