The Best Japanese Pancakes Recipe

Dear friend,

Once a month, my pal, avid baker and food blogger Sharon Hsu of Sparklecakerie, will bring us a new recipe. For January 2025, she made fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes, which went viral across social media. There’s a reason why these pancakes are so popular. They are bouncy and jiggly, light and fluffy and just melt in the mouth, and don’t feel very decadent for breakfast. Plus, they are notoriously hard to perfect at home!

If you think you must visit Japan or South Korea to try these jiggly pancakes, think again and put away those passports. With this step-by-step recipe, we guide you on making the perfect Japanese pancakes at home that don’t deflate and will impress all you serve these to; we guarantee it.

Chances are, however, your first batch will fail. Perhaps you will overmix the batter, deflating the meringue in the process. Or the pancakes will burn because the stovetop heat was just a tad too high. Or the pancakes deflate miserably once you lift the lid.

Whatever the reason, by the second of third batch, you should get perfect Japanese pancakes. And if you luck out, following this recipe, and perfect them on your first try, kudos to you!

Once you’ve perfected these pancakes, feel free to mix flavoring or colors into the batter. Or top with cocoa or matcha powder. Feeling adventurous? Whip up some dalgona coffee to top these pancakes.

xoxoxo,

Kat Lieu

Stack of Japanese pancakes. Image by Sharon Hsu

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Modern Asian Baking at Home: Essential Sweet and Savory Recipes for Milk Bread, Mochi, Mooncakes, and More; Inspired by the Subtle Asian Baking Community

By Lieu, Kat

Buy on Amazon

The recipe is also in my first book, Modern Asian Baking at Home. Sharon’s recipe is an adaptation of the one found in the cookbook.

the pancakes, eaten! Photograph by Sharon Hsu

Yield 3

Author Sharon Hsu

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

12 Min

Total time

32 Min

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The Best Japanese Pancake Recipe

The first time I tried Japanese pancakes, I was so impressed with how light and airy they were. It felt like I was biting into a fluffy cloud! There’s something just so magically fun about how they jiggle and melt in my mouth. Not too sweet and a fun, fancy treat to make, I love to add this to my rotation of breakfast recipes (or desserts!) to make for my husband. The fluffiest pancake you’ll ever make, these are definitely a treat you’ll want to make to impress someone with your pancake skills! The texture is similar to a chiffon cake and once you get the technique down for making them, regular pancakes just won’t cut it anymore. xoxoxo- SharonA note from Kat: These pancakes are notoriously difficult to perfect at home, so don't despair if they fail at first. There are a few things to note, the stovetop heat needs to be low, like the lowest setting. And you need to be patient. For example, opening the lid too much can deflate the pancakes. Flipping the pancakes before they cook through can immediately cause them to collapse. But once you perfect these pancakes, you'll impress all the cuties in your life!

Ingredients

For the pancake batter

• 2 tablespoons (15 grams) all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) milk
• 2 large (40 grams) egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the meringue

• 2 large (60 grams) egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar or ½ teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar

Additionally

• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) water, divided
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Grease a large frying pan lightly with melted butter or neutral oil. (You can wipe the pan gently with a clean paper towel if you had added too much oil or butter.)
2. Whisk all the pancake batter ingredients together in a mixing bowl until combined and smooth, then set aside.
3. Make the meringue in a medium separate bowl. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar or white vinegar until frothy. Then whip in the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form, at least 10 minutes by hand, and about 6 to 8 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
4. Heat the pan on low heat as you assemble the pancake batter.
5. Add a third of the meringue to the pancake batter and gently fold, using a rubber spatula, until combined. Fold in the rest of the meringue into the batter. The final batter should be fluffy, airy, and smooth, like melted ice cream.
6. Keep the pan on low to medium-low heat. Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. (Tip: Instead of a piping bag, you can use a cookie scoop or large spoon to scoop the batter onto the pan. Using a 3-inch greased circular cookie cutter helps to keep a neat shape.)
7. Pipe three even pancakes, about 3-inches each in diameter and pipe the batter high but lower than your pan lid. Space them apart as they’ll spread when cooking. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of water onto the pan, surrounding the pancakes to steam. Cover the pan with a high top lid and cook for five to seven minutes. The pancakes are ready to flip when the bottom edges are less glossy and bottoms are slightly browned.
8. Remove the lid slowly and carefully but quickly flip the pancakes. Using a thin spatula is key! Drizzle the rest of the water around the pancakes and cook for another five to seven minutes until both sides are golden brown.
9. Remove pancakes from the pan. Plate and garnish with your favorite toppings. They will deflate a little bit but should still have most of their height. I love topping with powdered sugar, a little butter, and kokuto (Japanese black sugar) syrup!

Notes

Try other flavors: Add matcha powder or cocoa powder for flavored souffle pancakes.

Recommended Products

Modern Asian Kitchen

Modern Asian Baking at Home Cookbook

KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red

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