Look at these Extra Thick and Fluffy Japanese Pancakes! Is your mouth watering? Mine is. These pancakes were a big indulgence and may have cost me a few calories, but it was so worth it. This special treat tasted truly amazing; they were super soft, fluffy, spongy, thick, and oh-so-delicious!
My original recipe for these Extra Thick and Fluffy Japanese Pancakes has been the most popular recipe on my blog since I shared it with you all about 2 years ago. As you might have noticed, us Japanese people can be a little bit OTT and come up with some very odd inventions like Gyoza Roses. But these pancakes are one of those times that this over-the-top attitude and innovation has paid off!
Traditional pancakes are often a lot thinner and flatter, whereas Japanese people have taken them to the next level and made them (clearly) way thicker and taller, which means they are a lot more intense and flavourful.
To get this incredible thickness is very simple. All you need is an old milk carton or a thin sheet or cardboard, some baking paper, and a stapler. Cut the milk carton/cardboard and the baking paper into long strips about 4.5cm wide and 30 cm long. Then all you do is staple the baking paper onto the cardboard then form it into a circle shape and staple it closed (with the baking paper on the inside). Done! If you’re not sure if you’ve done it right, I’ve detailed this process for you in the video I created below.
Now although the thickness of the pancake is due to it being cooked in a mould, the super fluffy, spongy, soft texture actually comes from two ingredients. One is simply buttermilk, but the other is a super special, secret Japanese ingredient… mayonnaise!
I know you’re probably thinking “WHAT?!? Mayonnaise in pancakes? Eeeewwww!” But hear me out. Mayonnaise is essentially just egg and oil, the reason for its slightly funky smell is that vinegar is also added. But when mayonnaise is baked, the vinegar evaporates, thereby eliminating any taste or smell of mayo and just leaving the pure base of egg and oil.
Trust me, you won’t taste the mayonnaise and this trick really is the key to making these pancakes so moist and delicious! I usually use the Kewpie brand Japanese mayonnaise but you can use any Japanese mayonnaise. Or you can omit mayonnaise completely, but you will end up with a denser, less fluffy pancake… and really, who would want that?
Most people in Japan use pre-made pancake (hotcake) mix but I have created this recipe so everyone can make it easily at home if you don’t have access to these pre-made mixes. If you wish to use a Japanese pancake mix however, I recommend Morinaga Hot Cake Mix which I sometimes use when I don’t feel like making things from scratch.
One last tip from me. The gloves shown in the video are very handy, and I am sure every household in Japan has them. They are called “Gunte” (goo-n-te) and are used for gardening, cleaning, cooking… you name it! I also used these for making German Tree Cake; Baumkuchen. I bought these Gunte from Daiso in Australia.
If you liked my recipe for Extra Thick and Fluffy Japanese Pancakes, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I see your wonderful creations!
Extra Thick and Fluffy Japanese Style Pancakes 厚焼きホットケーキ
Ingredients
- 1 cup self raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 Butter milk to make up 1 cup with the egg
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
- Butter maple syrup, ice-cream, etc. for toppings
Instructions
- Sift all the dry ingredients together into a bowl and combine.
- In another bowl (or jug) add the egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract and whisk until just combined.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid mixture in.
- Mix together then add the mayonnaise and mix well to combine. (Don’t worry if you notice any scent coming from the mayonnaise, it will disappear completely after it’s cooked).
- Place a homemade pancake mould (instructions for this are listed in the blog post above) onto a frying pan over low heat and pour half the mixture into the mould. *1
- Place a lid on the frying pan and leave it for 15 minutes.
- Once little bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes and the edge is slightly cooked, lift the bottom of the pancake with an egg flipper then cover the pancake with the inverted frying pan and flip the whole thing together before placing it back on the heat. *2
- Place the lid over the top again and cook for another 15 minutes on the other side.
- To test if it is done, stick a skewer into the pancake. If it comes out clean, then the pancake is cooked through.
- Remove the pancake from the heat, remove the staples from the mould and take the pancakes out of the mould wearing gloves or a cooking mitten.
- Serve the pancakes with your favourite toppings (e.g. whipped butter, maple syrup, fresh berries, ice-cream, chocolate flakes, etc. Let your imagination run wild!).
They look Yummy !!! Where is the Recipe ? Thank Zulu Very Much !!! 🙏🏼❤🙏🏼
Hi Sheryl, the recipe is at the bottom of the post. If you still don’t see the recipe, please let me know 😀
These look like the pancakes I had in Okinawa at Kupu Kupu! They were fantastic! I cannot wait to try your recipe, thanks for sharing!!
Hi Deana You are welcome 😀 Thank you for visiting my blog <3
Would I be able to do this with a gluten free flour?
I think so but to be honest I have not tried it myself, so I will look into using gluten free version.
Hi Lilly, I made this with gluten free flour. Please check out my new post 😀
How many will this recipe make?
This will make two. Sorry for late reply. I have been traveling. My home town in Japan is real country side and I have not been in Wifi environment.
Hi do you use butter when frying on the pan? I didn’t see butter is used in your recipe. Thank you!
Hi Lai Chin, no I don’t use butter, instead I used non stick frying pan 😀
Hi there, nice recipe and had tried it out, delicious ! I have a question though, how do you reheat this hotcke, by steaming or microwave ? I tried both, but they are kind of chewy, not soft as expected. Can you recommend ? Thank you.
Hi Sut, Thank you for trying this recipe. No I don’t recommend reheat. Best to cook the amount you eat and eat them all when it is freshly cooked 😀
Can’t seem to find the recipe
Hi Anna, Thank you for visiting. This blog is redesigned and old recipe display is not working, I will fix it shortly. Sorry.
Dear Shihoko,
I would also love to try your recipe. I’m anxiously waiting for the fix!
Thank you Silvia for being patient. The recipe is back on the blog. Enjoy 😀
Where is the recipe? It seems to have disappeared. These are my favorite pancakes! Love them!
Ohhh Thank you Wilma, and sorry Chopstick Chronicles has been being redesigned and fix it shortly.
These look delicious and I can’t wait to try them! But it looks like the recipe is missing from the page. I can see the nutrition facts, but there is no recipe below that. Is it just me or are others having this problem? Thanks!
Hi Alex, Thank you for visiting. Sorry Chopstick Chronicles is in the process of changing to new design and it will be fixed shortly.
The thing about baking mayonnaise cooking the smell out of it is complete bs. My grandmother cooks mayonnaise biscuits and even after they’re done and cold I can smell it.
Hi JMcK, you can omit the mayonnaise if you don’t want to 😀 it just make the pancake fluffier because Japanese mayonnaise is basically just egg yolk and oil.
Buuuuuuut that also depends on how much mayo is put in the recipe and multiple other factors. We bake cakes all the time with mayo and you can never tell it’s in there, and I’ve got the most sensitive nose/taste buds on the planet.
So, not at all bs.
Thank you for your comment Jenn 😀
Can i remove the mayo from the recipe? thanks
Hi Maylyn, Yes you can the mayo makes the pancake fluffier though. Try without it and let me know how you go 😀
I don’t know if I missed it but I don’t see which heat setting I should use. Low? Medium-low?
Hi Katarina, Low heat setting because you need to put lid on and leave it about 15 minutes and try not to burn the bottom of the pancake 😀
Oooooh! Can this be baked as well?
Hi Veda, I have not tried but I think it will work 😀
Your website looks great! But on mobile you have to fight hard through the ads in order to see the article.
Hi Dee, Thank you for your comment. I will look into improving the ads. Thank you.
Can I use American mayonnaise instead of Japanese?
Hi Lina, I am not sure about using American mayonnaise. It depends on what the mayonnaise made out of. Japanese(I like Kewpie brand) mayonnaise use egg yolk only and it is quite different the mayonnaise that I can get here in Australia and I guess it will be same in America?
These look SO yummy…I don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular pancakes 😉
Thank you Wajeeha 😀 Yes It is very hard to go back to regular one!
My teacher had us do an country’s food soi decided to do this one and everyone loved it even me and i’m not a big fan of mayo.
Hi Kyliesha, I love this story, thanks for letting me know! I’m so happy to hear that you used my recipe and it turned out great for your school work! Thank you very much.
Ooh, it looks like a giant sponge cake decorated with fresh fruit on top! Beautiful photos by the way.
Hi Linda, Thank you. Yes, it can be a mini cake too and you can decorate with anything you like.
This looks like the ultimate pancake. Like a mix of cake and pancake given the fact that you can top it with basically whatever you want and eat it for breakfast or dessert. Thanks for sharing!
Yes it’s great how versatile it is! No worries, thanks for the lovely comment!
I have never seen pancakes like this before! They look incredible.. so fluffy and delicious!
Hi Thalia, me too, I had never seen these pancakes before until recently! They are so thick and fluffy and delicious! No wonder they’re a big hit in Japan right now.
How do you flip the pancake exactly??? In the mold???? Just lift up from the bottom of the pancake and flip the mold over???
Hi Catherine, I just embedded the Youtube video. Could you please have a look at the video. You will see how I flip it.