I tried all of the pancake dishes at IHOP and ranked them from worst to best (2024)

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After visiting multiple IHOP locations, I found 16 pancakes to try.

For this taste test, I went to two multiple IHOP locations in California. Across both menus, I found 16 different pancakes to try.

When ordering for this taste test, I did not specify stack size at any location, so I got a mix of full (four pancakes) and half (two pancakes). Because of this, it's important to note that stack size was not factored into my final ranking.

Keep scrolling to see how the dishes fared.

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Double-blueberry pancakes

The double-blueberry pancakes arrived at my table in gorgeous form — they looked a lot like a blueberry pie, one of my favorite desserts.

Each berry was beautifully suspended in gelatinous liquid, and there was a heavy helping of perfectly swirled whipped cream on top.

However, once I took a bite of these, I understood how the topping remained in such great shape. The blueberries were served cold, so they quickly cooled down the pancakes and kept everything from melting.

Interestingly, though, there didn't seem to be tons of blueberries sprinkled throughout the actual pancake batter, which is how this dish is pictured on IHOP's website. This wasn't a huge problem for me since my biggest gripe here was that there were way too many blueberries in this dish.

Yes, these pancakes are called double blueberry, but I think the amount of blueberries could have been reduced by at least half, if not more.

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Harvest Grain 'N Nut pancakes

Upon reading the menu description, the Harvest Grain 'N Nut Pancakes sounded right up my alley. The batter was filled with three things I love: oats, almonds, and walnuts.

Unfortunately, after just one bite I was thrown off by the strange texture of these pancakes.

I knew there'd be some crunch, but that crunchiness embedded into the fluffy pancakes just didn't work very well, in my opinion.

The stack had a nice flavor, but I found the pancakes to be quite dry.I topped them with one of the fruit syrups from the table caddy (I went with boysenberry) and they tasted much better, but I just couldn't get past the odd texture.

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Power Protein pancakes

The plain Power Protein pancakes were OK and better than I anticipated. They had a slightly earthy flavor and were pretty dry, even with butter and syrup added.

I expected a weird flavor from the protein powder, but they tasted similar to regular pancakes. They also had no sweetness to them and weren't nearly as good as the other protein pancake menu items that had added toppings.

Still, I liked them more than the Harvest Grain 'n' Nut pancakes, since the protein pancakes didn't have the odd texture of nuts throughout.

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Peach Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity

This stack consisted of the original pancakes topped with whipped cream, and what I believe were canned peaches.

These didn't taste bad, and I completely understand why a chain restaurant might use preserved peaches over fresh, but fresh peaches would have been a delight.

If you enjoy the taste of canned peaches and their syrup, you'll probably like these pancakes.

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Strawberry banana protein pancakes

Like the Power Protein pancakes, I expected these to have a chalky taste from the protein powder. But aside from a slightly odd freezer-burnt taste in the strawberries, the rest of this dish was pretty good.

The pancake had bananas cooked in the batter, then more fresh bananas on top. The toppings added enough sweetness that this pancake was fine without syrup, but a little syrup made them even better.

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Chocolate chocolate-chip pancakes

Unfortunately, these pancakes were seriously lacking in chocolate flavor, which surprised me since they were chocolate pancakes filled with bits of chocolate.

The chocolate chips seemed to be the only real source of chocolate flavor, and the pancakes themselves were a bit plain.I also thought this stack was a bit dry, but that's nothing that some syrup couldn't fix.

Ultimately, I think chocolate lovers would likely enjoy this rich, decadent stack of pancakes.

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Cupcake pancakes

These fun, festive pancakes were a joy to look at and were pretty tasty, too.

The sprinkle-topped and sprinkle-filled pancakes had a birthday-cake flavor and a delicious thin icing, but there wasn't nearly enough of it.

I think these pancakes tasted a bit strange with syrup (syrup with birthday cake? no thanks), so I would've warmly welcomed some extra icing to moisten the stack up.

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Original pancakes

There were no faults in the original stack that brought IHOP to fame, but they just weren't as delicious as the next six options that were smothered in flavorful toppings.

Still, these light, fluffy pancakes are the base for nearly every other pancake dish on the menu, so they sort of win, right?

I tried them with all of the syrups available, too: boysenberry, strawberry, blueberry, old-fashioned, and butter-pecan.

For a mini ranking within this larger pancake ranking: I loved the boysenberry syrup the most, followed closely by the strawberry. From there, the blueberry was OK, and the old-fashioned and butter-pecan were fine, but less exciting, options.

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Lemon ricotta mixed-berry protein pancakes

I really enjoyed this bright, summery pancake dish, which had a blueberry protein pancake topped with ricotta and a berry compote. It was served with a lemon wedge on the side, which I squeezed all over the pancake for more flavor.

The compote was sweet enough that this pancake didn't need any syrup, which would have made it too sweet. The sweetness of the blueberries and the berry compote plus the creamy ricotta balanced out the earthy pancake flavor.

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Italian cannoli pancakes

These pancakes launched last spring as a limited-time offer, but are still on the menu, which means they may be a permanent addition.

For this dish, the original pancakes were rolled and stuffed with a sweet ricotta cream and topped with pieces of crunchy cannoli, chocolate chips, more cream, and whipped cream.

If I was judging on presentation alone, the Italian cannoli pancakes would take the crown. I love how the pancakes were arranged to resemble cannoli.

I also enjoyed the variety of texture in this stack — the smooth cream, slightly melted chocolate chips, fluffy pancakes, and crispy cannoli pieces worked together so well.

This dish was very rich though, so it was hard for me to eat much of it in one sitting.

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New York cheesecake pancakes

The New York cheesecake pancakes were embedded with pieces of cheesecake and the whole stack was topped with cold, glazed strawberries and whipped cream.

The flavors were delicious and, luckily, the syrup caddies had more strawberry syrup that I could pour on — I wouldn't have wanted to taint the stack's flavor with traditional syrup.

These were light, and the contrast of hot pancakes and cold strawberries was pleasant, and not overwhelming like it was with the double-blueberry pancakes.

I think these would have earned a higher spot on my ranking if the pancakes had more creamy cheesecake bits in them and maybe even had a few sprinkled on top.

The strawberries stole the show here, and I think the cheesecake should've been front-and-center.

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Strawberry-banana pancakes

The strawberry-banana pancakes featured the moist, airy original pancakes topped with freshly sliced bananas and glazed strawberries.

The bananas helped this dish taste refreshing, and the cool temperatures of the strawberries and bananas balanced the hot pancakes.

I recommend topping these with strawberry syrup for the most impact, as the other syrups might contrast the flavors in a negative way.

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Pumpkin-spice pancakes

I've been a huge fan of anything pumpkin-spice-flavored since I was a kid, so I wasn't surprised that I loved these pancakes from IHOP.

These pancakes had a great pumpkin flavor that wasn't too strong or spiced, and each pancake was moist and fluffy.

They are served with whipped cream on top, although I think butter would have been a better topping. With syrup, they are perfectly sweet and spiced. Although this is a simpler stack without a bunch of fancy toppings and drizzles, I really enjoyed the flavor and texture.

The only downside? This menu item is seasonal and only available in the fall.

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Tres Leches Pancakes

If you are looking for a breakfast that's masquerading as a dessert, this is it.

These were, by far, the creamiest, most gooey pancake dish on the menu, and the layers of vanilla sauce and dulce de leche meant I didn't need syrup to moisten this stack.

The texture of the pancakes was pleasant and smooth, and the two sauces meant they was packed with flavor.

This is a decadent option, though, so I couldn't finish these in one sitting.

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Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes

Here's a little secret — the Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes aren't technically on the menu of all IHOP locations.

I found them available at the second location I visited, but you can order them even if you don't see them on the menu (more information on how to do so here).

And I definitely recommend trying to order a stack of these whether they are on the menu or not — they tasted exactly like the delicious center part of a cinnamon roll with their thick, gooey cinnamon spread and drizzle of cream-cheese icing.

I definitely didn't need to add any syrup on this stack — it was not dry at all and it had all of the flavor I could want.Plus, they were incredibly rich, which makes them great for sharing.

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Churro pancakes

Imagine the Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes, or the middle of a warm cinnamon roll, topped with bite-sized churros, and you have the churro pancakes.

For me, the churros elevated the fan-favorite Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes to the top spot — after all, the addition of the fried dough bits are the only big difference between the two.

The pancakes were sweet and creamy, and the fried churros brought a nice crunch to the dish.

Notably, these were listed on the menu as a limited-time offer, so you might want to pop over to your nearest IHOP and enjoy them when they're available.

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