IHOP Pancake Tacos: Strawberry Cheesecake

What You Will ❤️ About Pancake Tacos

• Favorite Foods! I mean you’re combining PANCAKES AND TACOS!!!! What’s not to love about this handheld pancake creations?!?!
• Cheesecake Filling! The cheesecake filling is so good! It’s creamy and sweet but not too much! It’s definitely a nice balance!
• Handheld Breakfast – What’s more fun than a breakfast you can pick up and eat with one hand!?! These little handheld pancake tacos are perfect and no forks are needed!

🔍 COPYCAT SECRETS UNCOVERED!

Don’t miss these tips to be sure your Pancake Taco is identical to IHOP:

• Don’t Overfill the Pancakes
  • IHOP’s version is neat and foldable because they pipe the filling in. 2-3 tablespoons per pancake is the sweet spot. Any more and the taco won’t fold or hold it all in!
• Don’t Stack Hot Pancakes
  • Stacking the pancakes will trap the steam and then make them gummy. This will result in the pancakes being harder to fold, and therefore harder to make them into a taco!
• Wait to cut the Strawberries
  • Waiting to cut your strawberries will prevent them from releasing juice and can make your taco soggy. Cut them right before you need them for the best experience.

IHOP’s Pancake Tacos Varieties

IHOP’s new menu items are the pancake tacos and there are four varieties – only available for a limited time. I had to immediately go and try them all 4 kinds of IHOP’s pancake taco lineup!!!

There are 2 sweet and 2 savory varieties of the little folded silver dollar pancake. The strawberry cheesecake ones were my favorite and the Breakfast ones were my second favorite.

• Caramel Banana Pancake Tacos – creamy cheesecake mousse drizzled with vanilla sauce & dulce de leche caramel sauce and topped with bananas and chocolate chips. (You can easily make these with the same cheesecake filling in this recipe.)
• Breakfast Pancake Tacos – This is a pretty traditional type of breakfast taco but on their signature pancakes! Scrambled eggs, hickory-smoked bacon, jack & cheddar cheese and a white cheese sauce. Add a little salsa for zing!
• Country Chicken & Gravy Pancake Tacos – Crispy chicken, shredded hash browns, jack & cheddar cheese blend and white country gravy – then topped with pickles for a salty crunch. (The chicken taco would be a lot better with a spiced-up sausage gravy like mine!

Now – if you’re still missing the syrup – there’s always some on the table and you can dip it in there!

How to make Strawberry Cheesecake Pancake Tacos

There’s a lot going on with these pancakes – but there are some tricks and tools to make it easier along the way. Here’s how you make them:

1. CHEESECAKE FILLING: In large bowl, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Fold in whipped topping. Place into 2 sandwich-size zipper bags, squeeze out most of air, zip and set aside. 
2. PANCAKES: In a blender, combine all pancake ingredients until smooth.
3. PREHEAT griddle over medium high heat. When hot, spray griddle with non-stick spray
4. SPOON 1/3 cup of batter on hot griddle, forming 5 inch circles. Should be able to fit 3 pancakes on a griddle at a time. (They’re def bigger than silver dollar pancakes but smaller than their traditionally big pancakes!)
5. FLIP pancakes when edges start to form and bubbles spread across batter after 2-3 min (see photo above). They should be golden brown. Cook on other side for 2 minutes until golden brown. 
6. REMOVE from griddle and set aside. Do not stack. Lay pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet or cutting board with parchment sheet on top for remaining layers.
7. SERVING: Lay pancakes into taco shell holder. 
8. SNIP off corner of of sandwich bag and fill pancake shells with 2-3 tbsp cheesecake mousse. Each sandwich-sized bag will fill approx 6 pancakes. 
9. TOPPING: Slice strawberries into quarters.
10. TOP with strawberries and chocolate chips and serve!

Supplies Used

• Non-Stick Fry Pan – this Caraway ceramic pan is my absolute favorite in the kitchen! The non-stick surface makes it a breeze to clean and it works on every type of stovetop!
• Griddle – a griddle is perfect for making pancakes and allows you to cook for the whole family at once!
• Taco Holders – these taco holders are essential to making sure that your pancakes are able to stay taco shaped!

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

• How do you store and reheat leftover pancake tacos? I would highly recommend just making as many as you’re going to eat. Keep the components separate and you can “remake” with the leftovers. Heat the pancakes in a non-stick skillet for 2-3 minutes and fill with filling & toppings.
• Can you save and reuse extra filling? Sure! If you have extra filling, place in an air tight container. If you want to use it for something similar – leave it set on the counter for a little bit until it’s room temperature. Or dip graham crackers in it for a sweet snack!
• Can I just use a pancake mix? Of course! But I will say – these were pretty fluffy and just as tasty as the best-selling pancakes from IHOP!
• Do I need to use a blender for the pancake mix? No – you could mix by hand or use a hand blender but I felt like my blender worked great.
• Do I need the bags for the filling? You could also use a pastry bag but this is the easiest pastry bag hack I’ve found.
• Can you use other fruits? Sure! Blueberries would be delicious – or even cheat and spoon on a little pie filling!
• How many pancakes should I figure per person? They serve 3 per person and I think you could figure 2-3 per person. Probably just two if you’re serving bacon or sausage with them!

What to serve with Pancake Tacos

• Air Fryer Bacon
• Frozen Sausage Patties in the Air Fryer
• Baked Scrambled Eggs

More Breakfast & Brunch Recipes

• Mini Bacon & Egg Pies
• Hong Kong French Toast
• Casey’s Breakfast Pizza