What is a Scotch pancake?

The short answer: A Scotch pancake is a small, thick, leavened pancake cooked on a griddle — closer in style to an American pancake than to the thin, crepe-style British pancake eaten on Pancake Day. Also known as a drop scone (particularly in England and Wales), it is made with a batter that includes a raising agent, which gives it a soft, slightly risen texture and a compact, pillowy shape. In Scotland, this is often simply called a "pancake"; the thin, unleavened version is more likely to be called a crepe.

The name causes genuine confusion. Ask for a pancake in a tearoom in Edinburgh and you are likely to receive a Scotch pancake — small, warm, and served with butter and jam. Ask for the same thing in a London café and you may receive a thin, lacy crepe-style pancake with lemon and sugar. Same word, same country, two quite different foods. This guide sets out what a Scotch pancake is, how it is made, and how it relates to the other pancakes you are likely to encounter.

Scotch pancake vs drop scone: two names for the same food

The terms Scotch pancake and drop scone refer to the same food. The first name is geographic — the pancake originated in Scotland. The second name is procedural — the batter is thick enough to drop from a spoon in small mounds rather than being poured into a thin layer across the pan.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the food is usually just called a "pancake", without the "Scotch" qualifier. The word "Scotch" signals the distinction to people in England and Wales, where the thin crepe-style pancake is the default and a qualifier is needed to specify the thicker version. Across Scotland, the thin version is more likely to be called a "crepe" to avoid the ambiguity.

"Drop scone" is the more common English term, especially in older recipes and cookbooks. It emphasises the technique rather than the geography. The word "scone" here does not mean this is the same food as a baked scone — it refers loosely to the tradition of simple, flat, griddle-cooked Scottish breads that the drop scone sits within. Order a drop scone in a café and you will receive the same small, thick, soft pancake as a Scotch pancake.

Other regional names exist — Scottish pancakes, griddle scones — but Scotch pancake and drop scone are the two terms you will encounter most often on menus and supermarket packaging.

How a Scotch pancake differs from a standard British pancake

The most important difference is leavening. A standard British pancake — the kind eaten across the UK on Pancake Day — contains no raising agent. The batter is simply flour, eggs, and milk, beaten smooth and poured into a hot, lightly greased pan. It spreads thin and cooks in under a minute per side. The result is a large (roughly 20–25cm across), thin, lacy disk, eaten with lemon juice and caster sugar, rolled up or folded in quarters.

A Scotch pancake uses bicarbonate of soda or baking powder — usually combined with cream of tartar, which provides the acid needed to activate the bicarb. This raises the batter during cooking, producing a thick, soft, slightly domed pancake roughly 7–9cm across and 1–1.5cm thick when cooked. It is dropped onto the hot surface in small mounds rather than poured to cover the whole pan.

The cooking signal is different too. A thin British pancake is flipped when the edges are set and the underside is lightly coloured — or by tossing. A Scotch pancake is ready to flip when bubbles appear across the entire surface and the edges look dry and set: typically 1–2 minutes per side on medium heat. The bubble test is the defining moment of drop scone cookery and the surest indicator that the pancake is ready to turn.

In short: different batter, different size, different cooking cue, different texture, different toppings. The two share a name and some basic ingredients but are cooked and eaten quite differently.

How Scotch pancakes compare to American pancakes

The Scotch pancake is often described as closer to an American pancake than to a British one — and in terms of leavening and texture, that is accurate. Both use a raising agent; both produce a thick, soft, risen pancake; both rely on the bubble test. They are recognisably variations of the same idea.

But there are real differences. Scotch pancakes are noticeably smaller — 7–9cm is typical, versus the 12–15cm standard American pancake. They are also less dramatically fluffy, because American recipes typically use buttermilk in larger quantities, or more baking powder, or both, producing a more airy result with a more open crumb. The American pancake stack is a centrepiece breakfast dish; Scotch pancakes are a snack or side, eaten in ones and twos from a plate.

Toppings differ too. American pancakes default to maple syrup and butter, served as a hot breakfast meal. Scotch pancakes are traditionally a teatime food — served warm with butter and jam, most classically raspberry jam in Scotland. They are eaten at the tea table rather than as a morning stack.

For the American pancake in full, see our American pancake recipe collection. For the classic thin British version, see classic British pancake recipes.

The batter: raising agent and technique

Traditional Scotch pancake batter uses bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar — the cream of tartar provides the acid that reacts with the alkali bicarb, releasing carbon dioxide and causing the batter to rise during cooking. Many modern recipes substitute baking powder (which contains both alkali and acid in pre-measured form) for simplicity. The outcome is similar either way.

The batter also includes sugar — typically one or two tablespoons — and egg, giving Scotch pancakes a slightly richer, more tender texture than a plain crepe batter. Some recipes use buttermilk in place of regular milk, adding a mild tang and extra lift. The batter should be thick: a spoon should hold a mound of it long enough to drop cleanly onto the griddle without spreading immediately. If it spreads flat at once, the batter is too thin.

A short rest after mixing is useful — it lets the gluten relax slightly and the raising agents begin to activate. But do not rest the batter for more than 15–20 minutes before cooking, or the bubbles that drive the rise will start to dissipate before the batter reaches the heat.

How to cook Scotch pancakes

The traditional cooking surface is a girdle — the Scots word for a griddle — a flat, heavy iron or steel plate that sits directly over the heat and distributes it evenly. Most home cooks now use a non-stick frying pan or a flat cast-iron skillet. Medium heat is correct: too high and the outside browns before the inside can cook through; too low and the pancakes spread flat before they can rise.

Drop small mounds of batter — roughly a tablespoon each — onto the lightly greased surface, spaced a few centimetres apart. They will spread slightly and then hold their shape. Cook until bubbles appear across the entire surface and the edges look dry and set, then flip carefully with a palette knife or thin spatula. The second side takes slightly less time than the first and will be a paler colour.

Once cooked, place the Scotch pancakes in a clean, folded teatowel. The cloth traps steam and keeps them soft and warm while the rest of the batch cooks — a step that is particularly important if you are feeding a group. Scotch pancakes left uncovered on a plate go dry and slightly tough within minutes.

What to serve with Scotch pancakes

Butter and jam is the traditional Scottish pairing, served while the pancakes are still warm so the butter melts into the surface. Raspberry jam is the most classic choice — its sharpness balances the softness and slight sweetness of the pancake. Strawberry jam, marmalade, and heather honey are all common alternatives.

Clotted cream or whipped cream with jam makes a richer version that sits somewhere between a Scotch pancake tea and a cream tea. Lemon curd is another popular option. For a simple everyday version, just butter — good, slightly salted butter — is hard to improve on.

Savoury Scotch pancakes have become popular as canapés and starters. Made slightly smaller (roughly 5cm), they work well topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese, or with soft goat's cheese and a sliver of beetroot.

One thing Scotch pancakes are not typically served with: lemon juice and caster sugar. That combination belongs to the thin British pancake. Offering a Scotch pancake with lemon and sugar is not wrong, exactly, but it mixes traditions in a way that would puzzle a Scottish cook.

The naming problem across Britain

In Scotland, the default "pancake" is the Scotch pancake. In England and Wales, the default is the thin, crepe-style pancake. This means that Shrove Tuesday in the UK produces two different dishes depending on where you are — both called pancakes, both made from broadly similar ingredients, but quite different in practice.

On Pancake Day, many Scottish households make Scotch pancakes. Many others make the thin crepe-style version because that is what they grew up with or what their children expect. Some make both. There is no authority on which is correct, and the day accommodates both traditions comfortably.

For the historical background on Pancake Day itself — why the day exists, where the tradition comes from, and how it differs across the Christian world — see why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.

Scotch pancakes in supermarkets

Scotch pancakes are one of the few traditional Scottish foods to have achieved full UK supermarket distribution. They are sold pre-made in packs of six to eight in the bakery and bread aisle of most major supermarkets — typically by Warburtons, Kingsmill, and supermarket own-label ranges — and are a common children's snack: compact, not too sweet, robust enough for a lunchbox, and edible cold.

The commercial version uses more stabilisers and less fat than a homemade batch, producing a uniform, slightly spongier texture. They are a reasonable introduction to the food but noticeably different from freshly made Scotch pancakes — particularly the soft, steamy interior of a pancake that has just come off the griddle and rested for a minute in a warm teatowel.

For the full homemade method — traditional bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar, cooked on a girdle — see our Scotch pancake recipe in the classic British collection.