Aebleskiver Danish Pancakes – Petite Danish pancake puffs made from fried batter make an absolutely stunning dessert. Plus, they’re a delight to indulge in, with or without the Nutella stuffing. These easy-to-customize, melt-in-your-mouth treats will surely become a new favorite on your sweet treat list. 🤩

It might sound like something from Ikea. However, aebleskiver means apple slices in Danish (not Swedish) because they were traditionally stuffed with apple slices. I like to get creative and break tradition, so Nutella is my stuffing of choice. 😜

An aebleskiver recipe falls somewhere between a pancake and a donut texture-wise, which is perfect for those days when you just can’t decide. They whip up quickly and always fly off the platter, regardless of whether you serve them for breakfast, brunch, a snack, or dessert. 

Which Pan Works for Danish Pancakes Aebleskiver?

You’ll want a dedicated aebleskiver pan to get that small rounded shape just perfect. Fortunately, Amazon has them at a reasonable price. Or just look up aebleskiver, vitumbua, or takoyaki pan to find the perfect one.

If you can’t get your hands on one, though, you can use a regular frying pan. The shape will be different, but they’ll taste just as good. 

Recipe Ingredients

1. Batter Ingredients – Just like regular pancake batter, you’ll need flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and butter. 
2. Spices – I use nutmeg and grated orange zest, but you can certainly customize your spices. Cinnamon is also a good choice.
3. Stuffing – Get ready to indulge because nothing says cozy pastry stuffing quite like Nutella! 🤎

How to Make Aebleskiver Danish Pancakes

Make the Batter

• Dry Ingredients – Combine all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and grated orange zest in a medium bowl. Set aside. (Photo 1)
• Wet Ingredients – Whisk eggs for about a minute, then gradually add milk and vanilla until thoroughly combined. (Photo 2)
• Combine the liquid ingredients and dry ingredients, a little at a time. Mix thoroughly. (Photo 3)
• Add Butter – Finally, add melted butter and fold it in. The mixture will be a little runny, but that’s ok. (Photo 4)

Cook the Aebeskiver

• Heat the aebleskiver pan over medium heat, add about ½ teaspoon of oil, and brush the holes with the oil. (A cast iron pan will also work.)
• Fill – Make sure the pan is hot enough before adding the batter. Fill each hole halfway (about a tablespoon of batter), then quickly add Nutella until it’s about ¾ of the way full. (Photos 5-6)
• Cook – Add more pancake mixture over the Nutella to cover each hole. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is golden brown. (Photo 7)
• Flip – When you see the batter getting bubbly, push the aebleskiver to the side of the pan. Then, gently and quickly flip it using a chopstick or fork. Two chopsticks make it easier.
• Final Step – Continue cooking on the other side until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used. (Photo 8)
• Serve – Let it cool slightly, dust with confectioner’s sugar, and serve.

Recipe Variations

1. Get creative with the fillings. Cream cheese, jam, chocolate, peanut butter and jelly – you can fill these tiny pancakes with whatever floats your boat. 😎
2. Make it gluten-free. Substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour if you have gluten sensitivities. 
3. Skip the filling altogether. Leave aebleskiver unfilled and serve them topped with syrup, honey, jam, or powdered sugar.
4. Traditional recipe. For a traditional Danish aebleskiver recipe, separate the eggs and add the egg yolks with the milk. Then, beat the egg whites until light and fluffy and stiff peaks form. Fold the beaten egg whites into the aebleskiver batter, and proceed with the instructions.

Tips and Tricks

1. Grease your pan well. You may need to use a little more oil than what I’ve indicated here to coat every hole completely. That will keep the aebleskiver from sticking or tearing when flipping.
2. How do you know when to flip an aebleskiver? Just like regular pancakes, you want to see little bubbles forming in the batter. Keep in mind the cooking area and pancake volume are small, so you won’t need more than just a couple of minutes on each side.
3. Keep the temperature no higher than medium. Otherwise, you risk losing that golden brown finish and burning the aebleskiver. 💔

Make-Ahead Instructions

Aebleskivers are best fresh out of the pan, but you can make them ahead of time if you need to. Unfilled aebleskiver are best for making ahead as they don’t get soggy. To reheat them, I find a convection oven to be the best option, but you could pop them in the microwave for a few seconds. 

Serving and Storage Instructions 

Serve aebleskiver hot out of the pan dusted with powdered sugar. Feel free to offer your guests jam or syrup for drizzling or dipping.

If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container for 3-5 days. To reheat them, a couple of seconds in the microwave or a couple of minutes in your toaster oven should do the trick. 

What Goes With Aebleskiver Danish Pancakes

I love aebleskiver as a part of a nice big breakfast buffet alongside other sweet and savory offerings, like hashbrown breakfast casserole, turkey breakfast sausage, and cinnamon orange rolls. They also look beautiful on a breakfast charcuterie board. Be sure to serve them with something warm to drink, too, like hot coffee or ginger tea. 😍

More Perfect Pancake Recipes to Try

1. Sweet Potato Pancakes
2. Plantain Pancakes
3. German Pancakes
4. Vitumbua

Watch How to Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”xU7wMmHS” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 19:57:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Aebleskiver Danish Pancakes” description=”Aebleskiver Danish Pancakes – Little  Danish pancake puffs, absolutely gorgeous and a delight in your mouth, with or without Nutella stuffing.”]

This blog post was originally published in August 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video