Make This Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe for Breakfast or Dessert

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Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe Pannekoeken

Make this dutch baby pancake recipe (or pannekoeken) and use it to feed your family for breakfast, brunch, or even as a yummy dessert treat!

Growing up in Minnesota, we’d sometimes go to a breakfast place called Pannekoeken Husâ„¢. I believe there is still one in St Louis Park, MN, but most of them are gone now. Their specialty was the pannekoeken, or “Dutch Baby”, a type of pancake that is hollow in the center and crispy on the raised edge outside. Want to hear more about my childhood favorite and learn how to make them? Read on!

What is a Dutch Baby (Pannekoeken)?

As described above, a Dutch Baby, or pannekoeken, is a type of pancake. It is baked in the oven in a very hot pan, which allows the edges of the pancake to creep up the sides of the pan and caramelize. The steam on the inside provides for expansion, leaving a hollow space in the center. This is very often filled with fruits, whipped cream, or cinnamon and sugar. You can put almost any type of filling that you like. You can even omit the sugar in the batter, fill the center with savory ingredients, and make a casserole (in Minnesota, that’s a hot dish!) for dinner.

How do you get the Signature Shape?

A very hot pan is essential to making pannekoeken. The hot pan, along with butter or oil, makes the batter creep up the sides and harden, much like popovers. In fact, the entire process could be considered a type of popover. I use a cast iron dutch oven because they heat evenly and can handle high heat. And serving this pancake in a cast iron pan just adds to the experience. The batter is a special batter that is closer to crepe batter. You’re not looking for fluffy here, but more of a crust.

Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe

Here’s my recipe for making a Dutch Baby.

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter or avocado oil
  • cast iron pan, I use a Dutch Oven

Instructions

  1. Place the butter in a pan, place it in the oven, and preheat to 400°F. Keep the pan hot while you make the batter.
  2. Combine the top 5 ingredients in a bowl and mix for about two minutes by hand, or for a minute or so with a mixer.
  3. Remove oven from pan and slowly pour the batter into the pan. Be careful, it will be very hot! There may be some splattering as the batter hits the hot oil.
  4. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. At this time, the pancake will form on the insides of the pan and leave a hollow in the center. You can add fruit to the batter and bake it that way, but I find that it takes away from the presentation. I cook the fruit separately and add it later.

Notes

When the pancake is done, remove it from the oven and add your filling. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar, or dust it with powdered sugar.

Dutch Baby Filling Ideas

One of the most traditional fillings for your Dutch Baby is apples. You can use most any apple, but I like Fujis. They are firm and juicy and have a nice tartness that’s not just all sweet.

  • 3 medium apples, peeled, sliced, and cored
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 1 Tablespoon butter

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the apples and saute until softened a bit. Add the sugar and cinnamon, cooking to the desired tenderness. I like to leave mine a bit firm. Spoon into the Dutch Baby when done. Top with cinnamon sugar.

More Filling Ideas

You can also fill it with fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream, mixed berries with whipped cream, orange sauce, caramel, hazelnut chocolate, or many other things.

When whipping my cream for this type of dessert or breakfast, I omit the sugar and vanilla and use maple syrup instead. My favorite one is Sweet Heat from Butternut Mountain Farms!

Savory Dutch Baby

Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe Savory

If you want to make this savory for dinner, omit the sugar (or use a lesser amount) and then fill it with the filling of your choice. I like to use chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, or ground beef with mixed vegetables. For these types of fillings, they will need to be cooked before you put them into the pannekoeken.

Gluten-Free?

You can substitute gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour, but you may not get the same results. It may be a bit flat, but the taste will be similar.

Egg and Oil and Sugar Substitutes?

I would not substitute egg replacers as the eggs are part of what gives it the signature elasticity. You can substitute other oils for the butter.

You can substitute alternative sweeteners for the sugar, but you may not get the crust or caramelization on the outside.

Have you tried to make a Dutch Baby pancake? It’s really not as hard as it looks!

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About Debra Maslowski

Debra is a master gardener, a certified herbalist, a natural living instructor, and more. She taught Matt and Betsy how to make soap so they decided to bring her on as a staff writer! Debra recently started an organic herb farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina. You can even purchase her handmade products on Amazon!

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