Pannenkoeken (Dutch Pancakes)

Easy·15 min

Large, thin plate-sized pancakes, thicker than a French crepe but far broader than an American one, served as a full meal. They come savoury with bacon, cheese or apple cooked right into the batter, or sweet with stroop, the dark Dutch syrup.

Egg

Pancakes have been eaten in the Low Countries for centuries, evolving into a beloved dish often eaten for dinner rather than breakfast. Dedicated pannenkoekenhuizen (pancake houses) became a treasured family outing, particularly the windmill-adjacent establishments, serving menus of dozens of sweet and savoury variations that children and adults alike order as their main course.

The pancake is supple and slightly chewy at the rim, soft and tender in the middle, with crisp lacy edges where the batter met the hot butter. Savoury versions deliver salty bursts of bacon against the bland canvas of the batter, while sweet ones run with thick, treacly stroop. It is comfort food eaten with a knife and fork.

A thin, well-rested batter spreads into a broad sheet and cooks quickly, setting before it can puff, which keeps the pancake flat and flexible. Cooking fillings directly into the batter fuses them to the pancake so every bite carries the topping rather than having it slide off.

Variations

spekpannenkoek (bacon), kaaspannenkoek (cheese), appelpannenkoek (apple), with stroop, with poedersuiker

On the Palate

Where Pannenkoeken (Dutch Pancakes) sits in the Dutch flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

How it's made

8 steps · 15 min

1
5 min
Whisk flour, eggs, milk and a pinch of salt into a smooth, pourable batter.
2
15 min
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
Watch out
Rest the batter a full fifteen minutes — it lets the flour hydrate so the pancake spreads thin and stays flexible instead of rubbery.
3
3 min
Heat a large flat pan with a little butter until sizzling.
4
5 min
For a savoury pancake, fry bacon pieces in the pan first until golden.
5
2 min
Pour in a ladle of batter and swirl to thinly coat the whole pan.
Watch out
Pour and swirl fast to coat the whole pan thin — a thick pool sets into a doughy, folding pancake instead of a broad flat sheet.
6
3 min
Cook until the underside is golden and the top is set, about 2-3 minutes.
Watch out
Flip only when the top looks set and the underside is golden — move it too soon and it tears in the middle.
7
2 min
Flip and cook the second side briefly until lightly coloured.
8
2 min
Slide onto a plate and serve with stroop syrup or icing sugar, or savoury toppings.