3 Ingredient Pancakes
Self-raising flour, milk and an egg whisked into a smooth batter and cooked for 2 minutes a side into fluffy pancakes.
Photograph credit: Pancakes by mroach · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Flour, milk and an egg: three ingredients, and a stack of fluffy pancakes in ten minutes. The secret is the self-raising flour, which brings its own baking powder to the batter, so there is no need for any extra raising agent. A pinch of salt and a little butter for the pan are the only extras, and they do not count.
The proportions matter more than anything here. One part flour to one part milk by weight, with a single egg, gives a thick batter that falls from the whisk in a slow ribbon. Too thin, and the pancakes spread into crepes. Too thick, and they cook through unevenly. Weigh the ingredients if you can, since cups vary in how tightly they are packed.
Whisk until just smooth and leave it for 5 minutes. A short rest lets the flour absorb the milk and the baking powder begin to work, and the pancakes come out thicker and lighter. A few small lumps are fine. Whisking hard develops gluten and makes them tough.
Cook over medium heat in a lightly buttered non-stick pan. Pour in about 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake and wait for bubbles to appear on the surface and the edges to look set, about 2 minutes, then flip. They should be golden brown. Keep them warm in a low oven and serve with butter and maple syrup.
How to Make 3 Ingredient Pancakes
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Whisk the flour, milk, egg and salt until just smooth. Leave for 5 minutes.
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Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and rub with a little butter.
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Pour in 3 tbsp of batter for each pancake and cook for 2 minutes until bubbles form and the edges look set.
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Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until golden. Keep warm in a low oven.
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Serve with the maple syrup.
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A Few Pointers
- Rest the batter for 5 minutes.
- Do not whisk out every lump.
- Flip when bubbles appear.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- No self-raising flour to hand? The common home substitute is the same weight of plain flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder for every 150 g, sifted together well; the rise may not be identical to a bought self-raising flour.
What to Serve With It
Maple syrup · Fresh berries · Bacon · Butter
Leftovers and Storage
Best fresh. Freeze cooked pancakes for 2 months and reheat in a toaster.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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