Easy Japanese Pancakes Recipe
These Japanese Pancakes are extra thick, light and heavenly tasty! Learn how to make pancakes fluffy without a mould or Japanese pancake mix. The fluffiest Japanese pancake recipe you’ve ever come across!
Japanese Pancakes
So, why Japanese fluffy pancakes??
Well, firstly I’m Japanese, so when I noticed Japan’s Gram Cafe and Flippers getting international attention with these super fluffy pancakes, I just had to give them a go.
Also my partner, Andy from Sydney, Australia, obsessed with Japanese food, went crazy when he heard about these fluffy pancakes from Japan. I wanted to perfect them as my first homemade attempt.
Why You will Love this Recipe
People are fanatical about fluffy pancakes. Our Japanese pancakes are delicious fluffy, and easy to make. Watch family members’ faces light up from the very first mouthful. Simply delicious!
For the Japanese pancake recipe, egg whites is beaten to stiff peaks and then gently folded into the batter. This is how extra fluffy Japanese pancakes are made.
Fluffy is called ‘fuwa fuwa‘ in Japanese. These extra tall Japanese pancakes are often made for dessert. It’s not your everyday pancake – texture is light and super fluffy and melts in your mouth. That’s because much less flour is used. And firmly whipped egg whites sustains the height and depth.
After some trying and testing, I’ve found how to keep Japanese pancakes fluffy and not deflated. Keep reading. You won’t be disappointed!
Ingredients for Japanese pancakes
This Japanese fluffy pancakes recipe can be tried with whipped egg whites to keep it super puffy and tasty!
Flour: To keep the texture light, extra tall and super fluffy, cake flour is the best. For gluten-free, rice flour and perl barley works which we use often. I’ll show you how to make gluten-free Japanese fluffy pancakes in my recipe post.
Almond Milk: Any plant based milk works or dairy milk. Coconut or almond milk goes well. Soy milk also works. Use ‘light’ plant based milk for this recipe – not condensed.
Granulated Sugar: I use granulated beet sugar for baking often. Organic cane sugar or coconut sugar are also good.
Lemon juice: What does cream of tartar do in pancakes? It’s optional but if you use, it helps you save whipping time. It also keeps whipped cream firm and stable. I often use lemon juice. It can replace to the cream of tartar.
Useful Equipment
HOW TO MAKE JAPANESE PANCAKES WITHOUT A MOULD
I used to make this thick and tall pancakes with a mould, but not anymore! No need an extra washing up! To achieve this, make extra firm whipped egg whites and measure the ingredients accurate.
- Hand Mixer: I highly recommend using a hand mixer for egg whites and save your time.
- Tablespoon: This is my secret weapon for this recipe. Seriously, no need to use a mould, a rubber spatula or a piping bag. It helps to mix up the butter without breaking the whipped white egg. You can also place the batter on a pan and shape the pancakes round with it. It’s so handy!
- Scale: I highly recommend you use a scale for best results. Measuring ingredients without a scale can vary person to person and that affects to the result.
How to Make Fluffy Japanese Pancakes
The timing is everything for this Japanese pancake recipe. Make sure all the ingredients and equipments are ready before you start combining them. Also follow the ingredient amount as accurate as possible.
- Make pancake batter: Add egg yolks, milk and pure vanilla extract and mix them up well in a bowl with a whisk. Keep it in the fridge.
- Make whipped egg whites: Beat egg whites with a high speed first for 1 minute. Then add lemon juice. No need to add it right from the start. After adding sugar, keep beating until the whipped cream gets really firm and shiny – stiff peaks. It takes about 8 minutes or more. You should be able to upside down the bowl without whipped egg falling down.
- Add a heat to the pan: When the whipped white egg is ready, add the lowest heat to a pan. Keep the lowest heat.
- Mix up batter and whipped cream: Use a tablespoon instead of a spatula. Gently fold the bottom of the batter to the surface and repeat until it’s mixed well. Avoid breaking the meringue.
Important tips!
Use a tablespoon and mix up batter and whipped white egg as if like you scoop out from the bottom and lift up gently. This way whipped egg is folded well and is not broken.
5. Fry and flip pancakes: Place oil and remove the excess with kitchen paper. Drop a tablespoons of the batter and add two more on the top for one pancake. Use the back of spoon and clean winkles or a gap on the sides. Cover the frying pan with a lid. Flip over after 4 minutes and leave for 3 minutes further.
That’s it! Garnish and serve immediately!
Tips for Best Japanese Pancakes
How to make pancakes fluffy
Separate egg whites and yolks – Make sure egg whites does not have any drop of yolk or even tiny drop of water in a bowl. Then keep the egg whites in the freezer while you make pancake batter.
Start cooking as soon as the ingredients are combined – Add a heat to a frying pan once the whipped white egg is ready. This way you can start cooking as soon as whipped egg whites and the yolk batter are combined.
Why my fluffy Japanese pancake deflate?
If your cooking time is not right or ingredient measurement is not evenly folded batter, it’s likely your pancake will deflate. Here are some tips:
- Make extra firm and shiny whipped white egg. Beat about 8 minutes or more with a hand mixer.
- Pay attention to folding whipped white egg gently with a tablespoon into batter.
- Keep flipping time exactly as it is on a skillet.
- Make sure the heat is just right. Keep the lowest heat.
Important!
Make sure the sides are cooked properly before flipped. To check this out, gently touch the side with a tablespoon. If the batter isn’t sticking to it, then it’s cooked. You also need a skillet with a lid and steam pancakes. Do not flip often.
Can you make souffle pancakes with pancake mix?
Yes, you can! Just replace the flour as the equal amount of pancake mix and follow other directions. Use oil free pancake mix. Oil added pancake flour does not become super fluffy. For this, I also use light plant based milk.
How many times do you flip a pancake?
This Japanese pancake needs to be flipped only once. It’s tempting to flip again and again, but really no need to do it often!
Fluffy pancake recipes:
Japanese Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 2 tablespoons milk (30ml)
- 3 tablespoons cake flour (24g)
- ½ teaspoon aluminum free baking powder (2g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (I use beet or cane granulated sugar)
- 1½ teaspoon cornstarch (12g, or corn flour or potato starch)
Instructions
Preparation
- Separate eggs into the whites and yolks into bowls. Make sure no egg yolk or a drop of water left into the egg whites. Leave the white egg bowl in a freezer. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, corn starch and baking powder into a bowl, mix to combine. Set aside.
- Whisk the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl. Add the sifted flour mix and mix them up. Once they are combined, leave the bowl in a fridge. Set aside.
- Take the white egg from the freezer. Start beating it with a hand mixer on high speed for 1 minute in a bowl. Add lemon juice. Add the sugar in three parts, one every few minutes. Beat the mixture for 5 to 8 minutes in total, or slightly more if the stiff peaks are not yet made. (The time depends on the equipment you have.)
- Once the egg white is ready, preheat the frying pan over the lowest heat.
- Add 3 tablespoons of whipped egg white to the batter with a tablespoon and mix them up well. Then add all the batter into whipped egg white bowl. Gently fold the bottom of the batter to the surface and repeat until it's mixed well. Avoid breaking the meringue.
Cooking
- Put some cooking oil in the pan and remove any excess oil with kitchen paper. Keep the heat at the lowest.
- Scoop up a spoonful of pancake batter and place it on the frying pan. Add two more tablespoons of batter directly on top of it. Use the back of the spoon and clean the wrinkles on the sides. Cover the frying pan with a lid and leave for three to four minutes.
- Gently check the bottom of each pancake (lift carefully with a spatula) to see if it has become a golden colour, then gently flip it upside down. Cover with the lid and cook them for around 3 minutes.
- Place the pancakes on a plate, following the image of the recipe. Remove the macerated strawberries from the fridge and place them around the pancakes. Add yogurt or whipped cream.
- That's it! Serve immediately. Enjoy!
