Fluffy Souffle Pancakes

Welcome to the ultimate guide to making fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes at home using simple ingredients and tools! I’m sharing detailed instructions with essential keys and troubleshooting tips so you can make it successful at home, even if this is your first time trying it.

Tips For The Ingredients

For 4 pancakes

• Egg white: Separate eggs to whip egg whites. Ensure no liquids, oil, or any residue is mixed in the tools and ingredients since they prevent egg whites from whipping properly. Yolks contain natural oil, so ensure that even a tiny amount is not mixed in.
• Lemon juice: The acid of lemon juice helps to stabilize the meringue. 
• Granulated sugar: Sugar has many effects, such as moistening the pancakes, creating a finer texture, stabilizing the meringue, etc. 
• Cornstarch: Blending it with meringue helps absorb some of its moisture and stabilize it.
• Egg yolk: Set aside egg yolks to add later. It adds richness to the pancakes.
• Cake flour: I highly recommend using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour for a lighter and fluffier texture.
• Salt: It adds depth in flavor. The pancakes taste so much better with the addition!
• Milk: The liquid helps to create moister pancakes.
• Oil for a pan: Use any regular oil, such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil. You can also use melted butter but note that the surface gets darker with it.

The pro secret: Cream of tar tar 

You may wonder why the pancakes from those Japanese souffle pancake shops look so perfect with the height. One of the secrets is cream of tartar – Many shops use it as a stabilizer. The concentrated acid helps hold the air bubbles’ structure in the meringue. Well, I don’t know about you, but I rarely have it at home, nor use it for other purposes. As an alternative, I used lemon juice which is more accessible at any grocery store.

The pro secret: Electric griddle 

Just like the oven plays a HUGE role in making amazing cakes or cookies, the pan makes a drastic difference in making the perfect souffle pancakes. I’m actually in the phase of feeling the pain after finding out the oven in our new house bakes them wrong!

You may see workers at souffle pancake shops cooking pancakes with huge commercial griddles. They are like a Rolls-Royce for cooking pancakes. They control and maintain the temperature perfectly, unlike regular frying pans with the stove. Regular electric griddles at home size also do a great job. Use it if you already have it at home.

But even if you don’t have it like me, you can still make amazing fluffy souffle pancakes with the simple non-stick pan. You’ll just need to pay closer attention to the temperature. (I’ll cover all about it in the post!)

📌 9 Tips To Make Souffle Pancakes Successfully

Here are my 9 tips to make souffle pancakes successful at home, even with your first attempt!

1. Prepare everything ahead.

My first tip goes to the preparation. Once you start whipping egg whites, everything has to move fast and smoothly. That is why we want to prepare everything ahead – scaling all the ingredients, setting the tools, sifting flours, setting plates, drinks, and toppings on a counter, and finally, calling your family in so that they can eat the warm souffle pancakes on the best moment!

2. Preheat the pan beforehand.

This was probably the most blind-sided key for me. My pancakes came out flatter many times in the past by not preheating the pan enough. The pan must be heated at low heat for a long time before pouring the pancake batter so that it can start cooking it right away before it spreads too much.

When you should turn on the heat depends on the stove. With my current oven, I turn it on right before whipping egg whites after preparing all the other ingredients. Do not preheat the pan with high heat since this can easily burn the surface of the pancakes.

3. The consistency of the meringue

The meringue plays a main role in these pancakes. Make stiff and fluffy meringue to make a thick batter for thick pancakes. The tip of the meringue should stand straight when lifting the whisk.

Looser meringue leads to flatter pancakes. And the pancakes collapse later with over-whipped meringue – the texture won’t feel as silky as it should be.

4. Avoid over-mixing the batter and use it right away.

Overmixing the pancake batter or waiting too long before pouring it into the pan leads to loose batter. (hence flat pancakes!) Fold the batter just until the milk is incorporated, and use it immediately.

5. Stack the batter high on a pan.

Don’t be afraid of stacking the batter high vertically, as it spreads more as it’s cooked. In this recipe, we pour some batter first and add the rest on top of it after the first batter cooks slightly – I find we can create more volume this way, even with a regular pan. 

6. Cook them at low heat.

It is extremely important to continue cooking the pancakes at low heat so that the heat delivers slowly to the center. With medium to high heat, the pancakes rise greatly but collapse more at the end. 

7. Cook them with the steam.

Adding a bit of water to steam-cook the pancakes helps hugely to cook through the center evenly. This is so effective, especially when you don’t have an electric griddle.

The steam technique is often used as a water bath when baking desserts, such as creme brulee, creme caramel, cheesecake, etc.

8. Flip them when the sides close to the bottom feel dry. 

If the pancakes look nice and tall right before flipping, congratulate yourself; you’ve gone through the hardest part! But don’t get too excited yet – they can get squashed if you flip them too early. Touch the sides close to the bottom and see if they feel dry. (Be careful not to touch the pan!) It is a sign that the batter is cooked enough to flip. The shiny surface also turns slightly more matted by this time.

9. Take them out of the pan when the sides feel dry.

Almost there to the finale! Now, we need patience to wait for the pancakes to cook through completely. They collapse a lot when taken out of the heat too early. To check it, touch the sides – it should feel dry and bouncy. 

EQUIPMENT

• ▢Large non-stick frying pan with a lid
• ▢Hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment
• ▢Fine mesh sieve
• ▢Medium size bowl
• ▢Rubber spatula
• ▢Piping bag or ice cream scoop
• ▢Cooking spatula (to flip the pancakes)

INGREDIENTS

• ▢65 g (From 2 eggs) Egg white
• ▢5 g (1 teaspoon) Lemon juice
• ▢25 g (2 Tablespoons) Granulated sugar
• ▢5 g (½ Tablespoon) Cornstarch
• ▢35 g (2 yolks) Egg yolk
• ▢35 g (4 Tablespoons) Cake flour
• ▢3 pinches Salt
• ▢15 g (1 Tablespoon) Milk

NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements are provided for your convenience.

INSTRUCTIONS 

Making the pancake batter

• As preparations, scale all the ingredients and set all the tools ready.Sift cake flour and salt together.Apply a little oil to the pan and spread it to the surface with kitchen paper.Start heating a non-stick pan at low heat with your timing so that the pan is preheated enough when pouring the batter. 
• Add lemon juice to the egg whites and whip until they get bubbly like soap.Add half of the sugar and whip until the tip folds over when lifting a whisk.Add the remaining sugar and continue whipping it until it gets fluffy and stiff – the tip should stand straight when lifting a whisk.65 g Egg white,5 g Lemon juice,25 g Granulated sugar
• Add cornstarch and mix well until it doesn’t look lumpy.5 g Cornstarch
• Add yolks and stir roughly until about 50% is blended. Take off a whisk. 35 g Egg yolk
• Add the sifted flour and salt and fold with a rubber spatula until you don’t see any flour.35 g Cake flour,3 pinches Salt
• Add milk and fold until evenly blended. Pour it into a piping bag right away. (You can also use an ice cream scoop.)15 g Milk
• Cooking the pancakes
• Pipe a little over half of the pancake batter into the preheated pan to make 4 pancakes. Stack the batter high vertically to make the pancakes thick.Add a small amount of water to a pan (about ½ tbsp), close the lid, and cook for about 3 minutes. Do not open the lid during the process. 
• Add the rest of the batter on top of each, stacking vertically again.Add a few more drops of water, close the lid, and cook for another 4 minutes. (The cooking time can vary depending on the stove, pan, etc. Adjust accordingly. Judge with eyes to be most accurate.)
• Flip them gently once the sides near the bottom of the pancakes feel dry. (Applying a little oil on a cooking spatula makes it easier to flip them without hurting the bottom of your pancake.) The surface should look a nice golden brown.Add about ½ tablespoon of water, close the lid, and cook for about 4 minutes. 
• Take them out gently when the sides feel dry and bouncy.Enjoy them with your favorite toppings!
• NOTES
• 9 Essential Tips To Make Souffle Pancakes Successfully
• 1. Prepare everything ahead.
• My first tip goes to the preparation. Once you start whipping egg whites, everything has to move fast and smoothly. That is why we want to prepare everything ahead – scaling all the ingredients, setting the tools, sifting flours, setting plates, drinks, and toppings on a counter, and finally, calling your family in so that they can eat the warm souffle pancakes on the best moment!
• 2. Preheat the pan beforehand.
• This was probably the most blind-sided key for me. My pancakes came out flatter many times in the past by not heating the pan enough. The pan must be heated at low heat for a long time before pouring the pancake batter so that it can start cooking right away before it spreads too much. When you should turn on the heat depends on the stove. With my current stove, I turn it on right before whipping egg whites after preparing all the other ingredients. Do not preheat the pan with high heat since this can easily burn the surface of the pancakes.
• 3. The consistency of the meringue
• The meringue plays a main role in these pancakes. Make stiff and fluffy meringue to make a thick batter for thick pancakes. The tip of the meringue should stand straight when lifting the whisk. Looser meringue leads to flatter pancakes. And the pancakes collapse later with over-whipped meringue – the texture won’t feel as silky as it should be.
• 4. Avoid over-mixing the batter and use it right away.
• Overmixing the pancake batter or waiting too long before pouring it into the pan leads to loose batter. (hence, flat pancakes!) Fold the batter until the milk is incorporated, and use it immediately.
• 5. Stack the batter high on a pan.
• Don’t be afraid of stacking the batter high vertically, as it spreads more as it’s cooked. In this recipe, we pour some batter first and add the rest on top of it after the first batter cooks slightly – I find we can create more volume this way, even with a regular pan. 
• 6. Cook them at low heat.
• It is extremely important to continue cooking the pancakes at low heat so that the heat delivers slowly to the center. With medium to high heat, the pancakes rise greatly but collapse more at the end. 
• 7. Cook them with the steam.
• Adding a bit of water to steam-cook the pancakes helps hugely to cook the pancakes evenly through the center. This is so effective, especially when you don’t have an electric griddle. The technique is often used as a water bath when baking desserts, such as creme brulee, creme caramel, cheesecake, etc.
• 8. Flip them when the sides close to the bottom feel dry. 
• If the pancakes look nice and tall right before flipping, congratulate yourself; you’ve gone through the hardest part! But don’t get too excited yet – they can get squashed if you flip them too early. Touch the sides close to the bottom and see if they feel dry. (Be careful not to touch the pan!) It is a sign that the batter is cooked enough to flip. The shiny surface also turns slightly more matted by this time.
• 9. Take them out of the pan when the sides feel dry.
• Almost there to the finale! Now, we need patience to wait for the pancakes to cook through completely. They collapse a lot when taken out of the pan too early. To check it, touch the sides – it should feel dry and bouncy. 
• NUTRITION
• Calories: 57kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg