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Jill McOwen
June 1, 2026

Birthday Cake Pancakes aka Funfetti Pancakes

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My birthday cake pancakes are also known as funfetti pancakes. Pancake batter plus rainbow sprinkles equals birthday celebration.

If you like this recipe, check out my Sheet Pan Pancakes next!

plated funfetti pancakes topped with vanilla glaze, sprinkles and a pink candle

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I originally posted my from scratch birthday cake pancakes back in 2014 when my son turned 9 years old. Every year since both of my kids have requested these fun and celebratory funfetti pancakes. A batch of pancakes drizzled with vanilla glaze and topped with a lit candle is the sweetest way to make anyone feel special.

More pancake recipes

Ingredients for funfetti pancakes

  • Dry Ingredients – A combination of all-purpose flour, a little sugar for sweetness, baking powder (for the fluffy factor) and salt.
  • Wet Ingredients – A combination of vegetable oil, whole milk, sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract.
  • Sprinkles – Also known as jimmies. I use 1/4 cup in the batter and use extra sprinkles on top as decoration for the cooked pancakes. There are many types of sprinkles but my favorite for a batch of birthday cake pancakes are classic rainbow sprinkles.
  • Glaze – A birthday cake is often topped with vanilla icing. So it made sense to make a homemade white vanilla glaze for these pancakes. It’s a simple mix of melted butter, whole milk, a little salt, vanilla and powdered sugar. But feel free to use butter and maple syrup.

mixing bowl with funfetti pancake batter ready to be cooked

Instructions

Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Fold them together with the spinkles. Cook each pancake in a nonstick skillet over medium heat or on an electric griddle until lightly golden brown. Make the glaze and top each pancake with vanilla glaze and more sprinkles. For my free printable recipe card, keep scrolling to the bottom of this post.

Storage directions

Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Or in the freezer for up to one month.

plated funfetti pancakes with a glass of orange juice on the side

Serving suggestions

To really go out on a special day of celebration, here’s some more recipes to turn these pancakes into a complete meal –

Kitchen tools

  • An electric griddle is much easier to keep the temperature consistent for cooking these pancakes – I highly recommend using a griddle instead of the stovetop for cooking these pancakes
  • I use this size of cookie scoop for getting the batter onto my griddle
plated stack of funfetti pancakes topped with vanilla glaze, sprinkles and a pink candle
Print Pin
5 from 10 votes

Funfetti Pancakes

My birthday cake pancakes are also known as funfetti pancakes. Pancake batter plus rainbow sprinkles equals birthday celebration.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword birthday cake pancakes, funfetti pancakes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 421kcal
Author Foodtastic Mom

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Griddle

Ingredients

Pancakes

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sprinkles

Glaze

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
Start Cooking

Instructions

  • Heat an electric griddle to 375 degrees F.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together 1/2 cup milk, sour cream, eggs, vegetable oil and one teaspoon of vanilla.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir together with a spatula until most of the flour is incorporated. Add the sprinkles and mix until batter is free of all flour streaks. The batter will be very thick.
  • Swirl a bit of butter under each place on the griddle where you will be dropping the batter. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter onto a hot griddle for each pancake. I used a large cookie scoop for easy release of the batter.
  • Cook until the pancake tops are beginning to look dry. You may see a few bubbles, but the batter is thick, so you may not. Flip the pancakes and leave on the griddle until cooked through and light golden brown.

Glaze

  • To prepare the glaze, put the remaining tablespoon of butter and three tablespoons of milk in a glass bowl and microwave until melted. Add the vanilla and pinch of salt and whisk. Add powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time, whisking after each addition. If the vanilla glaze still seems too loose, add a little extra powdered sugar.
  • Serve the pancakes topped with glaze and more sprinkles.

Nutrition

Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 448mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 313IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 2mg

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My birthday cake pancakes are also known as funfetti pancakes. Pancake batter plus rainbow sprinkles equals birthday celebration.

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