Airy, light and fluffy pancakes with a delicious vanilla egg flavor! These quick and easy Japanese soufflé pancakes great for breakfast or dessert in 30 minutes and made with minimal ingredients!
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What are Japanese Souffle Pancakes?
Japanese soufflé pancakes are made of eggs, cake flour, milk, neutral oil, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and white granulated sugar. They are fluffy, pillowy soft pancakes that jiggly when you wiggle them.
They are a special pancake dessert that originates from Japan and are sweet in taste with a stronger egg flavor and airy light in texture making them a favorite among locals!
You'll find these fluffy egg pancakes at many Asian dessert shops nowadays, like Fuwa Fuwa. They can be served with a variety of toppings like butter, whipped cream, ice cream, maple syrup, fruits and more!
I love these Asian pancakes because they have such a unique texture and are not heavy at all! I would recommend making more if you plan to serve this for breakfast.
Ingredients & Substitutes
- Large Eggs: yolks and whites separated as they will go in at separate phases in the cooking process. The whites will be whipped into a meringue for that light fluffy texture.
- Milk of choice: like dairy milk, plain nut milk, soy milk, oat milk, or light coconut milk (not whole fat coconut milk because it'll be too heavy).
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Vanilla extract
- Cake Flour: this is a special baking flour that contains cornstarch to make it lighter. Or as a last resort, substitute with all-purpose flour but it won't be as fluffy. Avoid using whole-wheat flour, rice flour or tapioca flour.
- White vinegar: this helps beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and maintain shape. Avoid using other types of vinegar if possible.
- White granulated sugar: to maintain texture of the beaten egg whites. Do not substitute with another sweetener.
Expert Tips
- Cleanly separate the egg whites from the yolks. Not a single trace of egg white should be left on the yolk. I do this by cracking the egg and then use my shells to pour the yolk into the other shell until all my egg whites have dropped into the bowl. Or you can use a egg yolk and white separator.
- Add vinegar and white granulated sugar when beating the egg whites. This helps to ensure stiff peaks for fluffy pancakes.
- I highly recommend an electric whisk or a cake stand to help beat your egg whites.
- Do not over beat the egg whites. Just whisk until you get stiff peaks. This can cause deflated pancakes.
- Once you whisk your meringue, add a dollop of it to wet the batter to loosen up the batter so it takes less time to quickly fold in the meringue.
- Do not over mix the batter. Just mix until it's combined. Overstimulation and time will cause deflated pancakes.
- Use a piping bag to create taller fluffier pancakes but if you don't own one, you can simply add the pancake batter using ¼ measuring cup.
- Use a large non-stick pan and do not over crowd the pan with batter!
- Immediately cook the pancakes after mixing the batter. The more time passes, the more deflated the batter will be causing for deflated pancakes.
- Add the pancake batter in two layers per pancake to create height.
- Use drops of water to steam the pancakes and cover with a lid so they cook faster ensuring taller fluffier pancakes.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Japanese soufflé pancakes:
- In a large mixing bowl, add egg yolks, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until foamy. Sift in cake flour and whisk until well combined but do not over mix. The batter should still be runny.
- In another large mixing bowl, add egg whites and white vinegar. With a hand mixer, whisk at a medium speed and then increase to high speed while gradually adding white granulated sugar in three portions. Beat egg whites just until you reach stiff peaks. Do not over beat or it can cause deflated pancakes. To check if egg whites are stiff enough, dip whisk into the meringue and lift it out of the bowl. If meringue does not drip, it is stiff enough.
- Gently whisk meringue into the batter starting with one dollop to loose batter. Then add the rest and whisk batter 5-6 times. Then softly fold with a spatula until combined. Do not over mix the batter.
- Optional: Quickly transfer pancake batter to a piping bag rested in a tall glass. This helps you create tall fluffy pancakes but if you don't have piping bags, skip this step.
- In a large non-stick pan set on low-medium heat (level 2-3 on the dial), lightly grease with vegetable oil. Once the pan is hot, add ¼ cup batter into the pan forming a 3-4 inch wide pancake. Once the first layer solidifies a bit, add a second layer to make the pancake taller.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of water in empty surrounding spaces of the pan avoiding the pancakes.
- Cover with a lid and let the pancakes steam.
- Cook pancakes for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked on the inside. If they're still mushy inside, cook for another 2-3 minutes. If the pancake is undercooked, it can also cause for deflated pancakes. Serve hot and enjoy with your favourite toppings!
Storage
- Leftover soufflé pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. To reheat, microwave for 1-2 minutes until hot or pan fry on the stove top in a pan on medium heat. Note: they will naturally deflate over time when stored in the fridge.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing Japanese soufflé pancakes as they will lose their fluffy texture.
Pairing Suggestions
Japanese soufflé pancakes serve well with:
- maple syrup, honey, any liquid sweetener you enjoy, whipped cream, yogurt, ice cream, nut butter, or nutella.
- fresh fruit like berries, peaches, mango, nectarines or banana.
- toast or any fresh bread
- pastries like danishes or croissants
- cooked eggs
- cooked sausage, ham, bacon, or spam
- coffee, tea, milk or fruit juice
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat. Note: the pancakes will naturally deflate over time especially when stored in the cold.
Soufflé pancakes have a more eggy taste as the pancakes contain a higher ratio of eggs to flour. But they egg flavor is very delicious especially when combined with vanilla.
This can be due to various factors but the main reasons are:
- the egg whites weren't stiff enough before adding to the batter
- over beating the egg whites or over mixing the pancake batter
- not cooking the soufflé pancake quickly or long enough with steam or a cover
- not using cake flour
As time passes, the meringue will deflate causing for a runny batter. Therefore it's important to quickly transfer them to a piping bag and quickly cook them.
Other Recipes You May Like
📖 Recipe
Simple Japanese Soufflé Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 large egg yolks
- 4 teaspoon milk or oat milk for a dairy-free version
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.05 oz cake flour
For the Meringue:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1.41 oz white granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add egg yolks, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until foamy. Sift in cake flour and whisk until well combined but do not over mix. The batter should still be runny.
- In another large mixing bowl, add egg whites and white vinegar. With a hand mixer, whisk at a medium speed and then increase to high speed while gradually adding white granulated sugar in three portions. Beat egg whites just until you reach stiff peaks. Do not over beat or it can cause deflated pancakes. To check if egg whites are stiff enough, dip whisk into the meringue and lift it out of the bowl. If meringue does not drip, it is stiff enough.
- Gently whisk meringue into the batter starting with one dollop to loose batter. Then add the rest and whisk batter 5-6 times. Then softly fold with a spatula until combined. Do not over mix the batter.
- Optional: Quickly transfer pancake batter to a piping bag rested in a tall glass. This helps you create tall fluffy pancakes but if you don't have piping bags, skip this step.
- In a large non-stick pan set on low-medium heat (level 3 on the dial), lightly grease with vegetable oil. Once the pan is hot, add ¼ cup batter into the pan forming a 3-4 inch wide pancake. Once the first layer solidifies a bit, add a second layer to make the pancake taller.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of water in empty surrounding spaces of the pan avoiding the pancakes.
- Cover with a lid and let the pancakes steam.
- Cook pancakes for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked on the inside. If they're still mushy inside, cook for another 2-3 minutes. If the pancake is undercooked, it can also cause for deflated pancakes. Serve hot and enjoy with your favourite toppings!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Great tips for whisking, this really makes all the difference when trying to create fluffy pancakes. And I simply adore your heavenly coconut cream topping!
Helene
My partner made it for me , we had to substitute the coconut cream but it was still so delicious and fluffy ! 🙂
christieathome
Thanks so much Helene! So glad you enjoyed it even with the substitution of coconut cream! Happy it came out fluffy and delicious for you!
Katerina
These souffle pancakes look absolutely amazing, Christie! And I love that you're using local eggs, always the best. Thanks so much for sharing! - Katerina
Christie
Thank you kindly Katerina! The souffle pancakes were honestly so good and I highly recommend making them. Have a great day!