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Almond Poppyseed Pancakes with Cherry Syrup

With a subtle crunch, a smooth nuttiness, and sweet cherry syrup you’ll want to eat on its own, our poppy seed pancakes offer a fun, tasty twist on a tried-and-true breakfast classic.

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a stack of almond poppy seed pancakes topped with whipped cream, fresh berries and cheery syrup

We Spell Love P-A-N-C-A-K-E-S

If the weekends are for anything in our household, it’s breakfast. Huge hashes, satisfying scrambles, and toppling towers of buttery hotcakes. With a subtle crunch from the poppy seeds, a smooth nuttiness from a squeeze of almond paste, and a rich cherry-maple syrup you’ll want to eat on its own, these pancakes offer a fun, tasty twist on a trusted breakfast classic.

What You’ll Need To Make Almond Pancakes

We’ve taken the usual pancake ingredients, and made things just a little bit more interesting. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • AP flour. You could also include some whole wheat flour in the mix, but definitely keep at least 50% of the flour all-purpose.
  • Baking powder + Sugar + Salt
  • Poppy seeds.
  • Milk + Eggs
  • Butter
  • Almond extract. Just to give the pancakes that extra boost of almond flavor.
almond poppy seed pancake batter in a mixing bowl

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How to Make Poppy Seed Pancakes

Gather the littles—this is totally a kid-friendly breakfast recipe.

  • Make syrup. Don’t skip the cherry almond maple syrup here! It’s pretty simple to make and even cooks on its own while you get the pancake batter going. Cherries and almonds are a classic flavor combination, and a drizzle of cherry syrup over almond pancakes definitely proves it.
  • Sift the dry ingredients. Here’s where the kiddos can get involved! Have them help measure, then sift.
  • Mix milk and yolks, then butter, and almond extract.
  • Add dry ingredients to the mixer.
  • Whip the egg whites with an electric beater until medium peaks form, then fold into pancake batter. Mixing the egg whites in separate from the yolks creates a greater lift in your pancakes. And who doesn’t want the puffiest, fluffiest almond pancakes on the planet?
  • Cook the almond-scented poppy seed pancakes in melted butter for about three minutes per side, then flip and DONE!
almond poppy seed pancakes on a pancake griddle

Cherry Syrup, AKA Our Favorite Pancake Topper, Ever

So, we’ve already convinced you our poppy seed pancakes with almond extract are pretty darn tasty. But, you know what really makes them next-level? A super-simple cherry and almond syrup that you can set to a simmer on the stove and practically forget about while you mix up our homemade poppy seed pancake batter. Here’s what you’ll need to make our cherry syrup for pancakes:

  • Frozen cherries. Or fresh, if they’re in season!
  • Sugar
  • Pure maple syrup. Yes, it’s expensive, but we’ve found in using real maple syrup we use less of it because it’s sweeter than its artificial counterparts. We’ve shopped most of the ones out there, and the organic maple syrup from Costco seems to offer the biggest bang for your buck.
  • Fresh lemon. All this sweetness needs a pop of acidity for balance!
  • Almond extract. Almond + cherry is really one of the most complimentary flavor combos out there. Cherry pits supposedly have an almond-like flavor, so the flavor pairing is one of nature’s own making. We’re just mimicking it!
a stack of almond poppy seed pancakes topped with whipped cream, fresh berries and maple syrup on a pink cake plate
a stack of almond poppy seed pancakes with fresh berries

Tools to Make Homemade Pancakes

Though they taste pretty darn fancy, there’s nothing special you need to make our poppy seed pancakes:

  • Medium saucepan. To simmer down the cherry almond syrup.
  • Stand mixer. We’re huge proponents of making pancakes in the stand mixer because it keeps everything well-contained, which makes for easy clean-up.
  • Electric griddle. Do you know how many pancakes you can make at once on one of these bad boys? It will seriously cut your cooking time in half.

Want More Breakfasty Goodness?

Of course, you do. Here are some more of our go-to breakfast recipes:

almond poppy seed pancakes on a pink cake plate next to a grapefruit salad

Make Us Breakfast in Bed?

Show us how your poppy seed pancakes turned out and tag us @themodernproper and #themodernproper. We’ll take ours with extra syrup, please.

Almond Poppyseed Pancakes with Cherry Syrup

  • Serves: 6
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  20 min
  • Calories: 549

Ingredients

Cherry Syrup

  • 2 cups frozen cherries
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Pancakes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cup poppy seeds
  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • 3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • ½ cup salted butter (6 tablespoons melted + 2 tablespoons for skillet)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • Whipped cream, for serving, optional
  • Fresh berries, for serving, optional

Method

  1. Make the cherry syrup. Add the cherries to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are tender and falling apart, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Set a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Gently press the cherries through the sieve. Transfer the macerated cherries back to the pan, along with the juices. Stir in the maple syrup, lemon juice and almond extract. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by ⅓ and has slightly thickened.

  2. Make the pancakes. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the poppyseeds.

  3. Mix the milk, egg yolks, melted butter and almond extract together in a large bowl.

  4. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined; batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not over mix.

  5. Place the egg whites in a separate mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk until medium peaks form. Gently fold half of the egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in remaining whites.

  6. Heat a griddle to 350°F or a large skillet to high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter. Once melted add pancake batter in ½ cup measurements and let set. When bubbles begin to form, lift the pancake's edge to test for doneness. Once golden brown, flip over. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

  7. Store leftover cherry syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

This recipe was adapted from Clinton Street Baking Company in NYC.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories549
  • Protein11 g
  • Carbohydrates79 g
  • Total Fat22 g
  • Dietary Fiber2 g
  • Cholesterol134 mg
  • sodium398 mg
  • Total Sugars46 g

Almond Poppyseed Pancakes with Cherry Syrup

Questions & Reviews

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  • Elizabeth

    Looking for something different for New Year's Day breakfast, I found this, and I'm so glad I did! Very yummy and not the run of the mill pancake breakfast! The cherry syrup (especially the cooked cherries in the syrup) was the star of the show, but we would definitely make the pancakes again, too! We thought lemon curd or blueberry syrup would also be fun toppings.

    Thanks Elizabeth, we are so glad you enjoyed these!

  • Jenn

    These are a new family favorite!

    Yay, we are so happy to hear that!