Ingredients
Meringue
- 4 fresh egg whites from large eggs (about 5 ounces)
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
Classic Batter
- ¼ cup pancake mix (or ¼ cup all-purpose flour + ½ teaspoon baking powder + pinch of salt)
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup of buttermilk or milk
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- cooking spray, or your choice of butter for the molds and pan
Gluten-Free Batter
- ¼ cup of gluten-free flour, recipe tested with Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup + 1-2 tablespoons of buttermilk or milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- cooking spray, or your choice of butter for the molds and pan
Grain-Free/Low-Carb Batter
- ¼ cup of almond flour
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons of cassava, arrowroot, or tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of buttermilk or milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- cooking spray, or your choice of butter for the molds and pan
Instructions
- Grease the inside of your molds. Carton and parchment molds don't need to be greased as heavily. Preheat your griddle or pan over low heat. Have a lid or large piece of foil ready to cover the molds.
- Separate four fresh eggs and place the whites in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Save two of the yolks for the batter, and store the remaining two in the refrigerator for another dish.
- Whisk together the flour(s), baking powder, and salt in a second large bowl (or just measure out your favorite pancake mix, whole grain will offer a little fiber).
- Whisk together the two egg yolks, the buttermilk, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
- Add the whisked wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk until the batter is thick and smooth. Mix in any other flavorings now such as cinnamon or citrus zest.
- With an electric hand mixer or the whisk attachment for a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Then while continuing to beat, rain in the granulated sugar.
- Whip the whites on medium-high speed until they form soft to medium peaks. The egg whites will increase in volume and turn opaque. Medium peaks are reached once the egg whites make little curved waves off the beater and then flop over.
- With a flexible spatula, mix a third of the whipped egg whites into the batter completely with gentle stirring motions. Then fold in the remaining whites in two or three additions. Fold gently by scooping the batter up from the bottom and over the top of the newly added whites. Cut through the middle of the whites every few turns to prevent large clumps of egg white in the batter. Fold just until the batter is lightened and homogenous. Mixing too much will deflate the air out of the beaten egg whites.
- Place your greased molds in the pan and fill them two-thirds of the way with your batter. An ice cream scoop with a release is a handy tool for scooping the batter into the molds. Drizzle about a teaspoon of water into the side of the pan away from the molds to create steam that will help the pancakes rise. Immediately cover the pan with a lid. You can also wrap foil tightly around the top of the pan.
- The pancakes are ready to flip after about eight to ten minutes, once bubbles break the surface and the bottoms are a rich golden color. Slide a metal spatula under the molds, flip the pancakes over, cover, and cook for five to six minutes more. It is normal to see the pancake deflate slightly when you first take the lid off. If the pancakes deflate more than just a little bit, you didn't cook them long enough on the first side.
- Cook the pancakes on the second side until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your finger. The taller the pancake, the longer it needs to cook. Pancakes in two-inch high molds need about 15 minutes, on average.
- Serve warm immediately with pure maple syrup, fresh fruit, or melted butter and toasted nuts for low-carb, paleo, or keto pancakes. Soufflés are best enjoyed right away, as they will quickly lose their fluffiness.
Notes
On Sugar
You can halve the sugar to cut down on the insulin spike, use coconut sugar for paleo pancakes, or omit it for keto pancakes made with grain-free ingredients. You can also sweeten the batter with honey or maple syrup, and beat the egg whites to soft peaks without any sugar.
On Milk
If you don't have buttermilk and are using regular milk, you will need less. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you get a thick batter that doesn't run easily off the spoon.
For the gluten-free and grain-free batters, you will need a bit more milk. I recommend starting with a quarter of a cup, then adding milk by the tablespoon until you create a thick batter. The specific flours you choose will determine how much milk you need for your batter base.
Dairy-Free
For dairy-free pancakes, swap in your favorite plant-based milk for the buttermilk and use vegan butter for the pan. Start with just a couple of tablespoons of milk. Then add more as necessary once the batter is mixed to create the correct consistency.
Adding Flavorings
For chocolate pancakes or any powdered flavoring, whisk a couple of tablespoons in with the dry ingredients. Mix any extracts or citrus zest in with the wet ingredients.
Nutrition Information
The information below is based on the recipe as written above for gluten-free pancakes. If you eliminate all of the sugar and make the grain-free version, one pancake will have about 4 grams of total fat, 5 grams of total carbohydrates (2.2 grams of natural sugars), and almost 7 grams of protein.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Soufflé Pancake
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 13.9 g
- Sodium: 367.2 mg
- Fat: 2.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.3 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 93.9 mg
Keywords: Japanese soufflé pancakes, soufflé pancakes, gluten-free soufflé pancakes, paleo soufflé pancakes, low-carb soufflé pancakes