These Japanese Pancakes are light, airy, and so fun to make and eat for breakfast. Made with a souffle technique, they will be the fluffiest pancakes you will ever bite into! 
I love breakfast of any variety. French toast, waffles, crepes, pancakes, you name it! It's my favorite meal of the day (and my one-year-old daughter feels the same way.) Almost every morning we like to enjoy a breakfast of classic waffles or pancakes topped with fresh berries. But, recently I've discovered a new recipe to add to the line up: Japanese Pancakes. Made with a technique similar to that of souffle, these pancakes have a very fluffy airy texture to them (this is the reason they are several inches tall!) They are literally the fluffiest pancakes you will ever eat. You might even have a hard time going back to regular ol' pancakes after you try these!
While these pancakes obviously take a little more time than standard flapjacks, it is SO worth the extra effort. You'll see exactly what I mean after you take that first bite.
Ingredients in Japanese Pancakes
- Flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Buttermilk: While you can certainly use regular milk, I love the tangy flavor that buttermilk adds to the pancakes.
- Butter: Melt the butter and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes so that it won't cook the eggs when you mix the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract
- Egg yolk
- Egg whites: I recommend using a hand mixer to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. You want the egg whites to be light and fluffy.
- Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar helps egg whites reach their full volume and it stabilizes them (fluffier pancakes!)
How to Make Japanese Pancakes
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix together milk, butter, vanilla, and egg yolk.
- In another bowl, mix the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.
- Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and stir.
- Gently fold in the egg whites.
- Preheat a skillet. Grease the inside of a baking ring and place it in the pan.
- Fill the ring halfway full with batter. Cook until bubbles start to form on the surface.
- Flip the pancake and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with syrup and your choice of toppings.
You’ll also love these breakfast recipes:
- Strawberry Crepes with Cream Cheese Filling
- Belgian Liege Waffles with Cookie Butter
- Crème Brûlée French Toast
- Strawberry Nutella Crepes
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! I’d love it if you could add a star rating ★ and a comment below. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!
📋 Recipe
Fluffy Japanese Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 4 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt with a wire whisk.
- In a separate bowl, mix together milk, butter, vanilla, and egg yolk.
- In another bowl, mix the egg whites and cream of tartar with a hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just combined (don’t over mix it.)
- Gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
- Preheat a skillet over low heat. Grease the inside of a round food ring (I used 3"x2.5") and place it in the pan.
- Fill the ring halfway full with batter. Place the lid on top of the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until bubbles start to form on the surface.
- Use a spatula to flip the pancake, and tongs to hold the mold in place while you flip the pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with syrup and your choice of toppings.
Tim says
What size baking ring?
Ashley says
Hi Tim! I recommend using a mold that is at least 3-4 inches in diameter and 1-2 inches in height. I appreciate you asking, I've updated that in my recipe. 🙂 Happy baking!