Easy Mini German Pancakes
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Here’s a fun breakfast you can make this weekend. My family love German Pancakes (at our house they are called Hootenannies). So when I saw the idea of making mini ones at a site called Gimme Some Oven, I had to try them.

Her recipe is basically the same as the one I make in my 9 x 13 pan, but you add the butter to the batter instead of the pan. She also adds vanilla and orange zest. I add the vanilla, but didn’t have any orange to zest in my fridge. I do want to try it one time with the orange zest though. Sounds yummy!
The great thing about the minis is they turn out as perfect little cups when you cook them in a muffin tin. They end up just right to fill with fruit. I made a triple berry sauce to put in mine. I also have a German pancake type dish you fill with a peach/sausage filling. You could make that filling with diced peaches and slice the sausage small and fill this minis up with that too.
Gimme Some Oven filled them with strawberries and maple syrup. I have a great strawberry topping that I made for french toast that would also be yummy. You add orange zest to the strawberries along with some sugar. So yummy.
These mini german pancakes were a fun new way to make something that I made all the time. You could also do this for a holiday breakfast and have a bunch of toppings to choose from. Very fun!
I also made mine in my silicone muffin tin, so no need for greasing here. I loved how they work in that pan. The came out perfect and there was little to clean up.
Ingredients to Make Mini German Pancakes Recipe
- MILK
- EGGS
- FLOUR
- SALT
- VANILLA
- ORANGE ZEST (OPTIONAL)
- BUTTER

How to Make Mini German Pancakes
Preheat your oven to 400°F and prepare your muffin tin by adding a small amount of melted butter to each muffin cup . In a blender, combine the milk, flour, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Make sure to blend thoroughly, ensuring no flour clumps remain in the batter.
Next, evenly distribute the batter between 18-24 muffin tins, filling each about halfway. If you’re using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, fill it almost full for each portion. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the mini pancakes puff up and turn golden brown on top.
Once they’re done, remove them from the oven and serve with your favorite toppings—powdered sugar, syrup, or fruit sauces like triple berry sauce work beautifully. Enjoy your puffy, golden mini German pancakes fresh out of the oven!
Frquently Asked Questions
Can I make mini German pancakes ahead of time?
Yes, you can make them ahead of time, but they are best served fresh out of the oven when they are puffed and golden. If you want to prepare them ahead, you can reheat them in the oven at 300°F for a few minutes to restore their texture.
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Yes, you can substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour, but the texture will be slightly denser. You may need to adjust the liquid content slightly to prevent the batter from being too thick.
Can I use non-dairy milk in the recipe?
Yes, you can substitute non-dairy milk like almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk in place of regular milk. The pancakes may have a slightly different flavor and texture, but they should still puff up and cook well.
Why didn’t my mini German pancakes puff up?
This can happen if the oven isn’t hot enough or if the batter wasn’t blended well. Make sure your oven is preheated to 400°F and blend the batter thoroughly to ensure a smooth texture.
Can I add other flavors to the batter?
Absolutely! You can add a splash of lemon juice or extra vanilla extract, or lemon zest to enhance the flavor of the pancakes.
FOR MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS, TRY:
- Hootenannies (AKA German Pancakes)
- German Apple Pancakes
- Swedish Pancakes
- Pannukakku Finnish Pancake

Mini German Pancakes
Real Mom Kitchen
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp orange zest optional
- ¼ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Blend first six ingredients (milk thru orange zest) in a blender. Be careful to see that any flour clumps get well-blended.
- You can add a little of the melted butter into each muffin tin or blend in butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs. I add the butter to the tins instead of the batter if I’m not using my non-stick silicone pan. If you don’t add the butter to the muffin tins, then grease the muffin tins well. Distribute batter evenly between 24 tins (I did more like 18. Gimme Some Oven’s tins were slightly less than half-full. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup and filled it almost full.)
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top. Served with your favorite toppings. (Mine was a dusting of powdered sugar and triple berry sauce. I have other suggestions up top)
Nutrition
This is the original photo from this post. The above photo was updated in May 2019.