Best Aebleskiver Pans – Pan for Sweet or Savory Danish Pancakes

Aebleskivers photo by Mark Bonica

What is aebleskiver? It’s pancake. Yeah. It’s a sphere-shaped puffy pancake with filling inside and topping outside.

The Scandinavians have their way of doing a lot of things. You know that stuff with Vikings and everything about it. Just kidding. It’s not all about the Vikings but, Scandinavians do have their way, or style, you name it. You might have noticed that Scandinavian furniture or Scandinavian design, in general, became very popular in the last few years.

While you’ve probably heard of Scandinavian kitchen or Scandinavian bedroom design – at least you’ve stumbled on some on Pinterest – I bet you haven’t come across some Scandinavian food recipes. At least that you know of.

Aebleskivers or Ebelskivers?

So, what are aebleskivers? Aebleskivers or Ebelskivers are actually traditional Danish pancakes. Yeah. Aebleskiver is a sphere-shaped puffy pancake with filling inside and topping outside. If you ask me, at first look my first association was the donut, but when I saw an aebleskiver pan my mind blew. So, now my first associations are the muffins. Back to aebleskivers.

If you try to pronounce the word (Danish pronunciation: [ˈeːpləˌskiːwɐ], [singular: æbleskive]), you’ll notice that the first part of the word reminds of the pronunciation of the word “apple”. And you’re right. Aebleskivers do have something to do with apples. Traditionally, they were served with lightly sautéed sliced apples and confectioners’ sugar. So they are used as a snack, brunch, or breakfast, suitable for kids especially.

There is a widespread opinion in the US that aebleskiver is breakfast food. But it’s not. It’s more like an afternoon snack, or a dessert after dinner.

Today, you have a whole variety of aebleskivers, whether sweet or savory. You can fill them per your taste, with strawberry jam (or any other fruit jam), chocolate, caramel, or, for example, with Nutella. If you prefer the savory taste, then you can give a try to vegetables, meat, or even seafood. There are endless possibilities if you’re curious enough.

At the end of the article, you have two simple recipes for both, sweet and savory, easy-to-make classic aebleskivers if you want to give it a try. It’s a simple, traditional snack that requires just basic ingredients like flour, eggs, and milk. But there is a catch – it requires you to have a specialized pan.

It’s a special multi-well pan, with 7 hemispherical wells. Why seven wells? Well, I’m not really sure, but you’ll get the idea when you take a look at the image below.

Best Cast Iron Aebleskiver Pan

Norpro Cast Iron Aebleskiver Pan

If you’ve read the article on the best pan for frying steak then you already know that I’m a big fan of cast iron. I’m not an opponent to introducing novelties in cooking, on the contrary, but I prefer traditional or even rustic over modern. Especially when it comes to food. I think it’s maybe because the food is closely connected to emotions – some smells and tastes have the power to take us back to the carefree childhood times.

Anyway, even if it’s a heavy, large, and real pain to clean, this cast-iron aebleskiver pan is my choice. If you decide to purchase it, you’ll get a nice recipe book included in the package.

I have one myself. It’s made by Lodge, but this one will work, too.

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What to Cook in an Aebleskiver Pan?

There are a lot of variations on the topic around the globe when it comes to aebleskivers. I’m going to list just a few of the dishes that are suitable for cooking in an aebleskiver pan. You’ll get the idea, and if your appetite goes up, well, google for recipes or check the recipe book from below.

150 Best Ebelskiver Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury

If you’ve read the recipes but you’re unsure of my cooking skills, this recipe book will surely give you a strong foundation on everything you should know about aebleskivers. The author prefers the term “ebelskiver” but as you could get it so far, both terms have the same meaning.

Now this book covers 150 aebleskiver recipes – from simple to sophisticated; from sweet to savory; and beyond. You’ll be able to learn a lot about equipment and the whole process of making and serving aebleskivers. We highly recommend it. Check Price

1. Takoyaki

Takoyaki is Japanese food. Takoyaki is actually a puffy ball stuffed with octopus, tempura crumbs, ginger, and spring onions. It’s my favorite street food in Japan. It is eaten with a sauce most reminiscent of Worcestershire.

2. Poffertjes

A traditional Dutch street dessert served with powdered sugar, sometimes butter, and strawberries, and whipped cream.

They look like a smaller variant of American pancakes, and since they are made with yeast they have a light, spongy structure. They were traditionally made with buckwheat flour, and today buckwheat is often mixed with wheat flour.

3. Dutch Baby Pancakes

These pancakes are usually served for breakfast in combination with a variety of toppings and fruit. The batter is baked at once, like a cake in a pan. It is interesting to try it with the addition of seasonal fruits, like apples and pears, and with all the fine winter spices; cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg… But forest fruits will work, also.

4. Rösti balls

A very simple dish that does not require much effort and it’s an excellent side dish to meat. It can be used as a side dish or a stand-alone dish with a salad. It is also great as a dessert with applesauce. It’s one of my favorite side dishes.

There are variations of the original recipe with bacon, onions, and spices. They go well with dried salmon, fresh tuna tartar, or mushroom goulash.

5. Hush puppies

A favorite in America, hush puppies are salty donuts made from cornmeal, and other ingredients like cheese, ham, or vegetables, such as spinach. Hush puppies are one of the favorite dishes of Chef Jamie Oliver.

They are great with every dip – I eat them even without a dip. You can also add tuna, chopped shrimp, corn, hot pepper – whatever you like. I have tried almost all of the online available recipes, and all of them are great.

6. Korean Pancakes – Pajeon

Korean pancakes called Pajeon are ideal for a healthy breakfast, and they can easily replace the whole lunch.

You probably have some leftover vegetables in the fridge – like one carrot, some peppers, a few zucchini and you don’t know what to do with it. Now you know. Grate and chop them all and turn into one pancake.

These delicious miniature snacks are ideal for breakfast, brunch, or a snack during late Netflix & chill nights.

7. Vietnamese Pancakes – Banh Khot

Crispy and salty pancakes made of rice flour that can be filled with all sorts of delicacies that cheer up and provide pleasure, but do not burden the stomach.

It is traditionally prepared with shrimp and thinly sliced bacon, but they are also great with a mixture of surimi sticks and bacon.

As it is completely vegan itself, changing the toppings can make it a completely vegan dish (stewed mushrooms, seitan sausage, or spicy vegetables from wok can be a great addition).

Best Non-Stick Aebleskiver Pan

Norpro Nonstick Stuffed Pancake Pan, Munk/Aebleskiver/Ebelskiver

Now, if you prefer something lighter and more “up-to-date” than cast iron, here we have it. The same manufacturer, Norpro, has a bit improved version of aebleskiver pan.

It’s made of cast aluminum, which means it’s significantly lighter than its cast-iron cousin, and it heats up really fast. Also, it comes with a non-stick surface and an ergonomic handle that stays cool to the touch.
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Aebleskivers – Love at First Sight

I have an uncle and aunt living in Sweden. A few years ago, actually, in 2017 I was visiting them. There were some last-minute flying tickets and I’ve used that opportunity to see with my own eyes how that famous life of North Europe looks. I must admit I wasn’t impressed with Stockholm and Sweden in general, but, as always, I was impressed with my aunt’s cooking. Boy, that woman is a pure cooking talent and it’s such a pity she didn’t make some moves in doing that professionally; I mean, making a living of cooking.

That’s the first time I’ve tried classic aebleskivers or ebelskivers, and since then, my wife or I make them from time to time. I must admit we haven’t made them recently since we’re trying to take some pounds off, but you can’t go wrong if you give it a try.

Sweet Aebleskivers – Basic Recipe

As I’ve written above, the aebleskiver recipe is similar to a waffle recipe, so, basically, you will need:

• 2 cups of flour
• 4 ounces of butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups of cream
• baking powder
• vanilla sugar
• teaspoon of salt
• spoon of sugar

To begin, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and make solid snow from the egg whites and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks with vanilla sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder.
Slowly add the snow to the egg yolks and finally add the cream. Melt the butter, cool it a bit, and add to the aebleskiver mixture. Fill oiled aebleskiver pan with the mixture and put the pan on the stove.

It doesn’t take long for the aebleskivers, so as soon as you see that the mixture starts to squeeze, flip them using wooden skewers, thin icing spatulas, or even knitting needles… Eventually, you can fill them with Nutella, jam, or whatever you want.

Aebleskivers with Zucchini Cream

Now, here we have a bit healthier and modified version of aebleskivers. I usually make it when there are some vegetable leftovers from the lunch. Since zucchini is my favorite vegetable at all, this time I’ve made aebleskivers with zucchini cream. Anyway, you can give it a try or you can experiment with ingredients on your own.

• 1 egg
• 1 cup of soda water
• Pinch of melted butter
• Pinch of salt and baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground flax
• 1 tablespoon oatmeal
• 1 tablespoon spelled and barley flour

All flours are integral, ground in a mill. Add some spice if you like – I use Cajun mix and dried wild garlic.

Leave the dough to rest a little dark while the pan heats up.

Add a little butter to each hole of the pan. Pour the mixture halfway and a little more into each hole, but not over 2/3, and wait until the tiny holes appear on the mixture. Flip them using wooden skewers, and let them rest for another minute or two. And that’s it.

Zucchini Cream

I put the grilled zucchini leftovers in a blender, add a little olive oil and lemon juice, and finally add the grated cheese – Feta cheese is just fine. Add salt in the end if needed and I added the sumac as well.

Bon appetite, or like Danes would say Vær så god!

Last update on 2024-04-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API