Breakfast/ Christmas/ Dessert/ European/ Recipes/ Snack/ Valentine's Day

Simple Poffertjes – Dutch Mini Pancakes

13/07/2021

The best weekend breakfast, snack or dessert you can ask for – Poffertjes! Grab 7 ingredients, and you’ll have a stack of Dutch mini pancakes piling on your plate in no time.

Plate of Dutch mini pancakes with strawberries and powdered sugar.

Why We Love This

If you love fluffy pancakes, then this is the perfect Saturday morning treat for you and the family!

The recipe is a meal prep win for us: Poffertjes batter can be made the night before and stored in the fridge, batch cooked to double or even triple the amount AND frozen for up to two months.

Related: Lemon Ricotta Cake / Pain d’Epices Spice Cake / Matcha Pancakes

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Plate of breakfast poffertjes.

What are Dutch Mini Pancakes?

Dutch mini pancakes, known as Poffertjes (pronounced poff-er-chuss), are a popular street food snack. You’ll often find a stall roaming the markets in Amsterdam, Netherlands – especially at the popular Albert Cuyp Market. Made at home, they’re usually eaten at breakfast, as a snack or served for dessert.

Fun fact: Poffertjes are also known in some areas of Indonesia due to their ties with Dutch heritage, but sold under the name Kue Cubit.

Best Pans to Cook Poffertjes:

Most Traditional

Poffertjespan (Poffertjes Pan) or Aebleskiver Pan

Whether you get a cast iron poffertjes pan, an aebleskiver pan or even an electric one, these will give you the best and most authentic result.

Easiest & Cheapest

Regular Frying Pan with or without Egg Rings

For those not wanting to purchase anything new, make your mini pancakes in a regular frying pan. You can even use egg rings to make it even easier for yourself – similar to if you were making crumpets!

Great Alternatives

Takoyaki Pan or Cake Pop Maker

If you already have a takoyaki pan or cake pop pan, these will work great. The only difference is, they will be a little more rounded (more like aebleskiver), but otherwise cook fine.

Fresh poffertjes on a blue plate with strawberries.

What You’ll Need

  • Flour – For our recipe, we’ve made it easy by using plain all purpose flour. Sub with more traditional buckwheat flour, or use half and half! You can also use gluten-free flour just as you would for regular pancakes.
  • Instant Yeast – Instant yeast is simple to work with – just pop it in the mix and let time work it’s magic. The warm milk is what helps to activate the yeast quicker.
  • Milk – Using regular milk, you want it to be quite warm – more than luke warm but less than boiling (as that kills the yeast). Sub with almond milk, soy milk or oat milk.
  • Sugar – Sugar is used to give a nice sweetness to the batter. Use regular sugar or sub with brown or raw.
  • Egg – Regular large chicken eggs work well, although we hear duck eggs give a lovely result too!

Topping or Stuffing ideas

  • Apple Slices
  • Nutella
  • Cream Cheese
Ingredients laid out to make poffertjes.

How to make Poffertjes:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add the floursugar and yeast, giving it a quick mix and making a well in the centre.
  2. Pour in the warmed milk and egg, then whisk into a batter. Cover with a tea towel or silicone bowl cover, and leave to rise for an hour. The batter should be double in size and look very bubbly when ready. Note: If in a colder climate, allow extra time and pop the bowl in a warm location.
  3. Grease a poffertjes pan or frying pan with the butter over a medium heat. Once warmed, add heaped tablespoons of batter into each well in the poffertjes pan. Make sure to leave space if using a frying pan.
  4. Once bubbles start to pop on top (1-2 minutes), flip using a single chopstick or skewer (similar to making takoyaki). Allow to cook for another minute or two, once puffed up and cooked through, then remove from the pan. Repeat until all batter is used up.
  5. Serve while hot, sprinkling icing sugar / powdered sugar over the top to dust.

Wandercook’s Tips

  • Milk Temperature – Hot milk will kill yeast, so make sure you don’t boil it when heating!
  • Storage – Will keep up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container, or up to two months in the freezer.

FAQs

What’s the difference between aebleskiver and poffertjes?

There are a few main differences between the two. Poffertjes uses yeast as the leavener, while aebleskiver uses baking powder and buttermilk. Danish aebleskiver can be more round in shape than flatter Dutch mini pancakes. FInally, aebleskiver can sometimes be spiced and stuffed with apple!

How do you eat Poffertjes?

Poffertjes are often served simple – dusted with powdered sugar and a dob of butter.

Can you make poffertjes without a pan?

Yes! You can easily cook them as mini pancakes on any frying pan or hot plate. Use a heaped tablespoon for one, and leave room between each of them as they will flatten and expand slightly.

Can you make poffertjes without yeast?

Technically yes, although if you swap out the yeast for baking powder or self-raising flour, you’re then making Danish aebleskiver instead!

Variations

  • Skip Warming The Milk – This will make the batter just rise slower, so allow 1.5 – 2 hours instead for the rise.
  • Make them More Traditional – Use half or all buckwheat flour for an even more authentic taste!
  • Make Vegan Poffertjes – Swap the egg for 1/4 cup of mushed banana, applesauce or vegetable oil, and the milk for almond or oat milk.
Hand skewering a poffertjes to eat.

Amp up your weekend breakfast with these next:

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!

Dutch mini pancakes on a plate with strawberries.

Simple Poffertjes – Dutch Mini Pancakes

The best weekend breakfast, snack or dessert you can ask for – Poffertjes! Grab 7 ingredients, and you’ll have a stack of Dutch mini pancakes piling on your plate in no time.
5 from 27 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rising Time: 1 hour
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Dutch
Servings: 40 Poffertjes
Calories: 43kcal
Author: Wandercooks
Cost: $5

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar and yeast, giving it a quick mix and making a well in the centre.
    2 cups plain flour / all purpose flour, ¼ cup sugar, 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
  • Pour in the warmed milk and egg, then whisk into a batter. Cover with a tea towel or silicone bowl cover, and leave to rise for an hour. The batter should be double in size and look very bubbly when ready. Note: If in a colder climate, allow extra time and pop the bowl in a warm location.
    1 1/2 cups milk, 1 egg
  • Grease a poffertjes pan or frying pan with the butter over a medium heat. Once warmed, add heaped tablespoons of batter into each well in the poffertjes pan. Make sure to leave space if using a frying pan.
    2 tbsp butter
  • Once bubbles start to pop on top (1-2 minutes), flip using a single chopstick or skewer (similar to making takoyaki). Allow to cook for another minute or two, once puffed up and cooked through, then remove from the pan. Repeat until all batter is used up.
  • Serve while hot, sprinkling icing sugar / powdered sugar over the top to dust.
    1/2 tbsp icing sugar / powdered sugar

Video

YouTube video

Recipe Notes

  • Milk Temperature – Hot milk will kill yeast, so make sure you don’t boil it when heating!
  • Storage – Will keep up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container, or up to two months in the freezer.
  • Skip Warming The Milk – This will make the batter just rise slower, so allow 1.5 – 2 hours instead for the rise.
  • Make Vegan Poffertjes – Swap the egg for 1/4 cup of mushed banana, applesauce or vegetable oil, and the milk for almond or oat milk.
  • Topping Ideas – Powdered sugar, butter, jam, speculoos spread, apple slices, nutella or cream cheese.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Simple Poffertjes – Dutch Mini Pancakes
Amount per Serving
Calories
43
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
 
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Cholesterol
 
7
mg
2
%
Sodium
 
11
mg
0
%
Potassium
 
28
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
7
g
2
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
 
38
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
12
mg
1
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hey hey – Did you make this recipe?We’d love it if you could give a star rating below ★★★★★ and show us your creations on Instagram! Snap a pic and tag @wandercooks / #Wandercooks

Simple Poffertjes - Dutch Mini Pancakes
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24 Comments

  • Reply
    Krissy
    10/03/2024 at 7:40 am

    With the left over batter, what do you recommend as far as defrosting without a second rise happening? 40 equals 4 serves in my household and 2 people just can’t eat that much breakfast!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      12/03/2024 at 8:24 am

      Hey Krissy, 2 person household over here too! 🙂 We usually just halve the recipe when it’s just us. OR we cook up all the pancakes and just reheat them the next day. You could keep the batter in the fridge overnight, but they maybe wouldn’t be as fluffy to cook the next day.

  • Reply
    Amanda
    09/09/2023 at 7:07 pm

    Looked super cute but Mine were sour. What could I have done wrong???

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      11/09/2023 at 9:09 pm

      Hey Amanda, they should taste a little yeasty and different from regular pancakes but not sour. Only thing I can think of would be bad milk or yeast perhaps?

  • Reply
    Puja
    19/06/2023 at 1:03 am

    5 stars
    If I’m doubling or tripling the batter, do I double or triple the yeast?

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      20/06/2023 at 10:04 am

      Yep! 🙂

  • Reply
    Martha
    17/03/2023 at 10:52 pm

    Hi, can we use coconut milk in place of regular milk? Anybody tried this? Thanks , love poffertjes. Sadly you won’t find the stalls anywhere in Amsterdam anymore. Except Albert Kuyp market maybe. Little restaurant behind the big store not too far from Central Station. Was there 6 WK’s ago. 🥶

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      19/03/2023 at 9:15 pm

      Hey Martha! Thanks for the heads up on the stalls. That’s sad to hear, but looks like you’re right about Albert Kuyp market poffertjes.

      I think coconut milk should work, we’ll trial it on our next batch. Let us know how you go if you try it in the meantime too. 🙂

      • Reply
        Betty Bruce
        24/10/2023 at 4:47 am

        You can find them at the Tulip Festival in May in Pella, Iowa. My husband helped make them when we lived there from 1973 to 1987! Trader Joe’s also has them in the frozen food section!

        • Reply
          Wandercooks
          24/10/2023 at 3:31 pm

          Wow, that’s amazing he helped make them for so long! Thanks for letting everyone know if they’re down that way / in the area. 😀

  • Reply
    kahlia
    06/03/2023 at 9:19 am

    hi girl!!! how ,many does this recipe typically make? asking for a friend!!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      06/03/2023 at 10:36 am

      Hey Kahlia, it’ll be around 40 if you’re making them at the small poffertjes size. 🙂

  • Reply
    Linda
    26/12/2022 at 4:08 am

    5 stars
    Added 0.5g saffron and called them a christmas treat. Saffron is often used as a “christmas-spice” in Sweden.
    Family loved them!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      30/12/2022 at 9:05 am

      Hey Linda, thanks for the tip about the saffron, that sounds lovely. We’ll have to give it a try next Christmas. 😉

  • Reply
    Valentine
    10/09/2022 at 4:20 pm

    5 stars
    I left the batter overnight & cooked it in the morning. But i think the yeast is too much, the taste was like a fermented cassava. I’ll make it again but with less yeast. Thanks for the recipe.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      11/09/2022 at 11:26 am

      Hey Valentine, you’re welcome. 🙂 It sounds like you may have over-proofed the batter though. It is only meant to be proofed for one hour, not overnight. It will still have a slightly yeasty taste, but it definitely shouldn’t be overpowering like fermented cassava! Let us know how you go on the next batch and happy cooking!

  • Reply
    Amy
    30/06/2022 at 11:28 am

    I followed this recipe exact and my batter turned out really thick like a bread dough, not like in your video where it was more runny like a pancake batter. How can I make it thinner?

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      30/06/2022 at 12:03 pm

      Easy fix! It’s most likely not enough milk, so I’d keep adding more until you get to the runnier batter you’re after and that should be fixed :). Then cover and let it sit and go super bubbly! Only thing I can think of for the difference is it may be AU vs US cup sizes perhaps, if you didn’t go by mls or floz.

  • Reply
    Rose Wilson
    27/12/2021 at 3:44 am

    5 stars
    The recipe worked really well. The taste was authentic and the results were delicious.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      02/01/2022 at 5:41 pm

      This is great Rose, thanks so much for letting us know!

  • Reply
    Margaret Manning
    14/11/2021 at 4:50 pm

    5 stars
    Very successful. Thankyou.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      15/11/2021 at 9:46 am

      Fantastic! Thanks for letting us know, and hope you enjoyed every bite!

      • Reply
        Kimmie
        03/09/2022 at 5:40 pm

        5 stars
        Great recipe ! Can I still store it in the fridge if it’s already been left out to rise for 1 hour ? And does it need to left out ti rise again after refrigerating ?

        • Reply
          Wandercooks
          04/09/2022 at 5:17 pm

          Hey Kimmie, that should be fine to pop it in the fridge after allowing to rise. You should also be able to cook straight away when you’re ready to make them, and not have to rise it any more. Let us know how you go!

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