Puffy Pancakes

Fluffy, puffy, soufflé-style pancakes inspired by the cafes of Japan. With a light and airy center and a tender, buttery crumb, these pancakes are as delicious as they are impressive.

What makes these pancakes so puffy? They are made with whipped egg whites for extra loft and cooked within metal pastry rings to give them their shape and height. But the real trick is in the flip: it may take you a few tries to master the technique (I’ve included a handy video below to get you started!) but trust me when I say that even the rejects will be delicious (I should know – we ate a lot of them!)

Japan has a habit of taking something quintessentially American and taking it to new heights. Literally, in this case, with this ultra tall twist on a classic buttermilk pancake.

The most famous puffy pancake shop in Japan is Cafe Gram. They prepare only 3 batches of pancakes each day, and the demand is high: the lines can get rather ridiculous (personally there are very few foods worth waiting in line for, especially when there’s a line-free alternative that’s just a good).

Rather than spend our precious vacation time standing in line for pancakes, we sought out in the lesser-known but no-less-delicious pancakes from Hoshino coffee, which has a few locations throughout Tokyo (pro tip: the one in Shibuya offers a fabulous view of the crossing). Their pancakes aren’t quite as tall or jiggly, but the golden brown tops, tender crumb, and tempting topping options (not to mention no lines) make them the winner in my book. So much so that, after a single bite, I knew I had to try and recreate them at home.

Which turned out to be a bit easier said than done. Getting a sky high pancake might be easy, but flipping it so that both sides are perfectly golden brown, is not.

But I persevered, testing this recipe nearly half a dozen times until I got the technique just right.

Sacrifices, guys. I do it for you.

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