
The beauty of a Dutch baby pancake is right when you pull it from the oven. It’s full of life, expressive and it always takes a different shape or form. Don’t be disappointed as it collapses as this is normal once it hits the cool air from leaving the oven. Enjoy its beauty while you can as it’s somewhat magical!
Making a Dutch baby pancake is quite simple and very rewarding. You make your batter in a blender, clean up is a cinch and you bake the entire pancake right in a cast iron skillet!
How many of you own a cast iron skillet? And how many of you actually use it? It seems to be common in the cooking world, and you either love it or you are afraid of it. It’s the main ‘hero’ in your kitchen or it sits there gathering dust because you don’t understand the ‘rules’ of cleaning or not cleaning it, how the seasoning process works and man, is it heavy!
But let me tell you, baking in a cast iron skillet is perfection!! The heat is distributed evenly throughout the pan making for a perfect baked good every time. The best part for me is watching butter dance on a hot skillet and the aromas of nutty burnt butter that fills the air (trust me there’s no going back after that).

Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Whole or 2% milk
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon
- Unsalted butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Salt
- Icing sugar, maple syrup, jam, fresh berries for serving
Caring for a cast iron skillet
- To clean your skillet use warm water and a scraper to get any stuck on bits.
- Avoid using dish soap as it will remove your seasoned coating.
- Make sure to thoroughly dry your skillet before putting it away to avoid rusting. Use a paper towel.
- Don’t put a cast iron skillet in the dishwasher, ever!
- Season your skillet every so often. Click here to learn how.

Dutch Baby Pancake Tips
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help create a smooth, lump free batter.
- It’s very important to let the batter rest before using it. This helps the flour absorb into the liquid and lets the glutens relax. Don’t skip this step!
- Don’t put your pancake batter in the fridge, leave it at room temperature to rest. This will help create the ‘puff‘ in the oven.
- You want that cast iron skillet hot, hot, hot before adding your batter!
- Pour the batter steadily and quickly into the hot buttery cast iron and immediately pop it back into the oven. Don’t waste any time getting it back into the oven or you’ll have an unevenly baked pancake.
- This isn’t really a tip, but it’s important to note that your Dutch baby pancake will deflate and fast, so don’t stress when it happens (that’s exactly what it is supposed to do).
- The smaller the cast iron pan the puffier your pancake will be (but don’t go crazy). Just know that if you have a large skillet and you didn’t see much of a ‘puff’ it may be because your pan was too big.

How To Serve Your Dutch Baby Pancake
The most common way to serve a Dutch baby pancake is with icing sugar, fresh fruit and of course Canadian maple syrup! But you can have fun and play with toppings to create your own personal pancake. Here are few ideas;
- Nutella
- Lemon Curd
- Blueberry compote
- Jams; apricot, plum, mixed berry
- Chocolate sauce
- Raspberry Sauce
- Whipping Cream
- Apple Sauce
- Bananas
How To Make a Dutch Baby Pancake
Step One: Make your batter by blending your ingredients in a blender. Let the batter rest for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your cast iron pan in the oven. Once ready, remove the pan, add butter and swirl the butter until melted. Pour the batter into the hot pan and place back in the oven.



Step Two: Remove your pancake once puffed and browned. Add fresh fruit, lemon zest and icing sugar. Serve warm.




Dutch Baby Pancake
Making a Dutch baby pancake is quite simple and very rewarding. It’s a puffed up – crepe like pancake. It’s baked in the oven and rises with the magic of eggs, creating a spongy popover treat that’s dusted with powdered sugar, lemon zest, fruit and syrup. This recipe uses an 8 – 9 inch cast iron skillet.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole or 2% milk, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 small lemon, extra for garnishing
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Icing sugar, maple syrup, jam, fresh berries for serving
Instructions
- In a blender (or food processor) add flour, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and lemon zest. Blend all ingredients together, scrape down the sides and make sure all the flour is incorporated.
- Leave the batter in the blender to rest for 20 – 25 minutes. This gives the flour time to rest and absorb the liquid.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425˚F.
- Place an 8 or 10 inch skillet in the middle rack of the oven to heat up.
- Once the batter has rested remove the skillet from the oven (using oven mitts) and place it on top of the stove. Add the butter and swirl the pan to melt and coat the entire pan (bottom and sides of the skillet). Be very careful as the pan will be extremely hot.
- Pour the batter on top of the butter. Place the skillet back in the oven.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until puffed, lightly browned across the top, and dark brown on the edges.
- Dust with icing sugar and add extra lemon zest.
- Cut into wedges and serve with fruit, whipping cream, maple syrup or jam.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 6
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 474mg
- Fat: 8.7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 21.1g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 5.4g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
Keywords: Pancake, Dutch Baby, Cast Iron, Breakfast, Crepe
FAQ’s
A Dutch baby pancake is basically a cross between a crepe and a pancake. It’s a puffed up pancake that’s baked in the oven at a high temperature and rises with the magic of eggs, creating a spongy popover treat that’s dusted with powdered sugar.
A Dutch baby pancake is made with eggs and cooked at high heat which causes the eggs to puff up. Once pulled from the oven and at room temperature, the pancake will start to deflate. This is normal and exactly how the dutch pancake reacts; it’s part of the charm.
Dutch baby pancakes are best enjoyed hot out of the oven. Store any leftovers in the fridge covered in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave as needed.
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This looks sooo gooooooooood. I’m coming over!
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This would be amazing to win! I have always wanted a cast iron frying pan! Thanks!
Iron skillets are simply the best! And I must make this Dutch pancake. This will make the perfect Christmas breakfast. Thank you so much for posting.
What a great gift this would be for my mom, she loves to cook and bake.
I love iron skillets
Awesome giveaway. Thanks, Alex!
I just love to cook and I have been wanting an iron skillet for the longest time! I have heard great things about this brand also. BTW your pancake recipe looks amazing
This sounds so good! May try it for family gathering around the holidays! Thanks for sharing this great recipe and information on cooking with cast iron!
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That looks delicious! I’ve always wanted a cast iron skillet!
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Who could resist a Calphalon and the photos of your food tempting creations.
I’ve never made a Dutch pancake, but it looks amazing! I’ll have to make one.
Those Dutch Pancakes look amazing!
I do not have one but would love a Cast iron skillet. I love cooking so I know I would use it a lot. Thank you so much for this amazing chance.
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Lovely recipe and lovely photos! I so wish I was there when the Dutch pancake was being made 🙂 looks delicious! I don’t have a cast iron skillet but I do have a collection of recipes that call for one on Pinterest. Looking forward to seeing other cast iron recipes on your blog!
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My family would love this recipe!
oh my gosh. Instant craving! those look delish
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Unenameled cast iron always seemed too much trouble but I’d like to try one.
Yum these are always so delicious!
I have always wanted to have a good iron skillet like this one.
I always get a craving for crepes at night and pancakes in the a.m.
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Aren’t these skillets the best?! I have to say this recipe and the photos are drool worthy no doubt!
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I love cast iron. This receipe looks so yummy!
I have never owned a cast iron skillet. I’ve always wanted to have one because so many recipes use one & it’s just not the same using a regular frying pan. Plus they last forever!
Wow, pre season cast iron, never knew they could be bought ! Thanks for the recipe!
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Pancakes are my favorite breakfast food ! They are so good !
This looks so delicious. I would love to win this!
this would be so great we eat pancakes every Saturday for breakfast
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Awesome giveaway Al! Proud of you! 😘
I simply love this! I had my grandmothers cast iron skillet and it somehow disappeared. I am keeping this recipe because it’s sooo good.
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Such a wonderful recipe!
I have a Cast Iron pan and I love it, can’t wait to create this yummy desert to go with dinner.
Noting better then cooking with cast iron.
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I have made dutch babies but I don’t think I’ve ever made anything quite like this! It’s incredible (and your photography is simply stunning!)
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I have never made a Dutch pancake, but they look so good! Thanks for this recipe.
this sounds yummy and easy to make. I will have to give it a try
Thanks for this recipe!
Count me in as one of those people who owns a cast iron skillet and is afraid of it! I read somewhere that before using it you should decide if it will be a dessert skillet or a savoury skillet… cause you don’t want the bacon you fried up affecting the taste of your peach cobbler (or maybe you do?). I’ve been so torn with my decision on whether it should be a sweet or savoury iron skillet, that I’ve just completely avoided using it!
This dutch pancake might just sway me 🙂
Alex, that is a very good point! If you have more than one skillet it’s better to keep one for sweet and one for savoury. If you only have one skillet there are a lot of good tips online on how to use just one pan for both. It you don’t use the pan a lot it probably wouldn’t matter much anyways. Happy Baking 🙂
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Since this was posted, I feel like we’ve made this Dutch Baby once a week! Thanks to the recipe being so thoroughly broken down, it takes no time at all to whip this Baby together!
We’ve tried pairing it with both fruits AND a salted chocolate drizzle. Both are delicious with a side of maple syrup. The lemon zest that the recipe suggests, is an absolutely must! It really helps bring out the tasty pastry flavour.
So thankfully for the recipe staple!
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Oh my, Joel this brought such a smile to my face! I’m so happy you guys love the recipe and thank you for sharing pictures over on Instagram too. Looks like you’ve nailed this recipe!! Happy Baking 🙂