The Ultimate Ranking Of IHOP Pancakes

IHOP isn't perfect, and there are definitely a few menu items you'll want to avoid, but there's a lot the chain does right, such as the challah bread French toast, for instance, or the brilliant but limited-offer pancake tacos. While not everyone loves IHOP, it has a reputation for being a center of family togetherness and merriment — and played a defining role in my husband's and my college years.

Tasting all 13 of IHOP's pancake flavors was, therefore, an excellent way to celebrate Mother's Day. I went there with my sweetheart and our two children, and it was a genuinely delightful hour, during which we ate our way through mountains of flapjacks, whipped cream, syrup, sauces, fruit, and even cookies. You'll notice we were able to take several nice, clean shots of the pancakes, after which the table became so crowded that keeping the background clear became a real LOL. This would have been irritating, except who can complain about an entire table laden with pancakes, syrup, and whipped cream?

We still accomplished our goal, which was to bring you a definitive ranking of where IHOP's pancakes stand in relation to one another. Although we can now officially say that they're all pretty good, some are better than others, so now you know which ones to gamble on when you go.

A classic dessert made with bananas, walnuts, and rum sauce, Bananas Foster seems at first blush as though it would combine nicely with pancakes. And in many ways, it does, because whipped cream and brown sugar sauce play well with all the basic Bananas Foster flavors. Naturally, pancakes are also quite sweet, so they make a nice stand-in for the vanilla ice cream that traditionally serves as the base of the dish.

However, while there was certainly nothing wrong with the brown sugar sauce, and the bananas were nice and fresh, this new flavor wasn't our favorite. Overall, everyone agreed that it was a little bit too sweet, and there were simply better options on the table. It's only fair to point out, though, that the husband and I have had nice bananas foster at a restaurant before, and this wasn't too far off the mark. If it's your favorite dessert, you'll enjoy this just fine.

Traditional tres leches cake gets its name by virtue of the three types of milk that it uses. While recipes vary, most of them use some combination of milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. IHOP actually goes a different road, its dairy coming in the form of vanilla sauce, dulce de leche caramel sauce, and a whipped cream topping. Interestingly, though, when the husband couldn't figure out what flavor he was tasting in these pancakes, he posited condensed milk, so the flavors aren't that far off from the traditional.

That said, the Mexican Tres Leches had a bit of an off flavor. It was a little too sweet, a little too sugary, and a little too artificial for our taste. Of course, it's only fair to concede that when you try 13 different kinds of pancakes all at once, some will be better than others, and the comparison may prove unfavorable for a few. This was one of those. On the other hand, it was one of the first pancakes we tried, so that argument will only get you so far. Unless you love all the leches, there are better flavors.

Right off the bat, I knew I wasn't going to like the Cinn-A-Stack, made with "cinnamon roll filling" (cinnamon sauce) and cream cheese icing along with a dab of whipped cream. I do not like cinnamon sauce at all: To me, it's the poster child for "too much of a good thing." However, other members of the family love it and can't get enough. The husband in particular was super jazzed to try pancakes that, he hoped, would mimic cinnamon rolls, his favorite breakfast pastry. Indeed, this was the flavor he was most excited to try. The rest of us, not so much.

While the Cinn-A-Stack was better than the Mexican Tres Leches or the Bananas Foster, the three of us were right: It wasn't a real winner. The small boy thought it tasted like pure cane sugar, and not in a good way. The small girl agreed, saying it was too sugary for her as well ... and I've seen her eat seven candy canes in a row, for what that's worth. The husband, who stood to gain the most from these flapjacks, was disappointed as well. He thought that while the cream cheese veins were nice, the sauce tasted strongly of artificial cinnamon. Still, if you came in hungry and were craving a cinnamon roll, it would do the trick.

With the Strawberry Banana, we're finally entering "go for it" territory. From here on out, we had few complaints about any of the flavors we tried, though of course, some were still better than others. The Strawberry Banana is a simple option that pairs two classic fruits, layering banana slices between the pancakes and topping them with more bananas along with stewed strawberries in bright red syrup, all finished with whipped cream. As far as basics go, it's done well.

We were lukewarm on it, though. At this point, it's important to note that we taste testers ordered only one pancake each rather than the traditional stack of four. (You can do this at any IHOP if you're only feeling a bit peckish, and while prices may vary between IHOP's 1,790 locations, we only paid $2.99 each.) This had the result, however, of reducing the number of bananas we got overall, and we couldn't try them layered between hotcakes. We weren't too disappointed, as hot bananas are not a fave around here, but it wasn't the truest test of the product. In the end, this was nevertheless simply a less exciting version of Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity Strawberry (more on that below).

If you're looking at the IHOP Cupcake Pancakes and thinking to yourself, "Sorry, are you kidding me? Sprinkles in a pancake? Icing sauce and whipped cream? And I'm supposed to like this as an adult?" then you're not alone. This was my exact reaction, and I took the smallest possible bite on the assumption that I would be super grossed out by it. It honestly looks like somebody took a Funfetti cake and mashed it onto a cooktop, then served it up with a squirt of Reddi Wip. Like, no.

Boy, was I wrong. It wasn't too sweet; the sauce and sprinkles were quite good in combination with the buttermilk pancakes; and the overall result struck the perfect balance between brunch and dessert. I immediately took another bite, and I went back for more during the approved post-tasting period, where we each got to finish off whatever we liked.

I, however, was mostly alone on my feelings here. While the small boy was impressed, like I was, that it wasn't overly sweet, he wasn't into it as a whole. The small girl said that the sprinkles were unnecessary, and she wants to put sprinkles on everything. The husband, for his part, would barely deign to comment, so you'll have to draw your own conclusions and decide whether you're brave enough. But if you trust me (and you should), it's worth it.

Officially designated IHOP's Pancake of the Month for May, the New York Cheesecake Pancakes aren't quite what they sound like. Theoretically, the cheesecake pancakes are just original pancakes with chunks of cheesecake in them. However, those chunks were so lacking that we had to call our server over and ask what the difference between this and the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity Strawberry Pancakes actually was. (It turns out, the cheesecake pieces are the only distinguishing factor between the two.) We then literally tore the cake apart looking for pieces and turned up ... two. That's right, just two.

In other words, they were fine. They are placed higher in the ranking because original pancakes and strawberry sauce really are a good combo, but if you like strawberry, Rooty Tooty is a better way to go.

If you like blueberries, then you will almost certainly appreciate the Double Blueberry Pancakes. The tagline on the menu is "Double the blueberries, double the taste!" The double blueberry puts blueberries into the batter itself, drizzles blueberry sauce over the top, and finishes the whole thing off with that iconic baby squirt of whipped cream.

As far as the husband was concerned, the double-ness "makes a good thing even better," while the small girl and I just thought it was piling on. To our way of thinking, blueberries belong in muffins and fruit salad, end of story. The small boy thought it didn't need to be double blueberried, and cast his vote for the next option instead. To be fair, though, the pancake was done well, perfectly cooked and with just the right amount of sauce ... it's just that most of us were ho-hum on the concept overall.

The Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity Blueberry Pancakes were the exact same thing as the previous entry, but without blueberries cooked into the batter. Because this is still a classic pairing, the flavors worked well together, without the overpowering blueberry-ness of the Double Blueberry Pancakes. However, for those of us who just don't care about the combo of pancakes and blueberries, it wasn't much more or less impressive.

One point of contention, especially with the husband, is what exactly "Rooty Tooty" means. He put this question to the group multiple times, and once to the server, who was just as clueless as we were. "Rooty Tooty" just seems like a throwaway phrase that you sometimes hear in pop culture, then dismiss immediately, because who has the time?

As it turns out, IHOP has the time, because it's the one who came up with that name in the first place back in the '80s, and it has stuck to it ever since. (The only other contender I found online was "Rootie Tootie," recorded by Hank Williams in 1954.) As for what it means? Um ... nothing. There's fruit in this pancake. There ya go.

Please apply the above explanation, courtesy of hard-hitting journalism, to the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity Strawberry Pancakes as well. Basically, they're just pancakes with some strawberries and strawberry syrup on top. Yes, it's really that simple.

That's not to say that simple is bad. In fact, this was one of my favorites, because it didn't involve any other competing flavors, such as bananas or bits of cheesecake. Stewed strawberries in artificial strawberry glaze is the anthem of my college days, so I've got nothing but praise for the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity Strawberry Pancakes.

The family was more or less with me on this one. While it wasn't the small girl's favorite, the small boy and the husband both liked it well enough, and thought that the strawberries and pancakes themselves had nice flavor. If you ordered this with a side of eggs and bacon, you'd be happy.

Overkill happens, and in my humble opinion, the Chocolate Chocolate Chip pancakes are a prime example. They're made with chocolate batter, filled with chocolate chips, drizzled with chocolate syrup, sprinkled with more chocolate chips, and finished with whipped cream. I imagine this to be what the demons of Hell would serve daily to someone who had committed a heinous chocolate-related sin, and I was suspicious right off the bat.

In my humble opinion, I was right to be so. The chocolate batter tasted a bit trop, and almost a little off in a way I couldn't quite define. However, we should note that I am alone in that opinion. According to the husband, the batter was delicious, and the extra-ness of it all resulted not in a punishment but in sheer perfection. He loved it so much that he said, and I am literally quoting here, "It was great on its own, but you can add syrup and butter, and it's even better." Yes, you read that right. He wants to add More Of The Things to this pancake, and he is wildly unapologetic about it, going so far as to say it should be ranked first.

As you can see, the motion was roundly rejected by the rest of us, but the small ones still loved it. And while I wouldn't have put it first or even in the top half, it was a fan favorite with everyone else, and they didn't skimp on the ingredients.

There's a reason so many people love IHOP. (Certainly, it must be beloved if Natchez, Mississippi, renamed itself IHOP, if only for a day.) Doubtless, that reason varies among diners, but for me, the reason is that you can get chocolate in your pancakes. I absolutely adore this flavor combo, which is really hard to pull off at home because chocolate chips always burn on my griddle. So any time I can get these out, I will.

These pancakes are everything. I repeat: These pancakes are everything. The flapjacks themselves were perfectly fluffy, the chocolate chips were melted but unburnt, and toward the middle, they pooled inside the batter like molten chocolate. I seriously cannot convey to you how utterly amazing they are, other than to say that chocolate chips and pancakes are a classic for a reason, and IHOP absolutely nails that classic. Throw some whipped cream on top, along with some chocolate sauce, and you have heaven on a plate.

If I'd had my way, these pancakes would have been ranked No. 1, but it seems that even on Mother's Day, I'm outvoted. Still, as a diehard chocolate lover, it means something when I say that these were actually better than the Chocolate Chocolate Chip. Sometimes, more isn't better. This is one of those times.

As if doing the perfect chocolate chip pancake isn't enough, now you can get Oreo cookies in your flapjacks and add cream cheese sauce to the whole shebang? I'm in, and so is everyone else. Perhaps taking inspiration from a kid-created IHOP menu item, the Oreo Oh My Goodness Pancakes, today's Oreo Cheesecake Pancakes are just as kid-approved.

The small boy was enthusiastic, and the small girl was especially delighted by the combination. She loved the crunch of the Oreos, which tasted like the real thing (and which, according to their website, are) and opted to finish this one off after she'd tasted the rest. The husband was equally impressed. He thought the texture overall was amazing, especially with the cream cheese filling (which, again, we only experienced on top). His final judgment: "It's a great idea for a pancake." Couldn't agree more.

With so many options on hand, it seems odd to say that the best one of all was Original, but there's a reason for this. Multiple reasons, actually. The first is that this is just a really well-done pancake. It has the exact amount of fluffiness, flavor, browning, and absorbency that you want in a hotcake of any kind. These pancakes have lots of structure, which we liked, holding butter and syrup with aplomb. (This makes sense, as the pancakes actually have a more varied topography than the state of Kansas, which is literally flatter than an IHOP pancake in a straight to-scale comparison. Seriously, who does these studies? We love them for it.)

The second is that you can't beat IHOP's syrups. The range of flavors includes Old Fashioned, Butter Pecan, Strawberry, and Blueberry, and they're all hecka tasty. The children actually did a sampling of the syrups alone, using the Original pancake as their vessel, and ranked their favorites. While there was slight disagreement between Old Fashioned and Strawberry for the top spot, they both liked Butter Pecan and Blueberry nearly as much.

And lastly, you can get IHOP's pancakes in a variety of diner-friendly options, including Protein Power and Gluten-Friendly. We liked Protein Power better than Original, while Gluten-Friendly paled in comparison to either. It was a bit deflated, but then, it was good compared to packaged GF pancake mix we've had at home. So overall, any of the three are winners in our books.

When it comes to comparing pancakes with wildly different toppings to one another, there are a few challenges. First, you have to accept the basic fact that you're comparing apples to oranges. A pancake smothered in fruit versus one that is doused in crumbled Oreo cookies are a bit difficult to rank side by side, but that's where having multiple palates comes in. With the four of us combined — one small girl, one small boy, one husband, and one writer — we were able to create a more representative sampling of preferences than we could with one person alone.

To create our ranking, we tried a small bite of each pancake and made notes. No one was allowed to eat more of any flavor until they'd tried everything, the better to keep our appetites whetted and give each cake a fair chance. Once we'd made notes, we discussed (read: argued) about the various merits of each, then chose an ultimate ranking.

Clearly, anything that includes Oreos and whipped cream in its list of ingredients is going to miss the mark nutritionally. Most of the pancakes are somewhat unhealthy and closer to dessert, and that's just fine with us, because they cater to family and fun, not to fitness. Keep this in mind when choosing yours, and if you need a healthier choice, opt for the Protein Power pancakes without a topping.