Starting the day with a big, fluffy stack of pancakes is the best. But when you don't have a lot of time or have a lot of mouths to feed, slinging flapjacks one by one can feel like a chore. When we heard about a pancake hack of filling an entire griddle with batter (that got cut into squares before flipping) to accomplish multiple pancakes at once, we were intrigued and asked our Test Kitchen to give it a shot. Spoiler alert: The method flopped, resulting in a gloopy mess of pancake batter. The good news? We have a few other successful ways to make a batch of pancakes for the whole family that are delicious, hot, and don't require someone standing over a skillet while everyone else is eating breakfast.
How to Make Pancakes for a Crowd
Here are our Test Kitchen's favorite ways to make pancakes for a crowd. We've got methods for making them in big-batches the day you plan to eat them and tips for freezing pancakes ahead.
Method 1: Make a Big Batch of Pancakes and Keep Warm
This one will still take time, but the goal is for everyone to have pancakes when sitting down at the breakfast table. Choose your favorite pancake recipe and as they come off the griddle, place them on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven. Loosely cover with foil (to keep them from drying out) until all the pancakes are cooked. Serve and dig in!
Method 2: Make Your Pancakes Ahead
Get on top of your breakfast game by making your pancakes ahead. To really preserve the just-made taste of homemade pancakes, it's a good idea to make a batch and freeze them until ready to enjoy. Come breakfast time, place the pancakes in a single layer baking sheet covered with foil. Bake in 350°F oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Method 3: Go for Baked Pancakes
Yes, you can also make oven-baked pancakes that are just as delicious as the griddled kind. With just 15 minutes of prep time, you can have sheet-pan pancakes (like our sweet apple pancake recipe pictured above) ready for baking to serve a whopping 12 people. Got a smaller crowd? Try a puffed oven-baked pancake with brown sugar.