Savoury Dinner Pancakes with Chilli Butter

These Savoury Pancakes are a real treat dinner – with chorizo, bacon and chilli butter. Forget the maple syrup, I LOVE to drizzle these with golden syrup. Might sound a little unusual, but it works!!

I love an omelette for a quick dinner, but unfortunately Chris and the kids won’t eat them, so this is my way of making everyone happy with just an extra few minutes of prep needed to whip up some pancake batter.

I wasn’t sure how well chorizo would go with syrup, but OMG yes!!

Add in the bacon, a little cheese and that salty chilli butter too? This is a seriously good recipe for pancakes with a twist.

What do we need?

• Classic pancake ingredients of flour, baking powder, salt, egg and milk
• Our savoury fillings – spring onions (scallions), cheddar cheese and chorizo
• Salted butter and a chopped jalapeno to make that tasty chilli butter
• More spring onions, bacon and golden syrup to top our pancakes.

So how do we make these savoury pancakes?

• Make some chilli butter by mixing salted butter with a finely chopped jalapeno. You can leave the butter at room temperature, or refrigerate it if you prefer it cold.
• Next we fry off the chorizo. Once it’s cooked, transfer to a plate.
• Then we make the pancake batter by mixing flour, baking powder, salt, egg and milk.

• Once combined, stir in a bunch of chopped spring onions (scallions).
• Brush the pancake pan with a little butter and heat until hot. I find a non-stick pan works best for these pancakes (to prevent the cheese that you’ll sprinkle on later from sticking). Then spoon blobs of pancake batter in the pan (about 1/4 cup per pancake).
• Cook for about 1 minute, then sprinkle a little of the cooked chorizo and some cheddar cheese onto each pancake, then turn the pancake over and cook for a further minute or too, until the pancakes are cooked through.

Once they’re all cooked, stack the pancakes up  and sprinkle on chopped cooked bacon and a few more spring onions (scallions). Top with the chilli butter and drizzle over golden syrup before serving.

I originally posted this recipe in November 2014 – my original recipe was a tiny bit flawed, in that I incorporated so many fillings (chicken, chorizo, peppers and spring onions), that it impacted the structural integrity of the pancakes – making them tricky to flip without them falling apart.

Yes, I know. Pancake structural integrity is a very pressing subject, that needs careful consideration.

Said no-one ever.

So for my updated recipe, I just added chorizo and spring onions, then sprinkled some cheese on the pancakes in the pan before flipping.
Everything else goes on top. Structural integrity problem solved.

The chilli butter is a must, along with a good drizzle of golden syrup.

Maple syrup works too, but I think golden syrup works the best.

Top Tips:

• Use a non-stick pan to ensure the cheese doesn’t stick to the pan when you flip the pancakes. If you don’t like using non-stick, then I’d suggest flipping the pancakes, then sprinkling a little cheese on top, so the cheese can melt when the pancakes finish off cooking. You can still add the chorizo as per the recipe though.
• Keep the pieces of chorizo fairly small. If you sprinkle large lumps of chorizo on top before flipping the pancakes, the chorizo will stick out and will be the only bits touching the pan (the pancake batter won’t be in contact with the surface of the pan, meaning it won’t cook evenly). Keep the chorizo small, then you can ensure even cooking of the chorizo and pancake.

Recipe Video:

Can I make them ahead?

These pancakes taste best when eaten right away, but you can make them ahead if you like. I’ve done it so the kids can have an extra special breakfast the next day without having to do all the mixing and cooking when it’s hard enough to just find their flippin school shoes.
Normally, when reheating plain pancakes, I reheat them in the toaster. This doesn’t warm the chorizo through enough though, so i’d suggest microwaving them on high, two at a time for a minute or two until piping hot throughout.

Want to save this recipe to your email?

Just enter your email and get it sent straight to your inbox!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

Email *

Save Recipe

SaveSaved Pin Print

5 from 2 votes

Savoury Dinner Pancakes

By Nicky Corbishley

Savoury Pancakes make a real treat dinner - with chorizo, bacon and chilli butter, plus a good drizzle of golden syrup.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings of 3 pancakes each

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American, British

Ingredients

Pancake Batter:

• ▢ 1 x 15 cm ( 1 x 6") length of chorizo chopped into small chunks
• ▢ 210 g (1 3/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• ▢ 1 tbsp baking powder (yes, tbsp, not tsp)
• ▢ pinch salt
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk full or half-fat
• ▢ 8 spring onions (scallions) finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 50 g (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese

Chilli Butter:

• ▢ 4 tbsp (60g) salted butter slightly softened
• ▢ 1 green chilli finely chopped (I like jalapenos)

Fillings/toppings:

• ▢ 8 rashers/strips streaky bacon fried and chopping into small pieces
• ▢ 4 tbsp golden syrup

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to a very low setting (to keep the cooked pancakes warm whilst you're cooking the rest). First, fry the chorizo by placing it in a frying pan and cooking on a high heat for 1-2 minutes until it starts to release its oils. Transfer the cooked chorizo to a plate. 
  1 x 15 cm ( 1 x 6") length of chorizo
• Next make your pancake batter. In a large bowl place the flour, baking powder, salt and egg.
  210 g (1 3/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, pinch salt, 1 large egg
• Start to mix slowly with a balloon whisk or fork whilst slowly adding in the milk. You should end up with quite a thick pancake batter. Don’t overmix, it’s fine if it’s still a little bit lumpy. Stir in 3/4 of the spring onions (scallions).
  300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk, 8 spring onions (scallions)
• Now make your chilli butter by mixing the salted butter and chopped chilli together in a small bowl. Once mixed, place in the fridge to firm up (or you can leave it room temperature if you prefer).
  4 tbsp (60g) salted butter, 1 green chilli
• Heat the butter on a medium-high heat in a large non-stick frying pan* (Note 1) or on a non-stick large griddle, then brush it around to cover the pan. Add blobs of pancake batter - approx 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) per pancake. 
  1 tsp unsalted butter
• Fry for 1 1/2-2 minutes, until bubbles appear on top of the pancake. Then sprinkle the cooked chorizo and cheese on top. Turn the pancakes over and allow to cook for a further minute or two, until cooked through. You will probably have to work in batches - as this recipe makes 12 pancakes. Keep the cooked pancakes warm by placing in the pre-warmed oven.
  50 g (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese
• Once all the pancakes are cooked, stack them up and top with crispy bacon, the reserved spring onions, a spoonful of chilli butter and a good drizzle of golden syrup.
  8 rashers/strips streaky bacon, 4 tbsp golden syrup

Video

Notes

Note 1:

Use a non-stick pan to ensure the cheese doesn't stick to the pan when you flip the pancakes. If you don't like using non-stick, then I'd suggest flipping the pancakes, then sprinkling a little cheese on top, so the cheese can melt when the pancakes finish off cooking. You can still add the chorizo as per the recipe though.

More topping/filling ideas:

Oh, I've got loads! ham, mushrooms, mozzarella, cooked diced potato, peppers, chives, kale, spinach, sausage, onions, sweetcorn, pepperoni.... basically anything you'd put into an omelette! BUT be sure to just go for a couple of fillings! Too many will impact the structural integrity of your pancakes, making them harder to flip without them falling apart. If you want lots of extras, add a couple to you pancake mixture and top with the rest.

Nutritional information is per serving (of 3 pancakes), including toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 767kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 785mg | Potassium: 778mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 970IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg | Calcium: 370mg | Iron: 3.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

This recipe was first posted in November 2014. Updated in Feb 2020 with new photos, video, tips and a few improvements to the recipe.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.