Savory Pancakes with Parmesan and Herbs
Savory Pancakes with Parmesan and Herbs are hands down the best way to enjoy pancakes for dinner. Add a fried egg and juicy tomatoes on top and you’ve got a complete healthy anytime meal in 20 minutes!
Breakfast for dinner is definitely not a new concept, but having a savory pancake might just be! While there is always going to be love for the original pancake, getting creative with ingredients and trying something new is one of the best things about being in the kitchen!
About these parmesan herb pancakes
These pancakes are light and fluffy with the perfect balance of sharpness from the cheese and freshness of the herbs. Finely chopped onion and thyme gives these pancakes a pop of color and an explosion of flavor, but feel free to swap out what you’d like. They’re totally customizable.
Use buttermilk instead of whole milk or throw in a few chopped jalapenos for a spicy kick. Use a different kind of cheese if parmesan is not your thing or swap out the fried or poached egg for a side of bacon and scrambled eggs.
Enjoy these pancakes as a healthy start to your day, as a vegetarian option for a meatless dinner, or a grab ‘n go snack when you need an afternoon pick me up.
Simple healthy and sugar-free pancakes made in 20 minutes is exactly what we all need to bring a little savory balance back to our dessert indulgent lives!
If you love savory flavors, make sure to try zucchini fritters, savory goat cheese waffles, and bacon, jalapeno, and cheddar sheet pan pancakes. You’ll also probably love breakfast quesadillas and corned beef hash.
FAQs
I like savory pancakes for breakfast AND dinner, but try serving these with a simple mixed greens salad and your favorite breakfast meat, such as bacon, ham, or sausage.
Some of you may be thinking, what’s a pancake without maple syrup? The runny egg on top of these gives that syrup feeling, but if runny yolks aren’t your thing, try these ideas: sour cream, salsa, or honey mustard dressing.
Want to kick things up a notch? Try adding smoked paprika, a touch of cayenne, or a finely diced jalapeño pepper.
What’s in this recipe?
- Large Egg – You just need one for a batch of these pancakes.
- Whole Milk – Soy milk, almond milk, 2% milk, or skim milk would all work.
- All-Purpose Flour – You could also use a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat if you’d like.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – To make sure you have the fluffiest pancakes!
- Sea Salt – You’ll need 1 teaspoon for this recipe, more than the average pancake recipe, since this is a savory take.
- Black Pepper – We recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon, but add more as you’d like.
- Shredded Parmesan – The salty, sharp bite of Parmesan is perfect for these pancakes.
- Green Onion – The fresh, but mild flavor of green onion (aka scallions) really elevates the taste of this recipe.
- Fresh Thyme – Dill or parsley would also be great.
- Garlic – The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, but if you don’t have any, you can substitute with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Fried or Poached Eggs – Technically any toppings you add are optional, but we definitely can’t resist a runny yolk!
- Sliced Cherry Tomatoes – These are also optional but add wonderful freshness, and extra vegetables!
How to make this recipe
If you’ve made regular pancakes before you know just how easy this will be. Other than a handful of add-ins, there really is no difference in the process!
In a large bowl, beat the egg until fluffy. Add milk and stir until combined.
Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Do not overmix. Now add parmesan, green onion, thyme, and garlic. Mix slowly.
Let rest for 10 minutes so the baking soda can work its magic to create a nice fluffy pancake.
Heat a nonstick pan, griddle, or skillet and grease the pan with oil. Pour enough batter onto the skillet for 1 pancake, more if your cooking area is larger.
Cook until nicely golden then flip over to the other side to finish cooking. Repeat until the batter is finished.
Serve with fried eggs, cherry tomatoes, and season as you desire.
How to make this recipe your own
- Finely chop veggies before putting them into the batter. If you chop them too big, you’ll be eating more veggies less pancake!
- To replace parmesan, you can use gouda or cheddar, or try adding a little heat with monterey jack.
- For a dairy-free version use soy or almond milk.
- Add some extra heat with chopped jalapeños.
- Enjoy a little extra salt to your savory? Add in cooked diced pancetta, ham, or bacon.
- To add a poached egg on top, crack a fresh egg in a ramekin or small bowl (do not whisk) and gently add to boiling water. Remove from heat and cover for 4 minutes until the white is set and yellow is still runny. Gently remove with a slotted spoon and add to the top of your pancakes.
Make Ahead Ideas
To make this ahead, prepare the batter the night before to cook the next morning. Wrap it well with plastic and store in the refrigerator.
Storage Tips
If you store it with a runny egg (we don’t recommend this), do so for no longer than 1 day. If you store it on its own without the egg it will keep up to 2 days in an airtight container..
Pancakes will lose their quality and flavor if you freeze them.
Want to add the perfect crisp fried egg on top?
Your pan must be greased hot then you can crack an egg in it. Let cook until white goes from translucent to completely white.
Get the Recipe: Savory Pancakes with Parmesan and Herbs
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- Oil for greasing the pan
Toppings
- 2 fried or poached eggs more depending on how many serving
- Sliced cherry tomatoes optional
- additional black pepper and sea salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the egg until fluffy. Add milk and stir until combined.
- Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper. Do not overmix. Now add parmesan, green onion, thyme and garlic. Mix slowly. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Warm a nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat. Grease the pan with oil and use ¼ cup of the batter to make 1 pancake. Cook until nicely golden then flip to the other side. The other side will take faster to cook. Repeat until there is no batter left.
- Place pancakes on each plate and serve with eggs, cherry tomatoes and season as you desire.
Notes
- Finely chop your favorite veggies and add to the batter. FAQ
- For a dairy-free version of this recipe, use almond milk or soy milk.
- Make ahead: Prepare the batter the night before to cook the next morning. Wrap it well with plastic and store in the refrigerator.
Texture was great, the other flavors worked well, but the sea salt was overwhelming! I let the batter sit, made a test pancake, sampled it myself, and asked a roommate to sample it. It was too salty to consume.
What went wrong? Does the type of sea salt matter, or was it supposed to be a 1/2 or 1/4 tsp?
Thanks for the feedback! Will definitely give this one another test to see what we think. 🙂
I found your recipe after it was noted in an article on Yahoo BUT am having issues printing it.
Hmm, what is happening when you try?
Made these with some leftover chopped white onions and some chives since I didn’t have green onions on hand and they turned out really tasty! However, the batter was very thick and difficult to pour so I think next time I’ll be making this with less flour. I was also hoping for maybe a cheesier flavor? Perhaps next time I’ll do 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/4 cup montery jack cheese.
Thanks so much for the review and feedback!