Kristina for Taste of Home.
Kristina for Taste of Home.
Published March. 28 2025
Breakfast pancakes are an amazing treat! Find the perfect stack.
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We looked at the chains that offered the most convenient options for ordering pancakes on-the-go, whether it was through the drive-thru window or a take-out. After narrowing down the choices to McDonald’s and IHOP, we placed our orders.
In this ranking, taste and quality are of prime importance. The pancakes were ranked according to their flavor, fluffyness, and the accompaniments like butter or syrup. The diameter was important (nothing silver when you’re looking to feast!) We wanted a stack that looked substantial.
We were ultimately looking for a breakfast fit for a weekend morning. Here’s a place to get pancakes if you’re short on time.
Kristina for Taste of Home.
3 McDonald’s (
) At McDonald’s a hotcake order includes three pancakes that are each exactly 5 inches across, along with one hotcake syrup container and two pats whipped butter. McDonald’s
We noticed the first thing about their pancakes: they were perfect, almost too perfect. Every pancake was exactly the same. It was obvious, even before the first bite, that they were made with a machine, and then reheated rather than freshly flipped from the griddle. They were thin and pale in color. These pancakes had a slightly rubbery bite. Hotcake syrup is not maple syrup, but corn syrup with caramel flavoring. McDonald’s offers a mid-range stack of pancakes at $4.99.
The bottom line is: Out of the three restaurants that we tried, McDonald’s had the only drive-thru pancake option. If you don’t want to get out of your car, this is the best option for pancakes.
Kristina for Taste of Home.
2 Denny’s (19659013) While Denny’s has traditionally been associated with a sit-down diner, it also offers a quick and efficient take-out service. A small stack of pancakes cost $3.49. We were off in a few moments. The to-go container was filled with a sweet, delicious aroma. Two pancakes were inside, measuring six inches each. The pancakes were golden brown and came with syrup, but not butter. Taste test confirmed that they were just as sweet as the smell. These pancakes may be a bit [sweet]depending on the taste of your mouth. It would have been nice to get a jar of salty butter to balance it out. Denny’s and McDonald’s both use high-fructose syrup instead of a more natural alternative. It was evident that the pancakes had been made to order from scratch.
Bottom Line: Pancakes at Denny’s are the most affordable. These are the pancakes for you if you like a sweeter taste.
Kristina for Taste of Home.
IHOP (19659018) A stack of three original buttermilk-based pancakes from IHOP costs $7.99. This makes them the most expensive pancakes in our list. They were the very best! IHOP delivered on its promise, as “pancakes”, is part of the name. Two containers of pancake syrup, two whipped butters and old-fashioned maple syrup were included in the order. The pancakes were six inches wide and clearly made-to-order.
The pancakes were a rich golden colour and deliciously fluffy. They were sweet, but not too much. Salted butter is also delicious. IHOP syrup, like the syrups of other chains, is made from corn syrup. The only thing we can think of is that pancake houses should have pure maple syrup as their signature item.
IHOP delivers on its promise to deliver pancakes, as the name suggests. The pancakes were the most expensive of all the fast food options, but the taste was worth every penny.
