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by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated 17 Comments
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Denny’s Pancake Puppies have to be the only breakfast appetizer I have ever seen. Yes, Denny’s has called these their breakfast appetizer before. I think these are a cross between funnel cakes and beignets.
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Table of Contents
What are pancake puppies?
Denny’s Pancake Puppies have been on Denny’s menu for several years now. If you have missed out on them, basically they’re small pancake balls fried in vegetable oil and served hot and fresh.
So think of a donut, funnel cake, or even a beignet. While these may seem more like a dessert, Denny’s serves them up for breakfast.
The flavors vary with the seasons. Currently, you get the cinnamon and sugar version served with cream cheese icing. In the past, they have served blueberry and red velvet.
Why are they called puppies?
If you take your kids for breakfast at Denny’s, a favorite question is: “Why are they called puppies?” A good one, yes?
The most well-known type of food puppy is, of course, the hushpuppy. Any other similarly-shaped, fried-dough-type food is also called a puppy.
Plenty of people have tried to explain the origin of hushpuppies, which is why there’s a whole catalog of entertaining ideas, including:
- Hush, Dog!: The most common explanation is that fishermen would be cooking their catch, and their hounds would yap and howl in anticipation. Then the cooks would fry pieces of dough and toss them to the puppies to hush them.
- It Was Back in the War: Confederate soldiers making dinner on their campfire thought they heard Yankees approaching, so they threw their barking dogs some fried cornmeal bits and commanded them to “hush puppies!”
- Leaping Lizards: This is likely the most bizarre origin story. Cajuns in Southern Louisiana used to take mudpuppies (a type of salamander), and deep fry them in a batter. Since eating salamanders ranked low on the social scale, the eaters kept hush about it.
You can read more stories about hushpuppies.
Fried Pancake Batter
This recipe is very, very, simple. All you need to do is take some pancake mix that you only need to add water to and make it very thick. I use a ratio of two parts of dry pancake mix, to one part water.
Thin batter means you are making funnel cakes, and, quite honestly, that isn’t a bad thing either. You can serve these fried pancake balls with maple syrup or even a good dusting of powdered sugar.
How to Make Pancake Puppies
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or pot to 350 degrees.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together pancake mix and water until well blended.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop the batter into the oil.
- Cook until the pancake balls are browned on the bottom then flip them over and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Remove pancake balls from the oil and drain.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
- Serve with maple syrup.
Deep Frying Tips
I fry these in basic vegetable oil that I buy at Costco. Most restaurants are using a blended oil, and I think vegetable oil seems to work very well.
I really enjoy deep frying in my T-fal fryer. Why? It has a feature that means you can strain the oil and use it again. It also has a great basket, and it makes the occasional deep-frying a snap.
Love Denny’s? Try these copycat recipes!
- Strawberry Pancake Puppies
- Blueberry Pancake Puppies
- Moons Over My Hammy
- Denny’s French Toast
- Mozzarella Stick Grilled Cheese
Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Burger King Egg-Normous Breakfast Burrito
- Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
- IHOP Birthday Pancakes
- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Alton Brown Pancakes
- Homemade Waffles
- Strawberry Pop Tart Recipe
Be sure to check out more of my easy breakfast recipes and the best restaurant copycat recipes.
Denny’s Pancake Puppies
Enjoy these bite-sized appetizers everyone loves at Denny’s.
5 from 6 votes
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Denny’s Recipes, Pancakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 265kcal
Author: Stephanie Manley
Ingredients
- 2 cups pancake mix use the kind where you only need to add water
- 1 cup water
- oil for frying
Instructions
Heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
In a medium-sized bowl combine pancake mix and water. Stir until well blended.
Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop to drop the batter into the oil. Cook until browned on the bottom, and flip over and cook for another 30 seconds.
Remove from oil, and drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Serve with maple syrup.
Nutrition
Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 0.8mg
About Stephanie Manley
I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.
Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Lisa
What can we use to make the batter from scratch if we don’t have pancake mix?
Reply
Stephanie Manley
I am sorry I haven’t worked this out from a scratch recipe, I will try to work that out in the future.
Reply
Jen Sabbato
Do you have the recipe for the cream cheese icing that Dennys serves with their pancake puppies???
Can’t wait to try making these!
Thank you so much for the recipe!!!Reply
Stephanie Manley
I would make that by combining
4 ounces butter
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup of milkReply
Maura
About to try!!Reply
MarkD
very good. Thank you for sharing!,.,.,.,.,.,.Reply
Houstonfit
Oh my gosh! Why haven’t I had these sooner??? They were GREAT!Reply
Leslie
Can these be made in an air fryer?
Reply
Stephanie
I don’t think so the batter is very soft.
Reply
RunDMC
These are the best ever.Reply
Tracy
Really? I couldn’t even tell you the last time we’ve eaten at a Denny’s and now I feel totally cheated on life Ü I very rarely break out my deep fryer (except when my 83 year old Mum is making egg rolls ♥) but, thanks to you and Denny’s, I’ve got a family size bottle of oil on my shopping list to fry these babies up! Can not wait!! Thanks so much, Stephanie Ü
Reply
Stephanie
These remind me of a lot of funnel cakes. I hope you enjoy them.Reply
gg
love your site!Reply
Crystal
Can’t wait to try them. I loved the red velvet pancake puppies with cream cheese.
Reply
Peggy Gilbert
We had breakfast at Denny’s this morning. These “puppies” resemble the Swedish Ebelskivers I grew up with and still make today. We have a special pan but am looking forward to having these to see what the difference is.
Reply
Stephanie
I would love to hear how these compare.
Reply
Claudia Hamilton
Stephanie,
Thanks for getting me this recipe, I can’t wait to make them.