Sweet to Savoury: Our Best Pancake Day Topping and Filling Ideas

Regularly heaped with berries, syrups, yogurts and cream, pancakes are often thought of as a sweet treat. While sweet pancakes are decadently delicious, savoury pancakes are just as tasty, and can be eaten any time of day.

Whether you’re looking for a savoury brunch or to indulge a sweet tooth, our Pancake Day toppings will help you get the most out of the humble family favourite. The best part is they can all be made using our simple pancake mix, so you can spend less time fussing over the boring stuff, and more time experimenting with your favourite pancake combinations.

Sweet Pancake Toppings

1. Banana protein

A long-time favourite pancake topping, the distinct yet subtle flavour of bananas make them ideal for fillings and sauces. Plus, they’re packed full of energy and protein, making them an unbeatable breakfast option to carry you through the day.

For a simple banana protein pancake topping peanut butter is a perfect companion, and provides an extra boost of energy. Spread your peanut butter evenly over the pancakes, then layer the banana chunks as desired. Drizzle with maple syrup or caramel sauce for extra sweetness.

2. Chocolate sauce

There’s nothing like a forkful of light, fluffy pancake drenched in an indulgent chocolatey sauce. To make your own chocolate sauce for pancakes, all you need is milk or cream, sugar and cocoa powder.

Pour 150ml of milk or cream into a pan on a low heat. Stir in 150g of sugar (preferably caster) and 20g of cocoa powder. If you like, you can also add a splash of vanilla extract. Raise the heat to medium and whisk until you have the desired thickness. Serve your chocolate pancake topping hot or cold for rich, heavenly goodness.

3. Blueberry sauce 

Often referred to as a “superfood”, blueberries are championed by nutritionists due to being packed with antioxidants and vitamin C. Their sweet yet tangy flavour also makes them a delicious pancake topping.

While a handful of raw blueberries works great on its own, making a blueberry sauce for your pancakes is quick and easy. Add 200g of blueberries to a saucepan with two teaspoons of sugar, and a tablespoon of water. Cook until the blueberries have softened, and pour the sauce over your pancakes with another sprinkling of sugar.

4. Strawberries 

The summery taste of strawberries make for a truly wonderful sweet pancake topping.  Even better, their natural flavour and sweetness means they need very little doing to them. If you do fancy an extra taste of the countryside, try adding a scoopful of clotted cream or mascarpone cheese to your strawberry pancake topping. Of course, ice cream works just as well!

5. Apple and cinnamon 

Another one of our favourite fruit pancake toppings, apple and cinnamon are a beautifully fragrant combination, throwing a little extra into the mix with a kick of spice.

To make an apple and cinnamon topping for pancakes, toss pealed apple slices into a bowl with two teaspoons of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon per apple. Melt some butter in a pan and add the apples. Cover them with water and cook over a medium heat for around ten minutes, or until tender. Serve the apple and cinnamon pancake topping as is, or with a drizzle of yoghurt.

Savoury pancake toppings

6. Bacon with maple syrup 

Few pancake combinations have become quite as iconic as the legendary bacon with maple syrup. The contrasting flavours of the salty, smoky bacon with the sweet, sticky syrup makes for a savoury pancake topping that’s hard to top.

We’d recommend using streaky bacon for ultimate crispness when it comes to your bacon pancake topping. Simply preheat your grill to hot, and cook your rashers until golden before laying the strips over your pancakes with a streaking of syrup.

7. Smoked salmon

Add a touch of luxury to your mid-morning. This ultra-fresh, smoked salmon savoury pancake topping serves as one of the best pancake fillings for a brunch, and takes almost no time at all. Simply spread a generous amount of cream cheese or crème fraiche over your pancakes, then layer with smoked salmon. Season with black pepper, or a sprinkling of dill to taste, and finish off with a squeeze of lemon.

8. Spinach and ricotta

Another luxurious savoury pancake topping, spinach and ricotta is one of our favourite pancake filling ideas, and is also a great brunch option which takes only a little more preparation.

For spinach and ricotta pancakes, finely chop some garlic and add to a pan with a little olive oil. Feel free to throw in a handful of mushrooms as well, as they go brilliantly with the spinach and garlic. When the garlic and mushrooms are nearly done, add a handful of spinach, and cook until wilted. Stir in 125g of ricotta, and serve over your pancakes.

9. Ham and cheese

Our final savoury pancake topping features a truly timeless combo. Inspired by the French croque monsieur, this pancake filling idea combines smoky ham and salty, tangy cheese and works just as well on pancakes as it does in sandwiches.

Melt a little butter in a pan and add 100g of grated cheddar cheese. Layer your ham on top of the pancakes and when the cheese has melted completely, pour it over evenly. Add black pepper to taste.


Our easy family-size pancake mix cuts out the time and effort of mixing ingredients, so that you can focus on putting the toppings and fillings together. For other easy breakfast or brunch options, our American-style pancake and waffle mix serves both purposes, and guarantees light, fluffy results every time. Or if our toppings have awoken your sweet tooth, discover our range of desserts and other pantry mixes.