Who says pancakes are reserved only for weekend breakfast treats? Not us.
Whether it's for breakfast, brunch, dessert or a snack – we've got sweet and savoury favourites inspired by global flavours, from lemonade pancakes with colourful sprinkles to Adam Liaw's sweet mango pancakes and fluffy falafel pancakes.
Wondering how to make great pancakes from scratch? Well, you'll never look back from these easy pancake recipes – there's something for everyone.
Fluffy and golden, and loved by children for their irresistible sweetness, these Ukranian pancakes are traditionally made with tvorog, an Eastern European fresh cheese. Anna-Mariia Mykytiuk's recipe, shared on Season 8 of The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, uses ricotta instead, for a recipe we can all make. These pancakes are made by using your hands to flatten pieces of a think batter into patties, and frying them in butter. Delicious with sour cream and berries!
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Looking for a low-stress but impressive canape to serve at your next gathering? Try these blinis from Adam Liaw, topped with turmeric cream, salmon and dill, and get the blender to do all the work of making the batter for you.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
One pancake to feed four people? Yes indeed, with this go-big recipe baked in a frying pan. After the batter is added to the pan, dollops of peanut butter and chocolate-hazelnut spread are dotted on top and swirled around a little, then the pancake is baked for ten minutes or so until golden. (Alternatively, you can leave out the PB and spread, and use jam or fruit instead).
Giant pancake Credit: Kitti Gould
Socca is an easy gluten-free pancake made with hickpea flour (also known as besan in India), originally from Nice in the South of France. This version is served with sweet and spicy roasted pumpkin, herbs and fetta cheese, but you can top it with anything you like: tapenade, roasted vegetables, dip, etc.
Socca Credit: Jiwon Kim
"The trick to a light, airy pancake is to not overwork the batter. A few lumps are fine," says Chris Theodosi who shared this recipe on The Cook Up. Another of Chris's tips is to have multiple frying pans on the go at the same time, so you can cook as many as possible simultaneously, then sit down to enjoy them stacked up and served with butter and maple syrup!
Buttermilk pancakes with Canadian maple Credit: Adam Liaw
Also known as pannkakstårta, Swedish pancake cake is a traditional Swedish dessert made from layers of thin pancakes filled with whipped cream and fruit. Typically the filling includes lingonberry or berry jam and fresh berries. Here, Adam Liaw has filled his, made of 8 or so thin, crepe-like pancakes, with whipped cream, mixed berries and mixed berry jam.
Swedish pancake cake Credit: Kitti Gould
These buckwheat pancakes from Helen Tzouganatos serve up double the blueberry and double the decadence with a rich coconut-blueberry cream that's drizzled in maple syrup.
Gluten-free blueberry buckwheat pancakes with blueberry coconut cream Credit: Loving Gluten Free
STACK 'EM UP
Gingerbread pancakes with ham and maple syrup
Is a hotcake a pancake? It is: the names are somewhat interchangeable, both made with batter and cooked in a pan, although the name hotcake is more popular in the US and the UK than in Australia, and is often used for a slightly thicker style of pancake. Here, pancakes made with a cocoa batter get extra chocolate star-power with a dusting of roughly chopped hazelnut chocolate before they cook, and then a sauce made with milk or dark chocolate and cream drizzled over the stacked packed cakes to serve.
Hazelnut chocolate hotcakes. Credit: Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield
'Three in the pan' is a traditional mini pancake cooked, as the name suggests, by putting three dollops of batter in one pan. The buckwheat and chocolate pancakes in this Dutch recipe are served with a rich salted chocolate and maple syrup sauce.
MORE CHOC PANCAKES
Fluffy chocolate pancakes
"My aunty taught me this one, and it’s become my go-to. Super simple. As far as toppings go, I like to re-create my childhood cafe favourite," says Rae Johnston of the recipe she shares on The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, easy three ingredient pancakes served with colourful sprinkles, ice-cream and maple syrup.
Credit: Adam Liaw
These dim sum-style mango crepes can be made well in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve. Use a good nonstick pan or crepe pan for excellent results. Feel free to skip the food colouring if you don't have any, they taste just as good without it.
Mango pancakes Credit: Kitti Gould
Two favourites come together in this recipe from Adam Liaw, with falafel ingredients blended and cooked into fluffy savoury pancakes, served with pickles, salad leaves and tahini sauce.
TRY THESE, TOO!
Sauerkraut pancakes with fermented chilli hot sauce
