This savory ham and cheese Dutch Baby is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s a buttery pancake that’s perfectly seasoned and baked in a small mini skillet or baking dish. Ready in less than 30 minutes and the perfect size for one!
A savory Dutch Baby is welcome at my table any time of the day. Chances are, if you’ve ever enjoyed a dutch baby, it was filled with fresh fruit, topped with powdered sugar, and eaten for breakfast.
Although I love a fruit-filled Dutch Baby, I decided to create savory version that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. This Ham and Cheese Dutch Baby makes the perfect meal that cooks in less than 30 minutes.
A Dutch Baby begins with a thin, pancake-like batter that is poured into a hot skillet and baked in the oven. The batter will start to rise and puff up, and when the edges begin to brown, it is ready to come out of the oven. When the Dutch Baby has the chance to cool slightly, the puff collapses into the pan, and what remains is a pancake with the texture of a delicate crepe.
This Ham and Cheese Dutch Baby is savory, cheesy, and slightly peppery. It's like a cross between a Yorkshire pudding and a crepe. The pancake is crispy on the outside and steamy and custardy inside. You can serve this savory Dutch Baby with a side of bacon, a salad, or fresh fruit.
Why This Recipe Works
- This recipe is very similar to our fruit-filled versions, we simply omit the sugar and vanilla and replace those ingredients with a dollop of tangy mustard and a touch of nutmeg.
- A puffed pancake is so easy to make. You just mix the ingredients together in a bowl and pour it into a preheated and buttered cast iron skillet.
- Cast iron skillets are traditionally used when making a Dutch Baby but we’ve also tested this recipe using a 5” x 5” baking dish with success.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Butter: I use salted butter to grease the skillet.
- Egg: Use 1 large egg.
- Milk: I use 1% milk because that is what I usually have on hand. You can use any percentage of cow’s milk. I have also made a Dutch Baby with almond milk and it's delicious!
- Mustard: I love the taste of stone-ground mustard in my ham and cheese Dutch Baby. You may use Dijon or yellow mustard instead. Stone-ground or spicy mustard has a little more heat and a deeper flavor than yellow mustard and it is my preferred mustard for this recipe.
- Flour: Use ¼ cup of all purpose flour to help thicken the batter.
- Spices: Use salt and ground nutmeg.
- Ham: I use regular deli ham. If you make our ham steak and have any ham leftover, this Dutch Baby would be perfect to use it up in.
- Cheese: My preferred cheese to use is Gruyère but feel free to experiment and add other types of cheeses. Cheddar, Pepper Jack, or Swiss are great choices.
How To Make This Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put butter in a 6.5-inch cast-iron skillet or similarly sized oven-safe baking dish and place in the oven.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg, milk, mustard, salt, and nutmeg.
- Add flour and whisk vigorously to remove lumps.
- Stir in ham and cheese.
- Using oven mitts, carefully remove skillet from oven. Swirl butter around in skillet to coat completely.
- Pour batter into the skillet.
- Place skillet back in the oven and cook until batter is puffed in the center and golden brown along the edges, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the Dutch Baby from the skillet to a cooling rack or a plate to cool slightly before eating.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the batter is smooth with no lumps. Use a hand whisk or an electric mixer, if necessary.
- Be sure to heat the skillet in the oven before pouring in the batter. This helps the pancake to puff.
- You don't have to use nutmeg in your batter. I happen to love the addition of nutmeg, especially when paired with Gruyère.
- Use a 6.5-inch cast iron skillet or a 5-inch baking dish. If you use a larger dish, the pancake will be much flatter. You can find examples of the dishes we use on our Store Page.
- This German pancake is cooked in a 400 degree oven and you need to make sure the skillet or baking dish you use can handle the high heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! When I make a Dutch Baby For One, I most often use a small 6.5-inch cast iron skillet but the 5-inch dish that I use for many of the recipes here at One Dish Kitchen is also a great dish to use.
The Dutch Baby batter is baked in a very hot oven. As it bakes, the batter puffs up due to the steam which is created by the milk and eggs.
A Dutch Baby will be puffy and beautiful right out of the oven, but it will deflate quickly as it cools. That's just what a Dutch Baby does.
This single serving Dutch Baby is best enjoyed straight from the oven. If you need to reheat it, you can warm it in the oven or in a toaster oven.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this savory Dutch Baby recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Eggs: Breakfast Bread Pudding, Pancakes, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon, Egg and Cheese Cup
- Milk: French Toast, Waffle, Baked Oatmeal
- Stone-ground mustard: Crawfish Beignets, Chicken with Mustard Sauce, Mashed Potatoes
- Flour: Small Batch Pancake Mix, Mini Blueberry Pie, Strawberry Shortcake
- Nutmeg: Spinach Manicotti, Alfredo Sauce, Tuna Casserole
- Ham: Crustless Spinach Quiche, Ham and Cheese Scones
- Gruyère: French Onion Soup, Crustless Potato and Asparagus Quiche
You might also like to try:
If you’ve tried this Ham and Cheese Dutch Baby or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Ham and Cheese Dutch Baby For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
- 6.5-inch cast iron skillet or 5-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon stone-ground mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ounce chopped ham (about 1 slice of deli ham)
- 1 ounce shredded Gruyère cheese (about ¼ cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C).
- Put butter in a 6.5-inch cast-iron skillet or oven-safe 5x5-inch baking dish and place in the oven.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg, milk, mustard, salt, and nutmeg.
- Add flour and whisk vigorously to remove lumps.
- Stir in ham and cheese.
- Using oven mitts, carefully remove skillet from oven. Swirl butter around in skillet to coat completely.
- Pour batter into the skillet.
- Place skillet back in the oven and cook until batter is puffed in the center and golden brown along the edges, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the Dutch Baby from the skillet to a cooling rack or a plate to cool slightly before eating. Enjoy.
Notes
- Make sure the batter is smooth with no lumps. Use a hand whisk or an electric mixer, if necessary.
- Be sure to heat the skillet in the oven before pouring in the batter. This helps the pancake to puff.
- You don't have to use nutmeg in your batter. I happen to love the addition of nutmeg, especially when paired with Gruyère.
- Use a 6.5-inch cast iron skillet or a 5-inch baking dish. If you use a larger dish, the pancake will be much flatter. You can find these dishes on our Store Page.
- This German pancake is cooked in a 400 degree oven and you need to make sure the skillet or baking dish you use can handle the high heat.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Shelley says
Wasn't sure about the mustard and nutmeg, but I gave it a try. It's a keeper!