German pancakes, dutch babies, popovers…whatever you call them in your part of the world, they are irresistible! Ready in 20 minutes and only 5 very basic ingredients! Serve them with fresh fruit, syrups, or whipped cream!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- AKA mini Dutch babies, mini Dutch pancakes, or Yorkshire puddings!
- Only needs 5 very basic ingredients and is ready in 20 minutes!
- Individual portions are easier to serve than the larger version of German pancakes and make for a fun breakfast on special occasions!
- Can be served as a sweet dish for breakfast or as a savory side to meat and gravy.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter - Both unsalted butter and salted butter work fine.
- Flour - All-purpose flour, not self-rising flour.
- Milk - I used 2% milk.
- Eggs - I used large eggs.
Products I Used For This Recipe
Step by Step Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut the 6 Tbs. Butter into 18 pieces.
- Place each butter piece in a muffin cup in 2 muffin tins or cupcake pan. Set aside.
- NOTE - It's tempting just to spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray, but the butter is essential to this recipe.
- Blend the milk, eggs, flour, and salt in a blender until smooth and no flour clumps remain.
- I love to use my Ninja smoothie blender because it has a lid with a pour spout; however, any blender will do.
- Put the muffin tins in the oven to melt the butter to sizzle. This only takes about 30 seconds or so, so keep an eye on it.
- Once the butter is sizzling, not just melted, quickly fill each muffin cup halfway with the batter.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes. Here are some pictures of how they look as they cook.
- The edges should be brown, and the pancakes should be puffy. They will deflate upon cooling.
- Serve immediately with syrups, whipped cream, fresh fruits, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
They are puffy pancakes baked in a hot metal or cast iron pan. The batter is poured over hot sizzling butter and placed immediately in the oven, where it puffs up and then falls as it cools. German pancakes are similar to popovers and Yorkshire puddings. Yorkshire puddings, however, are prepared using meat juices and fats and are served with roasted meat with gravy. Poffertjes are also similar but made with yeast. A couple of other names they are known by are Dutch Babies, bismark, a Dutch puff, or large American popovers.
They actually are not German. So where do they come from? The American “German pancakes” originated in the United States. Originally called Dutch Babies, they were invented in Seattle, Washington, and the Dutch in the name comes from Dutch, as in Pennsylvania Dutch, referring to the German immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries. The story goes that the name Dutch Baby was coined by one of Victor Manca's daughters. Manca's Cafe claimed that it owned the trademark for Dutch babies in 1942.
They are baked pancakes made from eggs, milk, salt, flour, and vanilla. They are light with a buttery egg flavor. You can serve them with your favorite toppings like maple syrup, cool whip, or fresh berries.
Serve them with syrups (I have a list of syrups below), vanilla sauce, fresh fruits, or whipped cream.
Related Recipes
- Cinnamon Cream Syrup
- Lemon Cream Syrup
- Cream Cheese Syrup
- Pumpkin Pie Syrup
- Homemade Buttermilk Syrup
Have you tried this recipe? If so, leave me a rating and a comment below! And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get my latest recipes sent right to your email! You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Mini German Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Milk
- 6 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Flour
- 6 Tbs. Butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut up the 6 Tbs. of Butter into 18 pieces that are roughly the same sizes.
- Place each butter piece in the muffin cups of the muffin tins.
- In a blender, blend the milk, eggs, salt, and flour until smooth. Set aside.
- Place the muffin tins with butter in the cups in the preheated oven and melt the butter to sizzling. This doesn't take long so keep an eye on it, and it must be sizzling, not just melted.
- Once the butter is sizzling, remove from the oven and fill the muffin cups about ½ full with batter quickly.
- Return to the oven for 13-15 minutes. The edges should be browned and the pancakes puffy.
- Serve immediately.
Amy
Sometimes mine puff up like a popover, but sometimes they hardly rise at all and just make little hockey pucks. I can’t tell what is causing the difference. Any guidance???
mindeescookingobsession
A few questions come to mind. Are you making the batter ahead of time? Batter needs to be fresh. Even my second batches don't puff up well if it's the same batter as the first batch. Are you using metal or silicone muffin pans? Silicone ones cause a variation of results because they don't heat up as well. Are you making sure the butter is sizzling in the tins before adding the batter and then adding the batter quickly before putting them right in the oven? The sizzling heat of the butter is essential to make these puff up so you have to work quickly to pour the batter in and not let it still before putting in the oven. Hopefully, this helps 🙂
Elsa
These are incredible!! Has anyone tried using Pam spray vs butter?
mindeescookingobsession
Glad you enjoyed them! I wouldn't recommend using Pam instead of butter for a few reasons. Pam is ok in small amounts like spraying something lightly for the non stick purpose, but shouldn't be ingested in large amounts because it can make you very ill. It would take a large amount of Pam to get the same result as using butter. The buttery flavor of these german pancakes is due to the butter. Using Pam would make them taste like Pam. Also, heating Pam up to a sizzle would like a thick sticky residue in the bottom of your muffin tins that would be difficult to scrub out.
Adele Aiken
I can't wait to make these - love german pancakes and these are so cute. I have a family member coming for a short visit. He's on the Keto diet so he can't eat "regular" flour. Do you think these could be made with some other flour like coconut flour?
mindeescookingobsession
I'm sorry, I've never used coconut flour so I don't know.
Travis Collins
Love these! I have a question, the first time they curled up like they are supposed to making a nice little bowl, the next few times they seem to just puff up like a little loaf of bread. Do you know what I could do so this doesn't happen? We love the little"bowl"..... Thanks!
mindeescookingobsession
If I have some that aren't deflating like they should right after coming out of the oven I poke a little hole in the bubble to release the steam trapped inside.
Susan Adams
I have read and reread this recipe and on confused about the butter amount; do you melt 1/2 tbls and divide among the muffin tin, or do you add 1/2 tbls to each?
mindeescookingobsession
Sorry for the confusion. Ad 1/2 Tbs. Butter to each muffin cup.
Rachelle
A new favorite! My son and his friends - one of which is a very picky eater (who doesn't LIKE bread?!?!?) - loved these! I only had 5 eggs and oat milk, and the recipe was still awesome!!!
julie
Any chance anyone has used gluten-free flour? I'd love to make these for Xmas brunch for my gluten intolerant family member.
mindeescookingobsession
I'm sorry, I have ever tried these with gluten free flour.
Heather
Loved these! I added about a tsp each of sugar and vanilla. However the butter baked over the sides and dropped into the oven making a smoky house! None the less we lived these! Maybe next time I will use less butter or set on a pan for the drippings.
Joan
Hi,
Do you think you could make these cute muffin size pancakes with apples? I have had the large size that way. The apples I believe were added when you put the pancakes in the pan to cook together.
mindeescookingobsession
I'm not entirely sure but I don't see why you couldn't do that. Sound delicious!
Pam Comer
These are English Yorkshire Puddings.
Their origin is English and they were designed to be eaten with roast beef.
They are a staple Sunday lunch dish here in England.
Years ago housewives would serve them with gravy before she served the Sunday roast, that way, the family was part full and wouldn't eat as much beef.
I make them every Sunday when I cook a traditional roast.
We don't use the butter though, it is a fat that doesn't get hot enough to give that extra 'sizzle' when you add the batter.
They freeze very well and I always have some in my freezer.
They are very well behaved and you can even cook them the day before needed, cover with a tea towel and re-heat when required.
German they are NOT!!
mindeescookingobsession
No, they are not German, but neither is German chocolate cake. Most here are unfamiliar with Yorkshire pudding. Those who are, would be confused at me calling them Yorkshire pudding because there's not any meat, drippings or gravy in this recipe. Here in the US sweet puffy pancakes, or dutch babies are referred to as German pancakes.
Daisywulf
Well said! And they are fun, versatile, easy and delicious.
Frankie
Thanks so much for clarifying whether they can be frozen or not! I've made both mini and larger ones in an iron skillet. I'm always trying to find something for a brunch that can be made earlier, so being able to freeze them is great to know! Thank you!