Just in Time for Valentine’s Day, A Swedish Pancake Love Story

One of my strongest food memories from childhood is the endless pancakes we ate—for breakfast, lunch, fika, and sometimes even dinner. No matter how often my mom made them, they always felt like a treat. As we sat around the table, she kept them coming, sliding one pancake off the hot skillet after another. On weekdays, we had sugar, bananas, and lemon juice to drizzle on top. On weekends or special occasions, she’d bring out a bowl of freshly whipped cream and some kind of fruit jam. My go-to was a little butter, a generous sprinkle of sugar, and, if we were allowed, a dollop of whipped cream. It was one of the first things I learned to make myself, and now, watching my young cousins grow up in Sweden, it seems to be one of the first things they’re learning too.

For those unfamiliar, Swedish pancakes are very similar to French crêpes. The main difference? Swedish pancakes have a higher ratio of eggs and butter to flour, making the batter thinner and more delicate. (Most recipes don’t include sugar in the batter, but that’s always an option.) They also don't include any leavening to keep them nice and thin. And while I do also love a classic, fluffy American pancake drenched in Vermont maple syrup, Swedish pancakes have always been my favorite. It cracks me up to see my cousins go crazy for small, fluffy American pancakes because, in my opinion, there’s no competition—Swedish pancakes win every time.

Now that I'm many years out from living at home and having the luxury of my mom making me breakfast, I don't have them as often as I used to. I mostly make them for special occasions like birthdays—or when I'm craving them. If I'm looking to bulk up the nutrients a little I'll even sometimes swap flour for oat flour and blend in a banana, but that's a recipe variation for another day.

With that in mind, I knew it was time to add a Swedish pancake recipe to the Food52 site. The recipe will be live in a few weeks, launching alongside an upcoming episode of What’s For Fika?, where I’ll walk you through the whole process. But in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at my recipe development, featuring homemade raspberry jam and freshly whipped, unsweetened cream.

---

Have you had Swedish pancakes before? What’s your favorite way to eat them? Let me know in the comments!