40 Tasty Pancakes Around the World

There are hundreds of pancake varieties. When someone says pancakes, what comes to your mind? Here are 40 tasty international pancake recipes to add to your repertoire – that will surely take you on a tour across the globe!

40 Tasty Pancakes Around the World

Pancakes are one of the oldest, simplest, ubiquitous, remarkably versatile, and universally beloved foods. Interestingly, “Pancakes” mean different things to different people in the world, so every culture has its favorite pancakes that they are proud of. This humble food tells us the story of how our ancestors invented food from the ingredients available in the environment they lived. “Around the World in Pancakes & Buddies” is one of the fantastic food journeys I am bound on. Would you like to join me?

1. Adai Dosa (South Indian Mixed-Lentil Pancakes)

Adai Dosa is a South Indian-style Dosa (savory pancakes) made from a non-fermented batter of mixed lentils, rice, herbs, and vegetables, served for breakfast or as a light meal. You can easily make the batter in a blender in no time.

2. Appa (Sri Lankan Rice & Coconut Pancakes)

Appa, also known as Appam or Hoppers, are much-loved breakfast dish and street food in Sri Lanka made from a fermented batter of rice and coconut milk. They’re traditionally cooked in a small wok-like pan that gives them a unique bowl-like shape with a spongy center and a crispy edge. However, you can also make them in a small nonstick frying pan.

1. How to make Appa batter with ground-soaked rice
   Perfect Sri Lankan Appa (Hoppers, Appam)
2. How to make Appa batter with homemade rice powder
   Best Hoppers (With Homemade Rice Flour)
3. How to make Appa batter with store-bought rice flour
   Easy Hoppers with Store-Bought Rice Flour
4. How to make Appa in a frying pan
   Easy Hoppers in Frying Pan

3. Æbleskiver (Danish Pancake Puffs)

Aebleskiver, also known as Æbleskiver or Ebleskiver, are pancake balls (puffs) with a soft fluffy center and a lightly browned crust. They’re a popular Christmas dessert and street food in Denmark and are traditionally served with berry jam dusted with powdered sugar as a dessert or snack.

4. Alands Pannkaka (Finnish Semolina Pancake)

Alands Pannkaka, also known as Aland’s Pancake or Ålandspannkaka, is a popular pancake in Aland Island, a special region in Finland. It’s a baked pancake made with semolina porridge, traditionally served as a dessert or light meal with prune jam and whipped cream.

5. Apam Balik (Malaysian Peanuts Pancakes)

Apam Balik, also known as Peanuts Pancakes or Turnover Pancakes, is a much-loved street food in Malaysia that can be prepared either in a thin and crispy variety or as a thick and soft pancake, typically served folded in half with a filling of a combination of ground peanuts, sugar, and butter, but the modern varieties may include anything from corn, chocolate chips, and raisins to grated cheese or condensed milk.

6. Banana Pancakes (American-style)

The Best-Ever Fluffy Banana Pancakes! Don’t know what to do with over-ripe brown spotted bananas sitting on your countertop? WAIT – don’t throw them away…you can make these fluffy banana pancakes, in no time.

7. Banh Cuon (Vietnamese Fresh Rice Rolls)

An easy version of Vietnamese fresh rice rolls known as Banh Cuon consists of freshly-made steamed rice flour pancakes filled with stir-fried minced pork, wood ear mushroom, and onion seasoned with fish sauce and then folded into tender cylinders.

8. Bara (Nepali Lentil Pancakes)

Bara, also known as Newari Bara or Wo, are lentil pancakes (patties, or fritters) that are often served at festivals or celebrations as a good-luck food. The basic Bara is mainly made with lentils which makes them gluten-free and vegan but you can add any combination of eggs, minced meat, or veggies of your choice to make extra flavorful versions.

9. Baghrir (Moroccan Semolina Pancakes)

Baghrir (or Beghrir) is made from a fermented batter of semolina and has a soft, airy, spongy, grainy texture with a characteristic honeycomb-like look, so also known as “1000 holes pancakes”. It is also a popular pancake throughout North Africa including Algeria and Tunisia and is also known as Ghrayef, Mchahda, or some other names.

10. Bindaetteok (Korean Mung Bean Pancakes)

Bindaetteok, also known as Nokdu Bindaetteok or Nokdujeon, is made with ground mung beans adding vegetables and meat. It’s traditionally served on New Year’s Day or special occasions. Nowadays, it has become a very popular street food.

11. Biththara Appa (Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers)

Crispy bowl-shaped rice & coconut pancakes with dripping egg yolk. It’s so appetizing. In Sri Lanka, Appa (Appam, Hoppers) are a very popular breakfast dish and street food. Biththara Appa (Egg Hoppers) are simply Appa (Hoppers) with an egg cooked in the middle.

12. Boûkète (Belgian Buckwheat Pancakes)

Boukete is a buckwheat pancake flavored with rum and raisins from the Liege area of Belgium traditionally served dusted with brown sugar and/or apple or pear butter accompanied by wine during the Xmas and national holidays.

13. Cachapa (Venezuelan Corn Pancakes)

Cachapas, a popular street food in Venezuela, are thick pancakes mainly made with ground fresh corn. They are usually served stuffed with fresh cheese (queso de mano) and butter and then folded in half as a snack or light meal.

14. Caramelized Apple Pancake

This baked puffy pancake is loaded with caramelized apples spiced with cinnamon. You can serve it just plain or as a dessert with ice cream. A great way to eat your apples- try it, you’ll surely love it.

15. Crêpes (French-Style Pancakes)

Crepes are one of the best-known French-style thin pancakes that originate in the French region of Brittany and are commonly served with various fillings such as jam, chocolate, berries, whipped cream, etc. You can make the crepe batter by hand in a bowl with a wire whisk (or a spoon/fork) or in a blender.

16. Crêpes (In a Blender)

A blender is the best utensil for making crepe batter! You can whip up your crepe batter in few seconds in your blender, no hassle, no lump. You can also store and pour the batter on to the pan from the blender jar, that’s mean, less clean-up.

17. Crêpes Suzette (French Crepe Dessert)

Crêpes Suzette is one of the most famous French crepe desserts; crepes are served in a delicious orange butter sauce, and flambé with Grand Marnier orange alcohol. The Flambé part may seem difficult to do at home but you can make Crepes Suzette easily at home skipping that step. (Flambé means to pour alcohol over food and set fire to it during cooking)

18. Cong You Bing (Chinese Scallion Pancakes)

Cong You Bing (葱油饼), also known as Scallion Pancakes, Green Onion Pancakes, or Spring Onion Pancakes, are popular street food and staple food in China. It is more like a flatbread than a pancake with an ultra crispy, and flaky texture, and serves as a snack or light meal. Both cooked and uncooked pancakes freeze well so perfect as a quick meal too.

19. Dadar Gulung (Indonesian Coconut Pancakes)

Dadar Gulung is green-colored thin pancakes filled with sweetened coconut, a popular snack in Indonesia. Pancake batter is traditionally infused with pandan extract which adds flavor and imparts a vibrant green color to the pancakes. A great teatime snack for anyone who loves authentic flavors of coconut. It is also a popular food in other Asian countries (Malaysia, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, etc) and is known by several other names (Kuih Gulung, Kuih Dadar, Kuih Ketayap, Surul Appam, Kuih Lenggang, etc).

20. Dorayaki (Japanese Sweet Pancakes)

Dorayaki (どら焼き) is one of the most popular wagashi (traditional Japanese confections) consisting of a sweet red bean paste known as Anko sandwiched between two fluffy pancakes. Nowadays, you’ll find various other fillings such as white bean paste, matcha paste, custard cream, whipped cream, chocolate, etc.

21. Dosa (Indian Savory Pancakes)

Dosa, South Indian savory pancakes, is one of the most popular foods in the world, typically made from a naturally fermented batter of rice and lentils (mainly split black gram or urad dal) and served with vegetarian side dishes (chutney, curry, or sambar) for breakfast or as a meal for lunch or dinner. It is also a popular food in other Asian countries (Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, etc) and is known by several other names.

22. English Pancakes with Lemon & Sugar

English Pancakes are soft buttery thin pancakes, traditionally served with a classic combination of lemon & sugar. You simply sprinkle some sugar and then squeeze fresh lemon juice (or vice versa) on the warm pancakes and then roll up with the filling inside. They are traditionally made once a year as a special treat on Pancake Day (aka Shrove Tuesday) but you can serve them any day of the year.

23. Gundel Palacsinta (Hungarian Gundel Pancake)

Gundel Palacsinta, also known as Gundel Pancakes, is a classic Hungarian dessert that consists of crêpe-like thin pancakes (Palacsinta) filled with a sweet walnut filling and served doused in chocolate rum sauce. The pancakes are usually folded into quarters or rolled up when served.

24. Hong Kong Mango Pancakes

Mango Pancake is a modern style popular dessert in Hong Kong. A soft sweet yellowish crepe is filled with whipped cream and fresh mangoes, a perfect combination and a  great summer dessert. You can make them in advance and keep them in the fridge until ready to serve.

25. Japanese Street Crepes

Japanese Crepes, also known as Japanese Street Crepes or Japanese-Style Crepe Cones, is a very popular street food in Japan. Crepes are served by folding them into a cone shape with a variety of fillings and then wrapped in paper in a very inventive way that allows customers to eat it on the go and with less mess. 

26. Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Shredded Pancake)

Kaiserschmarrn (or Kaiserschmarren), also known as Emperor’s Pancake, Emperor’s Mess, scrambled pancake, shredded pancake, or torn pancake, is a popular dish in Austria and Bavaria (Southern Germany). A fluffy giant pancake that is torn into bite-size pieces and served hot sprinkled with powdered sugar accompanied by plum compote as a dessert or for breakfast, brunch, or even lunch.

27. Lahoh (Yemeni Fermented Pancake)

Lahoh (or Lahooh) is a staple in Yemeni cuisine made of a fermented batter of a variety of flour (such as wheat flour, whole wheat flour, millet flour, sourgum, corn flour, rice flour, semolina, etc.) and is cooked only on one side. It has a soft, airy, spongy texture with a unique honeycomb-like surface and is served, sweet or savory, for breakfast or as a light meal. Variations also exist across North Africa (Somalia, Somaliland, and Djibouti).

28. Martabak Manis (Indonesian Sweet Pancakes)

Martabak Manis, also known as Indonesian Sweet Pancakes, is a much-loved street food in Indonesia and very similar to Malaysian Apam Balik. Thick sweet soft pancakes are typically served folded in half with a variety of fillings that mostly include sugar, butter, chocolate, cheese, condensed milk, ground peanuts, etc.

29. Farinata (Italian Chickpea Flour Pancake)

Farinata, a popular street food in Italy, is a large thin unleavened baked pancake made from a batter of chickpea flour and water, served hot cutting into slices. It is native to Genoa, the main town in Liguria, a region in northwestern Italy. However, it has variants and is known by different names, for example, it is called Socca in Nice (France), and fainè in Sardinia.

30. Poffertjes (Dutch Mini Pancake Puffs)

These cute mini pancake puffs, known as Poffertjes, are an integral part of national holidays (Christmas and New Year) in the Netherlands. They are made with a yeasted batter of buckwheat flour and wheat flour by baking in a special pan called Poffertjes Pan, traditionally served generously dusted with icing sugar. You can enjoy them as a snack, a dessert, or even as a special weekend breakfast (not traditional).

31. Panipol Pancakes (Sri Lankan Coconut Pancakes)

Panipol Pancakes, locally known as just ‘Pancakes’, are a popular teatime snack in Sri Lanka. Sweetened coconut filling called Panipol goes well with milky pancakes made with plain flour and coconut milk. The batter is traditionally colored with turmeric which adds a nice yellow color to the pancakes.

32. Potato Pancakes

These crispy yummy Potato Pancakes are pretty easy to make and a delicious way to eat your potatoes. If you are new to experimenting with vegetable pancakes, potatoes are the best vegetable to start. Grate it, mix it, fry it, and enjoy hot! They are great as a tea-time snack as well as a filling meal (breakfast, lunch, or even dinner).

33. Racuchy z Jablkami (Polish Apple Pancakes)

These classic Polish apple pancakes, locally known as Racuchy z Jablkami or Placki z Jabłkami, are a very popular food in Poland and are made with a yeasted batter loaded with fresh apples. Before serving, they are usually sprinkled with powdered sugar while a dollop of whipped cream is often served on the side. Unlike American pancakes, Racuchy z Jablkami is typically eaten for dinner, supper, or as a snack, not for breakfast.

34. Skillet Souffle Pancakes

Easy Japanese Skillet Souffle Pancakes recipe with a real Wow Factor! If you love fluffy pancakes, you’ll also love this Skillet Souffle Pancake. Easy to make a Japanese-style fluffy souffle pancake baked in a cast-iron skillet. It’s also known as Castella Pancakes (Kasutera pancakes). Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea.

35. Staffordshire Oatcakes (English Oats Pancakes)

Staffordshire Oatcakes are a regional specialty from the North Staffordshire (Midlands region in England). These healthy oats pancakes are made from a yeast-risen batter of ground oats. Oat is good for you, so these oats pancakes are incredibly good for you. You can eat them anytime you want, not only for breakfast, goes well with both sweet and savory toppings, and freeze well.

36. Syrniki (Russian Cheese Pancakes)

Syrniki, also known as Sirniki, Syrnyky or Farmer’s Cheese Pancake, are fried cheese pancakes (or cheese fritters) that are very popular in some Eastern European countries such as Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Lativia and Ukraine. They’re typically served with sour cream, jam, or honey as a dessert or for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner.

37. Tiganites (Ancient Greek Pancakes)

Tiganites are one of the easiest, and simplest pancakes that you can make. Basically, they’re unleavened pancakes or a sort of fried dough. Some people say that ‘Tiganites’ was the first documented pancake in the world. Interestingly, they are still a popular breakfast food in Greece. Tiganites are served either savory or sweet as a snack, drizzled with honey and topped with toasted/crushed walnuts or with cheese.

38. Those (aka Thosai) Sri Lankan-Style Dosa

Sri Lankan-style dosa locally known as Those in Sinhalese and Thosai or Dosai in Tamil. Those, just like Indian dosa, are savory pancakes made from a fermented batter of rice and split black gram. Eating those at restaurants, known as those kade in Sinhalese, is a popular custom in urban areas of Sri Lanka. In restaurants, those are typically served with coconut sambol and sambar on the banana leaf and eaten with hands, a cheap yet very delicious and fulfilling meal.

39. Vibibi (East African Coconut Rice Pancakes)

Vibibi are popular street food, especially amongst the Swahili-speaking communities in East Africa such as Kenya and Tanzania. The name ‘vibibi‘ is a Swahili word, that translates to ‘little ladies’ as they are small and delicate in appearance. Vibibi are made from a fermented batter of ground rice and coconut milk and served for breakfast or as a snack with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

40. Vitumbua (Tanzanian Coconut Rice Pancakes)

Vitumbua is a popular street food in some East African countries like Tanzania. They’re made from a fermented batter of ground rice and coconut milk and cooked in a special pan with small molds. They are typically served warm for breakfast or as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.

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If you make any of my recipes, I’d love to see pics of your creations
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