Traditional ebelskivers feature a buttermilk batter pan-fried into balls until crispy and golden on the outside and perfectly fluffy on the inside. Serve this classic Danish breakfast with your choice of sugar, maple syrup, or jam!
This recipe has been a long time coming. It goes back several generations actually but it’s here just in time for all those holiday breakfasts!
I’m proud to introduce you to a Danish breakfast and snack tradition, ebelskivers! Basically just little fried buttermilk pancake balls cooked in a special pan and served with your choice of sugar or syrup, but this recipe is much more than that and extremely special to me.
I was originally introduced to ebelskivers by my husband, Jason’s family as this recipe comes straight from his grandparents recipe box. Grandpa Art has Danish roots and this is the recipe that Grandma Shirley has been making for many years.
One of the Mumm family traditions is making a big ebelskiver breakfast whenever we’re all gathered together at the family cabin. Jason and I were lucky enough to get a personal cooking lesson on ebelskivers from Grandma Shirley this past summer (along with our very own pan from my father-in-law!) and she graciously gave me permission to share her recipe on my website.
I’m so excited for you to get a taste of a Danish family tradition with this recipe! I’m sharing all the tips and tricks to success straight from the source.
These Pancakes feature…
- A crispy exterior and super fluffy interior
- Rich buttermilk flavor
- Incredible served with sugar, maple syrup, or jam
Making the Ebelskivers
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Vegetable oil
Pan for Cooking
In order to cook ebelskivers you need a specific cast iron ebelskiver pan. This recipe will not work without using this pan.
Our ebelskiver pan was gifted to us second-hand and I’ve heard from several people that they’ve had luck finding original ebelskiver pans in good condition from antique stores, thrift stores, garage sales, and auctions.
If you would like to purchase an ebelskiver pan new, I was able to find close duplicates of them on Williams Sonoma and Nordic Ware. Always make sure you season your pan before using it for the first time since it is cast iron.
Tips for Perfect Ebelskivers
- Use real buttermilk – you can’t beat the rich and tangy flavor that real buttermilk gives these pancakes.
- Cool melted butter – allow the melted butter to cool before adding to other ingredients to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Gently fold batter – use a gentle hand when folding the batter to prevent overmixing.
- Preheat pan – make sure your pan is hot when you go to add the butter. We always start the pan over medium heat to slowly heat the cast iron.
- Use plenty of vegetable oil for cooking – don’t go light on the vegetable oil, you need it to evenly coat the spheres so the ebelskivers release from the pan during cooking.
- Use a hook or toothpick for flipping – you’ll use this to gently rotate the ebelskivers to evenly cook on all sides.
- Maintain pan heat – adjust the heat as needed so your pan is hot but not so hot that it starts excessively smoking.
- Serve ebelskivers warm – these are best if served hot from the pan while crispy!
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these pancakes.
- Add spices – try adding a pinch of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, or cardamom.
- Drizzle with chocolate – melt semisweet chocolate and drizzle over ebelskivers for serving.
- Add vanilla – add 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract to the batter for a warm flavor.
Serving Suggestions
We always serve these ebelskivers warm with a variety of toppings! Some folks like dipping them in plain sugar, cinnamon sugar, topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, drizzled with maple syrup, or served with a fruit jam.
No doubt about it, this is a special occasion breakfast that makes the best kind of memories! No one can resist these ebelskivers hot from the pan looking all crispy and golden. There’s a reason why they’re a tradition in our family.
I hope you love these as much as we do! Please direct all praise to Grandma Shirley.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More holiday breakfast favorites to make next!
Ebelskivers (Danish Pancakes)
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Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Vegetable oil for cooking
- Powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, jam, or maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs well then mix in buttermilk and melted butter until smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Fold flour mixture into buttermilk mixture until batter is just combined.
- Preheat an ebelskiver pan over medium heat and grease each well very good with vegetable oil. Don't go light on the vegetable oil for this part, you want a good couple teaspoons of oil per well. This will make flipping the ebelskivers during cooking much easier.
- Once pan is hot, begin ladling batter into wells, filling each just below the brim. Once all the wells are full, use an ebelskiver nut hook or toothpick to begin carefully rotating balls so they cook on all sides. Keep flipping balls occasionally 5-8 minutes until a deep golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in center of balls comes out clean.
- Repeat cooking process with remaining batter, greasing each well with vegetable oil in between batches (adjust heat as needed throughout cooking process to keep pan hot but not so hot that it gets to the point of excessive smoking). If you have more than one ebelskiver pan and have a partner to help, feel free to get another pan going as well for faster cooking.
- Serve ebelskivers with your choice of sweetener hot. We particularly love these dipped in maple syrup or jam or with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar on top. Enjoy!
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