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!).
hi are there any other substitutes for buttermilk?
Hi Kay you can use yoghurt.
When making this recipe, everything was clearly explained, and I had no problems! And the end result? Perfect! It was soft on the inside (but not undercooked) and it was so fluffy! (Thank you mayonnaise!) I had one trial pancake (I have a trial for all recipes I do) and it overflowed a little, but going back to the recipe I realized I should only fill it up to 70% to 80%. Amazing recipe and I am definitely going to make it again! Thank you Shihoko-san!
Thank you Cinder <3 I am glad that this recipe was helpful:D
You can also use small cans with both ends cut off…tuna cans, small mushroom cans, tomato sauce cans etc. Just spray with veg. oil.When done. just run a sharp knife around the can if need be. They slide right out.
Thank you for sharing the great idea Chris 😀
i am obsessed with these recipes. can’t wait to test them out!!
Thank you Brando 😀
I am gonna try this when i get home!! so excited and so easy!!
Hi Julius, Let me know how yours turns out 😀
HI , I have a Question.Do you even have to use milk if you have a mix?
Hi Emma, Yes 😀
i do not self rising flour. only All purpose flour… what adjustment can i do to makethis? thank you!
Hi Ric, instead of adding 1/2 tsp baking powder, add 1 tsp.
So good! My little girl are the of them😂 it is like eating tiny delicious cakes!
Hi Kristen, that’s fantastic 😀
Just curious about the use of mayonnaise?
Hi Bina, make the pancake super fluffy 😀
Good morning…
I just found this delicious looking recipe and having gone through the instructions for making the molds you suggested using a milk carton…here in Canada milk cartons are covered in a waxy like material…is this what you intended?
Hi Christine, yes I think so. Wash it and dry. We cover it with parchment paper anyway 😀
Recipe seems to be really good and interesting but making it using induction cooker it’s a really hard task! I put both sites of pancake for 25 min (power set for 4/9) and it tasted awful, like a uncooked one. I repeated it once more – that time 30 min and 5/9 and the same result. ;(
hummm Sorry to hear. I don’t have an induction cooker so I can not really give you any tips.
Hello Shihoko-san.
Merry Christmas!
I’m a Japanese living in Arizona, USA.
Although there is a Japanese store I could get Hot Cake Mix, I wanted to make it this Christmas morning with what I have…
So, I wanted to know if I could use BISQUICK (https://www.bettycrocker.com/products/bisquick/bisquick-original) – it’s an American Pancake/Baking Mix in place for Hot Cake Mix?
And if so, do I still need to make Buttermilk? (I only have 2% milk)
Also, I originally planned to make Blueberry Pancakes…
Can I make this pancake WITH Blueberries IN IT?
I hope to hearing from you SOON… lol
Thank you!
Konnichiwa Yumi san. I live in Australia and has not used that particular pancake mix but I think it will work and you don’t need to use buttermilk. And yes you can mix blueberries. Please let me know how it turned out 😀 Merry Christmas!
I just want to try this fluffly jiggly pancakes in my home. Please be gently and share me the receipe. Thanks
Hi Dave, the recipe is at the bottom of the post 😀
Looks spectacular. Can they be made ahead of a special dinner where they will be used as dessert?
Hi Joanne, I think they are best served freshly made, but couple hours before should be ok.
Hi, I made these yesterday. I only had “American” mayonnaise, so that’s what I used. It didn’t effect the taste negatively. I have a large family (5 kids) so I quadrupled the recipe and used an electric skillet. I couldn’t find a stapler so I sprayed metal cookie cutters with cooking spray since trying to TAPE parchment paper for the mold is a fruitless task. Once I had all the cookie cutters on the skillet I used a large roasting pan as my “lid” to cover all the cookie cutters at the same time. It too less time to cook than 15 minutes, but probably because the skillet is a little hotter and the pancakes are not quite as tall without the taller mold. Nonetheless, the recipe tasted great and was fluffy. It was unlike other Japanese pancake recipes I’ve used in the past that ask you to fold in whipped egg whites to keep it very light and fluffy. This recipe turned out to be more of a traditional pancake but taller. My kids ate them all and loved them. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much Holly for your lovely comment and fantastic adjustment! well done 😀
Unbelievable and so well explained! Thank you!
Ohh Thank you Kat 😀
Such lovely pancakes! Cant wait to try making them.
Just one question. I’ve seen a few other recipes requiring that I separate the egg white & yolk. Have you tried making like that before? If so, is there any difference to the way you make it here (which seems much friendlier:)) ?
Thanks!! (^ ^)
Hi Matthew, Sorry I use the easiest possible way 😀 I do separate egg white and yolk for souffle pancakes but not for this recipe
Hi Shihoko,
Thank you for the recipe! Can I please check with you, for the choice of using premix, do I still need to add buttermilk? Can’t tell from the images :p
Thanks!!!
Hi Chloe, no if you can get premix, you don’t 😀
Shihoko, This is amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thank you Barbara 😀 and you are welcome ;D
I was wondering if I would be able to make this batter ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until the next day?
Hi Bryan, I would not recommend, it is best to make fresh 😀