How To Make Impossibly Fluffy Japanese-Style Pancakes

I prefer my toast almost-burnt and my waffles extra-crispy. But when it comes to pancakes, the fluffier the better. So when I began seeing photos of impossibly fluffy, soufflé-like Japanese pancakes all over social media, I knew I had to figure out how to make them at home. After a bit of experimenting and a lot of syrup consumption, I came up with a foolproof recipe. Here’s how to do it.

These lofty pancakes are served all over Japan — at breakfast spots like Gram Cafe and Flippers — but they’re not nearly as common on menus Stateside. In lieu of a flight to Tokyo, I’ve come up with a way to get a taste of them at home.

These pancakes are a fun cooking project that yields a legitimately delicious result (and a great pic for Instagram). They’re like an extra-light, soufflé-like version of buttery, vanilla-scented buttermilk pancakes — and aren’t much more difficult to make. Make them with your kids, or use them to impress your friends.

There are two major steps that distinguish Japanese pancakes from American pancakes: folding in whipped egg whites, and cooking them in ring molds.

Beating four egg whites to stiff peaks and then folding them into a buttermilk batter (made with baking powder and baking soda, so there’s a lot of leavening power going on here) makes for a soufflé-like batter that rises as it cooks. It’s thick enough that you’ll be spooning it, rather than pouring it, into the pan.

To help them hold their shape as they cook, you need a set of ring molds. My attempt to make these without a mold — by scooping tall mounds of batter directly into the skillet — yielded messy, unpredictable results: the batter immediately began to spread, and they cooked unevenly due to their lumpy, irregular shape.

1. Use room-temperature buttermilk. Cold buttermilk will cause the melted butter in the batter to solidify.

2. Don’t over-fill the molds. After generously coating them with cooking spray (you don’t want your pancakes to get stuck!), you’ll pour your batter into the molds. Fill them each slightly less than halfway full — the batter will rise almost to the top as it cooks.

3. Cover the skillet with a folded tea towel. You’re cooking these pancakes low and slow to give them time to rise. Covering the pan with a towel traps the heat inside, essentially steaming these pancakes for the lightest, fluffiest texture.

4. Don’t flip too soon. Wait until bubbles have formed on the tops of the pancakes and the center just barely jiggles before firmly grasping the molds with tongs and quickly flipping them over. Flip too soon, and the uncooked batter will ooze out into the pan. Giving the batter enough time to set before flipping also allows the bottom to get nicely golden-brown and crisp.

You’ll be able to fit four molds in a large nonstick skillet, meaning you can make four pancakes in one go-around. These hold their shape surprisingly well (they won’t immediately deflate), so if you’re serving four and want everyone to eat at once, place the first batch on a cooling rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and keep them warm in a 225°F oven as you cook the remaining four pancakes. Then serve stacks of two with butter, maple syrup, and fresh berries.