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Skip the pancake house and make these fluffy tres leches pancakes at home with this recipe that includes all my tested tips so yours turn out great!
Better-Than-IHOP’s Tres Leches Pancakes
My family and I tried the famous stack at the pancake house on a weekend brunch adventure. While my kids liked them, it wasn’t worth spending $80 for breakfast.
I left thinking about how to recreate the recipe at home, and after a few test batches, my kids voted that these were better than IHOP’s tres leches pancakes!
They’re sweet, like my sweet cream pancake recipe, and have the epic texture of the famous fluffy pancake recipe. Two bites, and you’re going to love them!
Ingredients
You'll find the amounts for these tres leches pancakes in the recipe card below, but before you make substitutions and become disappointed with the results, here’s what I've already tested for you:
- Flour: all-purpose flour is the base for this recipe. It can be swapped with a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: it gives these pancakes a fluffy texture. If you’re out, skip this recipe for today and make this recipe for pancakes without baking powder.
- Salt: a little to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Sugar: a little for sweetening the batter and can be omitted.
- Cream: use heavy cream or half and half at room temperature.
- Evaporated milk: an essential ingredient in tres leches.
- Vanilla: adds a hint of delicious, cake-like flavor to the batter.
- Egg: at room temperature. It binds the ingredients in the batter. I don't recommend omitting or substituting the egg; the result is very dense pancakes.
- Condensed milk: the third “milk” in this tres leches stack. It’s thick and sweet, and it’s used instead of syrup.
How to Make Tres Leches Pancakes
After a great pancake recipe, the secret to success is always how they’re cooked. These tips in each main step will help you achieve the best results.
- Measure and mix
Measure the dry ingredients and add them to a large batter bowl, mixing them well to distribute the baking powder evenly. When you add the wet ingredients to that bowl, use a fork to break up the egg first to avoid overmixing, a common mistake that yields chewy pancakes. - Cook on the first side
A non-stick surface is essential for cooking pancakes. Heat it first over medium heat, and once hot, grease it. Then, pour the pancake batter immediately so your butter or oil doesn’t burn. - Flip
Use a spatula to flip the pancakes when bubbles form throughout, and the edges are defined. Avoid pressing down; this “compacts” the batter and will yield chewy pancakes. You’ll probably cook them in batches, so if you’re not serving them immediately, keep the pancakes warm while you cook the rest. - Serve
Stack them high and enjoy the sweetness of condensed milk over these tres leches pancakes. Of course, you can also load them up with your favorite pancake toppings.
Tres Leches Sauce for Pancakes
The sauce for these tres leches pancakes is straight-up sweetened condensed milk. All you have to do is open the can and pour it over your stack! A little warm (not hot) or at room temperature is recommended.
Serving Tres Leches Pancakes
I’ve made these pancakes for my family and brunching with friends. The formula for success = stack + sauce, with bacon & eggs & tequila! Yes, you can celebrate away with an iced coffee and tequila or a sippable tequila sunrise cocktail!
Fluffy Tres Leches Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream or half & half, at room temperature
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk, at room temperature
Instructions
Make the pancake batter:
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make sure to avoid packing the cup when measuring the flour.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the cream or half & half, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla. Use a fork to break up the eggs first, and once they’re incorporated into the liquid, continue with the fork or with a whisk to mix the flour into a batter. The batter will be thick but airy, similar to cake batter.
Cook the pancakes:
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, grease with oil or melt the butter. If using an electric griddle, heat it somewhere around 300F. Immediately, pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the greased surface. Use the back of the scoop or a spoon to gently spread the batter a little.
- Cook the pancakes for about 2 minutes, until bubbles form on top and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip the pancakes over and cook on the other side for a little over a minute. Depending on how your pan spreads heat and the thickness of the pancake batter poured, you'll sometimes cook the second side longer than the first. Remove the pancakes from the pan onto a plate and keep them warm while you cook the rest of the batter.
Serve:
- Serve the pancakes warm, drizzled with sweetened condensed milk.
Shar says
Do you think substituting cake flour for AP flour would work in this recipe?
Thank you. sharon
Laura Fuentes says
I don’t recommend swapping cake flour, it has less protein and it’s lighter in texture. The batter might end up too thin. If you’re comfortable adjusting, then yes.