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Kaiserschmarrn is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover pancakes! Topped with homemade cinnamon sugar, this easy breakfast idea is perfect for lazy weekend mornings.
If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you’ll know that I like to find ways to use up leftovers. Sometimes that means using stale chips to make chilaquiles or migas. Other times it may be using cooked rice to make rice pudding. Today, we are using leftover pancakes to make Kaiserschmarrn!
Why You’ll Love This Kaiserschmarrn Recipe
- Super easy. This recipe is so simple it hardly needs instructions. Just warm pancake pieces in a pan with melted butter and cinnamon sugar. That’s literally it!
- Uses up leftovers. This is a fun and tasty way to use up extra pancakes!
- Kids love it. I mean, what’s not to love about fluffy pancake pieces tossed with cinnamon sugar?
What is Kaiserschmarrn?
Kaiserschmarrn is shredded pancakes that are caramelized in butter and sugar. “Kaiserschmarrn” means “Emperor’s Mess” and this dish gets its name from Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, who loved shredded pancakes. “Kaiser” means “emperor” and “schmarren” means “scrambled or shredded.”
Kaiserschmarrn is usually served with raisins and a dusting of confectioners sugar, but you can use any kind of fruit or pancake topping. When I make Kaiserschmarrn I like to use cinnamon sugar and then put maple syrup and fresh fruit on the table for serving. This may not be 100% traditional, but it’s the way my grandmother always made it and this way everyone can choose their preferred fixings. 🙂
How to Make Kaiserschmarrn
You can prepare pancakes from scratch as part of making Kaiserschmarrn, but I prefer to use leftover pancakes. Here are some pancakes recipes I like to use:
Once you have you pancakes ready, then just do the following:
- Tear the pancakes into pieces. Set the pieces aside.
- Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Add the cinnamon sugar. Stir things about until the sugar has melted. This will take about a minute.
- Lastly, add in your pancake pieces. Cook everything for 4-5 minutes, just until the pancakes are heated through and well coated with the sugary butter. That’s it!
Serve kaiserschmarrn with your favorite pancake toppings, like maple syrup, jam, fresh fruit. You can even sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top if you want a bit of crunch to contrast with the soft pancakes pieces.
More Breakfast Ideas
That’s about it! If you would like to see more of my breakfast recipes, here are some of my favs:
Kaiserschmarrn
Ingredients
- 4 pancakes
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon Sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Maple syrup, or other preferred pancake toppings
Instructions
Prepare the Pancakes
- Make your pancakes, or you can use leftover pancakes for this recipe. (I like to use leftover pancakes.) Tear the pancakes into pieces of your preferred size. I have several pancake recipes that work well for Kaiserschmarrn:
Make the Kaiserschmarrn
- Melt the butter. In a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Add the cinnamon sugar. Stir it into the melted butter until the sugar has melted, about 1 minute.
- Add the pancake pieces. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to coat the pancakes and let the sugar caramelize over the pancake bits, about 4-5 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite pancake toppings. I recommend whipped cream and maple syrup.
I had leftover Paleo pikelets that I made using coconut oil and my kids didn’t like them. But I didn’t want to throw them out. Just made your recipe using them and the kids loved it. They used plain greek Yoghurt and berries as a topping. Yum!
Oh I love the idea of making kaiserschmarrn with pikelets! I’m happy you and the kiddos enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
I had never heard of this dish! It sounds easy, quick and delicious. I wished I had known about this when my kids were growing up! But I will make this with the leftover pancakes I have in my freezer for my grandkids! Thanks for sharing!
I hope you all enjoy them! If you put out a bunch of toppings everyone can customize their kaiserschmarrn too. I like to put out syrup, whipped cream and an assortment of fresh fruit. 😀