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Icelandic · Scandinavian

Pönnukökur

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Very thin, lightly sweet Icelandic pancakes flavoured with vanilla, rolled up with sugar or filled with jam and whipped cream for coffee time.

Pönnukökur is an Icelandic dessert, ready in about 55 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, egg and milk. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
15 min
Total
55 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
276

Ingredients

6 servings (about 18 pancakes)

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour, sugar (opens in a new tab), bicarbonate of soda (opens in a new tab) and salt in a bowl. Add the eggs (opens in a new tab) and about a third of the milk (opens in a new tab) and whisk to a smooth, thick batter.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the remaining milk (opens in a new tab), the melted butter (opens in a new tab) and vanilla (opens in a new tab). The batter should be thin, like single cream. Rest it for 15 minutes.

    • 2 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat a lightly buttered frying pan (a crêpe pan is ideal). Pour in a small ladle of batter and swirl to coat the base thinly. Cook until the edges lift and the base is speckled golden, then flip and cook briefly.

    The first pancake is usually a test — adjust the heat and batter thickness after it.

    Batter being spread in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stack the pancakes as they are made. Serve sprinkled with sugar (opens in a new tab) and rolled up, or folded into quarters around jam (opens in a new tab) and whipped cream.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
Iceland · Commonly attributedThin pancakes are made across Europe; this vanilla-scented style is a fixture of Icelandic coffee tables.More food from Iceland
Dish
Snack · Dessert · Brunch · Desserts · Pastries
Cooking method
Pan-fried
Taste
sweet, buttery, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Egg · Milk · Sugar · Baking soda · Butter
Techniques
Pan-frying

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, butter, heavy cream
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

276 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 150 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 50%
  • Fat 38%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy276 kcal184 kcal
Protein8.3 g5.6 g
Carbohydrate34 g22.7 g
Net carbohydrate33.1 g22.1 g
Sugars8.8 g5.9 g
Added sugars4.2 g2.8 g
Fibre0.9 g0.6 g
Fat11.5 g7.7 g
Saturated fat6.5 g4.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol89 mg59 mg
Sodium265 mg178 mg
Salt equivalent0.7 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
175 mg
Calcium
114 mg
Iron
1.9 mg
Magnesium
18 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
123 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
1.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
109 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sugar, jam, heavy cream.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the pan hot enough that the batter sets lacy at the edges within seconds; lower it if the pancakes darken before the top is dry.

Common mistakes

  • Too thick a batter gives soft pancakes rather than the thin, lacy Icelandic style — thin it with milk.

Storage

  • Stack with baking paper between, wrap and refrigerate for 2 days or freeze for a month.

Reheating

  • Warm briefly in a dry pan.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 10 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Rest · about 15 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 25 min

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  4. Start to finish: about 50 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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