The Unhealthiest Pancakes At IHOP Are Basically Just Dessert

There's nothing quite as classic as going out for a family (or heck, even solo) meal at a diner. While there are some great mom-and-pop shops where you can enjoy this experience, one chain restaurant knows what it's doing when it comes to breakfast: IHOP. With a menu packed full of breakfast classics like bacon and eggs, omelettes, and of course, pancakes, there's no question that IHOP will fill your cravings for bottomless coffee and tasty breakfast fare.

Another fun feature of IHOP is that they go far beyond just classic pancakes. They have a whole lineup of fun flavors, ranging from Mexican tres leches pancakes to a hearty plate of Power Protein pancakes. (If you're not sure which to order next time you're at IHOP, Daily Meal taste-tested and ranked IHOP pancakes from worst to best to help you choose.)

Out of all those pancake options, however, there's one that, as delicious as it might be, is anything but healthy: the New York Cheesecake Pancakes. These pancakes have some protein and fiber, but they're loaded with fat, sodium, sugar, and calories, making them an option you might want to steer clear of if you're hoping for a nutrition-rich choice.

The nutritional values for the New York cheesecake pancakes leave much to be desired

The trouble with the New York Cheesecake pancakes largely lies in their nutritional value. For starters, one serving of these pancakes contains 49 grams of sugar. Considering that the daily recommended amount of sugar is 25 grams for women and 36 grams for men, this platter's sweetness is well over what you might want to consume in a day, let alone in one sitting. Furthermore, it's about 4 times the sugar in the classic buttermilk pancakes at the chain.

Another nutritional issue with these pancakes is their sodium level, which clocks in at 2,230 milligrams. While this puts you under the 2,300-milligram recommended limit for the day, it doesn't leave much room for added salt in other meals. It also means they're the pancake pick at IHOP that contains the most sodium, with most other choices between 1,250 and 1,900 milligrams.

Finally, the fat content in these pancakes is quite high. The New York Cheesecake pancakes contain 44 grams of total fat, 14 grams more than the Cinn-a-Stack pancakes, the next highest fat pancake pick at IHOP. That is a little less than half the daily recommended value of fat, and considering all the cream cheese and butter in them, it's not a big surprise. While another dish represents IHOP in our lineup of the unhealthiest dishes at your favorite chain restaurants, all that fat makes them a pretty unhealthy pick at the restaurant.

The calories in IHOP's New York cheesecake pancakes are a concern, too

Another issue with IHOP's New York Cheesecake pancakes lies in the calorie count. One order of these, which comes with four pancakes in a stack, will set you back 970 calories. That's nearly half your day's calories if you're eating a standard 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, and more than half if you need less than 2,000 a day.

When you compare that to the chain's original buttermilk pancakes, which only contain 430 calories in a stack of three, you've also more than doubled the calorie count in this meal alone. Worse yet, even the fancier pancake picks don't quite reach the same calorie count as this meal. Most creative options, such as the Double Blueberry Pancakes, have a calorie count ranging from 630 to 770. Even the next most calorie-dense pick, the Cinna-Stick Pancakes, offer just under 100 calories less than the New York Cheesecake option. While it's not the end of the world if you consume all that at once, it can certainly throw off your appetite for the day or lead to overeating, making this meal one of 14 other things you might want to avoid at IHOP.