Who says you can’t have pancakes when you’re the only person you are cooking for? You most certainly can! This recipe makes two perfect, light, fluffy and delicious pancakes – just enough for one person. It’s the only single serving pancake recipe you will ever need.
This is a base recipe portioned for one person, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with flavors and mix-ins. You can adapt our lemon blueberry pancakes for one person by adding the zest and juice of one lemon. Stir the zest into the dry ingredients and add the juice in with the wet ingredients. Then simply take a handful of fresh blueberries and sprinkle them over the top of the uncooked sides of these pancakes.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour.
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder double acting.
- ⅛ teaspoon salt.
- ½ cup milk.
- 1 large egg.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Melted and cooled.
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Add more or less according to your taste. We like our pancakes with less sugar because we usually top ours with syrup, and that’s plenty sweet. If you wants yours to be sweeter, add another tablespoon of sugar.
Instructions
Step 1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
Step 2. Add milk, egg, melted butter, vanilla extract and granulated sugar to a blender or large bowl. Blend or whisk for about a minute.
Step 3. Pour wet mixture into dry and stir to combine. Allow batter to rest for about 5 minutes.
Step 4. Lightly spray a large skillet or griddle with cooking spray or melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
Step 6. Cook pancakes until bubbles form and pop on the surface, about 4-5 minutes. Use a wide non-stick spatula to turn each pancake and cook on the other side, another 4-5 minutes.
Remove each pancake to a plate and serve with butter and your favorite syrup or preserves.
Tips for Success
- Spoon the flour into a measuring cup designed for dry ingredients and then level off with a butter knife. Do not measure out the flour by dipping the measuring cup into the flour bag. You will end up with too much flour and the pancake batter will be too thick.
- Do not overmix the batter. Just give it a few good stirs to get rid of any flour streaks. It’s okay if a few lumps remain.
- Allow the batter to rest for at least 5 minutes before cooking. This step causes the gluten in the batter to relax a bit and helps to achieve a more light, fluffy and tender pancake.
- Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste. Some people like the pancakes to be sweeter, some do not.
- Use fresh baking powder. If your baking powder is over a year old, it’s time to buy new baking powder.
Step-By-Step Pancake Guide
Please visit our guide below for step-by-step photos and more information about how to make homemade pancakes.
Looking for more information about making pancakes? Visit our complete guide for making homemade pancakes from scratch, including detailed ingredient information, step-by-step instructions and more!
Equipment
- Medium bowl. For the dry ingredients and batter.
- Mesh strainer. This is used to sift the dry ingredients.
- Blender or large bowl. This is used to mix the wet ingredients. You can also use a large bowl and an electric mixer.
- Griddle. A griddle is the easiest way to cook pancakes, if you do not have one a large flat-bottomed skillet will work also.
- Large skillet. Use this if you do not have a griddle.
- Wide non-stick spatula. A wide spatula is ideal for flipping the pancakes.
Related Recipes
Yearning for more pancakes? Don’t forget to try these delicious pancake recipes!
- Butterscotch Pancakes
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
- Orange Pancakes
- Butter Pecan Syrup with Cornbread Pancakes
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Pancakes for One
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder double acting
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Add milk, egg, melted butter, vanilla extract and granulated sugar to a blender or large bowl. Blend or whisk for about a minute.½ cup milk, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Pour wet mixture into dry and stir to combine. Allow batter to rest for about 5 minutes.
- Lightly spray a large skillet or griddle with cooking spray or melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
- Ladle about ¼ cup of batter onto the cooking surface. Repeat for second pancake. Distribute remaining batter evenly between pancakes.
- Cook pancakes until bubbles form and pop on the surface, about 4-5 minutes. Use a wide non-stick spatula to turn each pancake and cook on the other side, another 4-5 minutes.Remove each pancake to a plate and serve with butter and your favorite syrup or preserves.
Notes
Tips for Success
- Spoon the flour into a measuring cup designed for dry ingredients and then level off with a butter knife. Do not measure out the flour by dipping the measuring cup into the flour bag. You will end up with too much flour and the pancake batter will be too thick.
- Do not overmix the batter. Just give it a few good stirs to get rid of any flour streaks. It’s okay if a few lumps remain.
- Allow the batter to rest for at least 5 minutes before cooking. This step causes the gluten in the batter to relax a bit and helps to achieve a more light, fluffy and tender pancake.
- Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste. Some people like the pancakes to be sweeter, some do not.
Nutrition
I love this recipe. This is a perfect pancake recipe. Even I could make perfect pamcakes with this, and that’s saying something.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy the recipe, Hayley! Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback!
These were pretty good. Followed the recipe (mostly) and made two thick and large pancakes which were a bit chewy, though I think it’s because I didn’t sift the flour and used brown sugar instead. I also didn’t have time to let it sit, so that’s also my fault. Next time I will follow the tips and make smaller pancakes 🙂
Perfect for a simple toddler breakfast. Easy, simple ingredients every one has, and delicious.
I am so happy to hear that you and your toddler enjoyed the pancakes, Kg!
Some…. requests. For the metric section could whoever is behind the website design, and automatic conversion I assume, please fix it. Fractions for smaller measurements are still used, not decimals. Weights for butter would also be greatly appreciated. Otherwise it’s a great recipe, I just had to put in a little extra effort to know what I needed to put in!
This recipe was perfect! With my size it made 4 pancakes which is perfect! No lumpy mess at all, just smooth and fluffy!💗
Hi Elizabeth,
I’m thrilled you loved the recipe and got those fluffy pancakes just right! Thanks for sharing your feedback! 💗
Very easy recipe! My pancakes were so fluffy it was unbelievable! I added blueberries to some of them and chocolate chips to some of them, adding before I flip them. I just can’t thank you enough for this wonderful recipe! Perfect size batch
You are very welcome, Sheri! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. Tasty idea to add blueberries and chocolate chips!
Delicious 😋 Follow the directions!
Not quite small batch, I doubled the recipe to feed two people, and we ended up with 10 large pancakes.
I followed the recipe exactly, sifted ingredients, did t over mix, and the pancakes were honestly disappointing. I was just looking for a smaller recipe while we travel and I don’t have my recipe book, looks like I need to bring that while I travel!
Michelle, if you want to take a specific recipe with you when you travel, take a photo of it with your phone or iPad and it’s there wherever and whenever you want it!
Cheers, Lesley
OMG! These are really good. I will never buy store bought pancakes again. They are easy to make. I can’t wait to make them for my grandchildren. Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed these pancakes, Linda! I hope your grandchildren enjoy them as well. 🙂
I think this is a good recipe I don’t know where I went wrong but I’ll try again. Perhaps over mixing or too much flour not sure but I will try again🙂
Hi Kay!
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. We have some tips for success in the blog post.
I was not impressed. They were tasteless and kinda dry… I cook from scratch often so I know what I’m doing I just need a recipe for less batter and these were not good.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you, Jen. Please let me know if I can help.
I appreciate the feedback!
I made them with Bob Mills 1 to 1 baking flour, honey instead of sugar and added blueberries and cinnamon as well as the vanilla. Your recipe was spot on. We loved them and had to make a second batch.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes, Pam! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback!
Thank you for this recipe. Easy and perfect quantity for one person.
Great! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes. Thank you for taking the time to review the recipe!
Love this recipe! I made 27 mini pancakes (using a teaspoon to spoon out the batter) for my 9mo to have for her breakfast and for my 8yo to have in her lunchbox. Quick and easy, makes the perfect amount.
I’m so happy to hear that you and your little ones are enjoying this recipe, Amanda! That warms my heart. ❤️
This was perfect for one and the only time I ate pancakes that didn’t feel like I weighed a ton after eating then. They were so light and perfect.
Thanks for posting!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes, Yvonne! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
It was great! I’m granddaughter spent the night and wanted blueberry pancakes for breakfast. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it worked out great! On Pinterest it was labyas pancakes for 1, but there was plenty for the 2 of us and very yummy.
I’m so glad that you and your granddaughter enjoyed the pancakes, Lori! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Not good for me. Tasteless and tough. I had to lower the heat and cooking time (I cook on gas stove). The first pancake cooking on Medium heat was slightly burned around the edges. I lowered the heat. Sorry. This recipe didn’t work for me. And…I followed to a T.
Hi EmmyLou,
Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate you giving this recipe a try!
This recipe was perfect for one serving. First time making homemade pancakes. Flaky, moist and very tasty. No box mix ever again. Thanks for sharing I definitely enjoyed.
Thank you for your kind comment. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the pancakes! 😊
Very tasty! I added some chocolate chips with strawberry jam on top and it made the perfect breakfast on a rainy day. They were very light and supper fluffy! Will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes, Eve! 🌟
Two pancakes is the perfect amount and the taste was fine. However, the batter was very thick and made extremely dense pancakes, not at all light and fluffy.
Hi Opal,
I’m sorry these pancakes didn’t turn out as hoped. Sometimes how you measure the flour can make a big difference. Did you spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and then level off with a butter knife? I have updated the post to include a few tips for success.
These were not at all like pancakes. I followed recipe exactly, scooping and leveling flour and all that, and they looked and tasted like biscuits, which is disappointing when you want pancakes.
Hi Kalyn,
I’m sorry these pancakes didn’t turn out as you hoped. It’s possible that the batter was over-mixed. After combining the dry and wet ingredients, hand stir the batter just enough to remove any flour streaks. Lumpy batter is okay. Also, avoid using a mixer at this point. If you think it may have been overmixed, allow the batter to rest for a while – at least 10 minutes – before cooking the pancakes.
The freshness of ingredients can have an impact on the outcome as well. If the baking powder (or flour) has been in your pantry for a while it may have lost its ability to leaven the batter properly, and can result in dense, biscuit-like pancakes.
I hope this helps!
I added a half cup of milk and cinnamon sugar to mine and they turned out great
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Shelby!
Tasted alright but very thick and not sweet. I tripled the recipe to make 6 pancakes but it was very dry and lumpy, I suggest adding about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to the batter before cooking.
Hi Kate,
This recipe is designed to make 2 pancakes for a single serving. Sometimes tripling a recipe can yield poor results. If you want to make 6 pancakes, I suggest this recipe for homemade pancakes.