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.
💭 FAQs
This part is super important, make sure you’re not over-mixing the batter once you combine the wet and dry ingredients. Over-mixing can deflate the air from the whipped egg whites, leading to flatter pancakes. Also, check that your baking powder is fresh and active.
Yes, you can definitely double or halve the recipe. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time slightly if the pancakes become thicker or thinner due to the batch size.
My Easy Lemon Curd or Buttermilk Syrup, along with some fresh berries, would be delicious on these pancakes.
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
- Southern Grits
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!