This Savory Dutch Baby is an amazingly eggy breakfast or brunch. It might look difficult, but building it is super easy. Our savory version is filled with eggs, ham, and cheese, plus a little dressed arugula to round it all out.
Want more fabulous egg dishes? Try our Vegetarian Stir-Fry with Eggs, Mini Pita Egg Salad Sandwich, Chilaquiles with Scrambled Eggs, Best Shakshuka Recipe, Stuffed Bacon Egg Breakfast Sliders, or Easy Breakfast Quesadillas.
Disclosure: I was compensated for this post by Egg Farmers of Alberta. All opinions and experiences are my own.
Eggs are a fast, easy, and nutritious way to feed your family for not only breakfast but for lunch and dinner too. Many recipes using eggs are well under the 30-minute mark, so you have a meal on the table in no time. Above all, they pack a big wallop of protein in such a small and economical package.
Eggs fit into many diverse cuisines from all over the world. They can be used as a simple snack to an amazing culinary creation. Think of how many recipes use eggs when you are baking alone!!
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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Lodge 10 1/4″ Preseasoned Skillet
Pack of 2 Silicone Solid Turner, Non-Stick Slotted Kitchen Spatulas
What is a Savory Dutch Baby?
Why is a Dutch baby called a Dutch baby? What does a Dutch baby taste like? You may have a lot of questions about this unusual-looking dish, but it is quite simply a type of pancake.
It is made with a mixture of flour, milk, and eggs and cooked in the oven at high heat so that the sides cook faster and puff up. This pancake has a German origin but was made in America in the 1900s when the word “Dutch” was pulled from Deutsch, which is “German” in German. It is also called a German pancake, but other countries have taken the name onto themselves too.
A Dutch baby is like a Yorkshire pudding but can be eaten both sweet and savory. It is thicker and denser than most other pancakes as it doesn’t have a leavening agent added (baking soda or powder).
What is in a Savory Dutch Baby Pancake?
Really simple ingredients with amazing results.
Ingredients
Butter
Large eggs, at room temperature
Whole milk, at room temperature
All-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Filling
Baby arugula
Fresh lemon juice
Olive oil
Good ham like serrano or black forest, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepper, freshly ground, for serving
Sunny side-up fried eggs
Fresh basil, chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated
How to Make a Savory Dutch Baby
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Make sure that the oven rack is in the middle.
Place 2 Tbsp of butter in a 10-inch cast iron ovenproof skillet.
Dutch Baby
Place the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave, heating in increments of 15 seconds until completely melted.
Whisk the 4 room temperature eggs in a medium to large bowl with the milk, flour, and Kosher salt. Slowly add the melted butter and continue to whisk until the batter is smooth and there are no large lumps, approximately 1 – 1 1/2 minutes.
Once the oven is preheated, place the cast iron skillet with the 2 tbsp of butter in it into the oven for 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, and gently swirl the butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and return the pan to the center rack of the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pancake is fully puffed and browned on top. DO NOT open the oven for the first 15 minutes, or you may deflate your pancake. It will look crazy puffed when it comes out but will deflate somewhat too.
Arugula Salad
Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together, adding a pinch of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Toss the baby arugula with the lemon olive oil dressing and set aside.
Eggs and Assembly
With 5 minutes left before the pancake is done, cook your fried eggs in a non-stick skillet with a little oil or butter. I like to cook the fried eggs only until the whites are cooked, but the yolks are still runny.
When the pancake is done, puffed and golden brown, remove the skillet from the oven. Top the pancake with the 4 fried eggs, place the ham in four sections between the eggs, and then do the same with the arugula.
Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil over the top. Finish with a pinch of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Cut into 4 wedges, making sure that each slice has a fried egg, ham, and arugula.
Recipe Pro Tips!
Here are some pro tips to get the best results for your Dutch Baby Pancakes. They aren’t hard to make at all.
- Don’t have your batter cold, but room temperature is the best.
- Make sure your oven is fully preheated.
- Heat your pan until hot in the oven and the butter has melted.
- A 10-inch skillet works great, and I always use my cast iron pan.
- Don’t add simmering butter to your eggs as you will scramble them. Let the butter cool a bit.
- You can make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate but bring it to room temperature before baking it.
- No need for a blender; a whisk works great to make the batter.
- Make the Dutch baby sweet with the addition of fresh berries, maple syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Change the sweet or savory pancake up to how you like it with different ingredients.
MORE AMAZING PANCAKE RECIPES!
Love pancakes? We sure do! Here are some of our best recipes, including a savory one too!!
Savory Dutch Baby
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter divided
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2/3 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 ounces of good ham like serrano or black forest thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper for serving
- 4 sunny-side-up fried eggs
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Make sure that the oven rack is in the middle.
- Place 2 Tbsp of butter in a 10-inch cast iron ovenproof skillet.
- Place the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave, heating in increments of 15 seconds until completely melted.
- Whisk the 4 room temperature eggs in a medium to large bowl with the milk, flour, and Kosher salt. Slowly add the melted butter and continue to whisk until the batter is smooth and there are no large lumps, approximately 1 – 1 1/2 minutes.
- Once the oven is preheated, place the cast iron skillet with the 2 tbsp of butter in it into the oven for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, and gently swirl the butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and return the pan to the center rack of the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the pancake is fully puffed and browned on top. DO NOT open the oven for the first 15 minutes, or you may deflate your pancake. It will look crazy puffed when it comes out but will deflate somewhat too.
- Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together, adding a pinch of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Toss the baby arugula with the lemon olive oil dressing and set aside.
- With 5 minutes left before the pancake is done, cook your fried eggs in a non-stick skillet with a little oil or butter. I like to cook the fried eggs only until the whites are cooked, but the yolks are still runny.
- When the pancake is done, puffed and golden brown, remove the skillet from the oven. Top the pancake with the 4 fried eggs, place the torn ham in four sections between the eggs, and then do the same with the arugula.
- Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil over the top. Finish with a pinch of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Cut into 4 wedges, making sure that each slice has a fried egg, ham, and arugula.
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