Piece of baked pancake casserole on a round white plate with maple syrup being poured on top next to a fork with a towel and cup of coffee behind all on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast Recipe

Make-ahead breakfasts are perfect for something simple to cook for your family in the morning. This pancake casserole was a hit for my boys!

Jump to Recipe

My boys absolutely love pancakes, so I’ve been trying to find ways to use them in other breakfasts. When I came across a recipe for pancake casserole in a magazine, I knew we had to try it.

This is another breakfast that can be made the night before and then baked in the morning. As we started making this, we realized how much it would yield. We decided we would prepare it and bring it over to Justin’s parents for a weekend breakfast.

With five adults and two kids eating, there were still leftovers. It was able to be reheated once pretty well, but I don’t think it would be good again after that. This recipe took a bit more work than the Make-Ahead French Toast, but we liked this better. I wasn’t sure how well it would come out with covering the pancakes in liquid overnight, but it wasn’t soggy.

I also got to try out the Bee’s Wrap 3-piece Pack in Mimi’s Purple Clover Print from Southern Kitchen that I received. Since I’ve never used a beeswax cover like this I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they worked really well! Justin didn’t realize that there was liquid in the pan and had to move it a few times. He lifted only one side of the pan a couple of times and it never leaked. This was a great way to test that out! I have always hated plastic wrap, even before trying to cut down on waste in the kitchen. It always sticks to itself and doesn’t seem to work well.

This recipe uses buttermilk pancakes, which is slightly different than my normal go-to pancake recipe. I’ve used buttermilk a few times now, and find it easier to buy the powder mix. I don’t use it often enough to buy it in liquid form since it would go bad too quickly.

Pancake Casserole Step by Step

Ingredients

Pancakes

  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups whole buttermilk
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

Casserole

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup pecans (roughly chopped )
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter (cubed)
  • Pure maple syrup

Preparation

Start by mixing the dry ingredients for the pancakes together in a large bowl. I like to use my stand mixer, but you could use a hand mixer as well.

Stainless steel bowl with dry ingredients inside on a wooden surface

Combine the buttermilk with the eggs.

Glass measuring cup with eggs and milk and a wire whisk next to a stainless steel bowl with dry ingredients on a wooden surface

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until it forms a batter. Gently stir the melted butter in last. It’s ok if there are a few lumps left in the batter.

Stand mixer with whisk attachment lifted to show whisked pancake batter on a wooden surface

When I make my regular pancake recipe, I use a flat square pan. This time, I decided to get out my large electric skillet and prepare the pancakes over medium heat. That allowed me to make 6 pancakes at a time, so I only had to do about 5 or 6 batches (I don’t remember exactly how many). Use 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake and cook until they are golden brown on each side.

Large griddle with small round pancakes cooking on it with a white plate of cooked pancakes behind all on a wooden surface

After you finish making the pancakes, and they cool off a bit, cut them in half. Add some cooking spray to your dish. Layer the pancake halves in a 9×13 baking dish with the cut side down. You can do this one of two ways: either in two long rows all the way across the pan, or in a few rows along the short side of the pan. I chose to do two rows, but I had to keep pushing them up since they were sliding down. 

Bamboo cutting board with one stack of pancakes cut in half with another whole stack beside it and a chef's knife on top next to a glass baking dish with pancakes halves laying in it all on a wooden surface

In a medium bowl, whisk 6 eggs, heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla until they are combined.

Large stainless steel mixing bowl with egg and milk mixture and a wire whisk next to a glass baking dish full of cooked pancakes all on a wooden surface

Pour the egg mixture as evenly as possible over the pancakes and into the casserole dish.

Glass baking dish with cooked pancakes covered in milk and egg mixture on a wooden surface

Cover the pan with beeswax wrap, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350F then make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pecans.

Small stainless steel bowl with streusel mixture inside next to a wire whisk with a glass baking dish with pancakes and milk mixture all on a wooden surface

Use a pastry blender (or your hands) to cut in the butter. This will be chunky, and that’s ok.

Small stainless steel bowl with streusel mixture with butter cut in inside next to a wire whisk with a glass baking dish with pancakes and milk mixture all on a wooden surface

Sprinkle the streusel over all of the pancakes, making sure it covers the entire dish.

Glass baking dish with cooked pancakes covered in milk mixture and topped with streusel on a wooden surface

Bake the entire casserole in the preheated oven for about an hour. Cook until the center is set. The liquid will cook into the pancakes. 

Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast

Serve the pancake casserole warm with maple syrup and enjoy!

Piece of baked pancake casserole on a round white plate with maple syrup being poured on top next to a fork with a towel and cup of coffee behind all on a wooden surface (vertical)

Pancake Casserole Leftovers

Storage: Place leftover pancake casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. If possible, store without the syrup on top to keep the pancakes from getting more soggy.

Reheating: The best way to reheat pancake casserole is in an oven or toaster oven at 350F for about 10 minutes, until warmed through.

Freezing: If you want to freeze some of the pancake casserole, I suggest putting it in individual freezer-safe containers. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. This should last about 1-2 months in the freezer.

Recipe

Originally Published On: January 28, 2017

Last Updated On: June 30, 2023

Piece of baked pancake casserole on a round white plate with maple syrup being poured on top next to a fork with a towel and cup of coffee behind all on a wooden surface

Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast

Make-ahead breakfasts are perfect for something simple to cook for your family in the morning. This pancake casserole was a hit for my boys!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chilling Time 8 hours
Total Time 9 hours 45 minutes
Course:
Breakfast
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
buttermilk
|
casserole
|
cinnamon
|
pancakes
Servings: 12 servings
4.84 from 6 votes

Ingredients

Pancakes
  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups whole buttermilk
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
Casserole
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Streusel
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup pecans (roughly chopped )
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter (cubed)
  • Pure maple syrup

Instructions

Pancakes
  • In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
  • Whisk buttermilk and eggs and stir into flour mixture
  • Gently stir in the butter (the batter may be lumpy)
  • Make each pancake with about 1/4 cup of the batter, continuing until batter is completely used
  • Once cooled, cut each pancake in half
  • Arrange pancakes in a greased 9×13 baking dish with the cut sides down
Casserole
  • In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla
  • Slowly pour egg mixture over pancakes, cover and refrigerate overnight
Streusel
  • Preheat oven to 350F and remove pancakes from the refrigerator
  • In a small bowl, whisk the flour, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt
  • Use a pastry blender (or your hands) to cut in the cold butter
  • Sprinkle streusel mixture over the pancakes
  • Bake uncovered for about an hour, until the pancakes are set in the middle and the liquid has all cooked into the pancakes
  • Serve warm with maple syrup
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Nutrition Facts
Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 500 Calories from Fat 297
% Daily Value*
Fat 33g51%
Saturated Fat 16g80%
Cholesterol 197mg66%
Sodium 610mg25%
Potassium 318mg9%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 1045IU21%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 176mg18%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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38 thoughts on “Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast Recipe”

  1. This recipe looks so delicious! My family loves pancakes and this casserole would be an awesome addition to our breakfast food. I’m definitely going to be trying this out this week 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    oh my gosh when I saw all the pancakes together I became so hungry! lol I just ate but this looks fantastic! and your kid is so adorable sitting in front of the oven.

    1. It’s so hard not to eat some of the pancakes at night when I prepare this. I won’t lie, I might have sneaked one or two before! My oldest son loves breakfast so had such a hard time waiting for it to bake!

    1. Yes, it works best if you are feeding about 6-8 people at least. For our family of four, it is a little much, but we will reheat the leftovers the next morning, too.

  3. That is a real delicious way to start our Sunday. I said Sunday as it’s the only day that we all together for breakfast. I think my kids would love to try that recipe. Thanks for sharing.

    1. It was definitely different, but we all really like it. I don’t care for the nuts on top as much, so I will often make it half and half so my husband can enjoy them while the boys and I don’t!

    1. It’s great to have this much if you have company over for breakfast. You can prepare it the night before and have minimal work to do in the morning to have a delicious breakfast.

  4. theclutterboxblog

    I am super curious about the beeswax, I also hate using plastic wrap and want to do better. This looks so good, I love the streusel topping!

    1. I love the beeswax wraps! I’ve used mine so much they are starting to lose their stickiness a little bit, especially on the biggest one. But I will be getting more when I need to. Or I’ve heard of melting your own wax and “refreshing” them though I haven’t tried it yet.

  5. This recipe is so delicious, I made it Stephanie, and there was nothing left. My kids and I enjoyed our Sunday Brunch and this recipe was the highlight of our meal.

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