The best sweet and savoury toppings for pancakes

I think big pancakes are great for pudding, but keep the smaller ones as a breakfast or brunch treat. Because pancakes are a neutral flavour, they’re great for both savoury and sweet pancake toppings. But what are the best toppings for pancakes.

Evidently 75% of people prefer sweet to savoury toppings, and I’m with them on that. Although we used to have a Dutch pancake restaurant in our town, and they had some lovely savoury toppings and a delicious sauce to drizzle over (my favourite used to be chicken and spring onion).

But on pancake day (13th February in 2024) we’re all about the sweet. And in our house it’s always lemon and sugar. The traditional classic, and favourite in British surveys.

My tip is to make sure you’ve got a good sauce or creamy texture for your toppings to go with the thicker American pancakes. Whereas the thinner crepe style can take a dryer topping. At least with savoury toppings anyway.

How to serve pancakes

If you’re serving American pancakes, or even Scottish griddle scones (not scones at all, actually little pancakes), then you may want to stack the, and drizzle the toppings over. For larger English style pancakes or crepes, you can fold or roll them with a filling instead. But we just have them flat on the plate and add our topping.

Find out more about pancakes around the world.

Not everyone likes the sweet and sour combination of lemon and sugar, so here’s some other favourite ideas for the best pancake toppings.

The best toppings for pancakes

Sweet pancake toppings and fillings

• Lemon and sugar (preferred by around 35% of Brits)
• Berries and greek yoghurt (try blueberries or mixed frozen berries)
• Nutella and a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts 
• Maple syrup
• Golden syrup
• Caramelised bananas with dulce du leche
• Berries and ice cream
• Cherry pie filling and ice cream
• Banana and peanut butter
• Rhubarb and custard
• Blueberry, mascarpone and lemon
• Lemon curd
• Strawberries and cream
• Peaches and cream
• Orange syrup – clementines, caster sugar, Cointreau, and orange juice (with or without the booze depending on whether the children have having any)
• Salted caramel
• S’mores – with mini marshmallows, chocolate spread and biscuit crumbs
• Biscoff spread
• Tropical topping – of chopped fresh mango, coconut shavings and greek yoghurt
• Raspberries and white chocolate drizzle
• Fruit syrup – make your own, or cheat with a shop bought coulis
• Stewed apples or plums
• Cinnamon roll – combine cinnamon, melted butter and cinnamon and drizzle over
• Yoghurt and granola
• Yoghurt and dried fruit

Savoury pancake toppings or fillings

• Bacon and maple syrup (pick whether you think this is sweet or savoury)
• Ham and cheese
• Spinach and ricotta
• Brie and cranberry sauce
• Honey and mustard chicken in a creamy sauce
• Chicken, pesto and mozzarella
• Caprese – tomato, mozzarella and basil pesto
• Potatoes, bacon and leek creamy topping. Parboil and slice new potatoes, fry off the bacon and leeks in butter, add some cream.
• Sliced avocado and bacon
• Chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce
• Mushrooms and spinach in cream cheese sauce

Get the traditional English pancake recipe, and a 2 ingredient banana pancake recipe at this pancakes post.

What are your favourite toppings for pancakes, and how do you make yours?