• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Scandicuisine
  • Home
  • Finnish recipes
  • Swedish recipes
  • Cuisine
  • About Scandicuisine
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Finnish recipes
  • Swedish recipes
  • Cuisine
  • About Scandicuisine
×

Home » Finnish recipes

Lettu-Finnish pancakes

Published: Oct 18, 2021 · by Cecilia Hoikka · Affiliate links are marked with an *asterix

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Finnish pancakes are thin and not fluffy as American pancakes are. They are more crepe-like and can be enjoyed both sweet and savory. They are traditionally eaten with strawberry jam and whipped cream.

thin pancake served.
Jump to:
  • Ingredients and replacements
  • Instructions
  • Recipe in European measurements
  • What to serve with
  • How to make healthier pancakes?
  • Often asked questions
  • Other Finnish pancake recipes you might like
  • Finnish pancakes

These pancakes are called in Finnish:

  • Lettu
  • Lätty
  • Räiskäle
  • Ohukainen

In singular form, in plural they are letut, lätyt, räiskäleet, ohukaiset.

Do not confuse these with the oven pancake, pannukakku, (or kropsu), which is famous, but the batter is baked in the oven on a sheet pan as a thick rectangular pancake.

Pancakes are a staple food in many Finnish households. Kids love them and always ask to eat pancakes as a snack, lunch, dinner, or evening meal. Pancakes are even served in Finnish schools. Thursdays are traditionally pea soup days, and pancakes are served as a dessert with strawberry jam and whipped cream.

Free Recipe E-Book

Swedish holiday recipes

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

One traditional Finnish dish is also spinach pancakes. Some frozen thawed spinach is mixed in the batter and served as lunch with lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes. Spinach pancakes are also a favorite lunch among students in Finland. -and yes, a free lunch is served in schools.

Ingredients and replacements

  • Flour. Regular medium wheat flour is best. Some Finns like to use half the amount of barley flour. For more fiber-rich pancakes, you can also use half the amount of whole-grain wheat flour.
  • Milk. Whole milk makes the best-tasting pancakes. For a milk-free version, use plant milk.
  • Eggs.
  • Sugar. Sugar can be left out if you want to eat these as savory. Sugar can be replaced with maple syrup or other sweeteners.
  • Salt. A pinch of salt elevates the flavors.
  • Other. If you eat these as sweet, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, or 1 teaspoon of cardamom to the batter. Or all of these... My favorite is to have some vanilla and cardamom.

Instructions

  1. Make sure you have a big enough bowl. Break the eggs and whisk them around for a minute. Add half the amount of the milk.
  2. Add in the dry ingredients and stir around. Then add the rest of the milk and mix to get a smooth consistency. Let the batter rest for at least 10 minutes. 30 min is preferred.
mixing eggs and milk
ready batter
  1. Warm up your pan to medium heat. Add about ½-1 teaspoon of butter or oil to the pan and pour ⅓ cup of batter into the pan.
  2. Flip the pancake when it has a good brown color, and the top is firm.
pouring into the pan
a flipped pancake

Recipe in European measurements

In the recipe card, you can find the amounts in cups. Here is the recipe in deciliters.

  • 3 eggs
  • 6 dl milk
  • 3 dl flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt

What to serve with

Sweet fillings

  • Strawberry jam
  • Other berry jam
  • Fresh berries
  • Whipped cream or a plant-based cream
  • Vanilla sauce
  • Vanilla Ice cream and jam/berries
  • Syrup, like maple syrup or another type of syrup.
  • Sprinkled sugar.

Savory toppings

  • Skagenröra, made from mayo and prawns
  • Vegan Skagen
  • Smoked salmon filling

How to make healthier pancakes?

Increase the fiber content by using half the amount of the flour as whole grain. You can replace all, but this will affect the taste, and they will not be as good.

Added fiber also comes from:

  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon crushed linen seeds (same as flax meal)
  • ½ cup chopped spinach
  • 2 tablespoons of bran

You can also add fiber-rich toppings like raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries.

Often asked questions

How to make these gluten-free?

Use a gluten-free flour mix.

How to get a lace pattern on the pancakes?

You get lovely bubble patterns by frying the dough at a pretty high temperature and putting a generous amount of butter, like one teaspoon, on the pan. Smaller ones are made in a Teflon pan with a smaller amount of fat.

How long do the pancakes store?

Store them in the refrigerator covered for up to three days.

Can the batter be made ahead?

Pancake batter is perfect for making ahead. You can store a ready-made batter in the fridge for a couple of days covered. Make sure to give it a quick whisk before using it. Add in more milk if it is too thick.

How long should you let the batter rest?

It is good to let it rest for at least 10 minutes. If you want to use less flour, you need at least 30 minutes.

Other Finnish pancake recipes you might like

  • Carrot pancakes
  • Stinging nettle pancakes
  • Spinach pancakes
  • Pannukakku-Finnish oven pancake
pancake with jam and cream.

Finnish pancakes

Easy thin pancakes with simple ingedients.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Scandinavian
Servings 15
Calories 145 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1,5 cups wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoon butter or oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Break the eggs in a bowl. Whisk them a moment.
  • .Add in half the amount of milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Mix these together.Add in the rest of the milk and mix.
  • The batter can look clumpy at first but it will become smooth when you stir it around. Do not whisk it too much so it does not become chewy when frying.
  • Let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes. The longer the better
  • Heat up your pan and put a small amount of butter or oil. Pour about ⅓ cup of batter into the pan to make medium-sized pancakes. To make thin pancakes tilt the pan after you have poured your dough
  • The pancake is ready to flip when it has some brown color and the top has firmeded up

Notes

For extra fiber, replace half the flour amount with whole grain flour or barley flour.
You can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, cardamom, or cinnamon to the batter as extra flavor.
If you want just a slight fluffiness to the dough, then add 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
Serve with a berry jam and whipped cream.
The batter can be made ahead of time, up to 2 days ahead. The flour will swell up, so add some more milk if it feels too dense.
You can store ready-made pancakes for up to 3 days in the fridge, well covered, so they don't dry.
Nutrition: 145 calories, 4,1 g fat, 20,4 g carbs, 5,8 g protein, 0,9 g fiber. (Made in whole milk.3,5%fat)

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Swedish pancakes »

Please share this content!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Cecilia. I want to share Scandinavian and Nordic recipes for you who want to connect with your Nordic heritage and learn to make delicious, simple Scandinavian food and learn about the food culture.

More about me →

Popular

  • Do Finnish people eat healthy?
  • Disgusting and weird Finnish foods
  • Why is Finnish food so bland?
  • Finnish Strawberry soup-Mansikkakiisseli

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact Cecilia at [email protected]

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Scandicuisine

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Scandicuisine
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!