Of all the fabulous things to come out of Japan (Harajuku style, sushi and ramen recipes, to name a few), the Japanese cuisine darling that’s blowing our minds the most these days is the Japanese-style pancake. Thick, fluffy, sweet and packed with doughy goodness, these aren’t the kind of breakfast noms you’ll get from your average pancake recipes. Nope, these take the word “fluffy” to the NEXT LEVEL. Not surprisingly, Instagram is going nuts for Japanese pancakes too, whether they’re coated in sprinkles or dripping with gooey syrup. Here are 12 of the most drool-worthy pics to grace our Insta feeds.
1. Blueberry Morning: Blueberries and a light coating of syrup lend flavor and sweetness to these super delicious-looking cakes. And how ’bout that crispy, buttery browning on top? SO perfect.
2. Birthday Cake Pancakes: Every day is someone’s birthday, so start off your morning by celebrating! These delicious hot cakes are topped with sugary frosting and rainbow sprinkles — and if we’re not mistaken, there are also some sprinkles baked right into these pillowy cakes.
3. Get Fruity: These hearty cakes are topped with bananas, raspberries, blueberries and melon. Add syrup on top to really perfect the sweetness factor.
4. Light ‘n’ Fluffy: Of course, you don’t really *need* fancy toppings. Japanese pancakes can hold their own just fine. These particular cakes are topped with butter and served alongside some syrup and whipped cream for a classic combination.
5. Nutella Coconut Cakes: Yep, you read that right. These hot cakes are topped with gooey Nutella and coconut. There are also some chocolate chips thrown into the mix, so the glass of milk served with this brekky will be totally apropos.
6. Strawberry Shortcake: A classic pancake topper, strawberry is the icing on the cake (er, pancake) here. We also spot some more fresh strawberries in the background for extra munching. Yum!
7. Coffee Cake: Like any other pancake, Japanese-style cakes are PERFECT with a cup of hot coffee. If you’re not big on syrup, you can also sweeten them up with powdered sugar, as shown here.
8. Ice Cream Cake: Take your pancakes from breakfast to dessert simply by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Bonus points for adding some green garnish… we think mint would work perfectly.
9. Tall Order: Check out the size of THESE pancakes! They’re so thick, it might be difficult to eat more than one. But we have faith in ourselves.
10. Sapporo Style: If you thought the best thing to come out of Sapporo was their beer, think again. This tower of pancake-y goodness is loaded with chocolate cream, bananas, whipped cream and fudge — and it’s topped wth cocoa powder and an orange for good measure.
11. Grab ‘n’ Go: That’s right — apparently you can take pancakes with you to-go. These cakes come wrapped in paper and ready to eat on your way into work. Really redefines pancakes, right?
12. Figs and Berries: Finally, this elegant and refined pancake comes with a light maple glaze, and is served with a fig and a blackberry on top. It’s also a little bit smaller, and therefore lighter, than most of the cakes on our list. Yes, we’ll say it: It’s basically dessert.
