I Tested IHOP's Secret to Fluffy Omelets, and It's Magical

In case you’ve been living your life off of social media (which, really, good for you), then you might not have heard about that thing with the omelets at IHOP. It’s where they add pancake batter to their infamous fluffy omelets. Once we got over the shock and heard the pancake batter was the secret to their fluffy pancakes, we had to test it for ourselves. Could pancake batter make the omelets we prepare at home just as fluffy as IHOP’s? The answer is “yes!” 

IHOP's Secret to the Fluffiest Egg Omelet

That’s right, there’s a “splash” of IHOP’s “famous buttermilk and wheat pancake batter” in their omelets. This “spill,” revealed earlier this year on TikTok, was both enlightening and enraging. People finally found out how IHOP makes such fluffy omelets, but adding pancake batter meant it wasn’t an option for anyone with celiac disease or gluten intolerance (or for anyone following a keto diet). While it’s disclosed on the menu, many complained, which makes sense, because who would expect pancake batter in their omelet? 

Why Pancake Batter Works to Make Omelets Fluffy

It’s actually a smart move on IHOP’s part (at least from a culinary standpoint) because the pancake batter helps provide structure and heft to the omelet. Chefs have been known to add flour to omelet batter for this exact reason. The leavening in the batter also adds “lift,” helping produce the thick, fluffy omelet diners have come to love. But could this technique work at home?

How to Use Pancake Batter to Make a Fluffy Omelet

You may operate on the “more is better” modus operandi, but don’t do that here. You’ll only need to add a bit of batter to your omelet to achieve fluffy goodness. We found that 2 tablespoons of prepared batter was all that was needed to create the fluffy omelets of your dreams. Make life easy by using the boxed stuff, then use any extra for whipping up a small batch of pancakes (because they pair well with omelets). The key is to mix the batter directly into the whisked eggs right before cooking them. It’ll feel wrong, and it’ll look really weird, but don’t worry, everything will be fine. Go about your omelet recipe as you normally would and watch as it puffs up in the skillet. It’s like magic.

Does the Pancake Batter Method Work?

I was impressed. I prepared two Denver omelets as instructed, except adding two tablespoons of prepared pancake batter (I used Bisquick) to one. The omelet with pancake batter came out fluffy, and the texture was fantastically tender and springy. I loved the tiny hint of sweetness it provided and enjoyed eating it way more than I anticipated. Yes, making the batter’s a little extra work, so maybe I won’t make my omelets this way every time. But if I have guests over or I’m making pancakes anyway, you can expect I’ll add batter to my omelets.