6 Ideas to Use Up Your Leftover Christmas Pancakes

If you have kids, then I am sure you will make lots of snowmen, Santas and reindeer-shaped pancakes these days. And if you are like me, you will include various pancake recipes in the form of appropriately decorated cakes and muffins on your festive Christmas dinner table. If so, you can expect quite a lot leftovers. No one wants to throw a perfectly good pancake into the garbage. That is why smart people invented amazing recipes where unwanted sweet treats go for a makeover.

Pancake Quesadillas

You might be one of those people that always associate your favorite breakfast delight with sweet rather than savory dishes, but quesadillas and enchiladas are really easy to make and can be served as a light lunch after the overwhelming Christmas dinner. Arrange them in a baking pan, sprinkle some cheese, a scoop of tomato sauce, and lots of sliced veggies.

Pancake Burritos

Another savory variation is wraps. To be honest, wraps are much better when made with crepes because they are thinner and hence easier to wrap around the filling, but they are also more neutral in taste. Sweet classic American fluffy discs cannot be combined with savory fillings in this recipe. they taste funny. Sorry!

Smear some cream cheese on each crepe, add some bacon/ham, and fresh vegetable slices (tomato, pepper, onions, lettuce, olives...) Top with some ketchup.

If you are more of a sweet fan, fill them with the good old Nutella and diced strawberries or chopped nuts.

Monte Cristo Pancake Sandwich

Everything you love about the Monte Cristo sandwich, only here with pancakes instead of bread. The filling is made with ham, melting cheese, and some raspberry jam. Dip each sandwich into an egg wash made with just milk, egg, and cinnamon (carefully). Put them on the grill for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Yum!

Pancake Bread Pudding

Slice the leftover hotcakes into small pieces and place in a baking dish. Prepare a classic vanilla custard and pour over the bite-sized pieces. Top with some chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins. Bake in the oven at medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Beautiful!

Pancake Trifles and Parfaits

Use the same custard you made for the above mentioned pudding to assemble an easy trifle. Place a layer of sliced pancakes, followed by a layer of custard and a layer of fruit slices (I usually use berries or banana slices). It is even easier that the pudding because it doesn’t require baking.

Another very similar dessert is the parfait, but this one is made with yogurt, which makes the treat lighter and fresher. Start with a yogurt (plain or vanilla flavored), then add the pancake pieces, and finally strawberries and blueberries mix. Repeat and garnish each parfait with mint.

Pancake French Toast

To prepare an easy breakfast, cut each hotcake in half or ¼ pieces and dip each piece in a combination of sugar, cinnamon, and eggs. Then cook in a frying pan just like any French toast made of any kind of bread. Finally, check out this guide on making the perfect pancakes!