These Japanese soufflé pancakes are unbelievably soft, fluffy, and jiggly. They melt in your mouth like clouds and go with just about any toppings. They're a little bit tricky to make (I give you all my tips and tricks!) but the result is worth it.
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What are Japanese soufflé pancakes?
Japanese soufflé pancakes are pancakes made with a soufflé technique of beating egg whites into a thick meringue before folding it into an egg yolk mixture. The results are tall stacks of incredibly soft, puffy, and jiggly pancakes that have a texture unlike regular pancakes.
They can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert and are usually served with fresh fruits and syrup. They're a popular treat in cafés in Japan and other parts of Asia, with some cafés entirely dedicated to this eye-catching dessert. They're a little finicky to master at first but with some practice, you can make them at home too.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Soft and fluffy texture. These Japanese soufflé pancakes are light, airy, and cloud-like. They're not heavy at all and not too sweet on their own. They're SO satisfying and a delight to eat.
- Many serving variations. These pancakes make the perfect base for just about any flavours. Serve them with any fresh fruits you like. You can also top them with whipped cream, melted chocolate, Nutella, biscoff spread, jam, fruit curd, or ice cream.
Tools
- Electric hand mixer - A hand mixer (or stand mixer if you're making a large quantity) is essential for making egg white meringue and obtaining stiff peaks. You can do it manually with a whisk but it'll be an arm workout.
- Fine mesh sieve - For sifting the cake flour into the batter which tends to be clumpy.
- Large frying pan (with a lid) - These pancakes are quite large and tall so you'll need a large pan or skillet big enough to cook 2-3 pancakes. Deeper pans work well for very tall pancakes. You'll also need a lid for the pan to help the pancakes cook thoroughly.
- 4-tablespoon cookie scooper (optional) - This is handy for scooping the pancake batter and releasing it cleanly onto the pan. You'll always have the same amount of batter in each scoop. The "scoops" in this recipe are from a 4-tablespoon scooper. If you're using a smaller or larger scoop, adjust accordingly. You can also scoop the batter with a measuring cup, ladle, or pipe it out with a piping bag.
Ingredients
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Eggs - You'll be separating the egg whites and egg yolks and whipping the egg whites into a meringue before mixing them back together again. This is the same technique used when making soufflé or chiffon cake and is what makes soufflé pancakes so incredibly soft and fluffy.
- Granulated sugar
- Cream of tartar - This is an acidic powder that helps stabilize egg whites so that the meringue is stronger and more stable. If you don't have any, you can just omit it.
- Milk - Whole milk or 2% milk works best because it's thicker and won't thin out the batter. You can use milk with a lower fat content or non-dairy milk but your batter may be more runny and will spread more in the pan.
- Vanilla extract
- Cake flour - Cake flour contains less gluten than regular all-purpose flour. It's another reason these pancakes are so soft.
- Baking powder
- Powdered sugar - You only need a little bit to dust on top of your pancakes before serving.
- Maple syrup - No pancakes are complete without some kind of syrup. Use any kind you like.
- Fresh fruits - Japanese soufflé pancakes are typically served with fresh fruits because they complement each other very well and taste delicious. Any kind of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries) work best here and are the easiest to prepare but you can use any kind of fruit you like to change up the flavours.
How to make japanese soufflé pancakes
Skip ahead to the recipe card for ingredient amounts and instructions.
Separate eggs - Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate medium mixing bowls, being careful not to get any of the egg yolks in the egg whites. Set the egg yolks aside.
Beat egg whites - To the egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until they become frothy like cappuccino foam.
Beat until stiff peaks - Sprinkle the sugar into the egg whites in two additions, mixing in between each addition. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and continue beating until it becomes stiff peaks. The egg white meringue should stand up on its own with the tips curling over slightly. Set aside.
Make egg yolk mixture - To the egg yolks, add milk and vanilla extract. Use the same hand mixer to mix until combined. Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the flour in and mix again until just combined and no lumps remain.
Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture - Add half of the egg white meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula to fold them together until just combined. Add the rest of the meringue and gently fold together until no streaks remain. Don't overmix otherwise the batter will deflate and become too runny.
Heat pan - Preheat a large pan on low-medium heat. Add a small amount of oil to the pan. Use a folded paper towel to spread a thin layer of oil around the pan and wipe away the excess. The pan is ready when a small drop of water sizzles upon contact.
Scoop batter - Use a large cookie scooper or measuring cup to add about ¼ cup of batter to the pan. Add a second scoop of batter on top of the first scoop. Repeat with the second pancake. Each pancake should now have 2 scoops or ½ cup of batter. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the pancakes for about 1 minute.
Cook - After 1 minute, uncover the pan and add another scoop of batter on top of each pancake. Each pancake should now have 3 scoops or ¾ cup of batter. Replace the lid and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Flip pancakes - The pancakes are ready to be flipped when you can slide a spatula underneath them cleanly without any uncooked batter sticking to it. Gently lift the pancakes and flip them over by letting them roll on their side and off the spatula. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Garnish - Transfer the pancakes to a plate and top with powdered sugar, fresh fruits, and maple syrup. Serve immediately as the pancakes will deflate over time.
Storage
Japanese soufflé pancakes should be eaten immediately after cooking them as they will deflate slightly over time. Make only as many as you can finish.
Tips for success
- Whip the meringue to stiff peaks. A strong and stiff meringue with lots of tiny air bubbles whipped into it is what makes souffle pancakes tall and airy. Check the meringue periodically while beating it. It's at the right consistency when you can flip the bowl upside down without the meringue budging at all. When you pull the mixer out of the bowl, the meringue should stand up in pointy peaks with the tip of the peaks curling over slightly.
- Don't overmix the batter. You want to retain as much of the air in the meringue as possible. Fold the batter in a gentle upward motion, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl, and stop when no more streaks remain. Overmixed batter can become too runny causing your pancakes to spread and become too thin.
- Preheat your pan. You want your pan to be evenly heated and at a consistent temperature. It can take a while for a pan to reach an even temperature, especially on an induction cooktop so heat your pan for about 10 minutes before using it. Every stovetop is different so you might have to play around with the heat level. On my induction stovetop, I found that preheating the pan at medium heat and then turning it down slightly just before using it was just right.
- Add the batter one scoop at a time. For taller pancakes, let the first two scoops of batter cook for 1-2 minutes until it has a stable structure before adding another scoop of batter on top.
- Add an extra egg white for taller pancakes. This recipe uses the same amount of egg whites to egg yolks to avoid having leftover egg yolks. However, I've found that soufflé pancakes in restaurants use a higher ratio of egg whites to egg yolks to achieve extra tall and thick pancakes. If your batter isn't as fluffy as you'd like, try using more egg whites in the meringue. Save the egg yolk for another recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Souffle pancakes are predominantly made of eggs so it's normal for them to taste like eggs but they shouldn't be overly eggy. The vanilla extract helps reduce the eggy taste. You can replace some of the milk with more vanilla extract if you wish.
Underbeating the egg white meringue and overmixing the batter can lead to a souffle pancake batter being too runny. Make sure the egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks and don't overmix the batter. The batter should be very fluffy and airy, not runny.
More sweet breakfast recipes to try
- Blackberry Scones
- Matcha Scones
- Matcha Muffins
- Banana Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Hong Kong French Toast
Recipe
Japanese Soufflé Pancakes
Equipment
- 1 4-tablespoon cookie scooper, optional
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon milk, whole or 2%
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cake flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Toppings
- powdered sugar
- maple syrup
- fresh fruits
Instructions
- Separate eggs: Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate medium mixing bowls, being careful not to get any of the egg yolks in the egg whites. Set the egg yolks aside.
- Beat egg whites: To the egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until they become frothy like cappuccino foam.
- Beat until stiff peaks: Sprinkle the sugar into the egg whites in two additions, mixing in between each addition. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and continue beating until it becomes stiff peaks. The egg white meringue should stand up on its own with the tips curling over slightly. Set aside.
- Make egg yolk mixture: To the egg yolks, add milk and vanilla extract. Use the same hand mixer to mix until combined. Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the flour in and mix again until just combined and no lumps remain.
- Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture: Add half of the egg white meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula to fold them together until just combined. Add the rest of the meringue and gently fold together until no streaks remain. Don't overmix otherwise the batter will deflate and become too runny.
- Heat pan: Preheat a large pan on low-medium heat. Add a small amount of oil to the pan. Use a folded paper towel to spread a thin layer of oil around the pan and wipe away the excess. The pan is ready when a small drop of water sizzles upon contact.
- Scoop batter: Use a large cookie scooper or measuring cup to add about ¼ cup of batter to the pan. Add a second scoop of batter on top of the first scoop. Repeat with the second pancake. Each pancake should now have 2 scoops or ½ cup of batter. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the pancakes for about 1 minute.
- Cook: After 1 minute, uncover the pan and add another scoop of batter on top of each pancake. Each pancake should now have 3 scoops or ¾ cup of batter. Replace the lid and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Flip pancakes: The pancakes are ready to be flipped when you can slide a spatula underneath them cleanly without any uncooked batter sticking to it. Gently lift the pancakes and flip them over by letting them roll on their side and off the spatula. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Garnish: Transfer the pancakes to a plate and top with powdered sugar, fresh fruits, and maple syrup. Serve immediately as the pancakes will deflate over time.
Lara says
I just tried this recipe for my tomorrow breakfast and it is so easy!! I really like it and all this site!