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by Whitney //July 27, 2021 (updated January 22, 2022)
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English pancakes are a traditional British breakfast usually eaten on Shrove Tuesday — or Pancake Day — and are a thin crepe-like pancake filled with sprinkles of lemon juice and sugar. English pancakes are slightly thicker than a traditional crepe. While you can fill them with sweet or savory fillings, the traditional English toppings are sugar and lemon juice.
My family loves pancakes for breakfast, so we love having plenty of pancake options. You can’t go wrong with my buttermilk pancakes — the classic, fluffy pancake recipe we all love! German pancakes, cinnamon chip pancakes, and pumpkin pancakes are also family go-tos.
![English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (1) English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (1)](https://i0.wp.com/saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/English-Pancakes-2.jpg)
Why This Recipe Works
- This recipe is so easy to make — all you need are your ingredients and a blender.
- This is a great breakfast recipe since it requires only 3 ingredients that you always have on hand and
- Forget about messy breakfasts. Thanks to the blender, this recipe makes hardly any dishes.
- While lemon juice and sugar are the traditional toppings for English pancakes, feel free to customize these to your family’s liking. See my recipe tips section for filling/topping ideas.
Ingredients
![English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (2) English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (2)](https://i0.wp.com/saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/English-Pancakes-ingredients.jpg)
- Eggs: The egg to milk/flour ratio is important because it’s what makes English pancakes different than crepes.
- Flour: I use regular all-purpose flour.
- Milk: I use normal cow’s milk. I haven’t made this with almond milk, but it shouldn’t be too different if you are looking for a dairy-free option. The taste may be different due to the almond aspect of the milk.
- Melted Butter: I like to brush a bit of melted butter onto the pancakes before the lemon and sugar.
- Lemon Juice: You can leave a little bowl of lemon juice on the table for people to add more on top of the rolled English pancakes if they’d like.
- Granulated Sugar: I take a normal spoon and sprinkle the sugar after the lemon juice — so it sticks to the pancake.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the eggs, flour and milk to a blender. Blend until smooth — about 30 seconds.
![English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (3) English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (3)](https://i0.wp.com/saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/English-Pancakes-6.jpg)
![English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (4) English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (4)](https://i0.wp.com/saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/English-Pancakes-5.jpg)
- Warm a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-low heat. (You’ll want to finagle with your stove top settings to get a feel for what the best temperature for you will be).
- Butter the skillet.
- Holding the skillet in one hand (with a hot pad on!!) pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the skillet while rotating the skillet around in a circle so that the batter spreads across the entire pan.
- Place the pan on the burner and let cook for 1 minute or until lightly golden brown. Use a rubber spatula and flip the pancake over and continue to cook the other side until lightly golden.
![English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (5) English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (5)](https://i0.wp.com/saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/english-pancakes-4-620x810.jpg)
- Transfer the cooked English pancake to a plate. Continue this process until all of the batter has been used up (buttering between every pancake).
![English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (6) English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (6)](https://i0.wp.com/saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/English-Pancakes-4.jpg)
Recipe Tips
English pancake batter: Once the batter is made, you can place it in the fridge to sit for about 15-30 minutes. I’ve always heard that allowing the batter to rest prevents the English pancakes from tearing. Is this true? It’s hard to say! I usually don’t have a lot of tearing issues, whether I let the batter sit or not.
Making English pancakes: I like to use a fresh cube of butter and fold down the top of the butter wrapper. I then grab the wrapped end of the cube and quickly rub the open portion of the butter stick over the skillet.
I use this cast iron skillet to make these pancakes.
English Pancake Toppings
You can fill each pancake with the butter, lemon juice and sugar and roll them up, or you can leave them open and let people fill them with their preferred amount of lemon juice/sugar — or different toppings even.
To pre-fill English pancakes: Lay a single crepe on a large plate. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush some melted butter overtop of the crepe. Next, squeeze fresh lemon juice overtop, about 1 1/2 teaspoons worth. And lastly, sprinkle a nice dosage of granulated sugar over the lemon juice. Starting on one end, roll the crepe up until it sort of resembles a log.
Leave some lemons/lemon juice and a bowl of sugar on the table so people can top with additional lemon juice and sugar if they want.
You can forgo the lemon juice and sugar and dollop some Greek yogurt whipped cream with a drizzle of raspberry sauce or homemade lemon curd. I also like filling one or two with fresh fruit and some vanilla ice cream.
FAQs
What’s the difference between English pancakes and crepes?
English pancakes are typically thicker than crepes, due to the different amounts of flour, eggs and milk.
What’s the difference between American pancakes and English pancakes?
American pancakes contain a leavening agent — either baking powder, baking soda, or beaten egg whites.
Are crepes healthier than pancakes?
In the sense that crepes contain less ingredients than pancakes, they’ll be less caloric in value. However, if you’re eating more crepes since they aren’t as robust as pancakes — or if you’re piling on the toppings — that will affect which is healthier.
![English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (7) English Pancakes — Salt & Baker (7)](https://i0.wp.com/saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/English-Pancakes-3.jpg)
More Breakfast Recipes
- Almond Milk Pancakes
- Easy Breakfast Casserole
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Steel Cut Oats
- Mango Overnight Oats
English Pancakes
English pancakes are essentially crepes topped with melted butter, lemon juice, and sugar. These make for a delicous breakfast, brunch, or even dessert!
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Servings: 16 English pancakes
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons butter - cold
Toppings
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- lemon juice - (use as much or as little as you'd like)
- granulated sugar - use as much or as little as you'd like
Instructions
In a blender add the eggs, flour, and milk. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Either set the batter in the fridge to let rest for 15-30 minutes while you prep the skillet and topping ingredients, or continue on without the "batter resting" phase.**
Warm a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-low heat. (You'll want to finagle with your stove top settings to get a feel for what the best temperature for you will be).
Butter the skillet (I like to use a fresh cube of butter and fold down the top of the butter wrapper. I then just grab the wrapped end of the cube and quickly swoosh the butter stick over the skillet.) Holding the skillet in one hand (with a hot pad on!!) pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the skillet while rotating the skillet around in a circle so that the batter dribbles across the entire pan.
Place the pan on the burner and let cook for 1 minute or until lightly golden brown. Use a rubber spatula and flip the pancake over and continue to cook the other side until lightly golden.
Transfer the cooked English pancake to a plate. Continue this process until all of the batter has been used up.
Topping the Crepes
Lay a single crepe on a large plate. Using a pastry brush lightly brush some melted butter overtop of the crepe.
Next, squeeze fresh lemon juice overtop, about 1 1/2 teaspoons worth or more to your liking.
And lastly, sprinkle a nice dosage of granulated sugar over the lemon juice.
Starting on one end, roll the crepe up until it sort of resembles a log.
Top with additional lemon juice and sugar, if desired! Serve warm.
Notes
English pancake batter: Once the batter is made, you can place it in the fridge to sit for about 15-30 minutes. I’ve always heard that allowing the batter to rest prevents the English pancakes from tearing. Is this true? It’s hard to say! I usually don’t have a lot of tearing issues, whether I let the batter sit or not.
Making English pancakes: I like to use a fresh cube of butter and fold down the top of the butter wrapper. I then grab the wrapped end of the cube and quickly rub the open portion of the butter stick over the skillet.
English Pancake Toppings
You can fill each pancake with the butter, lemon juice and sugar and roll them up, or you can leave them open and let people fill them with their preferred amount of lemon juice/sugar — or different toppings even.
To pre-fill English pancakes: Lay a single crepe on a large plate. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush some melted butter overtop of the crepe. Next, squeeze fresh lemon juice overtop, about 1 1/2 teaspoons worth. And lastly, sprinkle a nice dosage of granulated sugar over the lemon juice. Starting on one end, roll the crepe up until it sort of resembles a log.
Leave some lemons/lemon juice and a bowl of sugar on the table so people can top with additional lemon juice and sugar if they want.
You can forgo the lemon juice and sugar and dollop some Greek yogurt whipped cream with a drizzle of raspberry sauce. I also like filling one or two with fresh fruit and some vanilla ice cream.
nutrition facts do not include lemon juice and sugar in the calculation.
Nutrition
Calories: 150kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 8g (3%)Protein: 5g (10%)Fat: 11g (17%)Saturated Fat: 6g (30%)Cholesterol: 127mg (42%)Sodium: 116mg (5%)Potassium: 88mg (3%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 421IU (8%)Calcium: 54mg (5%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
author: Whitney Wright
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Leave a star rating and review on the blog post letting me know how you liked this recipe! Take a picture and tag @saltandbaker on Instagram and Facebook so I can see what you’re making!
This recipe was originally published on Aug. 30, 2019. It was republished on July 27, 2021, to include additional information and photos.
originally published July 27, 2021 — last updated January 22, 2022 // 9 Comments
Posted in: Breakfast, Fall, Pancakes, Spring, Summer, Winter
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Bernie — Reply
I love pancakes with sugar and lemon juice. My wife is diabetic. Can Splenda replace the sugar topping?
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Whitney — Reply
Yes!
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Sharon Baskin — Reply
In this recipe you don’t say what size cast iron pan you use? Thanks, Sharon Baskin
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Whitney — Reply
sorry, changing that now. It’s a 10.5″ flat skillet. I’ll add a link to the recipe card as well.
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Terry — Reply
What size cast iron skillet did you use? I want to make these for a brunch coming up and I have a 12″, 10″, & 8″. Thanks you for this yummy recipe.
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Whitney — Reply
Mine is a 10″ that I use.
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Gail — Reply
Ahhhh great recipe I loved the lemon 🍋 juice over the top with sugar! It looked like it might be complicated but very easy. Everyone try this!
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Salt & Baker — Reply
Thanks Gail!
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Natalie — Reply
These pancakes look so delicious and perfect for weekend brunch ♥