Guides
Dutch Pancakes vs American Pancakes (and Where Crepes Fit In)
Dutch pancakes, also called poffertjes, are small, puffy, bite-sized pancakes cooked in a special pan with rows of shallow round dimples. American pancakes are the opposite: large, thick and fluffy rounds cooked flat on a griddle and served in a stack.
Both start from a simple batter, but the pan, the size and the way you eat them make them feel like completely different desserts. Here is how they compare, with a quick note on crepes, the thinnest member of the family.
What are poffertjes?
Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch treat, often sold at markets and fairs in the Netherlands. The batter traditionally includes buckwheat flour and yeast, which gives them a light, spongy texture and a slightly nutty flavour.
The batter goes into a cast-iron or copper pan with many small round hollows. Each one is flipped quickly with a fork or skewer as it cooks, so it puffs into a little dome that is golden outside and soft inside. The classic way to serve them is warm, with a knob of butter and a shower of powdered sugar.
A quick note on names, because "Dutch pancake" can mean different things. In the Netherlands, pannenkoeken are large, thin, plate-sized pancakes. A "Dutch baby" is something else again, a puffy oven-baked pancake popularised in the United States. At Waffee House, "Dutch pancakes" means poffertjes, the mini ones.
What makes American pancakes different
American pancakes use a quick batter of flour, milk, eggs and baking powder (sometimes buttermilk), so there is no waiting for yeast. Poured onto a hot griddle, each one spreads into a round about the size of your palm and rises into a thick, fluffy cake. It is ready to flip when bubbles form and pop on the surface and the edges look set.
They are served in a stack, with butter and maple syrup as the classic topping, though fruit, chocolate and whipped cream are just as common now. Poffertjes are something you pick at. An American stack is something you cut into with a knife and fork.
Dutch vs American pancakes at a glance
The differences are easy to mix up, so here they are side by side.
- Size. Poffertjes are bite-sized. American pancakes are palm-sized or bigger.
- Shape. Poffertjes are small puffed domes. American pancakes are flat, thick rounds.
- Pan. Poffertjes need a special dimpled pan. American pancakes cook on any flat griddle or tawa.
- Batter. Traditional poffertjes use yeast and often buckwheat. American pancakes use baking powder for a quick rise.
- Texture. Poffertjes are springy and airy, with lots of golden surface. American pancakes are soft and cakey in the middle.
- How you eat them. Poffertjes are easy to share and pick up with a fork. An American stack is better as a plate for one, cut into wedges.
Where do crepes fit in?
Crepes are the thinnest of the three. They come from France and are made from a runny batter with no raising agent, spread very thin on a flat pan, then folded or rolled around a filling.
So if poffertjes are puffy and American pancakes are thick, crepes are flat and delicate. They suit spreads and fruit that you want wrapped up rather than piled on top.
Which one should you order?
It depends on the kind of dessert moment you want.
- Sharing with friends? Dutch pancakes. A plate of mini pancakes is easy to pass around, and every piece gets some topping.
- Want a proper sit-down dessert? An American stack is bigger and more filling.
- Prefer thin and folded? A crepe, wrapped around a spread or fruit.
- Want topping in every bite? Dutch again, because the small size means more topping per bite.
Torn between pancakes and waffles instead? Our guide to Belgian vs American waffles covers that one.
Dutch pancakes at Waffee House
Dutch pancakes are among the things Google reviewers mention most at Waffee House. They are soft, bite-sized poffertjes, served warm and generously topped, in close to 20 flavours.
The flavour reviewers single out by name is the Triple Chocolate Pancake. Other good starting points are the Maple Butter Pancake (a simple classic, from around ₹165), the Lotus Biscoff Pancake and the Nasty Nutella Pancake. For something fruity, try the Strawberry Cream Cheese Pancake or Mango Mania Pancake.
If you prefer the American style, the Nutella Strawberry American Pancakes are a stack of thick, fluffy pancakes. Crepe fans should look at the Lotus Biscoff Crepe, another dish reviewers mention often.
Browse the full range on our pancakes in Mangalore page, see the crepes separately, or order for delivery through Swiggy and Zomato.