Japanese Souffle Pancakes

Written by
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Leah Maroney
Updated 02/21/20
Japanese Pancakes

 The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 55 mins
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
1012 Calories
40g Fat
123g Carbs
36g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 1012
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 51%
Saturated Fat 21g 103%
Cholesterol 624mg 208%
Sodium 2126mg 92%
Total Carbohydrate 123g 45%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 81g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 443mg 34%
Iron 7mg 37%
Potassium 531mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Japanese pancakes are the fluffy, soufflé-like pancakes made popular by all of the beautiful lofty photos on Pinterest. They get their height from the whipped egg white meringue that's added after the rest of the batter is prepared, making them impossibly tender and airy. All of the other ingredients are simple and can easily be found in your pantry.

We covered them with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and fresh fruit, but you can also add whipped butter, jam or your favorite syrup. They take a little bit of practice, but we’ve broken it down into steps that any home cook can manage.

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons sugar (divided)
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup whole milk (room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
  • 6 tablespoons cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Warm a non-stick skillet on low heat as you prepare the batter. 

    Japanese pancake ingredients
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  2. Add the egg whites, lemon juice, and salt to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed until foamy and fluffy.

    Beaten egg whites in a bowl
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  3. Continue to beat on high speed and gradually add 5 tablespoons of the sugar as you're beating. The egg whites will become glossy and stiff peaks will form when you lift the beater out of the egg whites. The very tip of the peak will flop over and the rest of the peak will stand up completely straight.

    Egg whites beaten to stiff peaks
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  4. Add the egg yolks to another smaller mixing bowl. Whisk the remaining tablespoon of sugar and vanilla extract with the yolks until pale and smooth. 

    Egg yolks and mixer
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  5. Add the milk and butter to the egg yolk mixture. Whisk to combine. 

    Mixture in a bowl with mixer
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  6. Add in the flour and baking powder Mix to combine.

    Pancake batter in a bowl
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  7. Add scoops of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture, carefully folding in without deflating the egg whites. Add all of the egg whites until there are no longer streaks of egg yolks. Don't over-mix.

    Japanese pancake batter
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  8. Grease the skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Grease 3-inch wide pastry rings. Place them on the warm skillet. Allow them to warm for about 1 minute.

    Skillet with pastry molds on top
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  9. Add about a 1/2 cup of the batter to each of the rings. 

    Batter in pastry rings on skillet
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  10. Place a few teaspoons of water on the bare spots of the pan and then cover the rings with a lid. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until they have risen and bubbles have formed on the top. They should also be almost completely cooked all the way through. This will make it easier to flip them and will leave less room for error.

    Japanese pancakes cooking on a skillet
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  11. Remove the lid. Slide a spatula underneath the pancake ring. Position another spatula on top of the ring and flip the pancakes over. Then slide the spatula out from underneath the ring.

    Flipping Japanese pancakes
    The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney 

  12. Put the lid back on top and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. If they are cooked through the pancakes will still be slightly jiggly, but will spring back when you touch them. Each side should be lightly browned. 

    Carefully remove the rings. You can loosen the edges of the ring with a knife. Repeat the cooking process with remaining pancakes until all of your batter has been cooked. 

    Cooking Japanese pancakes
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

  13. Serve immediately with whipped butter, maple syrup, and fruit. 

    Japanese pancakes
     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Tips

  • It’s very important to cook the pancakes very slowly on low heat. This ensures that the pancakes are actually cooked through. It also prevents the exterior from over-browning or burning.
  • Make sure to use room temperature milk so that it does not clump the butter.
  • Make sure to cool the melted butter slightly before adding it to the egg mixture to keep from scrambling the egg.
  • If you don’t have cake flour you can replace it by adding a teaspoon of cornstarch to your regular flour.