If we all could start each day with a Giant, Fluffy, Oatmeal Pancake, I dare say we just might obtain world peace. Did you know you can make a Giant Pancake in the Instant Pot? It just might be the best breakfast to ever come out of your pressure cooker!
Instant Pot Giant Pancake – it's a thing, have you seen it?
I've seen it a few times and it always confused me. The recipes I investigated called for cooking the pancake batter directly in the pot, which seemed to be resulting in many complaints of burn warnings.
Still, the concept of a giant pancake has stuck with me for over 3 years.
One busy morning, I found myself stuck behind a hot griddle flipping our favorite Oatmeal Pancakes. I was running horribly late for an appointment, but once you start making pancakes, there really isn't any going back.
Plus, this overly controlling parent can't seem to walk away and let her perfectly capable children man the griddle.
- The spills!
- The overuse of my precious maple syrup!
- The crumbs in the butter!
You either know exactly what I'm talking about or you think I'm crazy.
Regardless, this was the moment I decided a Giant Pancake needed to happen ASAP.
I took that very same Oatmeal Pancake batter recipe, tweaked it just a tad, pressure cooked it inside a pan (instead of directly in the pot), and I'll be dipped, it made the biggest, most fluffy, buttery pancake to ever hit my table!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE AN INSTANT POT GIANT PANCAKE
- Everyone claims to have the “fluffiest pancake recipe”. If you're looking for the ultimate tall, fluffy pancake, THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE! We're talking 2 1/2 – 3 inches of “fluffy”!
- Whole grain, hearty, and filling. One 7 inch pancake and a side of fruit had my whole family full and happy for hours.
- No flipping! This is a simple slice and serve pancake which means no griddle, no grease spray all over the counter, no impatient children waiting for their next pancake, no sweaty makeup dripping off my face . . . can we say “BREAKFAST HEAVEN!“
- It cooks while you get ready. When was the last time you could set a timer and come back to a stack of pancakes? NEVER!
HOW TO MAKE A GIANT PANCAKE IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- The night before, stir together buttermilk and oats and set in the fridge
- The oats will be soft and the mixture will be very thick
- Whisk in the eggs, butter, and vanilla
- Stir in the dry ingredients
- Scrape batter into greased pan
- “Bake” it in the pressure cooker while you do yoga
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST GIANT PANCAKE
- Use buttermilk. I've tried the alternatives (yogurt, milk + vinegar, etc) and for whatever reason, the texture and fluffy factor is just better with real buttermilk.
- Let's address the overnight soak. It's not hard, but even I forget to do it sometimes. I will say, the pancake seems softer, more fluffy, and tastes even better with the soak. BUT, if you forget, don't throw in the towel. It is still mighty tasty if the oats don't get the spa treatment.
- My favorite part about pancakes are the toppings! Bring on the butter, berries, almond butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, and whatever toppings you like and make it a pancake party!
- A tip from husband, AKA, professional pancake eater/analyzer. Cut the pancake open (like a biscuit) and spread butter on the inside. The warm butter melting into every crevice was indeed a sight (and taste) to behold!
- Do not try to cook this directly in the pressure cooker pot like other recipes advise. Admittedly, I haven't tried it, but I'm 99.99% sure it wouldn't work. I predict a pancake that is burned on the bottom and raw in the middle – not a good way to start the morning.
- Use White Whole Wheat Flour. Red wheat flour is darker, heavier, and stronger tasting and makes this pancake very dense.
- If you like a sweet pancake, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the batter. I prefer to leave my pancakes unsweetened since the toppings are typically sweet.
- If you want an even bigger Giant Pancake, I have successfully doubled it in this 7 inch Springform Pan and cooked it 45 minutes.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE PANCAKES
- Store: Place leftovers in an airtight bag or container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. It will dry out a bit in the fridge.
- Reheat: Cut the pancake into wedges and gently warm for 30 seconds at a time until warmed through.
- Freeze: Wrap pancake wedges in plastic wrap and place inside a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. To eat, leave on the counter for about an hour, then reheat as directed above.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH PANCAKES
- Fruit: Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, banana slices, or jam
- Syrup: Pure Maple Syrup, Cinnamon Cream Syrup, Healthy Chocolate Syrup
- Butter: Kerrygold butter, peanut butter, almond butter, etc
- Extras: Whipped cream, powdered sugar, nuts, coconut, etc
PANCAKE VARIATIONS
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes: Add 3/4 cup diced apples and a teaspoon of cinnamon into the raw batter
- Blueberry Pancakes: Stir 1 cup of fresh blueberries into the raw batter
- Strawberries and Cream Pancakes: Stir 1 cup of diced strawberries into the batter and serve with Sweet Cashew Cream
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Stir 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips into the raw batter
If you've been feeling like you need more pancakes in your life (or you need a change from the typical griddle version), you need to try this Giant Pancake!
Break free from the griddle and surprise the whole family with this healthy, whole-grain breakfast.
If you're a fan of “Breakfast for Dinner” might I suggest serving this with the works – scrambled eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, and a hot cup of Crio Bru. Mmm . . . I'm writing that down on my menu for next week as we speak.
Enjoy this one! Let me know what you think!
MORE INSTANT POT BREAKFAST RECIPES
- Instant Pot Blueberries and Cream Stuffed French Toast
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal
- Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Instant Pot Berries and Cream Breakfast Cake
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT GIANT PANCAKE
PrintInstant Pot Giant Oatmeal Pancake
Giant Fluffy Pancake that will make breakast more delicious and enjoyable!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Optional toppings: butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, berries, etc.
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. Cover and let sit overnight in the fridge.
- In the morning, add eggs, butter, and vanilla extract to the oats and whisk to combine.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir until just combined.
- Spray a 7 inch springform pan or cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top.
- Add 1 ½ cups of water to the pressure cooker pot and place a trivet inside. Place dish on the trivet using a silicone or tinfoil sling to make for easier removal.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure cooker knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Serve hot with toppings of your choice.
Notes
- In a pinch, you can skip the overnight soak of buttermilk and oats. The soak makes the oats softer and the pancake more fluffy, but it’s still amazing if you need to skip this step.
- For a blueberry pancake, fold in 1 cup of blueberries after the dry ingredients.
- For a lighter wheat taste, I always use White Whole Wheat Flour. Red wheat is darker, stronger tasting, and will make these pancakes heavy.
- Buttermilk works best in this recipe, but you can substitute with 1 cup yogurt and ¼ cup milk if needed.
- For a sweeter pancake, add 1 tablespoon sugar to the batter.
- The recipe can be doubled if needed and cooked in a 7 – 7.5 inch springform pan for 45 minutes.
Keywords: Instant Pot Breakfast, Oatmeal Pancake, Giant Pancake
Hi Marci, Just wondered if this could be baked in a fluted pan? Thanks
Becky, yes, I’m sure it could. Start with 350 and maybe 20 minutes?
Trying this recipe tonight and very excited! Do you need to put foil or something on the top of the pan to protect it from condensation?
Thank you!
Kate, I never have and it works great! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Does anyone know how much of the fat is saturated?
I have a 6 inch springform pan. Will the batter be too high? Any recommendations on extra cooking time?
Brittany, that should work great. Add an extra 5 minutes and it will by delicious 🙂
I’m always very grateful when someone endeavors to share recipes with us, but this one was a big miss in my house I’m not ranking it, though, because I did use a few substitutions. I used yogurt whey instead of buttermilk, which is usually an excellent substitution for buttermilk. I also haven’t been able to get any whole wheat flour, let alone white, during the pandemic craziness, so used regular all-purpose, but barely mixed it in, so it shouldn’t be gluten-y. What I got was indeed tall and airy, but with an unpleasant “squeaky” mouth-feel. I’ll give it another shot though, when I can get white whole wheat again, to see if that was the problem. I’d probably toast the oats before soaking them, too. We also have a favorite overnight oats pancake recipe (though we make the waffle variant), and it calls for blending the oats till smooth in the morning. I wonder if that would help? I guess it could just be a matter of our taste, too. I’ll still look forward to seeing your other recipes, though!
Robyn, dang, I’m sorry, I’m not sure what happened. I always wish I could try someone’s food when it doesn’t work out so I can try and figure out the problem. I wouldn’t describe it as “squeaky” at all so I’m not sure what went wrong! If you give it another shot, do you mind following up with me?
Do you think that using Steel Cut Oats will work ? Back when the world got sick, that was the only kind left at the store. I have them soaking in the fridge in the buttermilk now.
Marion, I wouldn’t think steel cut would work, did you try it?
Hi, We live overseas and I have a hard time finding white whole wheat flour. Could I use regular whole wheat flour or maybe do half whole wheat flour and half regular?
Ellen, Yes, that will work! I would try half and half since regular whole wheat can be a bit heavy/strong tasting. However, if you’re used to that, you might love it that way!
It’s impossible to find buttermilk here with all the pandemic stuff going on. Is there something close to it that can be substituted?
Tracy, my favorite buttermilk substitute is doing 2 parts milk with 1 part yogurt. So for this recipe I would add about 1/3 cup of yogurt to a liquid measuring cup, then fill it the rest of the way with milk to the 1 1/4 mark.
This seemed very salty…not sure why. We measured carefully. I will try cutting the salt in half next time. Otherwise, very good!
★★★★
Lynn, that is strange, I’m not sure why it tasted salty. The butter and buttermilk taste is what stands out to me. Let me know if cutting back solves it for you!
I am dying to make this! I do have a couple of questions. Do I need to put a cup of water in the bottom of the insta pot if i put the batter in a pan? Can I use a regular 7 inch spring form pan in the insta pot?
Craig, yes, you need water in the bottom for the pot to come up to pressure. and yes, a 7 inch springform pan will work!
Make this. Today. It’s insanely simple an amazingly delicious. Everything the good reviews say is understated. Husband couldn’t stop saying “mmmmm”, “mmmmm”, “mmmmmm”. Reheated in the air fryer for a couple minutes… oh yeah.
★★★★★
Jan, haha! That made me laugh out loud because that was my husband’s exact response. Now I’m dying to try your air fryer idea, I love that thing. I’m so glad you loved it!
Can this be made with gluten free flour? My husband will cry if we all get to eat it and he can’t.
Cyndi, I believe it would work great, especially a one-to-one replacement flour like Bob’s Red Mill blend. I suspect oat flour would also work well. Let me know if you experiment!
Oh my was this delicious! My husband was quite skeptical but not after the 1st bite! I was in a hurry while juggling laundry & breakfast at an RV Park. My Oatmeal Pancake sat in the pressure cooker for 22 min instead of the 10 min it called for & it was still delicious with mixed berries, Maple Syrup, & whip cream! It was a messy clean-up for an RV but I managed. I think I’ll use 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pot next time, the water spilled over onto the Giant Pancake. Yum!!! We will do it again after the carrot cake oatmeal recipe. Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
★★★★★
Joy, For a moment I imagined I was far from home with my family in an RV eating this Oatmeal Pancake and it was a beautiful thought 🙂
I’m so glad you loved it! We are making it for breakfast and even lunch sometimes at my house these days.
You say to make it in a 7 inch pan and if I double it then to use a 7 – 7.5 inch pan…? Will it not overflow if I’m just using the same size pan for doubling? Just don’t want a mess! 🙂
Becky, sorry that is a bit confusing! I tested the recipe first in my 7 inch Nordicware pan which is just under 7 inches. I recently bought the Instant Pot springform pan which is 7.5 inches and that’s what I used to double it. You won’t have a problem with it overflowing in either so I say go for it!
I need to brave going out for buttermilk, then this is first on my list. I love your ideas and keep them on my phone. Is there somewhere I can buy you cookbook? That would be better than billions of “saves” on my phone. Thanks
Hi Marita! I feel honored that my recipes deserve space on your phone 🙂
You can find my cookbook here https://tidbits-marci.com/resources/
Click on Master the Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook to buy it. I hope you love the pancake! My kids request it almost daily!
Oh yum! Where was this when my kids were home? I’m going to save it for when the gang’s all home for the holidays. Unless of course, I can talk the hubby into trying it before then. Love this idea!
Cecilia, you MUST try it! Don’t wait for the kids, you will love it 🙂