Single Serving Fluffy Pancakes

small stack of 4 pancakes for one with maple syrup and butter

Sometimes you just want pancakes for breakfast, without having to serve a crowd! These pancakes for one are the perfect breakfast or brunch when you only want a few pancakes all for yourself.

These are really quick to mix together – you just need one bowl and 5 minutes. As the batter makes 4 pancakes they are also very quick to cook. I fried up three at a time in my pan so it only took me two batches to finish them up. The benefit of this is also that you get to eat them whilst they’re still hot from the pan.

The key for fluffy pancakes

I like to use natural yoghurt in my pancakes as it’s easy to get, I usually have it in the fridge and it helps the pancake batter stay thicker than if I use milk. The slightly thicker batter tends to rise more so you get fluffier pancakes! You can use buttermilk or milk (non-dairy works great here) but the batter will be a touch thinner so the pancakes will be a bit flatter. If using milk, you can reduce the added water to 1 tbsp which should help you get fluffier pancakes.

Adding oats to pancakes

Whilst not a usual ingredient in plain pancakes, I like to add some porridge oats (those finer ones i.e. rolled oats) to my pancakes. I find this, in combination with the protein from the yoghurt, helps to make the pancakes a bit more filling so I’m not STARVING in 1 hours time. If you don’t like oats or don’t have any, replace them with 1 extra tablespoon of self-raising flour.

Flavouring your pancakes

Most of the time I want a plain-ish pancake but I do usually add a bit of ground cinnamon to the batter for a flavour boost. You can leave this out, of course, or replace with vanilla extract, ground cardamom, ground pumpkin spice mix or even cocoa powder. If you like to have mix-ins in your pancakes, you can sprinkle things like chocolate chips or blueberries onto the circles of pancake batter as they cook in the frying pan (do this whilst the batter is still wet i.e. just before you flip the pancakes over).

Other pancake recipes:

Single Serving Fluffy Pancakes

A short stack of fluffy, American-style pancakes – the perfect amount for a single serving! An easy, quick breakfast or brunch for when you don't want to share.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keywords: pancakes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 person

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp (30g) self-raising flour (or use 4 tbsp plain flour + ½ tsp baking powder)
  • 2 tbsp porridge oats (rolled oats)
  • a pinch sugar any kind
  • a pinch ground cinnamon optional
  • a pinch fine table salt optional
  • 1 medium egg
  • 4 tbsp (60g) natural yoghurt or Greek yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil plus more for the pan

Instructions

  • Combine the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon & salt (if using) in a medium bowl.
    4 tbsp (30g) self-raising flour, 2 tbsp porridge oats (rolled oats), a pinch sugar, a pinch ground cinnamon, a pinch fine table salt
  • Add the egg, yoghurt, water and vegetable oil and stir with a whisk until smooth.
    1 medium egg, 4 tbsp (60g) natural yoghurt, 2 tbsp water, 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • Brush a non-stick frying pan with a bit of oil and place over a medium heat on the stove. Spoon heaped tablespoons of batter into circles in the pan. Leave to cook until golden underneath then flip and let cook on the other side until golden.
  • Remove to a plate and serve hot with salted butter & maple syrup!

Notes

No yoghurt? Use 4 tbsp of milk (cow or non-dairy milk work), 4 tbsp of buttermilk or even 4 tbsp water. The batter will be thinner so your pancakes won’t get AS thick and fluffy. 
Make it dairy-free: use unsweetened, plain soy yoghurt in place of the natural yoghurt. 
No self-raising flour? Use 4 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour) plus 1/2 tsp baking powder instead
Other flavours (leave out the cinnamon):
  • Vanilla pancakes:  add a splash of vanilla extract. 
  • Chocolate chip pancakes: sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips onto the pancake batter whilst it’s in the frying pan (before flipping)
  • Blueberry pancakes: sprinkle a handful of blueberries onto the pancake batter whilst it’s in the frying pan (before flipping)
  • Lemon pancakes: add the finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon to the batter. Serve the pancakes with lemon curd
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it went! Mention @izyhossack or tag #topwithcinnamon!

1 thought on “Single Serving Fluffy Pancakes”

Comments are closed.