How to Make Kaiserschmarrn, the Original Scrambled Pancakes

The Best Recipe You’ve Never Heard of is... Austrian Skillet Soufflé! Or, Kaiserschmarrn, a word we’ve all spell-checked about 5,000 times since Chris Kimball brought it to our attention. The name originates from a 19th century Kaiser (Austrian emperor) Franz Joseph I, who favored the dish. “Kaiser” means “king”; “schmarnn” translates to “cut up, chopped, garbage,” according to Chris.

It’s a weird but great recipe—sort of like pancake bits, but extra-fluffy, with lots of surface area for a sugar-coated crust. It’s basically the viral “scrambled pancakes” you’ve seen on social media, done correctly.

What is Kaiserschmarrn?

Kaiserschmarrn is a traditional Austrian recipe that Chris Kimball describes as “a skillet soufflé,” cut up into little pieces and sautéed with sugar. It can be served as a fast, easy dessert or sweet brunch dish. The batter is similar to that of a Dutch pancake, with milk, eggs, flour, sugar and vanilla.

Unlike American pancakes, the eggs are separated to give Kaiserschmarrn its lofty height and fluffy texture. The yolks are combined with the milk, sugar and vanilla before adding the flour; the whites are whipped separately and folded into the batter base before cooking.

How to beat egg whites

Very few Milk Street recipes call for stiffly beaten egg whites, as they can be difficult to incorporate into batters. This recipe is an exception. We first break up the egg whites with an electric beater before adding a little sugar, which not only flavors them, but stabilizes the foam by increasing its viscosity. Once the whites hold stiff peaks, they’re ready to be folded into the batter base.

Can you use a whisk to “fold it in”?

Folding one ingredient into another often is done with a silicone spatula in smooth, sweeping motions, but a whisk can work just as well. “If you have a nice, large Italian whisk, if you do it gently, it [the whisk] actually does a pretty good job,” explains Chris. Just be sure to go slow, so you’re folding, not whipping.

Stovetop or oven?

Both! In its simplest form, Kaiserschmarrn is cooked start to finish on the stovetop, but we prefer the lighter soufflé style that requires brief baking between stovetop stints. We start by pouring the batter into a pool of melted butter, then let it cook undisturbed on the stovetop for a few minutes, until the bottom is browned and small bubbles begin to break the surface. It finishes in the oven, where it cooks up nice and fluffy.

How to scramble Kaiserschmarrn

“Now the fun part,” says Chris, removing his skillet soufflé from the oven. Using two butter knives or icing spatulas, cut the pancake in the skillet into 2-inch pieces in a crosshatch pattern, then sprinkle them with a couple tablespoons of sugar and scramble them over medium heat. The sugar will crisp and caramelize. “The first time I saw this, I thought it was a mistake, but it’s really really delicious.” Serve with powdered sugar and a dollop plum preserves or applesauce for an authentic Austrian experience.

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Claire Lower

Claire Lower is the Digital Editor for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, with over a decade of experience as a food writer and recipe developer. Claire began writing about food (and drinks) during the blogging boom in the late 2000s, eventually leaving her job as a lab technician to pursue writing full-time. After freelancing for publications such as Serious Eats, Yahoo Food, xoJane and Cherry Bombe Magazine, she eventually landed at Lifehacker, where she served as the Senior Food Editor for nearly eight years. Claire lives in Portland, Oregon with a very friendly dog and very mean cat. When not in the kitchen (or at her laptop), you can find her deadlifting at the gym, fly fishing or trying to master figure drawing at her local art studio.