The Best Baked Pancakes (Sheet-Pan)

Holy sheet! This recipe puts the ‘pan’ in pancakes! It’s the same light and fluffy breakfast staple you know and love but made in large quantities in your oven. It’s the Best Baked Pancakes you’ve ever tasted!

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I had a lot of fun doing this recipe!

I don’t know what that says about me; maybe I just love efficiency and economy. In any case, I delighted at the use of an entire baking sheet to make pancakes. I squealed when I was able to slot it into the oven and not have to loom over a stovetop griddle. I smiled from ear to ear as I socialized with my brunch guests instead of spending an hour making pancakes one after the other. I almost didn’t care how the pancakes turned out, I was just so happy with this new technique.

Luckily, for all involved, the pancakes turned out impeccably. An entire pan of light and fluffy flapjacks to devour. I’m not gonna lie: my family and I were tempted to eat straight from the pan. Did we give in to that temptation?

I’ll never tell.

Are Baked Pancakes Healthy?

It’s not that pancakes are bad for you, they’re actually kinda neutral on that front. I mean, there are worse things for you in the morning. And while that might not sound like a ringing endorsement, with this particular recipe, I’ve gone out of my way to sub in healthier versions of your typical pancake ingredients. We use whole wheat flour, unsweetened almond milk, and unsalted butter, so you can rest assured that they are as healthy as can be. If you are on a vegetarian diet, this recipe is good to go. Otherwise, you would need to make some alterations to comply with your particular diet. To make it dairy-free, replace the butter with coconut oil, mashed banana, or applesauce. To make it gluten-free, use almond flour. To make it low-carb/keto, use almond flour and either erythritol or stevia instead of syrup.

Do I have to Let the Batter Sit Before Baking?

Do you HAVE to? No. There are benefits, but if you don’t have time to spare then I wouldn’t sweat it. Letting the batter rest gives the flour time to hydrate, which makes for a smoother mix. It also give the gluten time to relax. Given we use whole wheat flour in this recipe—a flour that tends to be denser and heavier than all-purpose—you may want to set it aside for a 10–15 minutes. The timeout lets the baking powder more time to react to the liquid, which should translate into lighter and fluffier pancakes. Last, the more time the ingredients have together, the more they will meld and the more flavorful they should become.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups whole wheat flour
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 ¼ cups unsweetened almond milk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled (divided)
1 cup fresh blueberries or mixed berries

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep

Preheat your oven and prepare your sheet pan with a coat of melted butter.

Mix

Whisk together dry and wet ingredients in a large bowl until you have a smooth batter, then fold in the rest of the melted butter.

Spread & Sprinkle

Pour the batter onto the sheet pan, spread evenly, and sprinkle with a generous helping of berries or your chosen toppings.

Bake

Pop the sheet pan into the oven and bake until golden perfection is achieved.

Enjoy

Serve your wholesome sheet pan pancakes warm, with your favorite natural sweeteners or toppings.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

Can I prep the pancakes?

Yep. In fact, I encourage you to do so. You can either prep the wet and dry ingredients then store them separately until you’re ready, or you can mix them and let the batter rest (see above for the benefits of this).

Why do I have to keep the dry and wet ingredients separate at first?

A couple of reasons. First, it lets you evenly distribute the baking powder before it reacts with the wet ingredients. Second, it minimizes the wet-dry mixing, so you don’t end up with dense and chewy pancakes resulting from the development of gluten.

How big is the pan you use?

The pan I use is 13×18-inch, so a half sheet. You should be able to double the measurements of the ingredients and fill an entire baking sheet, though I would let it bake for a few minutes longer. In any case, keep an eye on your pancake after a dozen minutes to ensure it doesn’t burn.

This isn’t like Yorkshire Pudding, is it?

Good eye! Yes, the English delicacy Yorkshire Pudding is made with flour, egg, milk, and salt (plus oil for the pan), though the ratio is different (Yorkshire Pudding, for instance, has more egg). In fact, I know some English folk who have leftover Yorkshires for breakfast, such is the similarity to pancake dough. They add some yogurt and fruit to the center and scoff it right down!

How similar are pancake batter and waffle batter?

Very similar. In fact, it would be easier to say how they are different. In short, waffle batter just has more: more fat, more of the leavening agent (baking powder), and slightly more sugar. They are also cooked differently, though that one is a bit more obvious.

How do I store the pancakes?

Let the pancake cool completely. Then you can either store in an airtight container or wrap it in plastic film or aluminum foil (a Ziploc bag will also work). Note that you may need to cut up the pancake to make this less unwieldy when trying to fit it in your fridge. Speaking of your fridge, the pancake should keep in there for up to four days. You can also freeze the pancake for up to two months. You can reheat from frozen by putting it in the microwave.

Serving Suggestions

By ‘serving suggestions’, I mean ‘delicious toppings’. Such yummy ingredients as sliced bananas, dark chocolate chips, whipped cream, sliced almonds, fresh strawberries, and/or a sprinkle of chia seeds would complement your baked pancake nicely, though don’t limit yourself to just these accoutrements; pancakes can be sweet or savory, which means you have an entire fridge and pantry full of delights that would work well atop them.