Hellbender’s Masa Pancakes
Published July 11, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus 1 hour’s resting for the batter
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 55 minutes, plus 1 hour's resting
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- ⅔cup/170 grams fresh plain masa (masa sin preparar) or ½ cup/50 grams masa harina (see Tip)
- 1¼cups/286 grams whole milk
- ¾cup/187 grams plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1large egg
- 2½tablespoons/35 grams canola oil
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⅓cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1teaspoon sugar
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Clarified butter, ghee or canola oil, for cooking
- Unsalted butter, for serving
- Pinch of ground cinnamon (preferably canela, Mexican cinnamon), for serving
- Maple syrup, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
413 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 458 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
If using masa harina, combine it with 5 tablespoons/70 grams water in a medium bowl and knead until the mixture forms a soft, pliable and smooth dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Step 2
Using a blender or an immersion blender (and a bowl), blend the fresh masa or masa harina dough with the milk, yogurt, egg, oil and vanilla until smooth.
- Step 3
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
- Step 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir together with a rubber spatula. The batter does not need to be perfectly smooth; be sure to not overmix. Cover and refrigerate the batter to rest for at least 1 hour, or, preferably, overnight.
- Step 5
When ready to cook, let the batter sit at room temperature for 30 minutes if it has chilled for more than an hour. Set a rack in a sheet pan, place in the oven and heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Step 6
If you used fresh masa, heat one or two 4- to 6-inch cast-iron or nonstick pans over medium. Add 1 tablespoon clarified butter to each pan, then enough batter to come nearly halfway up the sides of the pan (about ½ cup). Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the batter starts to bubble in the center and the edges have firmed up. If the bottom browns too quickly, reduce the heat. Flip each pancake, lower the heat slightly and cook until golden on the other side and the center is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the rack-lined sheet pan in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Step 7
If you used masa harina, do not cook the batter in individual skillets, as the pancakes may end up a bit dense and gummy if made too thick. Instead, heat a large cast-iron or nonstick pan or griddle over medium. Add 3 tablespoons clarified butter. Scoop 3 scant ½-cup mounds of batter into the pan, spacing them apart. Cook, flipping once, until both sides are browned and the center is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter and more clarified butter, keeping cooked pancakes warm on the rack-lined sheet pan in the oven.
- Step 8
To serve, top the pancakes with a pat of unsalted butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- If you live near a tortilleria or a market that sells fresh masa, you definitely should get some for this recipe (and pick up some freshly made tortillas while you’re at it). Fresh masa comes in three forms: masa sin preparada, which is simply freshly ground nixtamalized corn; masa para tortillas, meant for flattening and cooking into tortillas; and masa para tamales, intended for filling, wrapping and steaming into tamales. For this recipe, you want plain fresh masa, which will give the pancakes an intense corn aroma and earthy depth. Masa harina, which is fresh plain masa that has been dried and then ground into a flour, works here, too. Cornmeal and corn flour aren’t adequate substitutes because masa is ground from dried corn kernels that have been nixtamalized, following the ancient Mesoamerican practice of simmering dried corn in an alkaline solution to give it a distinctive taste and texture.
Private Notes
Comments
OK, so you bought a bag of masa harina, made some Pancakes, what to do with the rest of it? I stumbled upon a recipe for masa balls. The recipe was for Mexican spiced masa dumplings in chicken soup which if one drops the chili and cumin and sub in some chicken broth powder makes a great gluten free "matzo ball". I mean seriously good, like from you favorite kosher deli good. Google masa balls for the recipe.
Fresh Tacos! The bag probably has a recipe on the side you can follow. I don't have a tortilla press. I took a gallon-sized plastic bag and cut open the sides. Then I place a ball of prepared masa in the center of on side, fold over the plastic, then press to the desired thickness using a pie pan. You could use a cutting board, plate, sheet pan, whatever. Then cook on a griddle or pan. Once you've had fresh tacos, it's hard to go back to store bought
@Lee Ellman when you make chili, mix masa harina with water 1:2 and stir it into the chili to thicken and give a hint of corn taste. Yum.
I tried something atypical and mixed the dry masa harina into the dry ingredients. I planned on leaving the batter overnight, which I figured was long enough to hydrate both the masa and the flour sufficiently. Also, since all I had was butter milk, I used it for the the milk, water and yogurt, 1:1. They came out beautifully! the taste and texture is divine. I used blue corn masa. Bacon fat and pine nuts next time!
These are good pancakes but require at least 90 minutes of prep time, so I would only make these for special occasions. I’d love to see a quicker recipe for masa pancakes.
What a great recipe! Made the batter and rested it overnight in the fridge. Absolutely delicious, light and fluffy. The masa flavor, while quietly evident, really comes through. The crispy, crunchy edges are the best part. I have leftover batter in a container in the fridge and will test tomorrow to see if it's still viable.