Swedish Pancakes

An Easy and Impressive Breakfast!

I’ve talked to you before about how much we love pancakes in our house. They’re a favorite weekend treat and the kids just love to help me make them. There’s nothing like a hot stack of buttermilk pancakes to get everyone out of bed in the morning. 

Sometimes we’ll mix it up with chocolate chip pancakes or chocolate crepes with different fillings. We also love German pancakes, which are kind of like Dutch pancakes that you bake all in one pan.

So, knowing our way around them as we do, I thought it was time we try our hand at a Swedish pancakes recipe!

What is a Swedish Pancake?

They are thin and rich in butter and eggs. They may look like French crepes, but the texture is a bit lighter and airier. You can fill or top them with all kinds of things or keep them simple with just some syrup.

These Scandinavian pancakes make a great option for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner! Traditionally, they are served with jam. My favorite way to serve them is with my homemade buttermilk syrup and some fresh berries sprinkled on top.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need some simple pantry and refrigerator staples for this recipe. In addition to all-purpose flour, butter, and salt, you’ll need:

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Eggs: These pancakes have more eggs than traditional American pancake recipes. They help give them their thin texture.
• Milk: I use 2% milk, but you can use what you have on hand. It looks like a lot of liquid, but you want the batter to be thin.
• Sugar: I add a tablespoon of sugar to the batter for a hint of sweetness. You can leave it out if you prefer a less sweet pancake.
• Vanilla: Again, I add this to enhance the flavor of the pancakes when adding sweet toppings or fillings. Leave it out if you want something less sweet.

Filling Combinations

You can have your Swedish pancakes filled or not filled with sweet or savory fillings. The choice is yours! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• This crepe filling is made with cream cheese and is creamy and rich.
• Try making this sweet and tangy lemon curd and then dusting the pancakes with some powdered sugar.
• Cook some apple filling until the apples are soft and fill the pancakes with the warm filling.
• Fill with bananas and peanut butter for a filling snack.
• Dollop some dulce de leche or caramel sauce on the pancakes and roll them up.
• Spread your favorite jam flavor over the pancakes and then fold them over.
• Similar to my savory crepes you can use cheese, bacon and eggs. Or try it with leftover ham or steak, mushrooms and spinach. A light Caprese version with fresh basil, tomato, mozzarella and a balsamic glaze would also be delicious.

How to Make Swedish Pancakes

This Swedish pancake recipe is super quick to whip up so you can easily make these for your family or guests in no time at all. 

Here are the steps you’ll need to follow:

1. Combine dry ingredients. Put the flour, sugar, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk everything together.
2. Whisk batter. Grab a large bowl and whisk the eggs and ¼ cup of milk until they are combined. Add in half of the flour mixture and keep whisking until everything is combined. Add the butter, another cup of milk and vanilla and keep whisking. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and milk and whisk until you have a very smooth batter.
3. Cook pancakes. Heat an 8-inch frying pan over medium-low heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour ¼ cup of batter into the hot pan and tilt the pan around so the batter forms an even circle. Cook the pancake for about 1 minute per side. The Swedish pancakes will be lightly brown. Repeat until all your pancakes are cooked.
4. Serve. Drizzle the Swedish pancakes with buttermilk syrup and sprinkle over some berries then serve warm.

This is the part where you can get creative! The choices of toppings are limited to your own imagination! You can serve the Swedish pancakes up with one or two toppings or put out a variety and let everyone choose their own!

• You can keep it simple with some powdered sugar and cinnamon pancake syrup. This is one of my favorite combinations, as is melted butter and maple syrup.
• If you want to get a little more adventurous, try topping your pancakes with homemade strawberry jam or some whipped topping and fresh fruit and berries.
• Top with Nutella or hot fudge and vanilla ice cream for an amazing dessert!
• Another favorite is mixing 2 Tablespoon of melted butter with 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Then sprinkling powdered sugar over top.

Expert Tips

• You want a very smooth batter, so keep whisking it until smooth.
• For even faster preparation, use a blender to mix all the ingredients.
• Let the skillet heat up until it’s hot before you add the batter to it. This allows the batter to start cooking as soon as it hits the pan.
• Use a long thin spatula to flip them, if you have one. It’s much easier to do without any tearing.
• Wipe the pan out with a paper towel and spray again with cooking oil as needed. This helps your pancakes not to get overly brown from the cooked oil.

Storing

Swedish pancakes store beautifully, so you can a batch and enjoy them throughout the week.

Storing: Let the pancakes cool completely then layer parchment paper between each one to prevent them from sticking together. Put them into a zip-top bag or a covered container and store them for up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Reheating: Heat the pancakes in the microwave for about 20 seconds or on the skillet over low heat for about 30 seconds per side until warm. You can also place them on a baking sheet in the oven at 175°F for 5 minutes, or until warm.