What Are Japanese Soufflé Pancakes?!: A Delicious Look Into These Fluffy Stacks of Joy

Sinking my teeth into a fluffy, light, pillowy Japanese soufflé pancake is what I imagine a cloud with a rainbow going through it would taste like.

Japanese soufflé pancakes aren’t just any pancakes, you see. They are soft, jiggling towers of joy that combine the comforting flavors of traditional pancakes with the elevated softness of a soufflé. They swept Japan by storm in the 2000s, but didn’t catch on in the US until the late 2010s. (Some say Japan is living in the future, but this is case in point that perhaps everyone else is just living in the past.)

But what exactly are Japanese soufflé pancakes and how did they come to be? Let’s dive in!

First things first, how are Japanese Soufflé pancakes made?

Top-tier soufflé pancakes begin with meticulously whipping eggs whites and sugar until a stiff merengue forms. The merengue is delicately folded into the rest of the batter, then layered onto a griddle that’s precisely 300ºF (150ºC).

Once the batter is on the griddle, a lid is put over the pancakes to create a steaming effect to ensure the pancakes cook through without burning the bottom. Low and slow is the name of the game, and the perfect pancake will take anywhere from 15-20minutes to cook.

The process is a science, but the toppings are an art. From fresh strawberries and cream to
caramelized banana with chocolate sauce and gelato, various shops will get creative in their soufflé pancake options on offer.

Two particularly unique stacks I’ve enjoyed were a Sakura cream with azuki beans from A Happy Pancake and a cinnamon bun pancake stack from Hawaiian Merengue Café and Restaurant, both in Yokohama.

The later was, dare I say, life changing. It featured 3 perfectly fluffy, not too eggy-tasting, pancakes that were smothered in a decadent cinnamon cream cheese sauce. What was utterly wowing was the fact that the pancakes had a cinnamon sugar center that tasted like the ooey gooey center of a cinnamon bun– the “tenderloin”, as my dad would say.

Okay…. but who even invented soufflé pancakes?

Despite the name, Japanese soufflé pancakes actually originated in Hawaii.

The most widely accepted origin story begins with Chef Nathan Tran, the head chef at Cream Pot inWaikiki. Story goes that Chef Tran opened up Cream Pot, a French-countryside-style restaurant, in 2008, and the majority of his customers were Japanese tourists. They kept requesting pancakes, but Chef Tran wasn’t a fan of the American breakfast staple. He did, however, love souffle. He merged the two to create fluffy, light, soufflé pancakes that became a mega hit with his Japanese patrons.

This isn’t too dissimilar from the Cronut origin story, which you can read about HERE!

In an interview, Chef Tran says that Japanese entrepreneurs approached him asking for franchise opportunities. He said no, but they didn’t listen. Tran said, “Then they started doing it in Japan. … Some of the Japanese chefs starting to copy it, it was kind of shameful how they did it. They claimed to create it.” 

Copy cats popped up across Japan, and they became a full blown sensation across the country.

A few blogs beg to differ…

Some people credit the invention of soufflé pancakes to Jerry and Jan Fukuaga. They were the founders of Eggs ‘N Things in Honolulu in 1974—a famous breakfast spot that has since opened numerous locations across Japan. While I haven’t been to an Egg ‘N Things, the pancakes in photos online look like American pancakes, not soufflé pancakes.

A few blogs also credit the invention to chefs in Japan. But I couldn’t find any names, locations, or sources are used to substantiate the claim.

So for now, I thing we can give Chef Train credit for inventing this delectable breakfast item!

Japanese soufflé pancakes are a labor of love, but patience is rewarded with an epic stack of deliciousness that’s well worth the wait.