22 Creative Pancake Ideas Your Family Will Go Nuts Over

Red Velvet Pancakes
Leah Maroney

Make your morning meal one to remember when you whip up a batch of flavorful, fluffy pancakes. We've gathered up our favorite creative pancake recipes, to inspire you to become a breakfast master. Tell your family we said, "You're welcome."

  • 01 of 22

    Coconut Cream Pancakes

    Coconut Cream Pancakes
    Leah Maroney

    Tropical coconut cream pancakes are a wonderful way to enjoy the taste of the islands. Whip up a batch any time you want to imagine yourself on a beach. Filled with shredded coconut, enlivened with vanilla, and topped with both a coconut cream glaze and golden toasted coconut, these yummy breakfast cakes taste a lot like coconut cream pie but belong on your breakfast table.

  • 02 of 22

    Peppermint Hot Chocolate Pancakes

    Peppermint Hot Chocolate Pancakes
    Laurel Randolph

    Here's a sweet and ultra-decadent chocolate pancake recipe your family is sure to add to their favorite foods list. This dish takes the fabulously rich and bold flavors of peppermint hot chocolate and puts them right into your breakfast pancakes. With added chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and crushed peppermint candy, these pancakes are next-level delicious.

  • 03 of 22

    Easter Bunny Pancakes

    Easter Bunny Pancakes
    Leah Maroney

    Start off your Easter morning on the right (rabbit) foot, when you serve up these adorable bunny-shaped pancakes. Kids will love these Easter pancakes, complete with a fluffy marshmallow tail. Parents will love that they're so easy to make for Easter breakfast or brunch with the recipe instructions.

  • 04 of 22

    Single Dutch Baby Pancake

    Dutch Baby Pancake
    Diana Rattray

    These little oven pancakes, also known by the name Dutch babies, are super easy to make and delicious to eat. Serve them for a special Sunday morning treat, with sliced fruit and syrup or warmed preserves, and a dusting of powdered sugar.

    Continue to 5 of 22 below.
  • 05 of 22

    Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes With Cornmeal

    Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes With Cornmeal
    Diana Rattray

    These delicious pumpkin pancakes are flavored with brown sugar and spices, with extra texture from cornmeal in this recipe. They're wonderful and warming for breakfast or brunch, served with pecans and maple syrup.

  • 06 of 22

    Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

    Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

     The Spruce Eats / Pete Scherer

    When you can't decide between cinnamon rolls and pancakes, try this recipe. It combines the two favorite breakfast foods, complete with vanilla-flavored cream cheese sandwiched between cinnamon-flavored pancakes. The batter is made with rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and oat milk, so they're healthy in an indulgent sort of way.

  • 07 of 22

    Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

    Japanese Souffle Pancakes

    The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

    Japanese soufflé pancakes are extraordinary. The batter for these fluffy cakes is not much different than a standard pancake recipe and includes cake flour, milk, butter, and baking powder. The egg white meringue with a hint of lemon is what makes them extra special. To get the perfectly shaped, tall, and airy pancakes, they're also cooked inside pastry rings. There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you perfect the technique, this recipe is a showstopper.

  • 08 of 22

    Banana Pancakes

    Banana Pancakes Recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni 

    Kids will enjoy finding the fruity surprise inside these banana pancakes. The batter includes sour cream and cottage cheese and most of it is mixed in the blender. When cooking the pancakes, you'll add one floured banana slice to each for a fun twist.

    Continue to 9 of 22 below.
  • 09 of 22

    Red Velvet Pancakes With Cream Cheese Icing

    Red Velvet Pancakes With Cream Cheese Icing
    Leah Maroney

    Luscious red velvet pancakes are the perfect treat for a Valentine's Day breakfast, Christmas brunch, or a special weekend morning treat anytime. Moist and colorful, these indulgent breakfast cakes look beautiful served on a white plate, with some syrup and whipped cream, on top, and red berries on the side for decoration. 

  • 10 of 22

    Cream Cheese Pancakes

    cream cheese pancakes

    Leah Maroney

    This flour-free pancake is ideal for those on special diets but is delicious enough to please the whole family. More like a delicate crepe than a fluffy pancake, these cream cheese pancakes require just four ingredients. Softened cream cheese is mixed with maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla and cooked as usual. Serve with powdered sugar and berries.

  • 11 of 22

    Cinnamon Pancakes

    Cinnamon Pancakes

    The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

    Cinnamon pancakes offer a delicious and healthy twist to mornings. The recipe uses buckwheat flour for a hearty, rustic base that's perfect for the sweet and warming taste of cinnamon. It's as easy as any other pancake recipe and ideal for autumn and winter.

  • 12 of 22

    Oat Flour Pancakes

    Oat Flour Pancakes

     Leah Maroney

    Naturally gluten-free, oat flour pancakes are light and fluffy without using wheat flour. You can make oat flour at home by pulsing rolled oats in a food processor. These pancakes are especially good topped with a homemade strawberry sauce.

    Continue to 13 of 22 below.
  • 13 of 22

    Dutch Bacon and Apple Pancakes Recipe

    Dutch Bacon and Apple Pancakes Recipe
    Ellen Schelkers

    Americans love pancakes as a breakfast or brunch favorite food — but in the Netherlands, they're often saved for dinner. These savory bacon and apple pancakes are a classic Dutch dish that offers an amazing flavor combination when you want to serve something different as your evening meal. Kids and adults alike will love eating these pancakes for supper!

  • 14 of 22

    Peanut Butter Pancakes

    Peanut Butter Pancakes
    Claudia Renée Gonzalez / EyeEm

    Kids who love peanut butter will flip when you serve them these scrumptious, fluffy peanut butter pancakes. Serve with your favorite syrup and top with a dollop of fruit jam, for peanut butter and jelly pancakes!

  • 15 of 22

    Rudolph Reindeer Pancakes

    Reindeer pancakes recipe

    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

    What could be more perfect for your next Christmas breakfast or brunch with kids, than these super fun and adorable Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Pancakes? In fact, kids and adults alike will be delighted with these cute little reindeer faces on their breakfast plates!

  • 16 of 22

    Korean Kimchi Pancakes

    Korean Kimchi Pancakes
    CreatiVegan.net/Getty Images

    Savory and hearty Korean kimchi pancakes make the perfect appetizer or side dish to any Korean meal or can be enjoyed as a hearty afternoon snack. They're easy to make with prepared kimchi (fermented vegetables), which is available at Asian markets.

    Continue to 17 of 22 below.
  • 17 of 22

    Orange Buttermilk Pancakes

    Orange Buttermilk Pancakes
    Pinghn Chen/EyeEm/Getty Images

    These zingy, bright-tasting pancakes get their vibrant orange flavor from orange juice and fresh orange zest in the batter. Yummy and fancy tasting, they're super easy to prepare and are lighter tasting than some other pancake recipes.

  • 18 of 22

    Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

    Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
    Clizia Borgo/Getty Images

    Pancakes are a great excuse for eating chocolate in the morning. Here's a dairy-free, vegan recipe for melt-in-your-mouth banana chocolate pancakes that the whole family will love. Bananas and chocolate are cooked right into the pancake itself, making every bite full of flavor.

  • 19 of 22

    Dutch Baby Pancake

    Dutch Baby Pancakes

     Kristina Vanni

    Simple and impressive, this recipe for Dutch baby pancake requires just mixing a few ingredients together and baking the batter in one pan. The puffed-up pancake has a nice crispy edge with a creamy custard center, making the perfect landscape to dust with powdered sugar and fill with fresh berries.

  • 20 of 22

    Themed Pancakes

    St. Patrick's Day Pancakes
    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    No matter the holiday or special occasion, as long as you have an appropriate cookie cutter and some food coloring you can turn regular pancakes into something special. Simply dye the pancake mixture, place the cookie cutter on the hot griddle, and pour in the batter. Remove the cutter before flipping and add any themed toppings.

    Continue to 21 of 22 below.
  • 21 of 22

    Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

    Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
    Leah Maroney

    Master brunch and wow overnight guests when you serve up a batch of these gorgeous blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes. Sweet, beautiful, and deliciously fluffy, these pancakes are easy to make and taste decadently delicious. Make them for Mother's Day breakfast, or whenever you want to give someone a special treat at breakfast.

  • 22 of 22

    Applesauce Pancakes With Apple Cider Syrup

    Applesauce Pancakes With Apple Cider Syrup
    Diana Rattray

    Applesauce pancakes with apple cider syrup are the perfect way to get a taste of fall into your breakfast. Make the syrup the day before to make it a quick and easy gourmet breakfast.