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If you’re craving pancakes but don’t need a big batch, this simple pancake recipe is just what you need. In about 15 minutes, enjoy a fluffy, delicious stack made just for you.
Looking for more tasty single serving pancake recipes? Check out our Pancake Recipes for One collection! You’ll find fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, naturally sweet Banana Pancakes, hands-off Small Batch Sheet Pan Pancakes, and even a Small Batch Pancake Mix. With so many options, you’re sure to find your perfect pancake!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple and Fast: Using basic pantry ingredients, you’ll have pancakes ready in under 15 minutes—great for busy mornings or a quick craving.
- Just Enough: This recipe makes two to three pancakes, so there’s no leftover batter or towering stack—just the right amount for one or two.
- Easy Cleanup: With a few simple ingredients, cleanup is quick and easy.
- Customizable: Top your pancakes however you like! Maple syrup, fresh fruit, chocolate chips, or whipped cream—the options are endless.
- Perfect Base Recipe: This recipe is a great starting point if you want to try out different pancake flavors.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serving pancake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Baking Powder: Essential for light, fluffy pancakes.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Salt: 1/4 teaspoon balances the flavors perfectly.
- Egg: One egg gives structure and helps make the pancakes fluffy
- Milk: I usually use low-fat milk, but whole, skim, unsweetened almond, or oat milk work, too.
- Vanilla: A splash adds a subtle sweetness and enhances the flavor.
- Butter: Melted salted butter gives a richer taste; if using unsalted butter, you may want to add a bit more salt.
Recipe Variations
- Banana Pancakes: Mash a ripe banana and add it to the batter for a naturally sweet twist.
- Buttermilk Pancakes: Substitute buttermilk for the milk for a tangy and fluffy variation.
- Blueberry Pancakes: Add a handful of fresh blueberries to the batter.
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Stir in some chocolate chips for a sweet surprise.
How To Make Pancakes For One
These photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make pancakes. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add the other wet ingredients, mixing until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until you don’t see any dry flour. It’s okay if there are a few small lumps. If the batter seems too thick, add a little more milk gradually.
- Heat a bit of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour about 3/4 cup of batter into the skillet. Cook the pancake until bubbles form on the surface and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Flip the pancake with a spatula and cook for another minute on the other side. Remove the pancake from the skillet and place it on a plate.
- Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Remove the second pancake from the skillet.
- Enjoy with butter, syrup, whipped cream, or your favorite fruits.
RELATED: 20 Single Serving Breakfast Recipes To Wake Up To
Expert Tips
- Measuring Flour: Fluff the flour in its container, spoon it into your dry measuring cup, and level it off with a straight edge—this gives you an accurate amount.
- Batter Consistency: Mix just until you don’t see streaks of flour. It’s okay if the batter is a bit lumpy; avoid overmixing.
- Check Your Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh for light, fluffy pancakes.
- Flipping Pancakes: Flip the pancakes when you see bubbles on the surface starting to pop.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few delicious ways to serve your pancakes:
- Fresh Fruit: Add a healthy touch with sliced bananas, berries, or apple slices.
- Homemade Syrup and Butter: Stick with the classic combo for that familiar, comforting flavor.
- Nut Butter and Honey: Drizzle almond or peanut butter and a little honey for a protein boost.
- Yogurt and Granola: Top with Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of granola for some extra crunch.
- Chocolate Chips and Whipped Cream: For a sweeter treat, try chocolate chips and a dollop of whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s best to make the batter fresh, but you can prepare it a few hours in advance and keep it covered in the fridge. Just give it a gentle stir before cooking, and if it’s thickened, add a splash of milk to reach the right consistency.
Flat pancakes can be due to expired baking powder or overmixing the batter. Make sure your baking powder is fresh, and mix the batter until just combined.
Flip them when you see bubbles forming on the surface and they start to pop. This is a good sign the pancakes are ready to turn.
Absolutely! Just double all the ingredients for more servings.
Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on a pan until warmed through.
Yes, you can! Here’s how: Let the pancakes cool completely, then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 30-45 minutes until solid. Transfer the frozen pancakes to a freezer bag, placing wax or parchment paper between them to prevent sticking. To reheat, microwave a pancake for about 20 seconds or warm them in a 350°F oven wrapped in foil for about 10 minutes.
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
RELATED: 40 Easy Recipes For Busy College Students
If you’ve tried this small batch pancake recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Pancakes For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon salted butter -melted, plus an additional tablespoon of butter to grease the pan.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg, then add the milk, vanilla, and melted butter, whisking until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. If the batter is too thick, add a little more milk gradually.
- Heat a small amount of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
- Pour about 3/4 cup of batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Flip the pancake and cook for another minute on the other side, until golden.
- Transfer the cooked pancake to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve the pancakes with your favorite toppings like butter, syrup, or fresh fruit.
Notes
- Measuring Flour: Fluff the flour in its container, spoon it into your dry measuring cup, and level it off with a straight edge—this gives you an accurate amount.
- Batter Consistency: Mix just until you don’t see streaks of flour. It’s okay if the batter is a bit lumpy; avoid overmixing.
- Check Your Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh for light, fluffy pancakes.
- Flipping Pancakes: Flip the pancakes when you see bubbles on the surface starting to pop.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Delicious pancakes, misleading title. And your nutrition information is for about a third of the recipe.
Still make them and enjoy them with my kids.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the pancakes. Sorry you found the title misleading. In many restaurants, when a person orders pancakes they receive a small stack of pancakes. This is what this pancake recipe is based on. I do not prescribe how much someone should eat. It depends so much on the appetite, lifestyle, age of the person eating, etc. So, when you (or anyone) is cooking for themselves, they need to treat the recipes I offer as only guidelines and do the arithmetic to suit their needs. The nutrition information is obtained from our online nutrition calculator and is for ONE pancake as stated in the nutrition box.
My apologies I missed that bit and I was looking for it! Still fantastic recipe!
This is great! I hate making too big a batch for my kids because I end up eating the left overs (I’m working on it!). Enough for the kids and me to have a reasonable amount. Thank you for sharing! We added food coloring because blue and pink pancakes were requested.
Could I use buttermilk instead? I love the flavor it gives pancakes.
With this pancake recipe, I recommend using regular milk. The acidity in buttermilk needs to react to baking soda to make the pancakes fluffy. Our recipe does not call for using baking soda and since I have not tested this recipe with either of these ingredients I can’t tell you the best amounts to use.
So delicious!! I was looking for a recipe where I could easily make substitutions (I’m gf and df). I used the exact recipe but I used King Arthur gf 1:1 flour and homemade almond milk, and they ended up being perfect! The pancakes are so light and fluffy and perfect to share or for one very hungry person.
You recommend “measuring by weight” which I do, but you didn’t actually list the weight. What am I missing?
Thanks, JC
If you click on the “Metric” button in the recipe box at the bottom of the page, we list the ingredients by weight.
I tried it today for my very picky daughter. Made 6 small pancakes and she ate 4 of them. Its a win 🙂
Thank you
The recipe is good but I wouldn’t call this a service for one. Maybe its just me, but I’m not able to finish the amount of pancakes here.
I halved the recipe (flour/milk/small egg) and still had to share.
It was still delicious though!
I agree it made 4 large pancakes, but it is delicious. I will definitely do it again and save some of the batter.
I agree! Definitely for 2 as it makes 2 large pancake or 4 regular sized ones. Wish I looked at the comments to half the recipe before making.
I do not prescribe how much someone should eat. It depends so much on the appetite, lifestyle, age of the person eating, etc. So, when you (or anyone) is cooking for themselves, they need to treat the recipes I offer as only guidelines and do the arithmetic to suit their needs.
Wow! I ran out of pancake mix this morning and my toddlers were demanding chocolate chip pancakes. I wanted to find a short simple recipe and this hit the spot. I didn’t have butter, subbed olive oil, but wish i would have added just a tad more salt given this substitution. This was simple, delicious and makes me think there’s no need to ever go back to pre-made pancake mixes!
The best pancakes I’ve ever made. The recipe serves two, but it’s honestly so good, you’d prefer eating double. My friend, who doesn’t really eat anything that isn’t vegetables and protein, ate more pancakes than I did.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed the pancakes!
I made it this recipe and I have to say this is the best Pancake Recipe ever
Thank you so much, Salma. I’m so happy you enjoyed them.