What to Serve with Pancakes (Toppings, Sides, & More)

There is nothing better than a big stack of pancakes! But no pancake day is complete without yummy toppings and a few good side dishes to create well rounded, satisfying meal. 

This post outlines all kinds of ideas of what to eat with pancakes! This includes what to put on top of your pancakes, the best side dishes to pair with your favorite sweet pancake recipes, and delicious drink ideas too.

So next time you’re making pancakes, no matter the time of day, this list will help you come up with different ways to serve the best meal with your favorite pancakes as the main course!

🧈 The Best Pancake Toppings

Having options for things to put on top of pancakes is a must! While everyone is going to have their own favorite toppings, the following are popular and delicious sweet pancakes topping ideas to try:

• Butter and a drizzle of maple syrup the classic pancake topping.
• Fresh berries like fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, and fresh raspberries.
• Slices of banana.
• Peanut Butter. Either slather some on straight from the jar, or warm some up and drizzle it on!
• Whipped cream. Homemade or store bought are both great! If you’ve got a chocolate based pancake, a chocolate whipped cream may be fun too!
• Chocolate Syrup.
• Chocolate Chips.
• Nutella hazelnut spread. Or this fun chocolate tahini spread alternative!
• Fruit syrups like blueberry syrup, strawberry syrup, etc.
• Fruit compotes and sauces like a homemade blueberry compote, strawberry compote, mixed berry compote, blackberry coulis, etc. Depending the time of year and type of pancake, you could also try using leftover cranberry sauce too! 
• Spiced Apples. Add this cinnamon apples topping or this this caramelized bacon and apples topping would both be delicious pancake toppers.
• Apple butter. This super easy Insta Pot apple butter recipe is a family favorite!
• Fruit Jams or Jellies. You can use store bought, or try a homemade variety like this fun blueberry chia jam!
• Lemon curd. You can use store bought or make homemade lemon curd.
• Toasted nuts like pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
• Toasted coconut.
• Granola. This maple nut granola adds fun texture to your pancakes when used as a topping!
• Caramel or toffee sauce. You can use store bought, or try a fun homemade version like this coconut caramel sauce!
• Honey. Drizzling honey on top of your pancakes is a fun alternative to the typical maple syrup.
• Compote butters. Kick your standard butter up a notch with a homemade honey butter or whipped strawberry butter to slather on top of your pancakes!
• Glazes. We add a fun vanilla glaze to our homemade Funfetti pancakes! This cinnamon glaze is another fun option for pancakes too.
• Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. This is a personal favorite (and a nice way to add some protein too!). I like to mix mine with pure maple syrup and add a generous slather right on top of my pancakes.
• Sprinkles. Because sprinkles make everything more fun!

🍳 Delicious Side Dishes for Pancakes

Serving side dishes along with your pancakes is the best way to create a balanced and hearty meal. Consider serving side dishes that are savory to compliment the sweetness of your pancakes too. Adding one or two of these delicious sides is the perfect way to take your pancake breakfast to the next level!

🥚 Eggs

Eggs are the perfect side dish to pair with pancakes! You can keep things simple or go the extra mile with some special egg dishes if time permits.

• Scrambled Eggs. Keep things simple with a big batch of scrambled eggs! If you really want to add some protein to your meal, give these cottage cheese scrambled eggs a try! 
• Fried Eggs. Fried eggs are quick and easy to do. You also have the option to prepare your fried eggs over easy, over medium, or over hard depending on how runny you may or may not like your yolk.
• Poached Eggs. If you love a good runny egg, serving your pancakes with easy poached eggs may be right up your alley!
• Egg Bakes / Egg Casseroles. Egg bakes are wonderful savory dishes to pair with your pancakes! We especially like this hearty chicken sausage, broccoli, and cheese egg bake.
• Quiche. Quiches are a brunch favorite! Try this crustless zucchini quiche or this smoked salmon and spinach quiche recipe.
• Egg Bites / Egg Muffins. Egg bites are fun and easy to make at home thanks to the use of a muffin tin! Try these copycat Starbucks egg white bites or these bacon and spinach egg muffin cups.
• Frittatas. This easy skillet egg dish is another great savory option to serve alongside your pancakes! You can make frittatas with all kinds of delicious flavors too, making it a fun and versatile egg option. Try this southwestern frittata or this tomato, pepper, and arugula frittata.

🥓 Breakfast Meats

Breakfast meats like crispy bacon, sausage links, and sausage patties are a classic pairing for your pancakes. 

🥔 Breakfast Potatoes

Serving any breakfast with a side of breakfast potatoes is many Midwesterner’s favorite ways to fill out a meal! Whether you’re making roasted breakfast potatoes, frying up some hash browns, or making some type of hash, we are here for it.

Keep it easy with some skillet breakfast potatoes, or kick things up a notch with these crispy oven baked hash brown bites, these garlic dill breakfast potatoes, or this veggie-packed sweet potato hash!

🍓 Fresh Fruit

Adding fresh fruit to your brunch spread is an excellent way to add a light and fresh element to your meal. It can be as simple as having a bowl of your favorite fruits set out (such as having some orange slices or fresh strawberries prepped and ready to enjoy).

Or take a few extra minutes to make a yummy fruit salad, like this fresh fruit salad with honey lime dressing or this poppy seed fruit salad! 

🥄 Yogurt

Serving yogurt or yogurt parfaits with your pancakes is another great way to fill out your meal! I personally like to keep it simple with vanilla Greek yogurt (which also adds a nice source of protein to the meal), but you could definitely select your favorite strawberry yogurt, blueberry yogurt, or other yogurt flavor of choice.

🥛 Don’t Forget the Drinks

Be sure to have a variety of beverages available for your friends and family to enjoy with their delicious pancakes!

☕ Coffee

Having a hot pot of coffee, or cold brew coffee during the warmer months, is a must! Be sure to have cream and sugar available for your friends and family to mix into their coffee as well. If you have time, add a fun DIY coffee recipe like a homemade brown sugar shaken espresso or a seasonal favorite like a gingerbread latte to your meal too!

🍊 Juice

Serving juice with any type of breakfast is always a nice touch. Whether you’re grabbing a jug of your favorite orange juice, or making a fresh juice like this fresh-squeezed grapefruit orange juice, or this fun Hawaiian POG drink, your breakfast guests are sure to enjoy!

🥂 Brunch Cocktails

If you’re having your girlfriends over for brunch, you may have a good reason to bust out a fun breakfast cocktail! If you love mimosas, try mixing up a quick and easy cranberry mimosa or apple cider mimosa! A French 75 is also a fun, fancy, and easy brunch cocktail that is sure to delight. An espresso martini with baileys would also be a fun addition to your brunch.

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