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This Pancakes For One recipe makes 2 to 3 fluffy, golden pancakes from scratch in 15 minutes with one egg and simple pantry ingredients.
Featured Comment
“Hands down the best pancake recipe I’ve ever tried – and I’ve tried a lot. They’re so light and fluffy and maintain their fluffiness out of the pan.”
– Kaia
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Equipment: 10-inch skillet
- Cook Method: Stovetop over medium heat
- Servings: 1
- Yield: 2 large or 3 medium pancakes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Lightly sweet with warm vanilla, a tender center that’s soft without being cakey, and buttery golden edges with just enough crispness.
A single serving pancake recipe made with one egg, no pancake mix, and ready start to finish in 15 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Pancake Recipe From Scratch
A short stack of warm, golden pancakes, sized for one and ready in minutes. That’s the whole reason this recipe exists.
I’ve been making pancakes my whole cooking life, first for my family on weekend mornings and then scaled down for one. The ratio is 1 cup flour to ¾ cup milk to 1 egg, and it gives you 2 large or 3 medium pancakes with a tender center and buttery edges from cooking in a hot skillet.
The batter comes together easily with ingredients you already have: flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, an egg, milk, vanilla, and butter. Nothing unusual, nothing you need to buy.
I’ve tested this recipe more times than I can remember, adjusting the flour and milk until the batter poured right and the pancakes came out soft without being heavy. A 10-inch skillet is the right size. If you’re cooking for two, double everything.
Add blueberries, chocolate chips, or a mashed banana to change it up. The base recipe handles all of them.
After over a decade of developing single serving and small batch recipes, this is the pancake recipe I reach for on any morning I want a real breakfast without a pile of leftovers.
If you’re looking for more small batch pancakes for one, try my small batch buttermilk pancakes, single serve banana pancakes, small batch sheet pan pancakes, small batch chocolate chip pancakes, and single serving pumpkin pancakes.
Watch How To Make Pancakes For One
Table of Contents
- Featured Comment
- Quick Look
- Why You’ll Love This Pancake Recipe From Scratch
- Watch How To Make Pancakes For One
- Ingredient Notes
- Pancake Recipe Variations
- How To Make Pancakes For One
- Expert Tips
- Troubleshooting
- Serving Suggestions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
- Fluffy Pancakes For One Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what goes into this single serving pancake recipe and why each ingredient matters. If you have any ingredients leftover, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
All-purpose flour is the base of the batter. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off. Scooping from the bag packs in too much and gives you heavy pancakes. For gluten-free pancakes, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
Baking powder is what makes these pancakes rise. Check the date on your container before you start. To test freshness, stir ¼ teaspoon into ½ cup of hot water. If it bubbles, it’s good. Use aluminum-free baking powder if your pancakes have ever tasted metallic or bitter.
Sugar adds a slight sweetness and helps the outside brown evenly.
Salt balances the batter and keeps it from tasting flat.
One large egg gives the pancakes structure and helps them hold together when you flip.
Milk controls the batter thickness. Start with ¾ cup and add a splash more if the batter looks too thick.
Vanilla extract gives the pancakes a warm, homemade flavor.
Salted butter goes into the batter for flavor and into the pan for golden, buttery edges. Unsalted works too.
Pancake Recipe Variations
This small batch pancake recipe is a good base. Change or add one ingredient to make the pancakes you want.
Banana Pancakes For One: Mash a ripe banana and mix it into the batter for natural sweetness.
Buttermilk Pancakes For One: Swap the milk for buttermilk to add a slight tang and extra fluffiness.
Blueberry Pancakes For One: Fold ¼ cup of fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries into the finished batter.
Chocolate Chip Pancakes For One: Stir 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips into the batter.
Pancakes For Two: Double every ingredient for 4 to 6 pancakes. Cook time stays the same.
How To Make Pancakes For One
These steps and photos walk you through the process. For ingredient amounts and full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg, then add the milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Stir until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until you don’t see dry flour. The batter should be thick but pourable. A few small lumps are fine.
- Melt a small amount of butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Pour ¾ cup of batter into the skillet. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 3 minutes.
- Flip and cook for 1 more minute, until the bottom is golden.
- Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
Expert Tips
Spoon and level your flour. Different flour brands absorb liquid differently, so how you measure matters. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge. Scooping from the bag packs in extra flour and makes the batter too thick.
Cook the batter right away. Baking powder starts working the moment it hits liquid. The longer the batter sits, the less rise you get.
Test your skillet before you pour. Flick a few drops of water onto the hot pan. If they sizzle and evaporate, it’s ready.
Watch the edges, not the clock. Flip when bubbles form across the surface and the edges look dry and set.
Don’t press down after flipping. Let the second side cook undisturbed. Pressing pushes out the air you just built up.
Troubleshooting
If your pancakes aren’t turning out quite right, here is how to fix common issues like flat pancakes, thick batter, or uneven cooking.
Why are my pancakes flat?
Your baking powder has lost its lift or the batter was overmixed. Test your baking powder by stirring ¼ teaspoon into ½ cup of hot water. If it doesn’t bubble, replace it. If the baking powder is fresh, you likely overmixed. Stir only until the dry flour disappears.
Why are my pancakes dense and heavy?
There’s too much flour in the batter. Add milk one tablespoon at a time and stir gently until the batter loosens to a thick but pourable consistency. For your next batch, spoon and level the flour instead of scooping.
Why are my pancakes raw in the middle?
The heat is too high. Lower the skillet to medium and give each pancake the full 3 minutes before flipping. The outside browns fast on high heat, but the inside needs time to cook through.
Why are my pancakes sticking to the pan?
The pan needs more butter or more time to heat up. Add a small amount of butter and let it melt completely before pouring the batter. If the butter smokes immediately, the pan is too hot. If it barely melts, give it another minute.
Why is my batter too thick?
Different flour brands absorb liquid differently. Add milk a splash at a time until the batter is thick but pours off a spoon. Small adjustments are normal.
Why is my batter is too thin?
Add flour half a tablespoon at a time and stir gently until the batter thickens. Too-thin batter makes flat pancakes that spread instead of rising.
Why do my pancakes taste metallic or bitter?
Your baking powder contains aluminum. Switch to an aluminum-free baking powder. This is the most common cause of off-tasting pancakes and the fix is immediate.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these pancakes with your favorite toppings or try one of these from-scratch recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
2 large or 3 medium pancakes from about 1½ cups of batter. Each pancake uses ¾ cup of batter.
It’s best to cook the batter right away. Baking powder starts losing its lift as soon as it hits liquid. If you need to wait, cover the batter and refrigerate for up to 2 hours, then stir gently and add a splash of milk before cooking.
Yes. Cool them completely, freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet for 30 to 45 minutes, then transfer to a zip-top bag with parchment between the layers. They keep for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds or in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
One large egg. This recipe is scaled so you use the whole egg with no leftovers.
Yes. Double every ingredient and you’ll get 4 to 6 pancakes. Use the same cook time per pancake.
Yes. A griddle works well and heats more evenly. Grease it with butter and use the same medium heat and timing.
Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds or in a skillet over low heat.
No. Waffle batter needs a different ratio. Use my single serving waffle recipe instead.
No. This is a from-scratch recipe using flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, an egg, milk, vanilla, and butter. No boxed mix needed. If you’d rather keep a dry mix on hand, try my small batch pancake mix.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this pancake recipe for one 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!
Fluffy 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 medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add the milk, vanilla, and melted butter and stir until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until the dry flour disappears. A few small lumps are fine.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Pour ¾ cup of batter into the skillet. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 3 minutes.
- Flip and cook for 1 more minute, until the bottom is golden brown.
- Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
Notes
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.