Ingredients
- 250 gram all-purpose flour (2 cups of flour)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 350 ml (full fat) milk (1.3 cup)
- pinch of salt
- 1 sachet dry yeast (about 7 gram)
- 1 egg
- butter
- powdered sugar for serving
Kitchen equipment needed
- Bowl & whisk or standmixer & whisk attachment
- Mini pancake pan (“Poffertjes pan”)
- Fork
- Piping-bag
- Silicone kitchen brush
- Clean kitchen towel
We’ve did some research on the web, and found out that 1) there is no translation for “poffertjespan” and 2) it’s something SO typically Dutch, it’s not being sold everywhere in the world. You can make these Dutch mini pancakes without an actual poffertjespan, but they probably won’t look as good as in the picture. They are still very tasty though! You can buy a poffertjespan from stores like Amazon, to get the authentic result:
Preparation — 10 minutes + waiting time
HEAT the milk until it’s a little bit warmer than lukewarm. REMOVE from the heat and mix in the sugar and yeast. Wait until the mixture becomes foamy, this will take about 5 to 10 minutes. If you choose to use your standmixer; combine the flour and salt in the standmixer bowl. If not, combine them in a regular bowl.
Slowly add the yeast mixture and egg and whisk until you’ve reached a smooth batter. Cover the bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel and let it rest for about an hour. Or until the batter volume has doubled.
Making the Dutch mini pancakes — 10 minutes
POUR the batter in a disposable piping-bag without a nozzle. HEAT your ‘poffertjespan’ on medium heat and brush some butter into the pan. When the butter is hot, use your piping-bag to divide the batter. Keep in mind not to use too much batter at a time.
Flip the ‘poffertjes’ after about one minute, or until golden brown. Serve them hot with some butter and powdered sugar. Enjoy our authentic Dutch mini pancakes, hope you love them as much as we do!
Hi, Veronique. I had poffertjes when visiting Holland a long long time ago. I was there for 3 weeks and I think I ate them every time I went walking through the city. They were amazing. I tried the ready made ones that you can buy in the supermarket here in Germany as well, they were pretty disgusting. I might have to buy a special pan after all and try this recipe. :) Or do you think I could just make them bigger so I don’t need a special pan for them?
So good to hear you’ve enjoyed your stay in The Netherlands :) Those store-bought ones aren’t really cutting it, they are full of preservatives and sometimes even food coloring! To make them yourself is the best, it’s very cheap, delicious and quick to make. I’ve tried making them without a poffertjes pan before, and the result was okay. But I don’t think making them bigger is going to do it, since that’ll flatten the poffertjes too much and turn them into normal small pancakes. The shape of a poffertjes pan is to keep it small and thick. You can try using very small cake spring forms :) Enjoy!
These mini pancakes are too cute! I would have so much fun eating them. :)
They are very fun to eat! Also very delicious with some maple syrup :)
Better with real stroop syrup… I mean the one made of roses… Not easy to find nowadays.
Hi Itamar, ‘rozensiroop’ is actually quite easy to find here in The Netherlands. Next time we’re making poffertjes we’ll make sure to try this combination!
Can I use an aebleskiver pan for these pancakes? Pictures look divine…
We never used an aebleskiver pan, but we looked it up and we think it might be possible. They won’t be as tiny as the Dutch ones, so maybe you can try to use less batter than usually in an aebleskiver pan. Let us know how it went if you do make them, we’re very curious! :)
I have made this dish in the aebleskiver pan, and they turn out delicious!
That’s great to hear Halley! :D
I think a Dutch Aebleskiver pan would work, and a chinese Takoyaki pan is the same. They can be found all over the internet.
As far as we know, and can see on the internet, is an aebleskiver pan Danish. It didn’t ring a bell for us, never saw it here in Holland :) An aebleskiver pan looks much bigger than a poffertjes pan, and a Takoyaki looks more ball shaped. A poffertjes pan keeps the pancakes more flat and fluffy at the same time. But you can of course give it a try :)
There’s no such thing as chinese takoyaki pan. Takoyaki is Japanese.
Hi Marco and Véronique, I just read your comment on my blog! It’s so fun to hear from other Dutch food bloggers :) Thanks for the Gourmet Ads tip, by the way! I’ll definitely look into it…
I really like your blog! Especially this recipe for poffertjes. I’ve been craving poffertjes for weeks now (with lots of butter and powdered sugar!) so it immediately caught my eye when I opened your site :)
Hi Nila!
Thank you for getting back to us :) These poffertjes are quite something, and yet so easy to make. We will follow your blog on social media to keep in tough, see you around!
Hi you never say when to add in the egg?
Otherwise a great post and yummy too!!!! My 2yo loves them hehe x
Hello Satu, thanks for the comment! Oops you’re right, we’ve updated the recipe :)
would an æbleskiver pan work as well?
That would work, but the pancakes will be larger :)
Going to try this recipe tonight, desperate for a recipe as live in England and so hard to get the packet mix especially now my Aunt is not travelling back and forth to Holland anymore.
Made a big mistake in taking my pan and a packet of mix to scout camp, we were cooking pancakes on open fire so I challenged another leader into being able to cook more then him. We did not state size so I won within two minutes lol. But did make the mistake of using poffertjes mix, didn’t realise it has yeast in but explains the difference in taste. Scouts preferred the poffertjes and apparently I cheated until one of the scouts piped up that I was turning out a pan fill before he had 1 done, so if each pan was equivalent to 1 of his I still win.
they now want more and to cook them themselves, managed to get a pan without a wooden handle so just need a recipe.
Poffertjes for tea tonight. Yummy.
Haha very clever to not state size! Homemade poffertjes are even better than the poffertjes mix you can buy here in Holland. So it’s not that bad your aunt can’t bring you any :) Hope you will enjoy the poffertjes, but I can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t. Enjoy your tea tonight!
I bought my pan in Roterdam 38 years ago.We were camping with our Scout s The name of the village was Copelle ad Iselle.[ more than likely not the right spelling] The lady in charge of the site was called Ret?she taught us how to make them.The only difference in equipment was that she used a bottle with a nozzle to dispense
The batter and with 40 boys this was much cleaner.
That sounds as an amazing experience, camping (in Capelle aan den Ijssel) and learning how to make poffertjes! :D I like to use a piping bag, but I can understand why it’s better to use a bottle with all the boys :)
I had never heard of poffertjes before. They were amazing! So little and fluffy, perfect for my children. I didn’t have a poffertjes pan available, so I used an aebleskiver pan and just fill the very bottom with the batter.
Thanks! They really are fluffy little pillows of love! Here in Holland you can buy them almost everywhere, especially on markets :)
Hi,
Thanks for posting this. Can you post this recipe in cups and not grams? I went to three stores and could not find a scale.
Can I use something else maybe baking powder instead of the yeast?
If not, can I use instant yeast instead? its difficult to find the dry one.
And is it important to heat the milk? does it make any difference?
and does it really have to sit for an hour? Can’t i cook it after 10 minutes maybe?
I am raising funds for children in need and been trying to make poffertjes for the past few weeks and its not working out. thank you
Thank you so much
Hi Rita, we’ve added the imperial metrics too. You have to use yeast, otherwise the batter won’t be as fluffy as needed. Sure, you can use instant yeast. Its the same as dry yeast, but smaller. The milk has to be heated to activate the yeast, don’t forget the sugar! It really does have to sit for an hour, because the yeast needs this time to create the (fluffy) batter.
Thank you for that. Can the batter be refrigerated during the day, if I make it in the morning but will use it later in the day.. Any tips on mixing the batter? by hand or electric mixer? some people say it should not be overmixed, others say it does not matter? because my batter is thick and when i mix it or add water it turns chewy, not sure what i should do. If I add milk or water to make it thin do i add it bit by bit?
Thanks, a lot of questions i know..
Have a nice day.
We never refrigerate the batter, cause it’s better for the fluffiness to keep it in a warm place. But not for too long! It doesn’t really matter if you mix it by hand or electric, just make sure it’s combined well. As soon as it’s combined well, there’s no need to mix it any longer – it really doesn’t need that much time to make the batter. You should not add any extra water or milk, the batter will become too runny. There’s really nothing more then following the recipe, if you do, the batter should turn out exactly the way it suppose to be :) Good luck and enjoy these lovely tiny pancakes!
Ok. Thank you, I will remake it. Are they supposed to be a bit chewy? or just like the american pancake, spongy?
Ok.Will remake it now. One more question, are they supposed to be a bit chewier than the american pancake? because when i make them they turn a bit chewy. Or are they supposed to be fluffy just like the american ones?
I am using the traditional ditch poffertjes grill.
Thank you
No not chewy at all! As you see in our pictures, they need to have bubbles so they’re really fluffy! Even fluffier than American ones :)
Where can I buy a dutch poffertjie pan in the Cape Town area South Africa?
Try eBay, they usually have those for sale!
Made these yesterday and my sister insisted on having them again today, used a pan brought off amazon and after a couple of pancakes i got the hang of it all, make sure the pan isnt too hot! The recipe itself is delicious!
Hi Abigail, thank you so much for the feedback! Glad you and your sister like the poffertjes :) If you’re pan is too hot, you can’t keep up flipping them on time before they turn too dark so you’re absolutely right haha!
The amount of milk in cups is wrong it would actually be about 1.30 cups
Hi SuperKooper, thank you for correcting it!
Made them last night, someone mentioned it on facebook and I missed them. I used my mom recipe that I have in my head from watching her make everything from when I was kid. Like Krokketten also. :)
Ow yes kroketten and poffertjes are great Dutch things, totally agree!
Hi just make your little pancakes and they are absolutely delicious, had a little bit of trouble turning them, is there anything you can recommend. Purchased the proper cast iron pan, although some did stick what do you recommend.
Hi Denise, the `trick` is to heat up the pan properly and use enough butter. That should do the trick!
Ate Poffertjes when attending a Dutch festival here in North America and instantly fell in love! I have to make these at home now!
One tip though, for those of us not finding the right pan…a South Indian ‘Paniyaram pan’ should do the trick. You can easily find one on Amazon.
1 cup of flour is 130g… am I useing one cup or 250grams??
Hi Catherine, 1 cup of flour is not 130 gram. It’s 220 gram, depending on the type of flour you use. Since the imperial system is not precise enough, use a heaping cup of flour.
I’ve got a electric poffertjes pan works well
Made these and they turned out great but – 250 grams is much more than a heaping cup. A cup of flour is much closer to 120 grams (google it as I saw you disagreed earlier). Just thought you’d want to correct that since it’s not close to accurate.
Hi Lisa, thanks! We googled it before and found 220 grams is a cup. Maybe we saw an incorrect page, cause now I see on google that 250 grams is more like 2 cups? We corrected it, but still, it’s always best to use 250 grams cause cups aren’t precise at all :)
can i store the dough in the refrigerator?
Hi Maureen, it’s best to store it at room temperature for a few hours. If you’re storing it in the refrigerator the active yeast won’t be at its best, this will result in a less fluffy poffertje. If you would like to store it more than a few hours, it’s best to store the baked poffertjes up to 2 days in a refrigerator :)