These light, tender, and fluffy German Pancakes are incredibly easy to make. We go back to the basics in typical German fashion: eggs, milk, flour, plus apples and cinnamon. Then we add a secret ingredient: club soda. Yes, club soda. This helps to make these pancakes extra light and airy.
About German Apple Pancakes
If you're looking to dress up your typical pancake meal, these German pancakes with their apple and cinnamon flavors might be just what you're looking for.
In only 25 minutes, you can serve pancakes made to order, made to please.
This recipe has some similarities to the Belgian Waffle recipe, adding sparkling water to the mix makes it extra light and airy. Adding fresh apples gives added flavor and texture.
This was one of the staple meals in my house. And it was typically served for lunch, not breakfast.
Unlike in the United States, in Germany lunch is the main meal of the day. Lunch is the time when most Germans (at least when I was growing up) would eat their warm meal of the day. Dinner used to be a mostly cold-cuts sandwich-style meal.
what You'll Need To Make German Pancakes
- DRY INGREDIENTS - flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt
- WET INGREDIENTS - eggs, milk, club soda
- APPLES - Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Red Delicious
- TOPPING - granulated sugar and ground cinnamon
How To Make German Pancakes On The Stove
Making authentic German Pancakes from scratch is surprisingly easy.
PREP
- Combine ¼ cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. You'll use this mixture later to drizzle over the cooked pancakes.
- Peel, core, and slice one apple.
- Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks
Making The Dough
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, egg yolks, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well combined.
- Add club soda and beat on low speed. Be sure not to overbeat, because you want to keep the carbonation in the batter.
- Gently fold egg whites into the batter.
- Add apple slices to batter.
Cooking The Pancakes
- Use a large skillet or a griddle and heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot add approximately 1 cup of the batter to the skillet and cook pancakes for 3-4 minutes until each side is golden brown.
- Plate the pancake onto a plate and drizzle with cinnamon sugar.
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Recommended Kitchen Tools For This Recipe
- Use a hand mixer and a mixing bowl to make the batter. If you have a stand mixer use the whisk attachment to make the stiff egg whites and the paddle attachment to make the batter.
- I recommend using a 10 or 12-inch non-stick skillet for cooking the pancakes on the stove.
Recipe Notes
You may notice that German apple pancakes are slightly larger than their American cousins. And you'll also find the German version is more filling due to the fact that the batter includes eggs.
Why do I mention this? Because in America we are used to 'stacks of pancakes'. But when you make this recipe, you'll find that one or two pancakes per person will be sufficient.
Are German Apple Pancakes breakfast food?
Traditionally speaking - no.
Don't get me wrong, pancakes are just as delicious for breakfast as they are at any other time of the day. But if you want to know when they were traditionally served in Germany, you might be surprised to learn that we'd most often have them for lunch.
Did you know that traditionally Germans eat their hot meal midday? This means lunch was considered the main meal of the day. Whereas dinner consisted of some type of sandwich-style meal.
Today most of our lives aren't set up to having dinner at lunchtime. And while this is an easy recipe, it's a bit too involved for everyday breakfast.
This is why I love to make German apple pancakes for brunch.
What To Do With Leftovers
Apple Pancakes keep well in the fridge for a day or two. Simply reheat the leftover pancakes with a little bit of oil.
More Traditional German Recipes
- Oma's Cucumber Salad - This is such a quick and easy side salad and it brings back so many childhood memories.
- Chopped German Tomato Salad - Sweet, tangy, smokey and so delicious.
- Krautfleckerl - Germany's version of Halusky
- German Vanillekipferl - These are some of my favorite Austrian/German cookies.
- Cinnamon Twists - a twist on German 'Zimtstangen'. So easy and so good.
German Apples Pancakes with Cinnamon Sugar
Ingredients
German Pancake Batter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup club soda
- 1 large apple peeled and thinly sliced
Frying The Pancakes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel, core, and slice the apple. Set aside.
Making the Batter
- Separate the egg yolk from the egg whites and put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and set aside.
- Use a separate mixing bowl to combine flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer until all the ingredients are well combined. Slowly mix the soda into the batter.
- Use a spatula to gently fold the stiff egg whites into the batter.
- Fold the sliced apples into the batter.
Making Cinnamon Sugar
- Combine cinnamon and ¼ cup of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Making the Pancakes
- Heat ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour about 1 cup of the pancake batter into the skillet.
- Cook the pancake until bubbles form (about 3-4 minutes). Flip the pancake and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add more vegetable oil for the next pancake and repeat the process until all pancakes have been cooked.
- Serve on a plate and drizzle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
