Traditional Dutch Pancakes Recipe: Make The Tastiest ‘Pannekoek’ With This Recipe From The Netherlands

Sometimes all you want is to be fed with some comfort foods, and trust me: this Dutch pancakes recipe is precisely that. If you were searching for how you can make those delicious pancakes from The Netherlands in your home, or want to know if Dutch pancakes (pannekoeken) are easy to make: then you’re in luck. The Dutch pancake is an incredibly easy dish to make. Maybe you’re enjoying a movie night and want to eat pancakes while you watch the one movie after the next. Or, you could be feeling something sweet today. Whatever the case is, this Dutch pancake mix is the ultimate way to create Dutch-style pancakes.

History Dutch Pancakes

In Dutch, these delicious pancakes are called ‘Pannenkoeken’ or ‘Pannekoeken’ in Dutch (both spellings are correct). The singular name of these Dutch pancakes is ‘Pannenkoek’ or ‘Pannekoek’.

Historians think that the first pancakes were made 1000s of years ago, as the main ingredients (flour, eggs and water) were available at that time. The first stories about pancakes date back to the 12th century. That’s when crusaders took the recipe from nowadays China and Nepal to The Netherlands, but the main ingredient was buckwheat flour. The first recipe for Dutch-style pancakes was found in a cookbook from 1439. A Dutch pancake is not a crepe, as people overtime chose to change readily available ingredients.

We love pancakes so much in The Netherlands that we have a bizarre number of pancake restaurants in the country. And trust me, if you’ve enjoyed trying some of the best Dutch pancakes already, then this Dutch pancake batter will also be right for you to use.

Dutch Pancakes (Pannekoek) Recipe

Ingredients

• 250 gr flour (You could also use wheat flour, instead of regular flour, which makes them healthier and more filling)
• 500 ml of milk
• 2 large eggs
• A pinch of salt
• Optional: a little splash of mild olive oil (or something like sunflower oil) or a small cube of melted butter
• Optional: You could also add some cinnamon or vanilla sugar to your batter if you want to, but I prefer it without as that’s the traditional way to do it

Good for around 8 traditional Dutch pancakes – 15 minutes preparation – 20 minutes to cook

Instructions

1. Sift the flour above a big bowl and add a little bit of salt.

2. Crack the eggs and pour the milk in a separate bowl. Stir this with a whisk for a little until the egg is mostly dissolved.

3. Then add half of this mix to the bowl with the flour: use a mixer or whisk to create a smooth batter.

4. When it’s combined, add the rest of the egg and milk mix to your batter and stir it really good.

Optional: add a little bit of melted butter, or neutral vegetable oil, to your batter to make it not stick as quickly to your frying pan. However, you should still add butter or oil to your pan even if you add it. But without you need to add a bit more.

5. Leave the Dutch pancake batter rest for around 10 minutes.

6. Heat a frying pan on medium heat, add a little butter or oil (divide it evenly over the pan).

7. Take a ladle and add around one scoop of the batter to your pan: divide the batter evenly over the pan by moving the frying pan.

8. Bake the Dutch pancakes golden brown: you need to add a little bit of oil or butter after every, single pancake.

Remember: These Dutch pancakes need to be thin, not as thin as crepes, but way thinner than American pancakes. All Dutch ‘pannekoeken’ are quite large too: the size of an average frying pan.

An extra tip to keep your pancakes warm

• Fill a pan with water and bring it to a boil.
• Then change the heat to low (or turn off the heat) and add a bigger pan on top (with the lid on).
• Now, every time you add a pancake you take of the cover from the big pan and place the hot Dutch pancake on the previous pancakes you’ve created: and they will be nice and warm when you’re finished with your batter.

The old school way to eat these Dutch pancakes is with special Dutch pancake syrup (it’s not maple syrup, but ‘stroop’ and can only be found in The Netherlands) and/or powdered sugar. We also often eat them with apple. If you want to make a Dutch apple pancake, I suggest you add thin slices of apple as soon as the batter is in the frying pan.

Another thing that is often eaten is a Dutch pancake with cheese and bacon. To follow a savoury Dutch pancake recipe, you should add the batter to the frying pan and then add the bacon and the cheese. It is recommended for both the apple ‘pannekoeken’ recipe and the bacon/cheese versions to place a lid on top when baking to help the batter baking.

I genuinely hope that you enjoyed this easy Dutch pancake recipe and that when you make them, they’re as tasty as you remember them to be. I think you will find that it’s straightforward to make Dutch pancakes and so are the recipes.

Whether you’re more interested in a savoury or plain pannekoeken recipe, this Dutch pancakes recipe has shown some of the best ways to eat this delicious Dutch food.

Handy tools to use for this recipe

I hope that this easy pannekoeken recipe is everything that you’ve wished for. And, that it brings the smell of The Netherlands (and pancakes, of course) into your home. It’s so lovely, and I love to make my favourite thin, Dutch pancakes with this recipe. The smell of the house is one of the best things about following this pannekoeken recipe. Anyway, I hope you enjoy baking your sweet Dutch pancakes with the best Dutch pancake recipe.

Don’t forget to share your photos of the dishes you’ve created with me on Instagram @visitingthedutchcountryside and at Facebook @visitingthedutchcountryside so I can share your works of art.

Share this Dutch pancake recipe blog with your friends, or family members, who you think will love this traditional Dutch pancake recipe!