Mini German Pancakes (2024)

Updated: by Mindee · This post may contain affiliate links · 72 Comments

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!

Mini German Pancakes (1)
Jump to:
  • Why You'll Love This Recipe
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Products I Used For This Recipe
  • Step by Step Instructions:
  • Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
  • Related Recipes
  • Mini German Pancakes Recipe

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.
Mini German Pancakes (2)

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.
Mini German Pancakes (3)
  • Blend the milk, eggs, flour, and salt in a blender until smooth and no flour clumps remain.
Mini German Pancakes (4)
  • I love to use my Ninja smoothie blender because it has a lid with a pour spout; however, any blender will do.
Mini German Pancakes (5)
  • 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.
Mini German Pancakes (6)

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

What are German Pancakes?

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.

Are they really German?

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.

What do they taste like?

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.

How do you serve with them?

Serve them with syrups (I have a list of syrups below), vanilla sauce, fresh fruits, or whipped cream.

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 (7)

Mini German Pancakes Recipe

Mindee

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!

4.96 from 24 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 52kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.03gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 51mgPotassium: 26mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 23IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 0.5mg

Keyword dutch babies, german pancakes, popovers

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Breakfast Recipes

  • 31 Birthday Brunch Ideas That Will Make Your Special Day Extra Special
  • 15 Pancake Syrups That Will Take Your Breakfast to the Next Level
  • 41 Healthy Brunch Ideas That Will Start Your Day Right
  • The Best Orange Rolls

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lynda

    The flavor was great and the butter was awesome but mine were solid, no hole indentation at the top. They do rise, but more like a soufflé. What did I do wrong?

    Reply

  2. Aurora

    Can these be reheated?

    Reply

    • Mindee

      They can be reheated to make them warm again but they will not puff up again.

      Reply

  3. Missy

    Made these this morning and they were so good! My only suggestion is to put the pans on a cookie sheet in case you over fill a bit and butter drops onto the bottom of the oven! Will definitely be making these again!

    Reply

    • Mindee

      Great idea!

      Reply

  4. May

    Can I substitute almond milk for a nondairy version?

    Reply

    • Mindee

      I've been back and forth about your question. Honestly I don't think these are going to turn out well dairy free as you would have to substitute the butter as well. Almond milk has a significant amount less protein and fat. It also has a lot more water in it. I worry that the pancakes would puff up quick due to the higher amount of steam from the water but also collapse very quickly due to lack of structural stability from not having enough fat and protein making them more dense and heavy. They would also be less tender and probably not brown.

      Reply

      • Paula Bagshaw

        I used unsweetened almond milk and I teaspoon of sugar and the came our delishes. Even my husband loved them better than pancakes. Yum

        Reply

  5. Gloria

    I made these for the first time, delicious. Was very easy to make. Is there a tip to getting them out of the muffin tin? That was a little tricky as they were sticking.

    Reply

    • Mindee

      If mine stick I just run a small butter knife or stiff plastic spatula around the edges and they tend to pop out.

      Reply

  6. S. Call

    I tried this recipe this morning. I used GF oat flour instead of wheat flour. They turned very nicely. My family really liked them. I will use it again!

    Reply

  7. Lynda

    These are amazing! The only thing that’s confusing is it says it makes 18, but a regular muffin pan is 12. So, i guess its 1 and half batches?

    Reply

    • Mindee

      Nope, 1 batch, 2 muffin tins.

      Reply

  8. Cathy J

    Is this recipe for a mini tin or can it fill a regular size 12 cup cake tin? I want to use a regular 12 cup tin not mini. Does this recipe fill all twelve tins? How much batter would you use to fill easy tin? Do you fill half way?

    Reply

    • mindeescookingobsession

      It's for regular 12 cupcake tins. As the recipe states, this will use 18 regular cupcake cups that you fill half way with batter.

      Reply

  9. wendy graves

    are you making these in mini muffin tins? or a regular cup cake tin?

    Reply

    • mindeescookingobsession

      A regular cupcake tin.

      Reply

  10. Kristen

    I made these for dinner with strawberries and homemade buttermilk syrup I’m so glad my husband suggested I should double it for our family of 8. I made 36 muffins. My 2 year old guy ate 6 of them! They are super delicious but even with all the eggs they probably aren’t going to fill you up so these are better as part of a meal. My family declared we should make these a Friday night tradition.

    Reply

« Older Comments

Leave a Reply

Mini German Pancakes (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Merrill Bechtelar CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 5973

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Merrill Bechtelar CPA

Birthday: 1996-05-19

Address: Apt. 114 873 White Lodge, Libbyfurt, CA 93006

Phone: +5983010455207

Job: Legacy Representative

Hobby: Blacksmithing, Urban exploration, Sudoku, Slacklining, Creative writing, Community, Letterboxing

Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.