Gluten Free Dutch Baby

This five ingredient gluten free Dutch baby is an easy, delicious dairy free breakfast recipe with an impressive presentation.

My family loves pancakes and waffles for breakfast during the weekend. When we’re in a hurry, we take a shortcut and make this Dutch baby instead.

Also called a puff pancake or German pancake, a Dutch baby is similar to a giant popover. It’s baked in a preheated skillet in a hot oven. Big air pockets develop while it bakes, giving it a dramatic presentation. The air pockets deflate a bit as the Dutch baby cools, and the final product has a texture that’s crispy in parts and custard-like in others.

Why Is It Called Dutch Baby?

This dish is actually German, not Dutch. According to popular belief, many years ago a restaurant in Seattle put a small (“baby”) version of a German pancake on their menu. Apparently the restaurant owner’s daughter mispronounced “Deutsch” (which means “German”) as “Dutch,” and the name stuck. Nowadays, you can find a Dutch baby on many menus in Seattle, as well as other parts of the country.

Gluten Free Dutch Baby Tips

For best results, bring the ingredients to room temperature before making the batter.

When you add the flour to the wet ingredients, gently stir the mixture to break up most of the flour chunks. Don’t overmix the batter. It’s okay to have some small pockets of flour left in the batter.

Preheat the skillet in the oven while you’re preparing the ingredients. Then once everything is ready, add the coconut oil to the skillet and swirl it up the sides as it melts.

This gluten free Dutch baby is also dairy free. If you’d prefer a dairy version, you can substitute butter and cow’s milk for the coconut oil and coconut milk. You can use regular flour instead of gluten free flour, but I haven’t had success using whole wheat flour in this dish.

This recipe makes 4 modest servings. You can also double the recipe and bake it in a larger skillet if you’re serving a crowd.

Gluten Free Dutch Baby

This five ingredient gluten free Dutch baby is an easy, delicious breakfast recipe with an impressive presentation.

$.88 per serving

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Annemarie Rossi

Ingredients

• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 3/4 cup coconut milk or other milk of choice
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. 
  
  
• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and salt. Add the flour and mix to combine.
• Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add the coconut oil to the pan and let it melt. Tilt the skillet to coat the sides with the coconut oil.
• Pour the pancake mixture into the hot skillet and place it in the oven.
  
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until parts are puffed above the rim of the skillet and the pancake is beginning to brown.
• Serve warm with fruit and/or maple syrup. It will flatten after a few minutes.
  

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Joy of Cooking.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 272kcal

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Price Breakdown

This gluten free Dutch baby recipe costs $1.77 to make, or $.88 per serving. Try this easy breakfast recipe on a busy morning.

Check out my vanilla waffles for another easy, delicious breakfast recipe.

Note: This post was originally published in 2013, and it was updated in 2019.