How To Make Pancakes for One. Make two to three soft, fluffy pancakes with ingredients you have in your kitchen now. These pancakes are fluffy and soft, easy to make, and absolutely delicious. Add in chocolate chips, mashed banana or anything you love to make them even more amazing.
Enjoy with your favorite toppings: butter, syrup, fruit, and more.
If you're craving pancakes but want just enough to serve one or two people, this small batch pancake recipe is for you. These pancakes are fluffy and soft, easy to make, and absolutely delicious.
Why This Recipe Works
- I've been using this pancakes for one recipe for years. The pancakes are easy to make and they can be ready in minutes.
- This easy recipe will give you 2 to 3 delightfully fluffy pancakes.
- This recipe is a favorite of so many of our readers. It has been on our website for quite a number of years and has always gotten great reviews.
RELATED: Small Batch Pancake Mix Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: Baking powder makes the pancakes light and fluffy.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar.
- Salt: I use ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Egg: One egg adds structure and helps make the pancakes fluffy.
- Milk: Since I mostly use lowfat milk in my own home, I use this type of milk when I make pancakes. You can use whole milk, skim milk, unsweetened almond milk, or oat milk instead.
- Vanilla: Vanilla adds sweetness and great flavor.
- Butter: Melted salted butter makes the pancakes richer. If you use unsalted butter, you might need to add a little more salt than is called for in the recipe. You can also use vegetable oil instead.
How To Make This Recipe
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, beat the egg and the remaining wet ingredients.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients together. Stir until you no longer see dry clumps of flour. You may still see some small lumps and that's okay. If the batter seems too thick, add more of the milk, a little at a time.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Ladle about ¾ cup of the batter onto the skillet to make a pancake.
- Cook until bubbles break the surface of the pancake, and the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Flip with a spatula and cook about 1 minute more on the second side. Remove from the pan and place on a plate.
- Repeat until all the batter is used up.
This recipe makes a short stack of pancakes.
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Expert Tips
- Flour measurements can be a huge variable when it comes to baking. Weighing ingredients is by far the most accurate, but it isn't done much in the U.S. If you use measuring cups to measure, use this method of measuring the flour:
- Use a spoon to fluff the flour in the container.
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup.
- Use a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the measuring cup.
- Let lumps remain in the batter. Lumpy pancake batter is absolutely okay. Stir the batter until there are no more flour streaks and still lumpy. But be careful not to overmix.
- Check to make sure your baking powder is fresh. If it is old or expired you will end up with flat pancakes, not light and fluffy ones.
- Flip the pancakes when the bubbles just begin to pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Be sure to use fresh ingredients. Old or expired flour or baking powder can create flat pancakes. Also, make sure you do not over-mix the batter. Over-mixing can cause the pancakes to become flat.
Over-mixing the batter will create chewy pancakes. If you over-mix, the gluten will develop from the flour in your batter, making your pancakes chewy instead of fluffy.
Absolutely! You can also freeze pancakes. To freeze them, cook the pancakes, and then lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until they are completely frozen, about 30 to 45 minutes. Then, place them in a freezer bag with a piece of wax paper or parchment between each pancake (this way they won't stick together). Place a pancake onto a plate and microwave for 20 seconds to reheat. You can also reheat pancakes in the oven. Wrap them in foil and place them in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes.
You might like to add in blueberries, thinly sliced apples, chocolate chips, or a mashed banana. Add any extra ingredients to the batter at the last moment before scooping the batter into the pan. If you use a small mashed banana, you might find that you need to add a bit more milk to thin the batter.
Maple syrup or regular syrup are wonderful choices but you might like to add jams or preserves or even whipped cream.
What Our Readers Are Saying
So many people have enjoyed this pancake recipe. If you'd like, come back and share your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you. Here's what some of our readers have been saying about the recipe:
"PERFECT PANCAKES! I have tried a lot of different pancake recipes but hands down, yours is the best! Thank you! I used coconut milk rather than milk and added red raspberries. Used high quality pancake syrup. Yum. A quick fast dinner. I’ll be trying more of your recipes. Thanks again!" - Colleen
"I followed the recipe exactly and mine turned out super fluffy and delicious!" - Mia
"Great recipe – loved it! Easy and so delicious." - Joseph
"I was intimidated about making pancakes – shaping them in the pan, making sure not to overmix. But I googled a recipe for pancake for 1 and your recipe saved the day. It was absolutely delicious – absolutely successful, so I really wanted to thank you so much!! " - Jamie
Other Single Serving and Small Batch Breakfast Recipes
If you like these "pancakes for one" , you might also like these recipes:
- Waffle Recipe For One
- Small Batch Biscuit Recipe
- Breakfast Bread Pudding For One
- Blueberry Muffin For One
- French Toast For One
- Berry Filled Dutch Baby For One
- Peach Scones
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!
How To Make Pancakes For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Video
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
- 1 teaspoon salted butter for the pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- In another bowl, beat the egg and then whisk in the milk, vanilla and melted butter.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. If the batter seems too thick, add more of the milk, a little at a time.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
- Ladle about ¾ cup of the batter onto the skillet to make a pancake.
- Cook until bubbles break the surface of the pancake, and the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Flip with a spatula and cook about 1 minute more on the second side. Remove from the pan and place on a plate.
- Repeat until all the batter is used up.
- Serve with your favorite toppings: butter, syrup, fruit or any other topping you desire.
Notes
- Flour measurements can be a huge variable when it comes to baking. Weighing ingredients is by far the most accurate, but it isn't done much in the U.S. If you use measuring cups to measure, use this method of measuring the flour:
- Use a spoon to fluff the flour in the container.
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup.
- Use a knife or other straight edged utensil to level the flour across the measuring cup.
- Let lumps remain in the batter. Lumpy pancake batter is absolutely okay. Stir the batter until there are no more flour streaks and still lumpy. But be careful not to overmix.
- Check to make sure your baking powder is fresh. If it is old or expired you will end up with flat pancakes, not light and fluffy ones.
- Wipe out the pan between pancakes. I love cooking pancakes in butter but the butter will eventually burn. To solve this problem, wipe the pan between pancakes and add a little bit more butter before cooking the next pancake.
- Flip the pancakes when the bubbles just begin to pop.
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.
Bleiny says
Absolutely love these pancakes, they are light and fluffy and just the right amount for one or two people. Thank you for sharing this recipe, definitely a keeper.
Luis says
The melted butter ended up cooking my egg as soon as I poured it in with the rest of the wet ingredients, and it messed up the whole recipe. Make sure the melted butter is not too hot when you pour it into the wet ingredients.
Sarah says
Such a simple, easy, and delicious recipe for those lazy mornings with no ideas.
Tif says
I just made this and it’s the best homemade pancake recipe I’ve found. Fluffy, flavorful, and quick to put together.
Katie Wells says
Can I make these gluten-free.
Joanie Zisk says
I use King Arthur brand Gluten-Free Measure For Measure Flour to make gluten-free pancakes.
Judy C says
Thank you, delicious recipe.
Kay says
These were really tasty & didn’t make 20 pancakes 😆. Cooked them as the directions say and they are really fluffy which worked out GREAT because I’m making stuffed pancakes and instead of using 2 I can cut this in half. Yum, yum!! Thank you!!
Jacqueline Kramer says
These were delish!! I'm so glad to have found this site! I'm always trying to do the math to reduce recipes down to one or 2 servings. I will definitely be following you for more single person recipes! 😁
Lisa says
This recipe was amazing. I could all sorts of fruits and nuts and it still tasted great. Thank you for taking the time to write such a delicious recipe
Melanie k says
This was perfect and tips helpful! Wiping out the butter between batches and medium heat (i'm usually impatient)... they turned out beautiful and fluffy!
Lucia Ioppolo says
The pancakes were amazing just I made small pancakes and it could of fed my whole family
Overall they were beautiful 😍