This Savory Dutch Baby recipe is a fun brunch recipe to serve any time of year. The fluffy pancakes are topped with a savory herb and shallot mixture that tastes amazing served with poached eggs, ham, a little coarse sea salt, and our easy hollandaise sauce.
If you have never made them before, Dutch baby pancakes (also called German pancakes) are made by blending the batter until foamy, then baking in a preheated skillet until they puff up. While typically made into a sweet breakfast treat, this Dutch Baby recipe uses savory ingredients to create a satisfying and fun dish.
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Savory Dutch Baby Recipe
These Savory Dutch Baby Pancakes are a delicious and fun recipe to make for a brunch party or any weekend at home. The batter is made with half a dozen eggs that are blended with milk, salt, and flour before being poured onto a hot cast iron skillet to bake until fluffy and golden brown.
The real treat with Savory German Pancakes is the shallot and herb topping that is added just before baking. Each bite is full of buttery, savory, fluffy pancake that tastes amazing with our easy blender hollandaise sauce.
If you like Dutch baby pancakes, you can also try these Lemon Blueberry German Pancakes, or our Best German Pancakes recipe.
Savory Dutch Baby Ingredients
- Butter - the butter is added to your pan and placed into the oven as it preheats. It keeps the pancake from sticking and also adds flavor.
- Eggs - the eggs are really what creates the classic German Pancake texture, as well as help it to rise a bit.
- Milk - whole milk is best, but 2% will also work.
- Salt - sea salt works great.
- Flour - I like to use all-purpose flour for this recipe. Cake flour would be too delicate and bread flour would be a little too “firm.”
Savory Dutch Pancakes Topping
- Shallot - you will need one small shallot, or you can substitute chives.
- Fresh Herbs - I like the flavors of thyme and rosemary for these pancakes. Fresh herbs taste best but you could substitute dried herbs.
- Butter - the butter is used to cook the shallots and herbs. You could substitute olive oil if you would like.
- Parmesan Cheese - I like to sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the very top just before putting the German pancake into the oven.
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
- Butter - the butter needs to be melted and cooled before using.
- Egg Yolks - you will need just the yolks to make this hollandaise sauce.
- Lemon Juice - this adds flavor and helps to “set” the egg yolks a bit.
- Hot Water - you want to make sure your water is fairly hot which will help to emulsify the sauce.
- Salt and Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper - this is optional but makes the sauce taste great.
Savory Dutch Baby Toppings Ideas
There are countless toppings that you can add to your finished Dutch Baby pancakes. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Smoked salmon
- Poached eggs
- Sliced ham or turkey
- Canadian bacon
- Caramelized onions
- Sauteed veggies
- Creme fraiche or sour cream
How to Make Savory Dutch Baby Pancakes
- Prepare the savory topping. Dice a shallot into very small pieces, add a couple of tablespoons of butter to a cast iron skillet. Add shallots. Cook on med heat. Meanwhile, chop the fresh thyme and fresh rosemary and add to the skillet. Cook until the herbs are fragrant and the shallots are slightly golden brown. Use a spoon to remove the herbs from the skillet, set aside.
- Preheat your skillet. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Add 5 tablespoons of butter to the 14" cast iron skillet and place in the oven while it heats. (Watch it so the butter doesn't brown but melts completely.)
- Blend the Dutch baby batter. Meanwhile, add the eggs, milk, salt, and flour into a blender. Blend for about 15 seconds until all the ingredients are well-combined and frothy.
- Bake the German pancakes. Remove the skillet from the hot oven and swirl to make sure all of the edges are covered in melted butter. Pour the blended German pancake batter into the skillet, add the herb mixture to the top, and finish by sprinkling the parmesan cheese on top. Place the skillet back into the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed up and golden brown.
- Make the hollandaise sauce. In a blender, add the egg yolks and blend for 2 minutes. Turn the blender on low and slowly drizzle in the melted butter (should take about 30-60 seconds). Next, slowly add the lemon juice and the hot water to create the consistency of gravy. Add the pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper while blending.
- Serve. Once cooked through, remove from the oven. Add your favorite toppings such as warmed deli ham, poached eggs, coarse salt, and hollandaise sauce. Enjoy!
Savory Dutch Baby Recipe Variations
If you want to experiment with different flavors, here are a few more savory Dutch Baby recipe variation ideas to try:
- Herb and Cheese Dutch Baby: Add finely chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, or chives to the batter along with shredded cheese like gruyere, cheddar, or parmesan.
- Mushroom and Spinach Dutch Baby: Sauté sliced mushrooms and spinach in olive oil until wilted and tender. Fold the cooked mushrooms and spinach into the batter before baking.
- Bacon and Caramelized Onion Dutch Baby: Cook chopped bacon until crispy and caramelized onions until golden brown. Fold the cooked bacon bits and caramelized onions into the batter before baking. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt on top.
- Caprese Dutch Baby: Incorporate diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella cheese into the batter. Bake until the Dutch baby is puffed and golden brown. Before serving, top with sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
- Pesto and Cherry Tomato Dutch Baby: Swirl pesto into the batter before baking, then top the cooked Dutch baby with halved cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make the batter for Dutch baby pancakes up to 24 hours ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Once you are ready to bake and serve, pull the batter out of the fridge while you preheat the oven and skillet so that it isn’t super cold when you go to bake.
German pancakes and Dutch babies are basically the same exact thing, and the name is interchangeable. They both refer to custardy pancakes that puff in the oven, almost like a thick crepe or popover. The term “Dutch babies” seems to have originated in the United States and originally referred to mini individual sized German pancakes. However, you may hear full-sized German pancakes be called by either name.
The most common reason why a Dutch baby did not puff is that you did not preheat your pan. The batter needs to be immediately placed into a sizzling hot skillet and baked at a high temperature for the steam to be able to work its magic.
If you are still having trouble, try letting the batter rest for a few minutes. This gives the glutens from the flour a chance to relax so that they can expand to their fullest potential once they hit the hot oven.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: Savory Dutch Babies are definitely best eaten soon after they are made. However, if you do have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: you can reheat leftover German Pancakes in a microwave or in a preheated 350 degree oven until warmed through.
Savory Dutch Baby Recipe
Ingredients
Savory Topping
- 1 small Shallot finely diced
- ½ teaspoon Thyme fresh, chopped
- ½ teaspoon Rosemary fresh, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
German Pancake Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons Butter
- 6 large Eggs
- 1 cup Milk
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
- 1 cup Butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 3 large Egg Yolks
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1-3 Tablespoons Hot Water
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
Topping Ideas
- 4 large Poached Eggs
- 4-5 slices Deli Ham
- ½ teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
Prepare Savory Topping
- Dice a shallot into very small pieces, add a couple of tablespoons of butter to a cast iron skillet. Add shallots. Cook on med heat. Meanwhile, chop the fresh thyme and fresh rosemary and add to the skillet. Cook until the herbs are fragrant and the shallots are slightly golden brown. Use a spoon to remove the herbs from the skillet, set aside.
How to Make a German Pancake
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Add 5 tablespoons of butter to the 14" cast iron skillet and place in the oven while it heats. (Watch it so the butter doesn't brown but melts completely.)
- Meanwhile, add the eggs, milk, salt, and flour into a blender. Blend for about 15 seconds until all the ingredients are well-combined and frothy.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the hot oven and swirl to make sure all of the edges are covered in melted butter.
- Pour the blended German pancake batter into the skillet, add the herb mixture to the top, and finish by sprinkling the parmesan cheese on top.
- Place the skillet back into the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed up and golden brown.
- Once cooked through, remove from the oven. Add your favorite toppings such as warmed deli ham, poached eggs, coarse salt, and hollandaise sauce. Enjoy!
Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
- In a small saucepan or microwave, melt the butter. Set it aside and let it come to room temperature.
- In a blender, add the egg yolks and blend for 2 minutes. Turn the blender on low and slowly drizzle in the melted butter (should take about 30-60 seconds). Next, slowly add the lemon juice and the hot water to create the consistency of gravy. Add the pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper while blending.
- Remove from the blender and use immediately.
Nutrition
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This Savory Dutch Baby recipe takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and makes the most fluffy and delicious breakfast pancakes. They are topped with buttery shallots and fresh herbs along with Parmesan cheese, then baked until golden and fluffy.
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