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7 best pancake pans for a flipping good crepe on Pancake Day and beyond

Worried your usual model won’t live up to Shrove Tuesday? Pick up one of these tested ones instead

Stacey Smith
Tuesday 01 March 2022 09:42 GMT
Choose from electric models to fun stencil designs
Choose from electric models to fun stencil designs (The Independent)
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Making the perfect pancake couldn’t be easier. It requires just three ingredients, flour, milk and eggs. But this year we predict we’re going to see lots of TikTok-inspired variations on the old classics.

Whether you’re a purist, who likes nothing more than lemon and sugar, a sweet tooth who slathers theirs in Nutella, or a gourmand who takes inspiration from France, with layers of ham and cheese, first things first – you need a decent pan in which to make it. 

We’ve found pans starting from just £7.99, and with many also ideal for making omelettes too – they’re a lot more versatile than you think.

You could use a regular pan, however, the ones designed specifically for pancakes tend to be much thinner and have a little lip, giving you the best chance of completing the perfect flip. Most will have a non-stick coating – just add a few ladles of your pancake mixture (homemade, or shop bought, we’re not here to judge), and either tilt your pan so it fills the surface evenly or use a wooden spreader (some of the models below have one included). 

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Then, wait until you start to see little bubbles appear and the edges starting to turn up. This is when your pancake is ready to flip. Another 30 seconds on the other side and you’re ready for the fillings!

 Of course, it’s not just traditional crepes that can be made in these pans, you could also try a fluffy American stack, Japanese “cloud” pancakes, or Russian blinis. 

It’s generally pretty easy to make vegan-friendly batter if required, and you can also add herbs and seasoning to the mix if you’re going down the savoury route. So whether you’re making them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, for kids or adults, these are the best pancake pans to get you started…

The best pancake pans for 2022 are:

  • Best overall – Staub cast iron pancake pan with wooden handle 28cm: £89.95, Zwilling-shop.com
  • Best electric pancake maker – Lakeland electric pancake and crepe maker 38cm: £39.99, Lakeland.co.uk
  • Best lightweight pan – Lakeland forged aluminium crepe pan 25cm: £19.99, Lakeland.co.uk
  • Best for scotch pancakes – De Buyer Mineral B Blini Pan 12cm: £18.99, Souschef.co.uk
  • Best for durability – Fiskars hard face pancake pan 24cm: £54.80, Nordicnest.com
  • Best for omelettes – MasterClass pancake frying pan 24cm: £12.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best pour-in stencil – Aldi smiley face pancake pan: £7.99, Aldi.co.uk

Staub cast iron pancake pan with wooden handle 28cm

Staub cast iron pancake pan with wooden handle 28cm.jpg
  • Best: Overall
  • Size: 28cm
  • Handle: Wooden

Ok, so it’s not cheap, but when you feel the weight behind this well-made pan, you’ll understand why. Crafted from cast iron, the heat is evenly dispersed, resulting in perfectly cooked pancakes every time. It has an elegant dark wooden handle and comes with a handy wooden spatula and “spreader” to move the pancake mixture around (essential for thin crepes!). We were impressed when we put it to the test, although some might feel the weightiness makes flipping the pancake a little hard. 

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Lakeland electric pancake and crepe maker 38cm

Lakeland electric pancake and crepe maker 38cm.jpg
  • Best: Electric pancake maker
  • Size: 38cm
  • Handle: N/A

It’s not technically a pan, but for professional pancakes every time, we think this might be one better. This electric gadget heats quickly and comes with two non-stick plates. The first makes a big 38cm crepe and the other creates seven mini (9.5cm) pancakes. It comes with a plastic ladle, wooden spatula and spreader, and there’s a recipe book to get you started. The non-slip feet ensure it’s nice and sturdy on the kitchen counter, the only downside is, it’s a little bulky to store.

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Lakeland forged aluminium crepe pan 25cm

Lakeland forged aluminium crepe pan 25cm.jpg
  • Best: Lightweight pan
  • Size: 25cm
  • Handle: Bakelite

Made from lightweight forged aluminium, we found this one nice and easy to manoeuvre when flipping our creations. The non-stick pan felt reliably effective and the 25cm size is ideal for making crepes the size of most dinner plates. The cool-touch handle was also reassuring, and it can also go straight in the oven, ideal if you’re keeping your stack warm. There’s currently money off this pan, making it a particularly worthwhile investment.

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De Buyer mineral B blini pan 12cm

De Buyer Mineral B Blini Pan 12cm.jpg
  • Best: Scotch pancakes
  • Size: 12cm
  • Handle: Sheet iron

It’s a bit niche but we couldn’t resist including this elegant blini pan. It measures just 12cm across, making it ideal for cute starters or a stack of fluffy scotch pancakes for decadent brunch dishes. You could also use it for perfectly round fried eggs! It uses an innovative beeswax non-stick coating, but still requires a decent amount of butter or oil to work properly and keep your batter well lubricated. We really like the professional kitchen appearance, but do note this one is not suitable for the dishwasher.

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Fiskars hard face pancake pan 24cm

Fiskars hard face pancake pan 24cm.jpg
  • Best: Durability
  • Size: 24cm
  • Handle: Bakelite

Made from durable non-stick aluminium, this premium pan has a thick bottom which heats up faster than a regular pan, while using less energy – pretty impressive. It has space for five small pancakes, which is perfect for making a whole stack at once. We were impressed by how seamless the process was, with none getting stuck, and no waiting around for the next round of pancakes. This is a tough bit of kitchen kit which we envision using for years to come.

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MasterClass pancake frying pan 24cm

MasterClass pancake frying pan 24cm.jpg
  • Best: Omelettes
  • Size: 24cm
  • Handle: Bakelite

If you don’t envision yourself making pancakes very often, this inexpensive pan is ideal. It’s fairly lightweight and easy to store, and required just a small amount of oil thanks to the light-blue non-stick coating. We also tried an omelette in this which worked just as well! Simple but effective.

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BIOL smiley faces crepes pancake pan 24cm

Aldi .jpg
  • Best: Pour-in stencil
  • Size: 24cm
  • Handle: N/A

Who wouldn’t want a plateful of emojis for breakfast? Amazon is selling this smiley-themed pan so you can up your pancake game ahead of Shrove Tuesday. We found it easier to use than the stencil version (above) as you simply dollop a ladle of batter into the face-shaped hole. They were a little tricky to flip (we’d recommend using a small rubber spatula), but we soon got the hang of it and the kids loved them. The only downside to this pan is that it isn’t suitable for induction hobs.

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The verdict: Pancake pans

If you’re looking for a pan that you’ll have in the family for years to come, you can’t go wrong with Staub’s impressively sturdy pan. However for a cheap and cheerful alternative, Aldi’s emoji pan is sure to raise a smile. And finally, if you’re a fan of fluffy pancake stacks – Fiskars is essential for cooking five at once.

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