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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
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.
Video
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.
I am looking for the pancake’s recipe and i found your recipe. I think it’s simple and i’ll try to make it. Thanks for sharing Joanie
I just wanted to share my success in making these gluten free! I substituted the all-purpose flour for King Arthur’s Measure for Measure flour. I used the measurements as stated, other than I added a second egg (gluten free flour tends to be a lot more dense than normal flour). They were delicious and fluffy!! Will definitely be making these again! This recipe made 4 good sized pancakes.
Thank you so much for sharing how you made these pancakes gluten free. I know many readers of ODK will be so happy to know this can be done with success. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, thank you so much for letting me know.
Joanie
Turned out great. Don’t know how you’d only get 3 though, I got 7.
Disappointed. They were thick but not fluffy. Very dense and heavy. But then again I’m usually disappointed in pancakes I make at home. Might try the waffles next time.
Hi Bonny,
I’m sorry your pancakes didn’t turn out as expected. The fact that they were dense and not fluffy could be due to a number of factors. Overmixing the pancake batter develops the gluten which very often will make pancakes turn out rubbery and dense. For best results, mix just until the batter comes together leaving a few lumps. Also, check to make sure the baking powder you are using hasn’t expired. This would also contribute to heavy pancakes.
Hope this helps.
Joanie
Do you think I could I substitute all purpose flour for gluten free flour ?
Hi Amanda,
Although I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, others readers have told me they did with success. More specifically, a reader said she substituted the flour with King Arthur’s GF Measure for Measure Flour but needed to add an extra egg since GF flour tends to be a little dense.
Hope this helps and please let me know how yours turn out if you choose to make the substitution.
Joanie
Wow they are great!! I put cheese in the middle. And did stuffed pancakes they are great. Thanks!!
Awesome! Sounds wonderful, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Joanie
A misleading title! Great pancake recipe but waaaay too much for one! I ended up with 3 4 inch pancakes that were about ¼ inch thick! Light and fluffy but I only made it through one. I guess I need to play around with the amount of flour and milk to get a true one person serving!
Hi Lesley,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you.
I don’t like to dictate how much a person should eat at one sitting. What is a good amount for one person may not be enough for another. I like to suggest that our readers take some of the recipes as guidelines and adjust accordingly. The portion size featured in the recipes are amounts that I would enjoy myself and amounts that have been recommended by our testers.
I used the left over self rising flour from the vanilla cupcakes for this recipe. Came out great! I love your recipes. They enable me to continue good old fashioned stovetop home cooking as opposed to buying unhealthy premade frozen microwave servings for one.
Great idea, Joanne! I’m so happy you liked the pancakes. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Have a wonderful week.
Joanie
Made recipe.. I used 1.5 T baking powder for little fluffier pancakes. All said pancakes we’re delicious! Thank you for recipe.
p.s. I used Fairlife whole milk & Kerry Gold grass fed butter.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the pancakes, Allen. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Joanie
I did add some sugar I did more than a table spoon but other than that they were amazing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Hannah. Thanks so much for letting me know.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Joanie
This pancake recipe made crepes… Delicious nonetheless.
While walking my dog this cold, snowy winter morning, I smelled something wonderful that had me hankering for some pancakes. I did a google search for ‘pancakes for one’, and found this recipe and website. I immediately pulled out my griddle pan and whipped up these wonderful pancakes! They were big and fluffy, just like the picture. Had some blueberries in the fridge, and sprinkled them on one of the cakes while it was cooking. The only thing I changed was to use unsweetened almond milk, as that’s what I had on hand.
I’m now having fun looking around your site, and can’t wait to try more of your recipes! I think your eggplant parmigiana will be next. Thank you for such great ideas when it comes to cooking for one!
I’ve tried this recipe twice and both times the flour clumps into little balls when I pour in the wet ingredients. I stir but these flour balls don’t mix into the batter/never blends into a smooth mixture – it resembles runny oatmeal. I even tried a whisk but the batter will not incorporate into a smooth mixture. The thin batter spreads all over the skillet and the pancakes come out flat, not fluffy. Any ideas where I’m going wrong? Thanks.
Hi Pat,
I’m sorry you had those issues. I know how frustrating it can be to not have a recipe turn out the way we hope. Hopefully, I can answer your questions.
First of all, the pancake batter will not be completely smooth. In fact, the batter will have a few lumps and that’s okay. Stir your batter until the dry and wet ingredients are just incorporated and leave the little lumps.
Next, I suspect that the reason the pancakes turn out flat and not fluffy is because you might be over-mixing the batter. If you over-mix, the gluten will develop from the flour in your batter, making your pancakes chewy and flat instead of fluffy.
I hope this helps.
Joanie