Pancakes are a great way to start off the morning, especially on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which happens to be National Pancake Day. If you’re looking for Pancake Recipes for National Pancake Day, you’ve come to the right place.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
National Pancake Day is a pretty confusing holiday.
Officially, there’s a National Pancake Day every September 26.
But, Pancake Day — aka Pancake Tuesday aka Shrove Tuesday aka Fat Tuesday aka Mardi Gras — is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. And that Pancake Day is way more popular than the fall holiday.
For Catholics, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and its a time of fasting, reflection, asking for forgiveness. But the night before, well, that has turned into a day of debauchery. Better get it all out before you have to abstain for 40 days.
But why pancakes?
Back in the day, people were a lot more strict during the Lenten season. Now it’s all “give up something you like, skip meat a few times.” But people used to abstain from fats and most things that were delicious. Bye bye eggs. Bye bye butter.
But people wouldn’t throw eggs and butter away. They would make pancakes to use them up. Personally, I would have baked a cake, but old timey people were more worried about making food to actually feed their family and indulgences were far and few between. Breakfast trumped cakes.
So, Pancake Day was established.
And then IHOP decided to get a little commercial about it and declare Pancake Day National Pancake Day and use it as a way to raise money for charities in exchange for pancakes.
So this year, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which moves around every year (making this confusing holiday just a little more confusing), is March 4, 2025.
Celebrate by stuffing yourself with homemade pancakes. Then celebrate again in September.
National Pancake Day is just one of the food related national days that are celebrated each year. To make sure you don’t miss any, check out our list of Top 20+ National Days For Freebies And Deals and mark your calendar.
Pancake Recipes For National Pancake Day
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As we add more great recipes for pancakes to Drugstore Divas, we’ll be sure to update this list. So save it (bookmark it, pin it, however you save posts) and come back to it from time to time to see what we’ve added.
Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes
Chocolate chip pancakes are so popular. I think it would be safe to guess that chocolate chips are the most popular pancake mix in. Counter that sweetness with bananas when you make our Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes.
They’re made with your classic pancakes recipe (all purpose flour, whole milk, olive oil, etc.) with mashed banana and chocolate chips added to the batter. These aren’t the two ingredient banana and egg pancakes went viral a couple years ago.
Cottage Cheese Sheet Pan Pancakes
Cottage cheese is so popular right now, which is funny to me because we’ve been making these Cottage Cheese Sheet Pan Pancakes for forever. It’s such an easy way to make pancakes.
You mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, then pour them onto a sheet pan. Place the entire baking sheet in the oven and you’re basically making one giant pancake. Then, when it’s golden brown, you take it out of the oven and cut individual pancakes. It’s so much quicker than making single pancakes.
Oatmeal Pancakes
For something different, make our Oatmeal Pancakes. The recipe uses rolled oats rather than the traditional dry ingredients that are used for pancakes, making them accidentally gluten free.
You can add in whatever fresh fruit you prefer, although we always add apples because apples and oats are the perfect pair.
Which of these pancake recipes will you try first? Let me know in the comments.