This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Oatmeal pancakes are the traditional food served for Old Norse New Year in Iceland. Celebrated on the Third Thursday in April, it marks the end of winter and the beginning of summer. One last breakfast crafted from leftover oat porridge to mark the transition from heavier foods into the light time of year.
Here in Vermont real spring doesn’t coincide with the equinox. Bud don’t start to break until the third week of April, roughly one month after “spring” has sprung according to astronomy. Iceland’s weather is not too different, and I know all too well that feeling that comes in the third week of April.
The old Norse calendar was divided into two seasons, and one of the only records of the holidays is inscribed on two sides of whalebone. Winter on one side, and then flipped to the other for the light side of the year. The 3rd Thursday in April is also known as Thor’s day, as his hammer starts to bring spring rains and thunder.
I came across a recipe for Lummur, or Icelandic oatmeal pancakes, in The Norse Cookbook. We often have leftover oatmeal after breakfast, as the appetites of my toddlers are fickle. I never know how much they’ll eat, and I’m always looking for some way to use up leftover oatmeal.
The author describes them as, “Thick pancakes, often made with leftover oatmeal or pearl barley porridge, are served either with sugar or jam, or with savory toppings, like cheese, lamb or trout smoked over sheeps dung.”
I thought the last addition, trout smoked over sheeps dung, to be rather specific…but he’s actually referring to another traditional Icelandic recipe in the cookbook. Other sources say lummur are served with cucumbers, smoked fish or quark. In a traditional sense, early April is way too early for cucumbers to ripen, so that’s an accompaniment for lummur later in the summer months.
This is a traditional recipe for Icelandic lummur, including cooked oatmeal. If you’d like to make them with uncooked oatmeal I’ve also included a recipe at the end.
Lummur ~ Icelandic Oatmeal Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups cooked oatmeal
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk, *or up to 1 cup milk, see notes
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Add in cooked oatmeal, egg, and 1/2 cup milk. Take a look at the consistency, and if it's too thick, add more milk. Whisk until combined.
- Cook oatmeal pancakes on a hot buttered griddle for 2 to 3 minutes each side.
- Serve with savory smoked fish and veggies, or with sweet jams.
Notes
Milk Amount
Everyone likes their oatmeal a bit different, so the consistency of your leftover oatmeal will vary from household to household. In my house, we like a really stiff oatmeal, and it tends to be very thick coming out of the refrigerator as leftovers. With that, I use around 1 cup milk to get an appropreate batter. If you have a thinner oatmeal, you’ll need more like 1/2 a cup. Start with 1/2 cup and adjust until you have a smooth batter that’s not watery, but still pours easily out of a ladle.Lummur with Uncooked Oats
The Norse cookbook notes that “most people don’t have cold oat porridge lying around much” these days. As such, the recipe provided uses raw rolled oats in the pancake batter. That’s not the traditional preparation, but a modern adaptation to make these in kitchens where leftover oatmeal isn’t something you save. To make lummur with raw oats, combine 1 1/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup rolled oats, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 egg and a pinch of salt. Mix into a batter and cook on a pancake griddle.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lummur with Uncooked Oats
The Norse cookbook notes that “most people don’t have cold oat porridge lying around much” these days. As such, the recipe provided uses raw rolled oats in the pancake batter. That’s not the traditional preparation, but a modern adaptation to make these in kitchens where leftover oatmeal isn’t something you save.
To make lummur with raw oats, combine 1 1/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup rolled oats, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 egg and a pinch of salt. Mix into a batter and cook on a pancake griddle.
Traditional Icelandic Recipes
Looking to bring a bit more Scandinavia to the dinner table? Read on…
- Icelandic Christmas Cake (Jólakaka)
- Icelandic Donuts (Kleina)
- Icelandic Pancakes (Pönnukökur)
- Icelandic Lamb Soup (Kjotsupa)
I just made these with cooked oatmeal. The amount of flour seems far too low, and they needed a lot more cooking time than 1-2 minutes per side. The flavor was good, but next time I’d try it with 1 cup of flour rather than 1/2 cup. I’m wondering if there’s a typo in the flour amount.
I just corrected the recipe, as it really depends on how thick your leftover oatmeal is from the day before. With thin oatmeal, you’ll likely only need about 1/2 cup of milk, and with thicker oatmeal (as we prefer it) you’ll need around 1 cup of milk to get a batter. I’ve suggested starting with 1/2 cup and working your way up until you get a batter. Glad you enjoyed them!
These are so great! so much better than normal pancakes! Will make more soon!
Let me start by saying this is a great, out of the ordinary pancake recipe! The flavor difference was delightful as was the texture. Now, so anyone expecting this to be another traditional pancake recipe would be disappointed, thus some of the previous comments. However, someone who wants to experience something new may be pleasantly surprised. The texture is like eating oatmeal surrounded by a thin layer of pancake batter. It was a delight to cook, even using gluten-free cassava flour in place of the wheat flour and using oatmilk instead of cows milk. It browns nicely and holds up well. The cardamom flavor was just perfect! All in all if you are adventurous and would love a unique variation on pancakes this is your recipe. If you want it to taste and feel like a traditional pancake move on. Thank you for posting this regional delight!
So glad you liked them!
I tried these with some cold leftover oatmeal (2 parts water: 1 part oats), but the first few were so lumpy and liquidy that I used my immersion blender to smooth the batter out to see if that would help.
Either way, they were very unruly to flip. I ended up making tiny pancakes so they’d be easier to turn over. But even those needed to cook at least 5 minutes on each side (at the same temp. as I’d cook regular pancakes for 2-3 minutes), and they were still quite wet in the middle; like a pancake skin with an oatmeal pudding inside.
Interesting, but I likely won’t bother with them again. I’ll stick to Easy Cinnamon Coffeecake Muffins (made with leftover oatmeal) or Cooked Oatmeal Scones to use up my leftover oatmeal. The cardamom was nice though. I may incorporate that into more things. Cheers!
Sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you!
Yes please share your recipe for bread made with leftover oatmeal. Thanks
I finally made these properly. I had to blend the oatmeal into the batter with my stick blender and they came out perfectly after six times trying. Filled with jam, sweet and light, more like a blini almost than any pancake. Thanks!
I am about to eat my second helping! These came out really tasty. They are light, creamy and moist. Delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I used leftover cooked oats.
We all liked these deliciously moist pancakes. We tripled the cardamom because we forgot we had already put a hefty amount in our oatmeal the day before. And we are with syrup and jam. So so yummy! Will absolutely make again!!
I use leftover oatmeal in my homemade bread. I add up to 2 cups whenever I make white or multigrain bread and it is terrific, I make homemade steel cut oats so there is some texture added to the bread. Let me know if you would like the recipe.
Thank you, that sounds delicious!
I make fermented oats for sourdough bread baking. This recipe is delicious with them!
Yummy!