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This easy pancake recipe without baking powder will give you the perfect result every time, and it uses minimal ingredients too. It’s great for breakfast, for pancake day or whenever you fancy. Since there is no baking powder used, you are likely to have the ingredients already.
This recipe includes all the basic ingredients you would expect to find in pancakes: self-raising flour, eggs, milk, and no baking powder. It’s super simple to make and doesn’t require resting either. If you need a vegan recipe, these fluffy banana pancakes are delicious and thick. You would enjoy these even if not vegan but they do happen to be egg-free so perfect if you’ve just run out. For some topping inspiration, try my Tiramisu pancakes. They are incredible. But this easy pancake recipe is so good just with syrup and a pat of butter on top.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It contains no baking powder so it’s easy to pull together with minimal ingredients from the cupboard
- The pancakes are the perfect mix of thick and thin – they are fluffy and soft, thicker than crepes but thinner than a proper American style thick pancake. Perfect in my opinion
- These pancakes are customisable. I’ve done them with blueberries but chocolate chips, for example would be delicious.
Ingredients:
See recipe card at the bottom of the page for a full list of ingredients and measurements
Eggs: large eggs work best here. Try to use free range eggs if you can!
Whole milk: whole is ideal but it would be fine with semi skimmed or even skimmed milk too. Whole just gives the best, well-rounded pancake.
Self-raising flour: this is to replace the baking powder to make sure they still have some rise and are still fluffy.
Sugar: optional but just a hint of sugar adds a touch of sweetness to these pancakes.
Substitutions and variations
Milk: you can substitute whole milk for oat milk or almond milk if you don’t drink dairy.
Blueberries: as mentioned above, chocolate chips would be delicious or keeping them plain, but also using fresh raspberries is a great idea.
Self-raising flour: I love this recipe as it doesn’t contain baking powder but if you want to make these and don’t have self-raising flour, use 280g plain flour and add 3 teaspoons of baking powder.
Here’s how to make Easy Pancakes With No Baking Powder:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Add the eggs and milk to a large bowl and then add the flour and sugar if using. Mix together until totally smooth.
TWO: Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add a little butter. I do this with a piece of kitchen paper for ease. Once hot scoop about 2 tbsp of batter at a time for each pancake and cook.
THREE: Add blueberries or whatever add-ins you like. Do this just before the bubble start to form and it’s still not set on top.
FOUR: Once the bubbles appear, you can flip the pancake. They should be golden on each side. Yum!
My top tips for the best pancakes ever:
Butter: As you may have heard before, “butter makes it better”. And that is very true here. Frying in butter gives the best colour and flavour.
Cooking temperature: Do not be tempted to cook pancakes over a high heat. I’ve done it before and it really leads to a mess – burnt exteriors and claggy centre. Keeping the pan on medium heat means the pancakes gently turn golden and gives enough time to cook in the middle for a fluffy rise.
Non-stick pan: I would really recommend using a non-stick pan here as it means you avoid any sticking mishaps. I like this non-stick pan, it does it all!
Frequently Asked Questions
A good non-stick pan is crucial to making good pancakes. Alongside the non-stick pan, make sure you grease the pan well with some butter. Wipe it on with some kitchen roll to spread it evenly.
Yes you can make this batter the night before. Cover it and leave it in the fridge overnight and then when ready, give it a good stir and let it sit out at room temp for 20 minutes or so before cooking just so it loosens again. But you don’t have to chill it, this is just if you are getting ahead!
With the lack of baking powder, you need the self-raising flour for a bit of rise. So I wouldn’t use plain here as you might end up with a crepe rather than a pancake. If you only have plain flour, use 280g and add 3 teaspoons of baking powder.
Yes, these pancakes don’t have sugar in them and are sugar free. Typically, American pancakes will include sugar but I find with the fruit and the syrup, this isn’t needed. You can of course add a touch of sugar to compensate for different toppings, or if that’s how you prefer it. Add 1-2 tbsp caster/granulated sugar to the batter, at the same point as the flour.
Other recipes you may like
If you are a pancake fiend, try these Tiramisu Pancakes or my Fluffy Banana Pancakes do just the trick. And if you fancy trying something a bit different to usual, I love these Mango Pancakes with Whipped Cream and Fresh Mango – so fresh and fruity. Finally, a great crepe-style recipe can be found on my site too, they are delicious with lemon curd! But if you want a savoury breakfast, make these easy 3 Ingredient Bagels, they are chewy and crisp at the same time.
Pancake Recipes
Pannekaken (Norwegian Pancakes)
Pancake Recipes
Pannukakku (Finnish Oven Pancake)
Pancake Recipes
Poffertjes (Dutch Mini Pancakes)
Pancake Recipes
Racuchy (Polish Apple Pancakes)
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!
Easy Pancake Recipe Without Baking Powder
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 425 ml milk (whole milk ideally), 1 + 3/4 cups
- 280 g self raising flour, 2 cups + 1/4 cup
- 1-2 tbsp caster sugar – optional
To serve:
- Butter, for frying and serving
- Maple syrup, to serve
- Blueberries or chocolate chips – optional
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs and milk together to combine in a large bowl. Add in the flour, and whisk until the batter is completely smooth.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add a little butter. I do this with a piece of kitchen paper for ease. Once hot scoop about 2 tbsp of batter at a time for each pancake and cook.
- Once in the pan and slightly set around the edges, but not yet bubbling on top, add the blueberries or chocolate chips.
- Once bubbles appear on top, flip and cook until golden. The size of your pan and the size of the pancakes will determine how many pancakes you can cook at a time but this should make at least 8 pancakes.
- Serve with a pat of butter, maple syrup and enjoy!
Came here looking for a recipe without baking soda or baking powder. The title of the recipe is what got me here. Very disappointed. Self Rising flour contains baking powder, that’s what makes it self rising.
Hi Eric,
So sorry to hear you are disappointed. Most recipes use plain flour and require you to add a raising agent yourself. By using self raising flour you get to skip a step and are not actively adding the baking powder, so these are an easy pancake recipe without baking powder. Hope that helps!
Delicious! Love your instagram page too!
Lovely pancakes, quick and easy.