Pancake Spaghetti Is TikTok’s Latest Viral Breakfast Recipe (and It’s Pretty Darn Ingenious)

First, there was dalgona coffee. Then, there was custard toast. Now, TikTok’s latest contribution to the breakfast table, and perhaps the most drool-worthy to date: pancake spaghetti. It sounds like something Buddy the Elf would dream up, but there’s no actual pasta involved. Pancake spaghetti is actually thin strips of cooked pancake batter, served in a bowl with syrup, confectioners’ sugar and whatever other toppings you’d like. It’s pretty ingenious, as well as picky kid-proof and easy to prepare. Here’s everything you need to know about the trend, plus an easy guide to making it at home.

Pancake spaghetti isn’t too different from regular pancakes. The batter and toppings are the same; it’s simply piped in long, thin strips instead of poured into rounds. This process not only significantly cuts down on cooking time, but it also makes the pancakes irresistibly crispy instead of soft and fluffy. It may taste similar to the O.G., but your kids will be thrilled by the refreshing visual.

Not to be confused with pancake cereal, pancake spaghetti was first posted by TikTok user @brianaarchuleta. Her husband, Steven Archuleta, invented it on a whim one morning while making breakfast for their kids. After moving a package of spaghetti out of his way in the kitchen, the revelation came to him, and a viral breakfast trend was born. (He also refers to the dish as “squiggle cakes,” if you’d rather say that than pancake spaghetti.)

Whether you use a from-scratch recipe or a boxed pancake mix, the process is the same. Archuleta uses boxed mix but suggests making it a bit runnier than the instructions say for easy piping; the fewer lumps, the better. He also doesn’t flip the pancake strands, since they’re so thin that the tops cook in a flash as the bottoms fry to a golden crisp. (This not only makes the recipe minimally fussy, but also keeps the pancake spaghetti pliable—if you fried both sides, it’d be breakable and rigid.) It may take you a few tries to get the pancake spaghetti just right without burning it, but the results will be well worth it.

As for toppings, the possibilities are endless. Anything you’d put on regular pancakes is fair game. You can go the savory route with cheese, scrambled eggs and crumbled bacon, or sweet with chocolate chips, fruit and whipped cream. Archuleta is partial to blueberry compote, which is his go-to for crepes as well.

We summarized his handy tutorial below so you can get cooking, but feel free to watch it in its entirety above. Read on to learn how to make pancake spaghetti:

Ingredients

• Butter or cooking spray
• Prepared pancake batter
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Pancake or maple syrup
• Additional toppings of your choice

Step 1: Heat and grease a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter or cooking spray. (A griddle is ideal, since it allows for longer strands, but both gadgets work.) While it warms up, transfer the prepared pancake batter into a large, resealable plastic bag, squeeze bottle or piping bag. Move all the batter to one side of the bag and cut a small point off the bag’s empty corner. Don’t cut too much off—the strips of batter should be very thin.

Step 2: Once the griddle is hot, pipe long, thin, linguine-like strands of batter across it. You can make them singular strips or keep them connected at each end. Once you see bubbles on top, pick up the pancake spaghetti with tongs and place it in a bowl, taking care to layer and swirl it to give the effect of real spaghetti.

Step 3: Top with confectioners’ sugar, syrup and all the toppings your pancake-loving heart desires. We’re talking fruit, crumbled breakfast sausage, cinnamon sugar, bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese and beyond.

_{Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.}