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Welcome to your new favorite breakfast treat: Pancakes for One! Imagine waking up on a leisurely morning, craving something sweet and comforting, yet not wanting to make a whole batch of pancakes. That’s where this fantastic recipe steps in. It’s tailored perfectly for a single serving, making two to three soft, fluffy pancakes that are just right. This quick and easy pancake recipe has been a favorite on our website for years, consistently receiving great reviews for its simplicity and delightful results.
Looking for more delicious single serving pancake recipes? We’ve got you covered! Our collection Pancake Recipes for One includes fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes For One, naturally sweet Banana Pancakes For One, delicious, hands-off Small Batch Sheet Pan Pancakes, and even a convenient Small Batch Pancake Mix. With this variety, you’re sure to find the perfect single serve pancake recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Pancake Recipe
- Simple and Quick: Made with basic pantry staples and ready in under 15 minutes, this recipe is perfect for busy mornings or whenever the pancake craving strikes.
- Perfect Portion: No more leftover batter or giant stacks to tackle! This recipe yields two to three perfectly portioned pancakes, ideal for satisfying a single serving.
- Easy Cleanup: With minimal ingredients and a single serving, cleanup is a breeze!
- Customizable: Feel free to get creative with your toppings! From classic maple syrup and fresh fruit to chocolate chips and whipped cream, the possibilities are endless.
- Great Base Recipe: This recipe serves as a fantastic base for exploring different pancake flavors.
RELATED: Small Batch Pancake Mix Recipe
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serving pancake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Flour: Stick with all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Baking Powder: This ingredient is key for achieving light and fluffy pancakes.
- Sugar: Simple granulated sugar works well.
- Salt: A 1/4 teaspoon is just enough.
- Egg: A single egg is used for both structure and fluffiness.
- Milk: I typically use low-fat milk, but you can use whole, skim, unsweetened almond, or oat milk.
- Vanilla: A splash of vanilla enhances the flavor with a hint of sweetness.
- Butter: Use melted salted butter for richer pancakes. If using unsalted butter, you may need a bit more salt.
Recipe Variations
- Banana Pancakes: Mash a ripe banana and add it to the batter for a naturally sweet and flavorful 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
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Start by mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a different bowl, mix the egg with the other wet ingredients.
- Combine the wet and dry mixes. Stir just enough to eliminate any dry flour spots, but it’s fine if there are a few small lumps. If the batter’s too thick, add a bit more milk gradually.
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour about 3/4 cup of batter to form each pancake.
- Cook the pancake until you see bubbles on the surface and the bottom turns golden brown, which should take about 3 minutes.
- Flip it over with a spatula and cook for another minute on the other side.
- Take the pancake off the skillet and put it on a plate.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
RELATED: 20 Single Serving Breakfast Recipes To Wake Up To
RELATED: Small Batch Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Expert Tips
- Measuring Flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop into the dry measuring cup with a spoon and level off with a knife or straight edge.
- Batter Consistency: Mix until there are no flour streaks, keeping the batter lumpy. Avoid overmixing.
- Fresh Baking Powder: Ensure your baking powder is fresh to achieve light, fluffy pancakes.
- Flipping Pancakes: Flip the pancakes when the bubbles on the surface begin to pop.
Serving Suggestions
For a delightful breakfast, here are some tempting ways to serve your pancakes:
- Top with Fresh Fruit: Add a healthy twist with sliced bananas, berries, or apple slices.
- Maple Syrup and Butter: A classic combo for that traditional pancake experience.
- Nut Butter and Honey: For a protein-packed topping, drizzle with almond or peanut butter and a bit of honey.
- Yogurt and Granola: Spoon some Greek yogurt and sprinkle granola for a crunch.
- Chocolate Chips and Whipped Cream: For those with a sweet tooth, this makes an indulgent treat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for bubbles on the surface and edges that look set.
Absolutely! Just double all the ingredients for more servings.
There could be a couple of reasons for this. First, check the expiration dates on your flour and baking powder. Old ingredients can lead to flat pancakes. Second, avoid overmixing your batter. Overmixing makes the gluten in the flour tough, resulting in flat and chewy pancakes.
This is another consequence of overmixing the batter. When you overmix, the gluten in the flour develops too much, making your pancakes chewy instead of light and fluffy.
Absolutely! Here’s how: Let your cooked pancakes cool completely. Then, spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, or until frozen solid. Transfer the frozen pancakes to a freezer bag, separating them with wax paper or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Reheating is easy! Simply microwave a pancake for 20 seconds or warm them in a preheated 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
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg, then add milk, vanilla, and melted butter; whisk these wet ingredients together.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Add extra milk gradually if the batter is too thick.
- Heat butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.
- Pour about 3/4 cup of batter onto the skillet for each pancake.
- Cook the pancake until bubbles appear 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 cooked pancake from the skillet, place it on a plate, and continue with the remaining batter.
- Serve the pancakes with your choice of toppings like butter, syrup, or fruit.
Notes
- Measuring Flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop into the dry measuring cup with a spoon and level off with a knife or straight edge.
- Batter Consistency: Mix until there are no flour streaks, keeping the batter lumpy. Avoid overmixing.
- Fresh Baking Powder: Ensure your baking powder is fresh to achieve light, fluffy pancakes.
- Flipping Pancakes: Flip the pancakes when the bubbles on the surface begin 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.
The pancakes were good but omg this is way too much for one person. I’m hoping these pancakes taste good after freezing and microwaving bc my daughter and I each had 2 (1/4 c batter to make each) and there’s tons of batter left.
I can see where the confusion came in! This recipe actually uses 3/4 cup of batter for each pancake, which makes larger pancakes—using 1/4 cup would definitely give you a lot of smaller ones, which explains the leftover batter. I hope you and your daughter enjoyed them, and yes, they freeze and reheat quite well!
Wow! Delicious!!
Thank you!
Delicious
I made these today and they were really good! I accidentally made my fire alarm go off, but they still turned out great 🤭🤫
these are honestly the best pancakes i have EVER had – i’m not one to leave comments but i just had to on this one. these are restaurant-level.
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed the pancakes.
I had a problem with the melted butter. It clumped up and hardened immediately when I poured it into the milk mixture. I didn’t think it would be problem since the recipe doesn’t mention bringing the liquids to room temperature. I started over on the wet mixture and used avocado oil instead. That worked much better. I don’t recommend the butter because it would take too long for everything to come to room temperature to avoid clumping. I want to make pancakes immediately when I am hungry so I would suggest for others to use avocado oil or another flavorless oil. Pancakes turned out good.
I made these today! I wanted easy pancakes and a small quantity and these were perfect!! I added a smashed banana and a dollop of cottage cheese to the wet ingredients, and blueberries once they were in the pan. I got 5 fluffy, beautiful pancakes from my batch! And so yummy! This really is a fabulous recipe!!
I have tried many recipes . Yours are the best that I have made..
Thank you so much!
I forgot to put in the egg and these still worked, so if you’re egg free or vegan this a good recipe for you! I made blueberry pancakes 🙂
Great to know! Thanks so much for your feedback.
Thank you so much Joanie. This recipe was an awesome success! Hubby took 2 bites and declared them the best he’s had, and I never even got the chance to ask what he thought of them!! I follow a lot of your recipes- they never disappoint.
Thank you so much, Pat! I’m so happy to know you both enjoyed the pancakes.