Published: by Katie
Jump to Recipe How-To-Photos Watch the Video
Can you make pancakes without baking powder? Absolutely! With only 4 simple ingredients, these pancakes are light, fluffy and super easy to make.
Is there a better way to start the weekend than with some homemade pancakes? This pancake recipe requires no baking powder (or baking soda) and comes in handy when you ran out of leavening agents but crave some fluffy pancakes.
For more pancake recipes see Pancakes Without Milk, Protein Pancakes or Oat Milk Pancakes.
Jump to:
- Can you make pancakes without baking powder?
- Step by Step Photo Instructions
- Top Tips
- Variations
- Optional Add-Ins
- Topping Ideas
- FAQ
- More pancake recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Can you make pancakes without baking powder?
The answer is simple: yes, by using whipped egg whites instead. When you whip egg whites, you can see little bubbles forming because you're forcing air into the egg whites. If you continue beating, you will see that the egg whites change from foamy to soft peaks to stiff peaks.
When you add the whipped egg whites to the pancake batter, this will create incredibly fluffy and airy pancakes (even without the use of baking powder)
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: For best results I recomment using regular plain flour. You could also use half whole-wheat flour and half plain for more fiber. Or a gluten-free flour blend to make gluten-free pancakes.
- Eggs: The recipe calls for 2 large eggs.
- Milk of Choice: Any milk of choice will work here such as regular whole milk or a non-dairy milk alternative. We used unsweetened almond milk to keep them dairy-free.
- Maple Syrup (Optional): If you add some maple syrup before serving (which is obligatory really), then won't need to sweeten the pancakes and can skip the maple syrup. Or use any other sweetener of choice such as regular sugar.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by Step Photo Instructions
These simple pancakes involve only 4 ingredients and are super easy to make.
STEP 1: Separate eggs. Carefully separate egg yolks from egg whites. Add the egg whites to a mixing bowl or jar. Set egg yolks aside in a separate bowl.
STEP 2: Dry ingredients. Add flour and salt to a large bowl. Whisk until well combined.
STEP 3: Combine. Make a well in the center of the bowl. Add egg yolks and maple syrup (optional) and start whisking only these two together.
Then add your milk.
STEP 4: Batter. Whisk together dry and wet ingredients using a spatula. Do not over mix!
STEP 5: Whip the egg whites on medium speed using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
STEP 6: Fold in half of the whipped egg whites. Stir carefully into the pancake batter.
Then gently fold in other half of the egg whites.
STEP 7: Cook pancakes. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add about ⅓ cup of the pancake mixture and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
Slide a spatula under the pancake to see if the edges are golden brown. Then flip and cook on the other side.
Top Tips
- Stiff Peaks:Stiff peaks are absolutely essential for this recipe to work so don't stop beating the egg whites before they are properly whipped up (see video or step-by-step photos). However, alsodon't overbeatthem- once the egg whites are stiff and hold their shape even when the mixer is turned upside down, they are ready!
- Cook immediately: To maintain the fluffy texture of the batter, it's crucial that you cook the pancakes immediately after whisking together the batter. Do NOT let the batter rest like regular pancakes batter.
- Fold in carefully: It's really important to fold in the whipped egg whites carefully- be patient, we don't want to destroy these air bubbles!
- Temperature:Depending on your pan and oven, a temperature between medium-low to medium usually works best for pancakes.
- Measure out batter:I recommend using a measuring cup to pour the pancake batter into the pan. That way you'll end up with equally-sized pancakes.
- Don't flatten the pancake batter or you might end up with thin pancakes.
Variations
- Gluten-Free: You can try using a gluten-free flour blend instead of using regular flour.
- Refined-Sugar Free: Skip the maple syrup for a refined sugar-free recipe.
- Low Cholesterol: You can add in only 1 egg yolk to reduce the amount of cholesterol.
Optional Add-Ins
- Vanilla Extract
- Chocolate Chips
Topping Ideas
- Fresh Fruit: probably my favorite topping of all time. Add some slices of your favorite fruits on top
- Yogurt: Add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt or a non-dairy alternative for some fres
- Nut Butter: such as peanut butter or homemade almond butter.
- Nuts: such as walnuts, almonds or pecans make an amazing topping
- Caramel Sauce: Top with some homemade vegan caramel sauce.
FAQ
What can I use instead of baking powder in pancakes?
Using whipped egg whites instead will result in super light, airy and fluffy pancakes. Other than that, you could use self raising flour which already includes a leavening agent. Other recommended subsitutes such as in this article include lemon juice, cream of tartar or baking soda.
Do I need to let the batter rest?
No, on the contrary,
Can I make them gluten-free?
You could try using a gluten-free flour blend- however I haven't tested these pancakes with with a gf flour.
Can you over beat egg whites?
Yes, actually. If you continue beating them even though they have already formed stiff peaks, they might start losing their shape again. This means that you've probably beaten them for too long.
Why are my egg whites not getting stiff?
Usually that happens when the egg whites contain some sort of fat (most often from the egg yolks not being separated carefully enough).
More pancake recipes
- Fluffy Protein Pancakes (No Banana)
- Pancakes Without Milk
- Oat Milk Pancakes
- Pear Pancakes
📖 Recipe
Pancakes Without Baking Powder
Author: Katie
These pancakes are made with whipped egg whites instead of baking powder, resulting in the fluffiest pancakes ever!
If you love this recipe as much as we do, click on the 5-stars below!
4.66 from 61 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American-Inspired
Servings: 9 pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour (all-purpose)
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional) *see notes
- olive oil to grease the pan *or other vegetable oil
You can find detailed step-by step-photos above the recipe card.
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
Separate egg whites from the egg yolks. Add egg whites to a mixing bowl and the egg yolks to a separate bowl.
Make a well in the center of the bowl and add egg yolk and maple syrup (optional).
Whisk together these two first. Then add the milk.
Stir with a spatula until well combined and you end up with a smooth batter. Don't over mix.
Beat the egg whites using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) starting with low-medium speed and slowly increasing the speed while beating.
Continue beating the egg whites until you can see stiff peaks forming (see video or step-by-step photos above).
Gently fold in half of whipped egg whites. We don't want to destroy the air that has been created by beating them.
Once the batter is smooth, fold in other half an stir until well combined.
Heat some oil in a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat.
Pour ¼ or ⅓ cup of the pancake batter (depending on how large you like your pancakes) into the hot pan.
Let cook on one side for about 2-3 minutes. Slide a spatula under the pancake and check if the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.
Then flip and cook the other side for another minute or so.
Add the cooked pancakes to a plate and serve topped with fresh fruit and maple syrup (more topping suggestions above).
Video
Notes
- Carefully separate: Be sure to not include any egg yolk in the egg whites or the won't whip up properly.
- Fold in carefully: It's really important to fold in the whipped egg whites carefully- be patient, we don't want to destroy these air bubbles!
- Stiff Peaks: Stiff peaks are absolutely essential for this recipe to work so don't stop beating the egg whites before they are properly whipped up (see video or step-by-step photos). However, also don't overbeat them- once the egg whites are stiff and hold their shape even when the mixer is turned upside down, they are ready!
- Cook immediately: To maintain the fluffy texture of the batter, it's crucial that you cook the pancakes immediately after whisking together the batter.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 pancake. | Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.
Tried this recipe?Leave a rating and comment telling us how you liked it! Or tag @wholefoodsoulfood__kitchen on Instagram so we can admire your creations!
More Breakfast
- Kefir Overnight Oats
- Scrambled Eggs without Milk
- Almond Milk French Toast
- Peanut Porridge
Reader Interactions
Comments
Angel says
Was craving pancakes but didn't have baking soda at home so looked for a suitable recipe and this showed up. It's my first time making pancakes too. Resulted in a batch of fluffy pancakes❤️ Made my own banana caramel, was a perfect pairing. Thank you for the recipe!Reply
Katie says
Very happy to hear that! 😊 Thanks a lot for the feedback!
Reply
W says
Great results!Reply
Katie says
Great to heat that, thanks for the feedback 😊
Reply
