Deciding on the best pancake makers is going to be quite easy. However, since we’re talking about making pancakes, I also want to talk about making crepes. I absolutely want to recommend some of the best crepe makers, too.
I can never decide if I like pancakes or crepes best. Luckily, we can make both whenever we crave them.
Both these desserts are two of the best and easiest to make in the shortest amount of time, even if we have very large families to feed. And they’re made with ingredients that we have in the kitchen all the time. They’re among my favorites for comfort food. Followed by French toast.
A few days ago I did my research for the best waffle cone maker so that we can make ice cream cones at home.
Since I entered this road of talking about desserts, I thought it was time to search for the best pancake makers as well.
I’m not good at making complicated desserts but I can really nail simple and delicious desserts if I have the right tools for it. That’s why I also use my bread machine to make sweet things. Bread machine desserts are certainly a thing in my house.
But I can also make mini cheesecakes if I follow good recipes.
On the other hand, making box brownies is still my go-to option, if I want them to be perfect. If I make them from scratch, I’m not confident that I’ll get them to be both gooey and chewy.
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Best Pancake Makers Reviews
Is it necessary to search for the best pancake makers? Absolutely not. You can make them in a pan/deep skillet with a bit of butter. Or oil if you want less calories and the pan/skillet-cooked pancakes will be just perfect.
Or you can use a griddle. Some of you might definitely opt to get a griddle because it’s highly versatile. You can cook all kinds of foods on a griddle. We cannot say the same for the classic best pancake makers.
As long as you make a good batter, there’s no need for a machine to make this perfect sweet, soft and warm dessert.
Plus, the toppings we use are extremely important. We can make them both savory and sweet. A savory pancake breakfast or snack can be just the thing you and your family needed to switch things up a bit in the kitchen.
1. Dash Mini Maker for Pancakes, Cookies, Eggs: Overall the Best Pancake Maker
If you’re looking for the cheapest, best pancake maker, this Dash Mini Maker is the first one you should check out.
The Dash Mini has a price only a bit above $10. That’s impressively cheap.
Size
It’s very small, just as the mini suggests, but if you have a smaller family to feed, this appliance can work very well.
The size is 4 inches. It weighs just 1lb+.
The small size will take little counter space, it’s a good fit for small kitchens.
Just so that you can figure out just how small it is, you should know that a cracked egg will fill the surface of the Dash Mini Maker perfectly.
Well, you get the chance to make some of the most adorable pancakes.
Versatility
Besides pancakes, we can make individual servings for eggs, cookies, grilled cheese, etc.
I actually saw a picture of someone cooking a small beef tenderloin on it. I wouldn’t have expected that at all. But it’s awesome to see that people get to make the most of their Dash Mini Maker.
A user who lives in a small dorm studio with a very small kitchen loves the Dash Mini Maker. The review mentions that this tiny appliance makes the best eggs ever and it can also be used to heat bread and pizza slices that come out crunchy, fresh and delicious. The person also uses it to grill burgers and chopped meat.
Frankly, the more user reviews we read, the more we discover just how inventive people are with their appliances. I love it, especially when we’re talking about a model as cheap as this Dash.
Components
The most important components are the two nonstick surfaces. They’re made with PFOA-free TruGlide nonstick coating for less mess and easy cleaning.
We also get even baking, which is absolutely essential. And this Dash maker offers it.
Another component is the indicator light that turns off when the preheating is done.
We only get one temperature level, there’s no way to control the temperature.
It also comes with a recipe book and recipe database access. If you need inspiration, Dash provides it for you.
2. Cuisinart WAF-300P1 Belgian Waffle Maker with Pancake Plates
I absolutely love the Cuisinart WAF-300P1 Belgian Waffle Maker with Pancake Plates. There’s no doubt that I believe that it’s not only one of the best pancake makers at the moment but it’s also one of the best waffle makers. It’s a 2-in-1 thanks to its two plates.
Even though, at a price around $100, this Cuisinart model is not cheap, it’s still incredibly popular. And highly reviewed.
On the other hand, I totally understand if the price is a bit too much for some people.
But it will work well for small and medium families and even for big families, although it will take a bit longer if you have plenty of mouths to feed.
Overall, I would definitely qualify it as one of the best pancake makers for larger families, while the Dash Mini Maker for Pancakes, Cookies, Eggs remains one of the best and cheapest for single people and small families.
2 plates
This Cuisinart is both a pancake maker and a waffle maker because it comes with 2 different plates.
One is set of 4-slice Belgian waffle plates. So we can make 4 waffles. I also love the 1 inch deep batter pockets that will help us cook fluffy waffles.
The other component is the 4-slot pancake plate.
Of course, the plates are removable because otherwise the cooking of waffles and pancakes with the same appliance wouldn’t work.
They’re non-stick. Cuisinart mentions that they’re dishwasher safe. However, personally I wash them by hand because I want the non-stick coating to last for years to come.
Another thing I really love about the Cuisinart WAF-300P1 Belgian Waffle Maker with Pancake Plates is the 6 browning settings. I definitely love having an adjustable temperature control.
And I use silicone tongs, never metal on nonstick. Fortunately, if you don’t own a pair, Cuisinart includes tongs, which is nice. But we must also keep in mind that this is a quite expensive appliance.
It also comes with a recipe book included.
Recipes
On their website Cuisinart also has plenty of waffles and pancakes recipes.
The same recipes are also included in the user manual that comes with the Cuisinart WAF-300P1 Belgian Waffle Maker with Pancake Plates.
The recipes for pancakes include: traditional pancakes, blueberry sour cream pancakes, and multigrain pancakes.
They also have a recipe for breakfast sandwiches that can be cooked using the pancake plate. We can definitely also make sandwiches with the Cuisinart WAF-300P1 Belgian Waffle Maker with Pancake Plates, which is great.
The recipe on their website makes 4 sandwiches with bacon, egg mixture (whisked eggs with cream, salt and pepper in a liquid measuring cup), shredded cheese and toasted English butter.
The bacon is cooked on the pancake plates for about 2 minutes per side. Then the egg mixture is cooked for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes and shredded cheese is placed that is cooked for an additional 30 seconds.
You can also use the pancake plates to toast the English muffins a bit if you don’t have a toaster. And you can make 4 sandwiches in about 6-8 minutes.
3. Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
One of the best pancake makers is always going to be a cast iron skillet.
For those who don’t like electric appliances, who don’t need what Dash or Cuisinart offer in the form of appliances that can cook the batter for us, there’s a quite cheap alternative: the old-fashioned skillet.
And, I might say, a cast iron skillet will always be my favorite pick as one of the best pancake makers.
Plus, a skillet has more versatility than any other electric appliance. Of course, for those who don’t own a stovetop or at least a hot plate, using a skillet won’t work.
However, if you’re going camping and you want to make some pancakes, a cast iron skillet or even a Dutch oven, will work perfectly.
The Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is great if your budget is around $30.
And it’s just perfect if you want a pan that can cook almost anything from pancakes to chili to risotto to cooking rice to frying to sautéing, etc.. It will last a lifetime and then some.
Features
The main thing you need to think about before buying the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is which size would work best for you.
There’s the 10.25 inch and the 12 inch skillet. Also, Lodge also makes a 15 inch cast iron skillet if you want something even bigger.
Personally, I prefer the 12 inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet as one of the best pancake makers for me and my family.
I would say that you can cook three 3 inch pancakes at once. That means that you can move pretty fast, even if you have a few people to cook for.
If you cook just for you, then you might manage with a 10.25 inch skillet. It depends how many pancakes you want to cook and how patient you are.
The Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is incredibly versatile.
It can be used to sear, sauté, bake, broil, braise, fry or grill.
It will work on any stovetop, induction included. Plus, it can be used in the oven, on the stove, on the grill or over a campfire.
4. Cainfy Pancake Pan Maker: Best Pancake Mold Pan
The first thing I like about this pancake pan maker is the fact that it has 7 molds for pouring the batter in.
I absolutely love the fact that we can make multiple pancakes at the same time because no one wants to eat just 2-3 pancakes at the table. I need a tower until I’m satisfied.
The size of the molds is really good, it’s just right.
The pan has a 10.6 inches diameter and a 0.6 inch height.
Each of the 7 separate flapjacks measures 3.3 inches. The size of the Dash Mini Maker is 4 inches but that maker only makes one pancake at a time. With this pan we can make 7 at a time.
Including the bakelite handle, the total length of the pan is 19 inches.
The pan is made of die-cast aluminum alloy material. It’s both sturdy and lightweight.
Obviously, it’s non-stick. That is provided by the 3-layer environmental non-stick ceramic coating. It’s PTFE, PFOA, lead and cadmium free.
You still need to spray it a bit with nonstick cooking spray or dip a paper towel into a bit of oil and oil the cooking surfaces with the paper towel. Preheat for 5 to 10 minutes as well.
And it provides even baking. The aluminum alloy ensures maximum heat transfer for fast cooking of our pancakes.
You can use it to fry eggs, make omelets, scrambled eggs, blini.
A buyer mentioned in their review that they’re now making their own McMuffins at home at least twice a week. That’s definitely a dish you can keep in mind if you crave this dish often.
It’s also induction compatible.
5. Dash Deluxe Everyday Electric Griddle: Overall the Best Pancake Griddle
If you want to cook multiple ingredients at the same time for your breakfast or for any other meal of the day, then this electric griddle offers sufficient space for you to do that.
It can absolutely be one of the best pancake makers but it also works for cooking meats, eggs, burgers, bacon, vegetables, etc.
The cooking surface measures 20 x 10.5 inches. That’s a fairly big cooking surface.
It can fit 4 burger patties and 4 buns. That means that we can make a lot of pancakes on this surface.
It’s quite perfect for feeding a bigger crowd.
While the Dash Mini Maker is nice for single people or for families of two with limited kitchen space, the Dash Deluxe Everyday Electric Griddle is made for bigger families.
The PFOA-free, non-stick cooking plate surface is absolutely fantastic.
It provides even cooking, we’ll always get consistent results.
Moreover, we get an easy temp control to let us easily adjust the temperature for each of our dishes.
It’s also dishwasher-safe.
There’s also a drip tray to catch excess grease.
With a price slightly above $50, it’s not the cheapest griddle but, given its overall quality, the price is more than decent.
6. Chefman Electric Crepe Maker
You can definitely make crepes into any nonstick pan or cast iron pan that you have in the house.
However, if you’ve ever wanted a crepe maker that looks like the one professionals use, you should check out the Chefman Electric Crepe Maker.
I didn’t only pick this Chefman Crepe Maker because it’s one of the best without a doubt. But also because it’s very affordable.
It costs less than $30 so you don’t have to make a huge sacrifice if you’ve always wanted a professional-looking crepe maker.
Versatility
You won’t have to limit yourself to making only crepes on this plate. Pancakes work, too.
You can make on a commercial crepe maker everything that you would cook on a griddle.
That means we can cook eggs, omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon, sear meats, cook fish and sauté vegetables.
Of course, you can use the crepe maker for Asian savory dishes, too. You can make Chinese crepes and roti, which are two of my favorites.
If you already don’t own a griddle, you’re going to appreciate the Chefman Electric Crepe Maker once you get used to it.
Components
It’s made from aluminum, which means that it heats up quickly and evenly.
The cooking surface measures 12 inches, we get enough space. Obviously, it’s nonstick.
I love that we get temperature control. A control knob lets us adjust the temperature exactly the way we want it to be.
At 1000 watts, this is the most powerful appliance among these reviews for the best pancake makers.
The package also includes a batter spreader and spatula. It’s a complete set.
7. Victoria Cast Iron Pan
I guess it’s time to review a cast iron pan, too. Plenty of people are going to love that it’s made of cast iron because it has the potential to last for a lifetime if we season it well.
This is described as pizza, crepe pan. It’s also a dosa, tori, tawa, budare pan.
If you’ll read the reviews, you’ll see that there are plenty of people who use this Victoria Cast Iron Pan as a dosa pan and they love it.
The price is not the cheapest but we get a high quality cast iron pan that has a lot of versatility. There are so many dishes we can cook with the help of this flat cast iron surface.
We can make both pancakes and crepes but we can make a multitude of savory dishes, too. Frankly, the only thing that will stop us is our unwillingness to learn new recipes or lack of time.
We also get to choose from 2 sizes: 12 inch and 15 inch.
You might think that the 15 inch size is too big but this is the most popular choice. Almost everyone goes for the 15 inch Victoria Cast Iron Pan.
It is usable in all kitchens: gas, electric, induction, oven, camping, frill, etc.
The loop handle is another nice touch, especially if you want to use it in the oven often.
Ready to use
It’s described as being seasoned and ready to use.
The manufacturer mentioned that they seasoned it with 100% non-GMO flaxseed oil for a natural easy-release seasoning that gets even better with time.
However, a user review mentioned that we have to be a bit patient in the beginning and season it for a couple of weeks. After that, we can cook the best dosa, pancakes, crepes and whatever else we want to make.
A lot of people love baking pizza on this cast iron pan, too. Another model similar to this Victoria Cast Iron Pan is the Lodge 15 Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Pizza Pan. Get whichever is cheapest when we’re ready to make your purchase.
Best Pancake Makers Buying Guide
Let’s see what we must keep in mind when looking for the best pancake makers.
Price
The price for these machines can be quite all over the place.
You can buy one for less than $15, like it’s the case with the Dash Mini Maker for Pancakes, Cookies, Eggs
If your budget is around $100 and you want to make both waffles and pancakes with the same appliance, then you’re going to enjoy what the Cuisinart WAF-300P1 Belgian Waffle Maker with Pancake Plates. This the most expensive choice among my recommendations for the best pancake makers.
Of course, the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet remains the classic choice. This is one of the most versatile pieces of cookware we could ever buy. And it will last longer than us. It can be used by generations.
Or you can buy a pan maker that costs a bit under $30, like the Cainfy Pancake Pan Maker.
You can also get a griddle for pancakes and for cooking a wide variety of foods. The griddle is an awesome idea if you’re looking for versatility.
Plus, griddles can be quite affordable. It’s possible to buy a $20 griddle but there are also models that cost $50 or more.
Moreover, you should make sure that you have enough space in your kitchen for them.
Nonstick plates/cooking surface
The nonstick factor is absolutely essential for cooking perfect, fluffy pancakes and for cleaning everything in a minute.
Moreover, you can use a nonstick cooking spray or run a paper towel dipped in oil over the cooking surface.
Even cooking
We want pancakes that look perfect all over and that are cooked evenly.
The purpose of using the best pancake makers is to get cooking appliances or surfaces that don’t burn the food on one side until the other side is cooked enough to be edible.
Pancakes vs Swedish pancakes vs French crepes
Pancakes are the traditional ones that you grew up eating. These are the fluffy, sweet, warm clouds that we serve with maple syrup. But we can also add a lot of other toppings if we want to keep things interesting.
When we reviewed the best pancake makers, those were intended for making this dessert.
Pancakes are smaller in diameter, a lot fluffier and they look completely different from Swedish pancakes and French crepes.
In order to get them fluffy, the batter for pancakes includes a raising agent – baking powder and/or baking soda. There are many recipes that add both baking powder and baking soda.
We don’t add any rising agent into the batter for crepes or Swedish pancakes.
Swedish pancakes vs French crepes
Swedish pancakes and French crepes look pretty much identical. I also reviewed a professional-looking the best crepe makers in case you are more into this thin-sheet dessert.
Swedish pancakes and French crepes are almost see-through, although there are a few tiny differences between these two European desserts.
Crepes and Swedish pancakes are made from varying proportions of sugar, a pinch of salt, eggs, milk or water, butter and all purpose flour or whatever flour you have in the pantry.
Swedish pancakes are slightly different due to their rich batter. The batter contains more eggs and butter and it’s lower in flour content. That results in some light, fluffy and airy crepes. It’s certainly a more decadent, richer dessert than the usual crepes we’re accustomed to eating.
French crepes are thinner, denser and less sweet. Barely any sugar can be felt. They’re more neutral tasting but I love that because you can focus on the toppings. In that respect, French crepes can be similar to some waffle cones.
Obviously, we can make the batters sweeter by just adding more sugar, if more sweetness is what we want.
The batter for crepes is runny, almost liquid, so that it can be easily spread into a pan or on a crepe maker into a thin sheet. No one wants to eat thick crepes, they must give an ethereal impression.
If you don’t want to spend money on a crepe maker, you can use whatever pan you have in the house, just make sure that it is non-stick. A very good non-stick pan is all you need for Swedish pancakes and French crepes.
Obviously, a griddle can only be used to make fluffy pancakes, which are made from a batter that is not runny. It doesn’t work for crepes.
Is waffle mix and pancake mix the same?
In theory, you could use the same batter to make both pancakes and waffles. You’ll definitely be satisfied with the results.
If you heat up both your pancake maker and waffle maker at the same time and you want to cook both desserts for your family, then I frankly recommend using the same batter so that you don’t get confused about which batter mix goes into which maker.
Otherwise, I recommend using a different mix for making these two.
The thing is that people tend to make the waffle batter with more sugar, butter and eggs so that it tastes richer thanks to the higher fat content
If you are the opposite of that and you tend to avoid adding more sugar, butter and eggs to your recipes, then you can use the same mix for making both waffles and pancakes.
Another thing that these two fabulous desserts have in common is that they both taste better when buttermilk is used, at least that’s the way I see it.
However, for waffles, you can mix buttermilk and milk because buttermilk waffles might be more flavorful but they also tend to be less crispy because the batter is thicker. Obviously, it’s all a matter of preferences.
Buttermilk pancakes are fluffier because the acid in buttermilk kickstarts the baking soda. They’re also soft and moist, with a fine and tender crumb. I highly recommend making some buttermilk pancakes after choosing the best pancake maker to cook them for you.
