Authentic, Traditional Norwegian Pancakes; Recipe & Pictures | The Country Basket (2024)

We kids always rejoiced when we came home from school to discover we were having pancakes for dinner! Growing up in Norway, pancakes were always large and super thin, fried up one at a time in a buttery skillet. They were soft with a crispy edge around them; just melt-in-your-mouth goodness! Cooking alongside my mother from a very young age, I learned how to make them as a child, and then I carried the authentic Norwegian pancake tradition along to the United States as a grown-up. In the following pictures and with the help of my son who is now learning (and doing a fantastic job, may I add!), I will show you how to make and fry them. The recipe is added on the bottom of this post, first using standard American measurements, then a second recipe using metric measurements (ml, grams, etc.).

If you do try this recipe, I would really appreciate a quick comment with a star rating (option found immediately under each recipe). It helps me out tremendously! Thanks in advance!

One thing I want to point out is that there are different, very strong opinions out there (by Norwegians!) on whether or not Norwegian pancakes should contain sugar. The bottom line is that some make them sweet and some don’t. And it seems people believe that whatever they are used to is the correct way. Well, there really is no right or wrong here, just what each person is used to and prefers. Growing up my family never added sugar to our pancake batters, but later on I came to like them somewhat sweet. There is sugar in my recipe now, but feel free to make them without. They’re authentic either way!

Making the Batter

My son was on kitchen duty this evening and decided to make Norwegian pancakes for us. The following pictures shows how it’s done.

When making the pancake batter, it is best (but not essential) to wait with the eggs until most other ingredients are whisked together to avoid breaking up the egg whites too much. The egg whites will help hold the pancakes together when you flip them in the frying pan, so you want the egg whites to keep their elastic properties as much as possible.

First, mix together milk and flour. An electric beater can be used if you prefer, although I want my kids to learn how to use a manual whisk properly. Our absolute favorite type of whisk, and commonly used in Scandinavia, is the style seen in the picture below and in this link from Amazon. (Not the same one, but very close.) They are fantastic at getting lumps out!

To beat the flour and milk together, it’s best to use a vertical circular motion rather than horizontal.

Beat until flour is fully incorporated and few or no lumps remain. A little one here and there is fine, just do your best.

Then whisk in sugar, salt, and vanilla, or you can skip sugar and vanilla if you prefer. There’s no right or wrong here when making Norwegian pancakes; this is really about your own preference. (Although I’m bound to get comments from Norwegians who disagree! But that’s OK.)

Add the eggs and beat them only until fully mixed into the batter, no more.

Let the batter sit for 20 minutes or so to allow the flour to fully soak into the liquid.

After sitting, and right before frying, melt two tablespoons of butter and add to the batter. Keep more butter on hand to use for frying. The butter will help the pancakes not to stick to the skillet and it adds flavor, too. I always use real butter now, but “back in the day” we used margarine. I think butter tastes much better though, and I also believe it’s better for you than the heavily processed margarine. Do your research and follow your own conviction, of course.

While waiting, my son decided to snap a winter-themed picture. Brrr… It’s cold out! And a perfect day for traditional, Norwegian pancakes!

How to Fry Norwegian Pancakes

To fry the pancakes, first make sure the frying pan is properly heated up. It should be a medium temperature, a bit on the hot side. A good test is to see whether a dab of butter sizzles and melts quickly. Swirl a small amount of butter around in the pan between every pancake. The entire pan does not need to be covered, just spread it around a bit by tilting the pan.

Add a small amount of batter to the pan as seen below. Immediately tilt the pan in every direction until the batter is thinly spread out and covering the entire bottom. If it stops spreading before it covers the bottom, either add a little bit more batter right away, or let that pancake stay small and just use a little bit more batter for the next one. You’ll get a feel for how much is needed as you work. The important part is to spread it out quickly and as thin as possible.

Start tilting immediately, don’t wait even a second! It dries very quickly!

There you go, now let it fry for a little bit.

Most of the top part should be dry before flipping it. This one still has a little bit to go. Frying should only take a half minute or so per side. The heat will determine how long it takes; if the heat is too high, smoke will develop in your kitchen and you could also end up with a warped frying pan. But if frying takes a couple of minutes per side, the heat is too low and your pancakes will probably be stiff and dry. Turn up the heat a little bit and adjust as needed.

In the picture below, it’s dry on top and probably done. Run a spatula under the rim to loosen it a bit, then check underneath.

Just lift up an edge a little bit and check that it is browning nicely. Time to flip.

Sneak the spatula underneath, making sure the pancake isn’t sticking anywhere, then lift up.

Lift and flip! My son is a pro, it was hard to snap photos as he was flipping them so fast!

Let it fry a little bit on the other side as well.

Check underneath to see that it has browned.

Time to remove it to make another one. Put the pancakes on a plate in a stack as you fry them up, and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.

The pancake in the next picture doesn’t look quite right. My son noticed and asked me why. Up until now he kept forgetting to add butter to the skillet before pouring batter onto it, so this time I decided not to remind him and let him see the result for himself. The pancake is still OK, but it looks a little funny, and the consistency isn’t quite as nice, either. If you keep frying without butter, the pancakes will often eventually start sticking to the pan, so it’s best to add a little dab every time. After this pancake my son didn’t forget as much.

To speed things along, I sometimes use two frying pans, which keeps me really busy, working non-stop! As you fry, keep stacking them up and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.

Some of the most common toppings for Norwegian pancakes are bacon (and even bacon grease!) or blueberry jam. Wild blueberries are easy to find in the woods in Norway, and the law protects your right to pick wild berries pretty much wherever you please regardless of property lines. Easy to find for free and very tasty, it’s no wonder blueberries are a favorite on pancakes!

Personally I enjoy Norwegian pancakes the most when I simply spread real butter on them and roll them up like in the picture below. Growing up, however, my father had a thing about potatoes; he hadn’t had dinner if he hadn’t had potatoes! So, pancakes with potatoes it was. Even though I grew up eating my pancakes with potatoes (and boiled carrots! Yikes!), it never seemed quite right. Some things just don’t go together, and this was a pair that clashed every time! Just like spaghetti and potatoes… That didn’t work for me, either!

Yum! Soft and thin with buttery, crisp edges! Norwegian pancakes will always be a favorite in our household! Teaching Norwegian culture and traditions while enjoying delicious food from authentic recipes, can it get any better?! I don’t think there can be a more enjoyable way to learn the history of your heritage!Please comment and rate this recipe if you try it; option is found immediately under the recipe. Thank you!!