Welcome, breakfast lovers who don’t want to share! Here you will learn the secrets of making self-rising flour pancakes for one. Namely, yourself.
This no egg pancake recipe is scalable and you can make it to feed a crowd. The nice thing about this recipe is that the proportions are easy to remember and you can also vary it in many ways.
Made with self-rising flour, vary them however you like by adding citrus zest, spices, blueberries, etc.
If you do feel like sharing, I recommend my yeast raised chocolate chip pancakes.
For ease of browsing, here are all of my breakfast recipes in one place. Enjoy!
Watch my pancakes for one recipe web story here.
Deee-licious! Easy recipe and still oh so fluffy without the eggs.
Pinner Sheri
Making pancakes using self-rising flour
Why use self-rising flour in this pancake recipe?
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If you happen to have self-rising flour, it makes it really easy to whip up these guys quickly.
Self-rising flour, sometimes called self-raising flour, already contains leavening and salt, so you only need to measure 1 ingredient rather than 3.
And the self-rising flour already has the perfect amount of leavening in it so you don’t have to guess. Sweet!
What You Need to Make Pancakes for One
Barring a box of mix or a frozen brick of pancakes from the big box store in your freezer, here’s what you’ll need. You probably own most of this stuff already.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- self-rising flour Self-rising flour is a great shortcut to have in your pantry. If you don’t have any, substitute 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and a heavy pinch of salt
- sugar (granulated sugar, brown sugar, or even a sugar substitute like Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener, which I sometimes use to partially offset all the syrup I pour on them)
- milk: I use whole milk. 2% will work fine, and you can also substitute your favorite nut milk or other plant-based milk
- spice: I often add a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Cardamom would also be nice in these
- vegetable oil I recommend a neutral oil that doesn’t have an assertive flavor. It serves to tenderize the pancakes just a bit, but not so much that they won’t hold together without eggs. I don’t recommend you use melted butter unless your milk is at room temperature or the butter will just re-solidify in tiny blobs
- butter: this is for topping the pancakes. You just can’t beat the flavor.
- real maple syrup (yes, it is worth it)
How to Make a Substitute for Self-Rising Flour
I usually have self-rising flour around, but it does lose its potency after a few months.
It’s always good to have a backup plan.
Remember this formula:
To substitute for one cup of self-rising flour, whisk 1 cup of all-purpose flour together with 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt. Scale up or down as necessary.
Can you really make pancakes without eggs?
Yes, you can!
In fact, sometimes using eggs can make your pancakes almost rubbery.
Making pancakes without eggs and mixing just until the ingredients come together yields fluffy, tender pancakes.
It’s my preferred way to make pancakes. No eggs, thanks very much.
You may now consider this your go-to no egg pancake recipe!
Equipment you’ll need
- a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle (an electric fry pan works here too)
- one bowl
- one whisk
- one spoon (a regular teaspoon will do)
- a half-cup measure (or use a kitchen scale if weighing your ingredients)
- a pancake turner or other thin spatula-type Item
I make almost all my smashed burgers (and a bunch of other things) in this Lodge 12" cast iron skillet. It's heavy, which is great for smashed burgers. It holds heat and allows the burgers to cook evenly.
Plus, over time, it builds up its own, natural, magic non-stick coating. So the burgers stick when you need them to for browning, but then they're pretty easy to flip as well. Best of both worlds!
This is also my go-to pan for making pancakes.
How To Make Small-Batch Pancakes
Perfect every single time!
Pinner Marsha
Here’s how it’s done. Follow these steps To The Letter, and you, too, can be enjoying a fresh, peaceful and delicious meal of pancakes without eggs in about 20 minutes. All by yourself.
Note that pancake batter is best made using The Muffin Method.
- Heat your griddle or skillet. You want your pan to be nice and hot, so go ahead and give it a head start on medium-high heat while you mix your ingredients. (If you make a lot of pancakes, having an electric griddle or an electric skillet is a nice luxury that will help them cook evenly.)
- Whisk together dry ingredients. In this case, dry ingredients include self-rising flour and a little sugar. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can still make these. See the recipe notes. You can also whisk in some spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom if you’d like.
- Whisk wet ingredients together. You’ll need milk (I like whole milk, but you can make these dairy-free by using your favorite nut milk.)
- Whisk in some neutral vegetable oil and any extract. If you’re using citrus zest, you can whisk it in with your milk and oil.
- Mix wet into dry. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until it just comes together. A few lumps are just fine.
- Cook. Add a bit of butter or a spritz of pan spray to your pan and cook your pancakes, 1/3 of the batter at a time. Once you pour the batter into the pan, that’s when you can add fruit or chocolate chips. Let them cook until set and dry around the edges. Flip and cook an additional couple of minutes.
- Plate and Enjoy. I like to put butter on my plate, add a pancake, add more butter, add a pancake, add butter, then top with a pancake. But I like butter! You can just add a pat of butter on top, douse in syrup, and enjoy your pancakes for one. You deserve them.
Visual How-To
Here are a few photos so you can see how easy it is to make this batter.
I weigh my flour and eyeball the spice. If weighing, you’re going for 70 grams/2.5 oz/ 1/2 cup, give or take a tiny bit.
Then, I whisk the flour and spice together.
I add my milk to a pitcher (75 grams/2.7 oz/ 1/3 cup) along with the oil and vanilla.
Then, the wet goes into the dry and gets a quick whisk to combine.
Here’s a photo of what the pancakes will look like right before it’s time to turn them. You’ll notice they have bubbles all over the top that have popped but not filled in, and the edges are dry.
I flipped that pancake as soon as I took this photo, and here it is, all lovely and perfect.
Tips for Success
If cooking one pancake at a time, put them in the toaster oven or oven on “warm.” They’ll be fine for the amount of time it will take you to cook the rest.
If your pancakes sit out too long, or you leave them too long in the oven, they may get a little crisp on top. To soften and heat them back up, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave them for about 20 seconds.
Recipe Variations
- Add lemon zest to the batter and add fresh or frozen blueberries to each pancake while the batter is still wet and before you flip them
- Add orange zest and add mini chocolate chips to each pancake (as above)
- Spice with cinnamon and add a sprinkling of chopped, spiced or candied nuts to each pancake
- Add minced, crystalized ginger to each pancake and top with spiced peaches
- For a fun dessert variation, add cinnamon to the batter and then top with whipped cream and spiced pumpkin caramel sauce.
- You really are only limited by your imagination, so please have fun with this basic recipe and use your favorite flavor combinations
Pancakes for One Q & A
Once you realize that mixes are mostly just pre-mixed dry ingredients with a few artificial ingredients added in for good measure, you’ll realize that with self-rising flour alone, you have gone a good way to making your own pancake mix. Plus no weird ingredients.
In this case, it’s the chemical reaction between the leaveners present in self-raising (self-rising) flour and liquid and the heat of the griddle.
Of course. Add a little lemon zest to your batter. Once you pour some into your skillet, allow it to set up a minute, and then sprinkle on a handful of blueberries. When the pancake is ready, flip it over and continue cooking. The berries will cook right into your pancakes.
Absolutely. There are tons of ways to vary this basic recipe. Add vanilla to the batter, and use the same procedure as for blueberry pancakes. Add batter to the skillet, top evenly with chocolate chips, then flip and finish cooking. The chocolate chips will definitely be melty. You may have a little burning/sticking where the chocolate touches the skillet, but otherwise, you’ll have lovely, chocolate chip pancakes.
Serving Suggestions
Obviously, you should serve pancakes with copious amounts of butter and real maple syrup.
But, should you need some other ways to enjoy it, consider spreading them with lemon curd or using an unexpected sauce like this mixed berry Chambord sauce.
Make them silver dollar sized and spread them on a board along with a pitcher of syrup, fruits, nuts, etc for a brunch board. Maybe add some quartered crepes, too, just for fun.
Other pancake recipes to enjoy
If you’re a fan of this pancake recipe, here are a couple more from my site and from some of my friends. Enjoy!
- If you need chocolate at every meal, try my chocolate pancakes. They are super good.
- German Pancakes (made with mashed potatoes)
- Vegan Vanilla Chai Pancakes (no eggs, no dairy)
- Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes with Pears (hearty and satisfying)
- Bubula (Matzo Meal Pancakes) (like your grandma used to make)
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
A Note About Measurements
My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.
For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.
I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.
This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
It will help me and other readers so much if you take a moment to rate and leave a review for this recipe.
You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.
Other ways to share include pinning, and/or sharing on your favorite social media platform.
Thank you so much for taking the time!
Pancakes for One
Ingredients
For the Pancakes
- 70 grams 2.5 oz or 1/2 cup self rising flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar or sweetener of choice
- 75 grams 2.7 oz or 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil I use avocado oil
- a sprinkle of cinnamon or other pancake-y type spice optional
- splash of vanilla/citrus zest/chocolate chips–whatever optional
For Serving
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- Real maple syrup
Instructions
The Procedure
- Preheat the skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Set the timer for five minutes.
- In your bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients, including zest, if using. Do not mix in any "chunky" mixins here–only spices or zest
- Stir oil into milk, and add vanilla, if you're using it.
- Pour over dry ingredients and whisk slowly until just incorporated.
- Let the batter sit until the timer goes off.
- Rub a little butter onto your skillet.
- Pour 1/3 of your pancake batter into the skillet. (I use 1/4 cup measure, and I get three same-sized pancakes every time)
- While your pancake cooks, heat up the maple syrup so it's ready to go.
- Let pancake cook until the bubbles around the edges pop but don't fill back in with batter, about 3-4 minutes. If using blueberries, cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, etc, sprinkle on a few evenly over the top of the pancake before flipping.
- Flip pancake and cook about 2 minutes.
- While the second side of the pancake cooks, put a wee pat of butter on your plate.
- Place this pancake onto plate on top of butter.
- Make 2 more pancakes the same way you made the first.
- Put a wee pat of butter on top of your first pancake.
- Pile on the other 2 pancakes as they finish cooking, adding a small pat of butter in between each pancake.
- Turn off stove.
- Pour syrup on top of pancakes.
- Eat.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, y’all! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and hopefully also learned a thing or two.
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Thank you for spending some time here today. Enjoy your pancakes that you don’t have to share with anyone! Take care, and have a lovely day.
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This is a really great recipe. Love the fact that it makes enough for one meal for me without having tons of leftover. And the pancakes taste really good. Never thought about using SR flour before. Makes it so easy.
I’m so glad you like them, Pam! I developed this recipe when I needed to use up some sr flour. I rarely used it before, but it really is such a great shortcut!
We’ve had these pancakes every single Sunday morning since you published it. We’re obsessed. I love, always on-hand ingredients, the ease and speed, and the flavor! It is incredible for something so simple!
So, Jenni, I used to alternate waffles with pancakes on Sundays, until we got addicted to these pancakes. However, I’m now wondering if this batter can be used to make waffles for variety? I also wondered if I might occasionally tweak it to use buttermilk with baking soda instead of milk with baking powder. Again, not because I don’t love the pancakes, just to vary occasionally. What do you think?
I think I already gave this 5 stars, but I wanted to addd that it’s become a Sunday morning tradition. These are the fastest, easiest, best-tasting, guaranteed success every time pancakes ever. Make them, everybody. Game changing!
You did review it, and thank you so much! I’m so honored that this recipe has become a part of your family’s weekend tradition. ❤️❤️❤️
Jenni, these pancakes are incredible. They mix quickly, raise to puffy clouds of perfection, brown nicely, are on the plate in minutes, and taste great! I can’t believe they’re so fast and easy. I should believe it because you created it! <3 Thank you!
Wow. I’ll admit I was skeptical at first, but the results speak for themselves!
I didn’t have any proper measuring cups, so I eyeballed it with a coffee mug and it still worked out.
Next time I’ll add vanilla or another spice for a bit more taste, but as they stand, these are pretty good on their own.
Yay! Yes, this is a very basic recipe, so please add flavor/spices/mix-ins to make it your own. So glad they worked out for you!
Take care, Kay. 🙂
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I’ve never been able to properly make pancakes before but with your recipe and instructions they came out perfectly. My grandma loved them too 🙂 thank you so much.
Hey, Ash! I’m so happy you enjoyed the pancakes, and how lovely that you made some for your grandmother, too! Thanks so much for letting me know, also. Makes me feel really good about what I’m doing! Take care, and thanks again. 🙂
HI Jenni
I just tried this recipe and ended up with a plate of the fluffiest, most gorgeous pancakes I’ve ever made. They’re delicious. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I am so happy that you enjoyed them, Stephanie! I appreciate your letting me know! I hope you continue to enjoy them and to make them your own with your favorite mix-ins! 🙂
Can I make these without a cast iron skillet or griddle?
Hey, Aly. You can make them in a large, nonstick frying pan or in an electric fry pan if you have either of those. Enjoy!
trash
Can I use all purpose flour instead of self rising? Sorry, I couldn’t find the notes.
You can, but if you make that substitution, you will have to add leavening and salt. The ratio is generally 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt per cup of all purpose flour to equal self rising. Hope that helps. I’ll add that to the notes. Enjoy, and stay well.
These pancakes came out a bit sticky and a bit bland…would not make again.
Oh, man, that has never happened to me before. I wonder if your self-rising flour was a little bit old? That can happen in a fairly short amount of time, and if the leavener is a little kaput, they may not rise as well and therefore get a bit sticky on the surface. And I have to ask, did you use self-rising flour? I normally always add salt to everything to fight against blandness, but self-rising flour already has enough salt in it to make things taste good. So if you subbed in regular flour for self-rising, you’d be down both leavening and salt, possibly resulting in sticky, bland pancakes.
Sorry you weren’t a fan, but I appreciate your stopping in and commenting!