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Handed down for generations, this homemade Swedish pancakes recipe is the softest, and most delicious. Add a sweet or savory filling!
Grandma Johnson’s Swedish Pancakes
These are Swedish pancakes – not crepes. The Swede side of our family taught us there is a BIG difference (this is Lo’s Great-Grandma Johnson’s recipe).
Crepes are more dense and chewy due to more flour, fewer eggs, and no butter. Swedish pancakes are lighter and fluffier using less flour, more eggs, and butter.
We have these for dinner all the time (not just breakfast), and they are so good, especially with our Buttermilk Syrup Recipe! The whole family loves this recipe so much that we usually double (or even triple the mix).
We make them for holidays and special occasions, but really we find any excuse to make them. We LOVE Swedish pancakes and know that you will too!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Sweet or savory. From eggs to fruit to whipped cream the list goes on and on. Any way you have them, this easy breakfast is sure to be a hit!
- Pantry staples. Nothing fancy here. Just a few simple ingredients and a skillet!
- Easy to make. They take a little practice to get that perfect golden color, but after a few tries and seeing how easy they cook, you’ll have this Swedish pancake recipe down in no time.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
- 3 large eggs – Room temperature eggs incorporate better than cold eggs.
- 3 cups milk – Whole and 2% milk work best, but lower-fat milk can be used.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted – see How to Measure Flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- optional syrup toppings – Homemade Buttermilk Syrup, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon Buttermilk Syrup
- optional sweet toppings – fresh fruit, Nutella, jam, Homemade Whipped Cream, or even softened ice cream
- optional savory filling – shredded cheese, eggs, ham, bacon bits, or sausage crumbles
How to Make Swedish Pancakes
- BATTER. Beat 3 eggs and add about ¼ cup milk. Add ½ cup flour with 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons sugar. Mix in a bowl with beaters or in the blender. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter and ¾ cup milk. Mix in 1 cup flour and 2 cups milk; mix well.
- COOK. Heat a skillet and wipe with some butter or oil when it is hot. Pour a thin layer of batter into the pan and tilt the pan until the batter is spread all over. When edges are bubbled and browned, it’s ready to flip.
- SERVE. Serve warm and add any desired toppings.
What pan to use?
>> For larger Swedish Pancakes, simply use an 8-10-inch pan with a flat bottom and shallow sides so they are easier to flip.
>> For smaller pancakes use a Plett (a frying pan with several round grooves, often 3 inches in diameter). You can make several small Swedish pancakes at one time.
Keep Pancakes Warm
Place a sheet pan in the oven and heat to about 200°F. Roll each pancake and place them side by side in a pan, or stack them on the pan, separating each pancake with parchment paper. Keep warm for up to 30 minutes.
Complete The Meal
Sides
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Swedish Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Toppings
- fruit syrup, homemade whipped cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs until well combined.
- Add milk, butter, flour, sugar, and salt to eggs and mix until smooth.
- Heat more butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, or spray the skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour about ¼ cup batter into the pan and tilt the pan in circles until the batter is spread all over in a thin layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes. When the edges are bubbled and browned, it is ready to flip.
- Cook the other side until golden, about 1 minute, then transfer to a plate. Repeat to make the remaining pancakes, stacking them with a piece of parchment paper between each one to keep them from sticking.
- Serve immediately with your toppings of choice.
Video
Notes
- Sweet: fresh fruit, Nutella, syrup, jam, whipped cream, or even softened ice cream.
- Savory: eggs, ham, cheese, bacon bits, sausage crumbles
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Separate pancakes with parchment paper, wrap the stack with plastic wrap, and then again with aluminum foil and label. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw before reheating. Heat in the oven, microwave, or skillet.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Hello, I stumbled across your page looking for a way to modify my “Swedish Pancake” recipe that my grandma taught me.
Random- but my grandma is my Grandma Johnson! wonder if its the same person? She lives out in Conway SC, Mary Elizabeth Johnson. My dad is Aurthur..
Long story- I don’t use a recipe per say I just put all the ingredients together- BUT my pancakes are not coming out right since moving out to Colorado- I know there is a flour change but I cant seem to get it right would you be able to modify this for high altitude? Also – your recipe is bidding Cardamom? We add Cardamom to our Swedish pancakes.
We roll them up with whipped cream inside and either use fresh fruits or we cook up some berries and make a hot sauce. Fond childhood memories that I am happy to share with my kids…. Please help with the modification!!!
Hi Stacy! How fun that you make Swedish pancakes too! And that yours is from your Grandma Johnson too. We love this recipe and it is definitely a family favorite. I imagine you could modify for high altitude. We don’t have to modify for high altitude here in AZ, so I’m not sure exactly what you would need to do. But I’d suggest searching for high altitude modifications online. I’m sure that someone has some general “high altitude modification” tips that you could apply to and experiment with for this recipe! Best of luck!!
These were amazing, we filled half of them with ham and cheese then finished the second half with the TO DIE FOR buttermilk syrup. We had one question – what is the purpose of the baking powder in the syrup? What does it do? Thanks a lot for this amazing recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! So, that actually is supposed to say baking soda. Looks like we have a typo in there for the buttermilk syrup. The baking soda reacts with the buttermilk and makes it foamy and delicious! We will get the recipe card updated. You’ll have to try the syrup with the baking soda and see how you like it! 🙂
I wonder if you ever try to watch one of your own videos, and if so are you really okay with the number of interruptions there are before, during and after? If you are not aware, let me enlighten you to the fact that it is an extremely frustrating experience. I decided to try your recipe because it was the highest rated however I just couldn’t endure all of the commercial interruptions so I am leaving your website and I can’t think of a reason to return. I just wanted a simple pancake recipe, I don’t want to e lambasted with commercials
Thanks for the feedback. We are aware of the advertisements. They are actually what allows us to be able to provide free recipes and content to our awesome readers. Thanks for understanding. Hope to see you back here!
Love this recipe! One of the best ones I’ve tried.
Love this recipe!!. Good balance of flavors . Some use 4 eggs which gives it more of the scrambled egg taste. We like this version better. I made the buttermilk syrup recently and like it as well. But my favorite way to eat these is with small amount of butter , powdered sugar and lots of fresh lemon juice squeezed straight from the lemon. Thank you for posting it.!!
Mmmm the lemon juice and sugar is SO good with these! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thanks for giving it a try!
Excellent recipe. They turned out perfectly….wow!
Yay!! So glad you loved them!
Recipe is great, but the website is so incredibly annoying all these ads are covering your screen so you constantly have to adjust your screen to see anything. Even as I write this comment I can’t see what I’m typing because of these pop ups.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! The ads allow us to be able to provide free recipes and content for our awesome readers. Thanks for working around them.
We make these all of the time! I love them with chicken, goat cheese and red pepper. My kiddos love them with blueberry syrup and my husband loves them with cinnamon and butter. Great recipe!
My family loves this recipe!!
Add cardamom, more sugar… melt butter in the pan for each one (gets you more crispy brown spots) – make sure batter is thin. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam, then roll up and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Mmm!!