IHOP Vs Denny's: Which Breakfast Spot Has The Better Pancakes?

When you think of classic American breakfast chains, there are probably a few that come to mind, like Waffle House or Cracker Barrel. But where do you go when you have a particular hankering for pancakes? Sure, you can find pancakes at pretty much any breakfast diner joint (and in a pinch you can even make pancakes in your air fryer), but not all pancakes are created equal. That's why I decided to pit two national chains against each other in a battle to see whose pancakes are superior: IHOP or Denny's?

To their credit, each chain boasts a stunning variety of menu items that will make it easy for pretty much any palate to find something that sounds yummy, so you're not limited to just plain pancakes. But each restaurant also dresses up pancakes in their own way that makes them seem hard to pass up when flipping through a menu. In addition to its plain buttermilk pancakes, IHOP offers Maple Bacon Pancakes, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes, and even New York Cheesecake Pancakes. At Denny's, on the other hand, you can choose from original pancakes or Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, Choconana Pancakes, and Double Berry Banana Strawberry Pancakes, to name a few. Dressing up or stuffing pancakes is an easy feat, but nailing down a stellar base recipe that can highlight any number of toppings is harder. I got plain pancakes with butter and syrup from each chain and tested them for texture and flavor to determine which chain's pancakes are superior. 

With Denny's locations in nearly every state, there's a pretty decent chance there's a Denny's within reasonable driving distance from you. Should you only want an order of the chain's pancakes, they're pretty accessible — the stack pictured above cost me under $5, and I feel I can safely bet that prices around the nation are at least relatively similar. Moreover, you might find Denny's to be a great stop if you're hungry at unusual hours, as the chain is known for being a 24-hour restaurant. Double-check your location's hours before heading in, though, as some spots may not be available around the clock. 

Likewise, IHOP also has locations available nationwide, so I'd be surprised if you couldn't find one that's accessible for you. Its pancakes are slightly more expensive than Denny's — they ran me a few dollars more, but I still got a short stack of three pancakes for under $10. As far as when you can go, all IHOP hours vary by location, but the chain mandates that each restaurant be open from at least 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Not only does each chain have plain pancakes, but there's also plenty of pancake options at either restaurant. Denny's has several varieties of pancakes on its menu, as well as seasonal offerings. If you don't want to opt for a specialty pancake, you can get original pancakes and dress them up to your liking with either chocolate chip or blueberry mix-ins or vanilla, banana, and strawberry toppings. While you can get a stack of pancakes solo, you could also get your pancakes as part of a "Grand Slam," which will add eggs and protein to your meal.

IHOP has fewer ways to customize individual pancake orders, but the chain does have a wealth of pancakes on the menu to choose from. Its Maple Bacon pancakes add even more maple flavor to your typical pancake, and the chain also offers Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes, Mexican Tres Leches Pancakes, New York Cheesecake Pancakes, Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes, and Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes. If you're not a huge pancake fan in general, each chain has crepes on its menu, too.

Do pancakes really taste better from a restaurant? I'm betting opinions on this question will be mixed, but I can tell you one thing: IHOP's pancakes at least come close to a good homemade version. I wasn't hopeful just by looking at them. IHOP's pancakes didn't look as good as its contestants; they were slightly thinner and looked more dense, though the crumb structure was more even than the other chains. 

I wouldn't say the pancakes were super fluffy, but they did boast a lighter texture than the picture would have you think, and they were pleasantly spongey. As far as the flavor of the pancakes, it tasted like a well-rounded buttermilk pancake. There wasn't anything particularly notable about its flavor — it didn't boast much vanilla and didn't show any hints of seasoning to amp it up at all — but I think that was a good thing here, as it makes these pancakes palatable to a wide audience. Particularly of note with IHOP's pancakes were the butter and syrup. Its syrup was packed with maple flavor without being too sweet, and the butter had a buttery flavor (which may not seem like a big deal, but this made it stand in stark contrast to Denny's). All in all, I've had better homemade pancakes, but having had a good original pancake from IHOP, I'd return to the chain to try one of its specialty offerings.

The appearance of Denny's pancakes alone had me excited to try them. The top was a lovely golden brown color, and they looked to have slightly crispy edges, which I love in a pancake. The texture of the pancakes wasn't bad, but they were slightly rubbery rather than light and spongey. The biggest qualm I had with these pancakes was the flavor. They had a slightly sour tang to them, and not in a good, buttermilk-y way — they tasted somewhat old, and I wasn't excited at the prospect of eating more than one bite.

Pancake flavor aside, the butter and syrup the chain gave me was also questionable. To put it simply, neither tasted as they were supposed to — the butter tasted like shortening, and the syrup was incredibly thin, lacking any maple flavor whatsoever. I could see Denny's pancakes being passable, loaded with toppings or stuffed with various ingredients, but as a plain pancake, I didn't enjoy them in the slightest.

You may have already guessed which pancakes get my vote. That's right: IHOP's won by a landslide. The restaurant outplayed Denny's in every possible aspect, and though its pancakes were slightly more expensive, I'd say the price difference is absolutely worth it. IHOP's pancakes had a lighter, more even crumb — Denny's was somewhat rubbery and riddled with large holes. In terms of flavor, picking IHOP over Denny's is a no-brainer. 

Though IHOP's pancakes didn't have any kicks of flavor to write home about, they at least didn't have an off-putting sour quality to them, as Denny's version did. The butter and syrup provided with the pancakes were also wildly better than Denny's, whose butter tasted like greasy, whipped shortening and whose syrup lacked any maple notes. I wouldn't say IHOP has fantastic butter and syrup, and if you get pancakes from the chain to go, you're better off adding your own at home; however, the chain's quality far supersedes Denny's.

To test IHOP and Denny's pancakes, I ordered a small stack of each (along with the chain's own syrup and butter) and brought them home to try. I used about half of each chain's butter and a whole container of syrup on each, and I added a dollop of whipped cream to the center of each stack. I wanted to see a light, fluffy texture and a depth of buttermilk pancake flavor. Ultimately, neither chain completely delivered, but IHOP got the closest.

While the texture of each pancake could have been lighter, I didn't mind the body that IHOP's had, and it was at least lighter than the thick, rubber-esque texture of Denny's pancakes. I found each to have wildly different flavors, and Denny's was wholly unappetizing. IHOP's won't get rave reviews as there wasn't much notable about its flavor, but I prefer that to a sour pancake any day.