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This special recipe for Gluten Free German Pancakes – otherwise known as a Dutch baby – is perfect for a weekend brunch! The batter is easily made in a blender and bakes up into a gorgeously puffed and tender pancake that’s meant to be shared.
Why You’ll Love This German Pancakes Recipe
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: German
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Beautiful gluten free German pancakes are always a hit in my house. Unlike a batch of regular pancakes that are cooked and flipped on the stove, a German pancake batter is made all at once and popped into the oven to bake. This is perfect for me because I’ll be honest, after waking up early every weekday, I don’t want to drag myself out of bed on Saturday mornings. With these oven pancakes, I can either assemble them quickly when I wake up, or I can make them ahead and the kids can heat them up when they head down to the kitchen at the crack of dawn, even if I’m still asleep.
They also make a great holiday brunch to share. You can serve it with maple syrup, honey, powdered sugar, or fruit- there are lots of possibilities for how to make it your own. Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Easily Gluten Free. If you’ve made German pancakes before you’ll recognize this recipe. To make it gluten-free, all you’ll have to do is use gluten free flour, and all of the other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
- Serving options! The traditional way to serve German pancakes is by dusting the top with powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, but you can add fruit, maple syrup, and more! I’ve detailed some serving suggestions lower down.
- Feeds a crowd. You’ll get a lot of servings out of this recipe, making it a nice option for a larger gathering, or just for your hungry kids! I love that you bake the batter in just one pan, keeping clean up easier, too.
What Are German Pancakes?
German pancakes are a type of baked pancake made with simple basics including flour, milk, and eggs. You may also see them called a Dutch baby pancake. German pancakes are distinguished from regular pancakes in that they are baked in the oven in one pan rather than fried in individual portions on the stove. My German pancakes recipe turns a classic recipe gluten free by using gluten free all-purpose flour and makes eight servings – enough to feed a crowd!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this German pancakes recipe. Check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter in this recipe
- Eggs: Use large eggs.
- Milk: You can use whole milk or 2% milk.
- Vanilla Extract: Always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor!
- Gluten Free Flour: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour such as King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure.
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar: To finish, optional.
How To Make Gluten Free German Pancakes
Follow along with my photos below to help guide you through making these German pancakes. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Make batter. Preheat oven to 400°F and place a pan with butter in it. Crack the eggs into a blender and add the milk, vanilla, flour, and salt.
- Blend. Whizz until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Add batter to pan. Remove the pan with the butter from the oven – it will have melted.
- Swirl. Pour in the batter using a figure-8 or swirl pattern.
- Bake. Place in the oven and bake until puffed.
- Serve. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Tips & Variations
A few of my easy tips can help you make your gluten free German pancakes turn out gloriously fluffy (hint: don’t open the oven!), making for a memorable meal.
Swirl, don’t pour. When adding the batter to the pan, you’ll get the best results if you can swirl it in a figure-8 pattern rather than just pouring it straight in. This will help the pancake puff up more.
Don’t open the oven. As with most baking recipes, try not to open the oven door during the baking time! The contrast of cool and hot air can affect the rise of the pancakes.
Serve right away. Make sure to serve the German pancakes as soon as they come out of the oven. Similar to a souffle, the pancakes will start to deflate the longer they rest out of the oven. For the most dramatic, puffy results, serve the dish immediately.
Topping ideas: As mentioned, to keep things simple, sift a little powdered sugar over the top of the baked pancake and give it a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Or, go more decadent with the addition of whipped cream or a drizzle of homemade hot fudge sauce or caramel sauce. You can also add mini chocolate chips, toasted nuts, or berries.
Make dairy-free. If needed, you can easily make this recipe dairy-free. Substitute the butter and milk for your favorite non-dairy butter and plant-based milk options.
Add sweetener. This pancake recipe is made without sugar added to the batter. The sweetness comes from the toppings. If you prefer a sweeter pancake, you can add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the blender along with the flour.
Proper Storage
German pancakes taste best when they are fresh and straight out of the oven. However, if you have leftovers you can save them for another breakfast or snack and they’ll still be good. Here’s how to store them:
- Fridge – Place any pieces of leftover pancake in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – You can freeze leftover German pancakes, but know that they won’t be puffy after they’ve been defrosted. Place the pancakes in an airtight, freezer-safe container or sealable bag with a piece of parchment paper between each one to prevent sticking, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the pancakes in the fridge before reheating.
- To Reheat – Place pancakes on a microwave-safe plate and reheat them in the microwave for 1 minute until hot. Or, place them on a baking sheet and heat in a 350ºF oven until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
Make German pancakes the star of your next weekend breakfast! You can top them with maple syrup and fresh fruit, or round out your meal with a few heartier options like eggs and bacon. See a few of my serving suggestions below:
- Eggs. Serve scrambled or fried eggs alongside pancakes, or make Baked Eggs. My Tomato Broccoli Sausage Crustless Quiche or flavorful Hawaiian Scrambled Eggs recipes are also nice choices.
- Bacon. Make a stack of crispy bacon to serve with gluten free German pancakes! You can learn how to cook bacon perfectly in this post.
- Fruit. Top pancakes with blueberries, or serve a plate of sliced peaches, strawberries, raspberries, and apples with your German pancakes. You can also make my juicy Watermelon Berry Fruit Salad to go with your main dish.
- Coffee. A hot cup of coffee is always welcome with a serving of gluten free German pancakes! In warmer months, you can make a Blended Iced Coffee.
- Smoothies. I love a freshly made smoothie in the morning! A creamy Strawberry Smoothie, Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie, or Spiced Banana Chai Tea Smoothie would be lovely with German pancakes.
Gluten Free German Pancakes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup 1:1 gluten free flour (93 grams), recommended: King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Add the butter to a 9×13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and place the pan in the oven to heat up and melt the butter while you prepare the batter.
- Crack the eggs into a blender, then add the milk, vanilla extract, flour, and salt. Blend until just combined. Do not overmix and get the mixture too frothy.
- Remove the pan from the oven and pour in the batter using a figure-8 or swirl pattern. Return the pan to the oven and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and the edges are light golden brown.
- Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve immediately with maple syrup, fresh fruit, fruit pie filling or compote, lemon curd, or your favorite toppings.
Did you make this?
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Thanks for the recipe – I had a bit of trouble and wondering if you can help me sort it – I baked it just as directed and it was very raw…I added an additional 70 minutes and it continued to not get done in the middle….after a whopping total bake time of 115 minutes, I threw the whole lot into the bin, still raw! I made no substitutions to the recipe, used a glass dish at the proper dimension, and cannot figure what went wrong. I even bought an oven thermometer to make sure my oven was heating properly, and it was certainly not my oven. Help!!!
I’ll be honest, this was a recipe contributed to my site by another blogger. I still have a few of those on my site. So I have not made it myself, but now I think I will. As you can see from her note in the recipe, the results can vary depending on the flour you use. This is fairly typical with gluten free flour blends. Can you share with me what you used?
These pancakes look amazing, I can’t believe they’re gluten free! I’m totally gonna have to give these a try for breakfast one morning! 🙂
I am so excited to try Brooke & Bri’s recipe too!