German Apple Pancake

Forget about leftovers with this recipe for German Apple Pancakes. You won’t believe how easy it is to make such a scrumptious breakfast treat.

a photo of a german pancake on a white plate with a colorful napkin in the background

German Pancakes with Apples

I added apples to a batch of these pancakes for the first time over ten years ago and my family went absolutely crazy over them. I made this recipe one morning a couple of weeks ago to reshoot the photos and fell in love with these pancakes all over again.

I enjoyed the German apple pancakes so much that I’ve already made them again for family dinner. Whether it’s my grandmother’s traditional recipe or a grain and gluten free variation, we just plain love German pancakes.

For a fun change, try making miniature German pancakes in a muffin tin or these cranberry almond German pancakes during the holidays. (You know I can never have enough cranberry recipes!) However you make them, they are always delicious.

My grandmother handed down a recipe for sweet orange sauce that has become traditional in my family when eating German pancakes. I love that sauce, both because it is delicious, and because it reminds me of her.

But, honestly, I like these German pancakes with apples best on their own. Sweet enough from the apples, all the finished pancake required was a light dusting of powdered sugar. (My kids sure do like them with a drizzle of maple syrup though.)

A word of warning when you’re making the apples for these pancakes, you may want to make extra. It’s hard to resist tasting a few straight from the saucepan–just try not to eat them all before you can bake the pancakes!

syrup pours from a white pitcher onto a german apple pancake on a white plate that has been dusted with confectioner's sugar

Apple Dutch Baby

Depending on where you’re from, you might know these pancakes by a different name. I’ve heard them called Dutch babies and Dutch puffs, and they’re also quite similar to popovers.

The Dutch baby apple pancake highlights the fabulous sweetness and flavor of the fruit, much as you might find in an apple pie. But the apple Dutch baby recipe has a lot less added sugar.

We might have different names for this recipe, but anyone who tastes a Dutch apple pancake calls it delicious. Light and airy because of the way that the egg puffs up in the oven, and with an endless array of available toppings, this is a breakfast I’ll happily eat as often as possible.

thin apple slices with a red peel have been spiced and are ready to cook in a small metal pan

German Apple Pancake Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

apple
lemon juice
milk
eggs
butter
flour
salt and ground cinnamon
light brown sugar and powdered sugar

a photo looking into the small metal pan on the stove where the apples have been prepared for the german apple pancake

To begin this recipe, preheat the oven to 500°F. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown–about 5 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, whisk together the flour, salt, and milk. Add the eggs, then whisk again and set aside. Place the butter in a glass pie plate and melt it in the oven, this should take about 2 minutes.

an action shot of some of the apple slices being scooped into the pie dish with melted butter

When the butter has melted, carefully remove the hot dish from the oven and turn it in your hands to coat the bottom and sides. Add the apples to the dish and spread them out on the bottom. Pour the pancake mixture over the apples.

Return the pan to the oven and reduce heat to 425°F. Bake for 18 minutes; the sides of the pancake will rise over the rim of the pie plate and brown slightly.

the egg mixture is poured over the spiced apple slices in the bottom of the pie dish

Remove from the oven and place a large plate on top of the pancake. Invert the pie dish over the plate to release the pancake. Dust them generously with powdered sugar, slice, and serve.

I triple this recipe for my family and it easily serves six. When making this, I divide the tripled recipe between a pie plate (⅓ of the mixture) and a 9×13 baking dish (2/3 of the mixture).

the dutch baby with apples is ready to go into the oven in a glass baking dish

German Apple Pancakes

If you liked these German apple pancakes, and want to try some other breakfasts with apples, you’ve got to give this old fashioned apple crisp, a try. It’s truly wonderful. (And yes, an apple crisp can be breakfast. Oats + apples = my kind of way to start the day.)

a german pancake rests on the stovetop in a glass pie dish after finishing in the oven. the edges are golden brown and have risen above the rim of the dish

You also might like this recipe for apple cinnamon oatmeal. (I love a hearty bowl of steaming hot oatmeal!) But I also like the texture oatmeal gets when it is baked, like in this apple pie baked oatmeal.

I’m considering these apple cinammon muffins for my next breakfast. The recipe reminds me of banana bread, which I adore.

A pie server with a wooden handle lifts a wedge of german pancake off of a white plate. the german pancake has sliced apples and powdered sugar on it.

a top down photo of a white plate with part of a dutch baby with sliced apples and powdered sugar, a knife and fork resting on the plate beside the food

German Apple Pancake

Forget about leftovers with this German Apple Pancake. You won't believe how easy it is to make such a scrumptious breakfast treat.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 18

Total Time 28

Servings servings

Calories 377kcal

Ingredients

To Cook the Apples

1 medium apple cored and very thinly sliced, about 1 cup
1½ tablespoons light brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

To Make the Pancakes

⅓ cup all-purpose flour * (see note below for GF alternative)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup milk
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
powdered sugar for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 500°F. In a small saucepan, combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
While the apples are cooking, whisk together the flour, salt, and milk. Add the eggs, whisk again, and set aside. Place the butter in a glass pie plate and melt it in the oven, this should take about 2 minutes.
When the butter has melted, carefully remove the hot dish from the oven and turn to coat the bottom and sides with the melted butter. Add the cooked apples to the butter and spread them across the pie plate. Pour the pancake mixture over the apples.
Return the pan to the oven and reduce heat to 425°F. Bake for 18 minutes; the sides of the pancake will rise over the rim of the pie plate and brown slightly.
Using hot pads, remove from the oven and place a large plate on top of the pancake. Invert the pie plate over the plate to release the pancake. Dust generously with powdered sugar, slice and serve.

Notes

* Gluten-Free flour blend: Mix together ⅔ cup brown rice flour and ⅓ cup tapioca starch. Use ⅓ cup of this flour for each batch of pancakes that you make. Store the extra flour in the freezer and use it wherever a small amount of all-purpose flour is called for in a recipe.