Name: Aebleskiver Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Danish
Ingredients: Butter or oil for greasing the pan; 2 cups all purpose flour; 2 tablespoon white sugar; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional); 2 cups buttermilk; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; chocolate chips; chopped apples, sautéed in a little butter to soften; Jam or preserves; Powdered sugar; Jam

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Aebleskiver (pronounced eb-el-skee-ver) are spherical pancakes from Denmark. Fun to make and extremely fun to eat, aebleskiver are popular in Denmark, especially around the Christmas Holidays when they're sprinkled with powdered sugar and served for breakfast or dessert. Aebleskiver are a wonderful holiday treat and the aebleskiver pan makes a great holiday gift!

silver platter with chocolate filled aebleskiver pancake balls

Do you remember the first time you were struck with the magic of cooking? For me it was the first time I made scrambled eggs. I remember being totally mesmerized as I watched the goopy yellow liquid almost instantly transform as it hit the hot pan. I wanted to make scrambled eggs for everyone - all the time.

That's how I feel about making aebleskiver. It's like magic the way they form into perfect spheres.

Aebleskiver resemble regular pancakes in color and texture, but they're balls. You may wonder how? How is this possible? Let me show you - you're going to love making these!

platter of Danish aebleskiver pancake balls sprinkled with powdered sugar

The Magic of the Aebleskiver Pan

To make these fluffy Danish pancake balls, you're going to need three things:

The Pan: A heavy cast-iron Aebleskiver Pan with half-sphere indentations.
The Tools: Two long, pointy knitting needles or bamboo skewers to maneuver the batter in the pan.
The Finesse: The "quarter-turn" technique that forms the pancake balls.

How To Make Aebleskiver: Step-By-Step

1. Prepare the Batter

Our traditional aebleskiver batter uses a mix of flour, buttermilk, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, vanilla, and a hint of cardamom for that authentic Scandinavian flavor.

2. Heat and Fill

Heat up your aebleskiver pan, add butter or oil to each indentation and then pour batter into each hole, almost to the top.

showing how to pour batter into an aebleskiver pan to fill the depressions almost up to the top

Show an aebleskiver pan with the holes all filled with batter

3. Add Fillings, Optional

This is where you can get creative! Traditional Danish aebleskiver often feature a slice of apple, but you can use:

Sweet: Chocolate chips, raspberry jam, or Nutella.
Savory: A small cube of havarti or a bit of ham or cooked sausage.

How to fill them: Just after adding the batter to the pan, drop your filling into the center of each pancake. Then, "plop" a small bit of extra batter over the top. This seals the filling inside so it doesn’t slip out when you turn the batter to form the ball.

Show how to add a filling to the raw aebleskiver batter in the pan.

Showing how to spoon a small blob of aebleskiver batter over the filling to seal it in.

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4. The "Quarter Turn" Technique

This is the "magic" part of the recipe. Once the batter sets and crisps up on the bottom (usually about 1 minute), it’s time to turn:

Grip: Use your knitting needles or skewers to gently grab the aebleskiver from opposite sides.
Turn: Slide the batter (the crisped up part) it to make a quarter turn. You'll see some raw batter spill out into the hot pan—don't worry, this is exactly what you want! That batter firms up to create the next section of the sphere.
Repeat: Repeat the "quarter turn" two more times until you have a perfect pancakeball!

Showing how to form aebleskiver using two pointy knitting needles to turn the batter in the pan to form spheres.

Showing how aebleskivers look after the first quarter turn, with a part that looks sperical and some raw batter pouring out from each partial sphere, into the hot pan.

Serving Suggestions: Make festive Aebleskiver for the holidays!

Here are some ways to serve them:

For Breakfast: Set them out on a platter and sprinkle them with powdered sugar and/or serve them with a side of raspberry or strawberry jam
For Dessert: Though aebleskiver make a fun breakfast, if you really want to embrace Danish tradition, serve these around the holidays for dessert and wash them down with mugs of steaming Gløgg.

close up of a plate of aebleskiver with the one in the front cut in half, showing its chocolate filling

overhead looking down into a silver square platter topped with 10 aebleskiver dusted with powdered sugar, and a small bowl of strawberry jam to the side

The kitchen is such a great place to experiment and create exciting things. Aebleskivers are very exciting things! If you're interested, you can Purchase an Aebleskiver Pan on Amazon. It makes a great holiday gift!

Once you have an Aebleskiver Pan you may also want to try this delicious recipe for Savory Potato Aebleskivers It's a fantastic appetizer recipe. And if you have anyone with dietary restrictions you'll be happy to know that they're gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free.

If you try this Aebleskiver recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Recipe

Aebleskiver Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Author: Lisa Goldfinger
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 8-10 1x

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Description

Festive Danish pancake balls, plain or stuffed with chocolate, apples or jam. Traditional for Christmas breakfast and dessert. Aebleskiver are incredibly delicious and they're also super fun to make with the whole family!

Ingredients

Units Scale

Equipment: A cast iron aebleskiver pan. A pair of pointed knitting needles or two long bamboo skewers.

Butter or oil for greasing the pan

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

Wet Ingredients

2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional Fillings

chocolate chips
chopped apples, sautéed in a little butter to soften
Jam or preserves

Topping

Powdered sugar
Jam

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Instructions

Prepare the Batter:

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.
Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
Combine: Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Pro Tip: For the fluffiest results, be sure to use the batter within 10 minutes of mixing.

Cook The Aebleskiver:

Preheat the Pan: Heat your cast iron aebleskiver pan over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes. Add about ¼ teaspoon of butter or oil to each indentation.
Add Batter: Once the butter bubbles, pour batter into each hole, filling it almost to the top.
Optional Filling: If using a filling, spoon ¼ to ½ teaspoon of filling into the center of each round. Then "Plop" a tiny bit of extra batter over the top to seal the filling in.
The First Turn: When the batter bubbles at the edges (about 1 minute), use your needles to gently grab the aebleskiver on both sides and coax it into a ¼ turn. It should turn easily. As you turn the firmed-up bottom section, you will see some raw batter spill out into the hot pan—this is the secret to the sphere! That liquid batter will cook against the pan to form the next part of the ball.
Form the Sphere: Cook for 20–30 seconds, then make another ¼ turn. Repeat this until you have a perfect ball cooked on all sides. Adjust your heat as needed to prevent burning.
Test for Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center; if it comes out clean, they are ready!
Serve: Arrange the warm aebleskiver on a platter. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and serve with jam on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

Buy the Aebleskiver pan online
Make these ahead and freeze them: Aebleskiver pancakes freeze well. Freeze them in an airtight container and reheat them on a baking tray in a 325ºF oven for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Category: Breakfast or Dessert
Method: stove top
Cuisine: Danish

This post was first published on November 17, 2013. It has been updated with lots of improvements: clearer written instructions in the recipe card, more helpful explanations of the technique to make aebleskivers, and higher quality images. The same delicious recipe!

Aebleskiver: Danish Pancake Balls

The Magic of the Aebleskiver Pan