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Aebleskiver is a delicious Danish treat that my husband introduced to me when we got married. It’s like a doughnut hole and a pancake rolled into one perfect, poppable treat!
I love æbleskiver because it tastes so good, but I also love it because it’s so easy! You can make it in under 30 minutes and you can do it with ingredients that you probably already have on hand. If you haven’t tried Aebleskiver yet, give them a shot! These are great for entertaining guests on game nights when you’re trying to be fancy but don’t have time to cook anything else.
What is Aebleskiver?
Aebleskiver, or Danish pancakes, or Danish pancake balls, are little snack desserts that are spherical, cooked, dough balls that have a similar consistency to pancakes in the United States. They taste like a combination of a doughnut and waffles or pancakes. The name “Aebleskiver” directly translated means “apple slices,” because traditionally they are cooked with apple slices in the middle. We love having Aebleskiver around Christmas time (as do many Danes) but of course you can enjoy it ANY time of year!
A True Danish Favorite
This is a TRUE Danish recipe straight from Denmark. My husband lived in Denmark for a couple years and he fell in love with all the Danish food and rich traditions. He always loved visiting with the Danes who graciously shared their family recipes with him, including this one. Aebleskiver are typically made in the home (you don’t usually find them in restaurants), and eaten as a delicious casual treat during the Christmas season. Right down my alley!
When we started dating, my husband was so excited to make these for me. After I popped the first one, I was hooked. Once we got married, it quickly became one of our own family traditions to make aebleskiver on Christmas Eve and throughout the Christmas season.
Ingredients in Danish Aebleskiver
Despite it being a Danish recipe, you can easily find all the ingredients anywhere. Here’s all you need:
- Eggs – you’ll need to divide the egg whites and egg yolks in separate bowls
- Flour – regular all purpose flour works great.
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter – melted. Set aside some for greasing the pan, and some for the recipe.
- Buttermilk – you can make your own buttermilk mixture by combining regular milk with a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Give it a good whisk and you have buttermilk!
What Do You Need To Make Aebleskiver?
You will need a good cast-iron aebleskiver pan to make these. Thankfully, aebleskiver pans really aren’t that hard to find. We found several types of these pans on Amazon for around $20. These make for GREAT gifts, by the way. For easy flipping, you can use skewers, chopsticks (the easiest way), or a fork. Traditionally, a long knitting needle is used to flip the aebleskiver, but just use whatever you have on hand. I usually use a chopstick, and it works great.
How to Flip Aebleskiver
Flipping aebleskiver isn’t difficult, but it takes a little practice to get the technique down. Pour a couple tablespoons of batter into each cup and as soon as they get bubbly around the edge, flip them over using a chopstick, knitting needle, wooden skewer, or even a fork. Continue cooking, turning the ball until it is golden brown all the way around and is cooked through like a pancake. It might take a couple tries to get the feel for it, but once you do, you will be flippin’ aebleskiver like it’s nobody’s business!
Aebleskiver Filling Ideas
You can always serve æbleskiver plain, but in my opinion it is best when you add a filling to it. It’s actually the most traditional way of making them. I love having a little surprise inside! A little bit of filling (about 1 teaspoon) can be added to the pancake right after adding the batter to the pan. Here are some tasty filling ideas:
- Apple – fresh apple slices are the most traditional filling for aebleskiver. After all, as mentioned above, æbleskiver means “apple slices”. Just put a piece of apple into the batter after pouring it into the pan. You can also use a tiny bit of apple pie filling or applesauce.
- Jam (any kind of berry jam works great)
- Pie filling
- Lemon curd
- Fresh berries
- Chocolate chips
- Nutella or peanut butter
- Cream cheese (or any other cheese for a more savory filling)
Toppings for Aebleskiver
There are so many toppings to eat on top of these fluffy little bites. We love raspberry jam and powdered sugar but here are some other ideas and variations to try:
- Chocolate sauce
- Maple syrup
- Strayberry syrup
- Honey butter
- Fresh raspberries or strawberries
- Whipped cream
- Apple butter
- Pumpkin Butter
- Yogurt Syrup
- … or any of our other delicious homemade syrup recipes!
The Authentic Danish Way
Traditionally, aebleskiver is served as a dessert. If you really want to be traditional, once you have the batter in the pan, place a little apple slice in the batter before flipping (so you have a hot apple center). Our favorite way of serving them is with raspberry jam and powdered sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Possibly, but it will be much more hassle and effort to get the same results, than just using an aebleskiver pan. Aebleskiver pans, with their round-bottomed holes, help the aebleskiver to cook with evenly-disbursed heat and to keep their proper round shape and consistency. These pans are widely available online (such as on Amazon) and in major retail stores (such as Target and Walmart).
Aebleskiver are traditionally eaten as a warm dessert, dipped in powdered sugar and with a side of jam. They are also excellent with syrup, nutella, or any other favorite sweet topping.
When flipping aebleskiver, it is easiest to use a long utensil such as a knitting needle, crochet hook, chop stick, or even a barbecue skewer. Depending on how hot the pan is, you might do just one flip or quarter flips, to ensure consistent cooking and to prevent a raw, doughy center. It may take a little practice to get the flip technique down, but it is all about the proper flick of the wrist!
More Traditional Danish Recipes
If you are Danish, have Danish heritage, or just want to try out some tasty recipes from Denmark, give these other traditional recipes a try!
How to Make Aebleskiver
Aebleskiver
Equipment
- Aebleskiver pan
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs divided into egg whites and egg yolks in separate bowls
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoon butter melted
- 2 cups buttermilk
- melted butter for greasing pan
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, egg yolks, 4 Tbsp. melted butter and buttermilk and beat until smooth.
- Gently fold in the egg whites last.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom of each aebleskiver pan cup with melted butter and heat over medium heat until hot.
- Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each cup. As soon as they get bubbly around the edge, flip them over (In Denmark they typically use a knitting needle to flip, but you can use a chopstick or a fork).
- Continue cooking, turning the ball until is is golden brown all the way around and is cooked through (like a pancake). It might take a couple tries to get the feel for it, but once you do you will be flippin' aebleskiver like it's nobody's business!
- Serve with jam or syrup and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
We love these with icing sugar, syrup and jam, and have started experimenting with adding apples and cinnamon or orange zest and chocolate chips. Might try lemon zest and cranberry next! 🙂
if you do not have the pan can you prepare like a pancake and then roll them
These were great! We “stuff” ours with a few chocolate chips for a sweet treat.
So it is true that the æbleskiver is called that because of apple slice in it however that (the modern) style of æbleskiver has not traditionally had apple in it. The ones that had apple in it are much older (18th/19th century) and more like a fritter where an apple slice is dipped in batter and then deep fried. Usually in pig lard.
Perfect!
This is so delicious and so yummy! I can’t wait to make these again! My family loved them!
Loving these sweet little treat ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Aebleskiver is the best. Our restaurant in Solvang sell Aebleskiver year round and our online store can help you with all the supplies you need for Aebleskiver. We even have a delicious homemade jam (Bedstermor’s Raspberry Jam) https://www.solvangrestaurant.com/ You can find us on pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/solvangrestaurant/pins/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWNuoF-YJsfyxlfMDOuKkSA/playlists
instagram @solvangrestaurant Facebook @solvangrestaurant
A picture of the special pan would be good. Where do you buy a pan? There is a tradition of adding sliced thinly or cubed cut apples. What kind of apples?
I think the direct translation is Apple Slices
Here is a link to what the pan looks like: https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Nonstick-Stuffed-Aebleskiver-Ebelskiver/dp/B000ZUAFL4
Usually pink lady or honey crisp apples are my favorite to cook with!
I know they sell the pans at Williams Sonoma. But Amazon is good too
Here is a terrific video on how to properly make Aebleskiver.
https://youtu.be/xWxISl1dpyI
Thanks for sharing our video. We are hoping to update it soon. We also have a website and sell pans and Aebleskiver mix. https://www.solvangrestaurant.com/
I am married to a Dane and love these little treats! My mother-in-law gave me the pan as a gift many years ago. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
We make Aebleskivers. We love them in the summer with fresh strawberries and whipped cream on top. My parents made them for us and they gave each of us pans so that we were able to make them for our kids.
~Cheryl
Aww… my grandma used to make these, and then my dad a few times. I’ll have to go find a pan so I can make it for my boys. Thanks!!
I THINK MAYBE YOU BAKE THESE, OR DEEP FRY BUT NOT SURE, NO INSTRUCTION, WHAT TEMPERATURE? I HAVE HAD THEM MANY YEARS AGO IN A DANISH RESTUARANT IN VISALIA CA DELICIOUS!
These are cooked on top of the stove in a special pan.