These are the Real Deal Authentic German Pancakes. The recipe below was shared with my grandpa by a visitor from Germany many years ago and these pancakes are delicious; light and eggy with delicate, crispy edges. Resembling French-style crepes but a little thicker and with a bit more tang thanks to the addition of buttermilk.
The recipe was recorded in a family journal that my grandfather started a few years after my grandmother died back in the 80’s. He initially meant for the journal to be used to record events that happened and sometimes would catalog repairs or projects going on at the time. He wrote in all capital letters that the family recognized as ‘Grandpa-style’ because he was known to yell a lot. Not to be terse or mean, but to make sure we all knew how important what he was telling us was. 
Eventually, weekend cabin guests started to write little passages in the journal as well, usually thanking him for a great weekend and adding highlights about their favorite part of the visit.
One weekend in 1986, he was fortunate enough to entertain a few old friends from Germany, where he’d spent some time in his late teens back in 1933 just as Hitler was coming to power (Wow! What a time to see world-changing history). After which, Grandpa became well-known for spouting off some funny or profound remark in Deutsch, whenever the occasion seemed to require. 😊 But back to the pancakes- I still remember him telling me about the German pancakes one of the ladies had made for everyone during the weekend and how impressed he was with himself for getting her to write down the recipe in the journal before writing her own message to “Lieber Mick” who had been a “good boy”.
Let me share this special recipe with you now (And the Cold Cookie recipe is a bonus, but good luck finding some of the ingredients)-
German Pancakes are easy to make but they are a little delicate to handle. After mixing the simple list of ingredients, melt a nice amount of real butter on a heated non-stick surface. I’ve used skillets, cast iron camp griddles, and electric griddles, all with success.
Once your butter is melted, slowly pour the thin batter onto the pan, either tilting the skillet to spread it thin or by pouring out toward the edges.
The pancakes only take a few seconds on each side. Once the sides start to crisp and the center is no loner shiny, flip them over.
For best results when flipping, if you don’t have a very large pancake turner it helps to use two spatulas under each side of the pancake. Alternately, if you don’t care about both sides of the pancake being browned, they’re perfectly fine after cooking on just one side.
Shown folded into fourths in the photo below, but we like to eat them flat; you can also roll them like a French crepe. Delicious with pure maple or berry syrup drizzled over the top, fruit on top is a must. A dusting of powdered sugar makes a nice presentation.
One final note about this treasured recipe find, and this always makes me a bit sad when I make the German Pancakes… my grandpa never got to have this recipe made for him after his German friends went back home. Soon the recipe was buried several weekends and years back in the journal, all but forgotten until around twenty years later when we came across it and remembered Grandpa talking about them. So Grandpa, I’m sorry I never made them for you while you were still with us, but I make them in your honor now.
Grandpa just prior to his visit to Germany, circa 1933.
Authentic German Pancakes
Ingredients
- Real butter for frying
- 4 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Set aside a 12-inch non-stick skillet or electric griddle.
- In a medium bowl, crack 4 eggs and combine well with a fork. Add the sugar and stir again.
- Add the flour and stir just lightly until streaks of flour still visible. Slowly add the milk and buttermilk, stirring to help prevent clumps. If clumps won't go away, don't worry, this is fine.
- Heat the pan or griddle to medium heat (or 350F degrees for electric). Make sure it's plenty hot before pouring the batter.
- Melt enough butter to prevent sticking and to add flavor. Slowly pour batter onto pan until it reaches the size you want.
- The egg-y batter will cook up and bubble quickly along the edges, continue cooking until just the middle is shiny, then carefully flip the pancake over. I use two spatulas to do this if the pancake is large. Alternately, you could just cook the pancake on the first side and when the middle of the pancake is no longer shiny, it's done and you can flip it onto your plate. I like both sides browned a bit so I flip them. If you flip, just cook an additional 30 seconds until the second side starts to brown lightly.
- Serve either flat, rolled, or folded into fours. If you're wanting to serve rolled German pancakes (as crepes), keep the batter quite thin in the pan, tilting the pan to spread batter out from center.
- These pancakes are tasty with just real syrup poured over them, or with fruit of choice and powdered sugar.
Notes
- If the pan is not hot enough before you pour the batter, you'll have a hard time flipping the pancake. Alternately, if your skillet is a really good nonstick pan, you can cook on one side until the top is dull, then just flip it out onto the plate.
Recipe by Kate from Germany, shared at the Fullmer-family cabin in 1986. Shared with you by me in honor of my grandfather, Ernest Milton “Mick” Fullmer.
I’m leaving a comment even though I haven’t made them yet. But my grandpa was the son of German immigrants and this looks remarkably close to what he made when we’d visit the farm back in the 80’s. I look forward to making these this weekend in memory of my Grandpa, a WWII vet. Thanks for posting the recipe along with the story.
Thanks, MJ! I hope you try the recipe and that it doesn’t disappoint. We make the pancakes often and I always think of my grandpa’s German friend sharing the recipe with him when I make them.
Thank you for this recipe. My mother grew up in Augsburg and used to make German pancakes for breakfast when I was growing up. I never got the recipe from her, but when I made this, it’s what I remembered.
Thank you so much for this wonderful comment! I’m honored that this recipe is what you were looking for to remind you of your mother’s German pancaked. You made my week, thank you again for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this. I had this same experience with my German grandmother. I want to share with my grandchildren and couldn’t find my recipe. This is it! Except my grandmother didnt use buttermilk. Fresh milk from their cow was the routine when my father was young. She’s roll them up with freshly canned blackberries from her berry patch. For extra fun we’d add whipped cream.
Thanks for bringing back treasured memories by posting this
Thank you so much for your comment, you brought a tear to my eye. I’m so happy I could help you with the recipe and I love that your grandmother rolled them with her own canned berries! I will have to try this way of serving the pancakes, it sounds lovely. Thanks so much for making my day. 🙂
I’ve never had authentic german pancakes but they look awesome! I’ll have to try and make an eggless version of these!
We love this German pancake been making it for years it’s a AMAZING ..
What a lovely and sweet story! It’s so exciting finding gems like your grandfather’s journal! Such a nice way to honor him…and delicious too! 🙂
Sherri, thank you for this incredibly nice comment on my post. This story is special to my family for sure and the fact that you appreciate it makes my day. <3
This is so delicious looking. Love the Glaze to this Pancakes. Cant wait to try them for Breakfast as soon as possible.
I’m a pancake obsessive and these look amazing! I adore thin and crispy pancakes with all of the right toppings so I’ll definitely be making these soon.
The cookie cake recipe is awesome as well (also known as kalter hund (cold dog). The ingredients aren’t hard to find and several translated recipes are available online as well… thanks for sharing these 🙂
Thank you Hannah, I’ll be looking to make them! Also, I really appreciate you stopping by with your nice comment.
Can’t tell you how excited I am to have come across the cookie/cake recipe for ‘Kalte Schnauze’. I recognized it immediately as a favorite childhood dessert for which I never had a recipe from my mom. I wonder if coconut oil could be used instead of Palmin. It’s worth a try for me. I have a package of those cookies in my cupboard right now, which I bought at Aldi just last week. What a treasure you have in those recipes. Thanks so much for sharing.
B. Chris, you have no idea how happy this makes me! Let me know how they turn out with the coconut oil. I’d love to make them myself. 🙂
Hi the cookie recipe is something my mom used to make, it was called cold dog but I don’t know why. Palming is a hard palm oil and the cookies can be any plain biscuit cookie. Youlay them in a train like row on parchment or plastic wrap then brush them with a little rum put your prepared cream on the and layer them 4 or five high always adding cream between the layers then wrap it well and put in a plastic bag to hold the flavour. After store in the freezer. Slice carefully into half inch servings. Kalter hund or cold dog ,a nice treat.
Marion, thank you so much for clarifying that recipe! I’ve so been wanting to figure out how to make it and now I think I can thanks to your instructions. My whole family will be very surprised. :*
Such a sweet tribute to your grandfather! I will be trying these and that comes from a 2nd gen German with many other family recipes given to me-so you should be honored! lol thanks again:)
Rachel, I am honored! Can’t wait to hear what you think. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. 🙂
My husband, German descent (1st gen here) was raised by his grandmother. I had a recipe for German pancakes that I translated into English (I don’t speak German), but it got lost when we sold our house. This is the closest I’ve found to that recipe. (it called for seltzer water) Hubby drank all the buttermilk, so when I went to add it, all I had was vanilla almond milk! I only added 1 cup since it is much thinner than buttermilk. I’m lactose intolerant, so my stomach is happier with the ingredient change! Hubby said, whatever you did, it tastes great! Make them like this every time! They are nice and thin like Oma used to make!
Awesome! 🙂
Hello Mrs. CP! You made my day with this post. I’m so glad you and your husband liked them. My 14-year old son is also lactose intolerant so this is what I do when I make this recipe (it’s one of his very favorite). I buy Lactaid brand milk which tastes just like regular milk and then for the 1 cup of buttermilk, I pour 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in the measuring cup and then add milk till full to the 1 cup mark. Let that sit for about 5 minutes, then make the recipe as usual. They’re perfect every time. Have a great day and thanks again for taking the time to comment. P.S. I imagine you could also add the vinegar or lemon juice to almond milk to get that “seltzer” type of tang.
These are going to make it on our breakfast list this weekend. Looks easy and good.
I’m drooling. I want these… now! Buttermilk, a thick crepe, I mean come on! Thanks Kate, Grandpa, and you Sally, for sharing this little tasty treasure!
Thanks, Kevin! They are pretty tasty. I don’t know if it’s because of the back story that we love them so much but I’m with you… buttermilk makes them!
I loved the story behind this recipe, Sally! And what fun to have the handwritten recipe and notes from your granddad and everyone else who “chimed in” in the notebook. What a treasure. I can’t wait to make these!
Thanks Mel! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to getting your feedback on the recipe.