Single Small-Batch Pancake (1 Cup of Flour)

A pancake breakfast is quick and easy thanks to this recipe for a single pancake. Using just 1 cup (120 grams) of flour, you can whip up a fluffy, golden-brown small-batch pancake in just about 25 minutes. Perfect for a lazy morning, it’s both satisfying and simple to prepare with minimal time spent standing at the stove. So good topped with some of my homemade whipped honey butter or maple syrup!

Like many of my other small-batch recipes, my single-serving pancake recipe uses just 1 cup of flour. I've written the recipe to make it as I usually do: one giant skillet pancake that I cut into wedges like a pizza, but you can use it to make 3-4 regular-sized pancakes or 8-10 silver dollar pancakes if you prefer!

This really is a versatile recipe for making a small batch of pancakes — whether you're making one giant pancake or a bunch of little ones!

Growing up, when my dad made pancakes on the weekend, the best pancake was always the last one. He'd pour however much batter was left in the bowl into the skillet to make one giant pancake topped with chocolate chips or mini m&ms. Watching him flip the giant pancake was a Sunday morning magic show.

As a kid, that final giant pancake was a special treat. But for my dad, a tired adult, it was probably just him wanting to be done standing at the stove flipping pancakes. I know that because that is how I, now also a tired adult with a child, feel every time I make a full-size batch of pancakes.

Making pancakes always seems like such a good idea at the time, but by the time I'm flipping the third batch, I'm wishing I could just go sit down and eat.

So what I love about my small-batch pancake recipe is that it makes just enough batter for one of those giant, special skillet pancakes. You only have to pour the batter once, and you only have to flip the pancake once. And the pancake is so thick and fluffy, definitely big enough for 2 adults to split or 3-4 little kids to share! Though if you want to keep it all for yourself, I'd totally understand that too.

My homemade pancake recipe uses really basic ingredients. I'm talking all-purpose flour, white sugar (though you can use honey or maple syrup if you prefer), baking powder, a large egg, and whole milk. A bit of melted butter in the batter provides both flavor and fat to help make the pancake nice and tender with a lovely buttery flavor. It also helps the pancake brown in the skillet.

Getting the ingredients to the right temperature is super important for allowing them to combine evenly for a thick, fluffy pancake. Make sure you get them to room temperature, as cold ingredients will produce a dense, flat pancake.

Instructions

Making pancake batter follows what's called the muffin method of mixing. I know, I know, it's is a pancake. But it uses the same mixing method used in muffin recipes, so that's what it's called. It's also one of the easiest mixing methods.

I often mix the batter in a 4-cup glass liquid measuring cup to make it easier to pour the batter later, but it didn't photograph well so I used a bowl here.

There's one thing I want you to keep in mind as you mix this small batch pancake batter. A challenge, if you will. Try to mix the pancake batter in as few movements as possible.

If you mix the pancake batter too vigorously, or for too long, it will begin developing a gluten network. Gluten provides the strength and structure we want in bread doughs, but in muffins and pancakes, it will make the batter tight, dense, and unpleasant to eat.

This doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to like, ten stirs, or whatever. Just be efficient with your mixing — don't mix any more than you have to to get everything incorporated.

To mix the batter, you can use any spatula you like, but I like to use a dough whisk. Despite the name, the sturdy wire coil of a dough whisk is a super efficient option for mixing muffin and pancake batters. It cuts through lumps of flour without agitating the batter too much and helps prevent over mixing.

Mix the batter just until combined. The batter should be lumpy. You don't want big sneaky pockets of dry flour but lumps are just fine; they'll cook out!

Then, cover the batter and let it rest briefly at room temp to the baking powder time to begin activating. It will look fluffier and bubblier after it has time to rest.

This resting time will also give any lumps or bits of flour time to absorb more of the liquids in the batter, but the finished pancake batter is VERY thick.

Let the pancake cook until lots of bubbles are visible on the surface, especially around the edges. The outer edge of the pancake will lose its shine and start to look matte in texture. The idea is to let the pancake do most of its cooking on this first side. Be patient!

For a successful pancake flip, I wait for the bottom of the pancake to be completely cooked through and for the batter on the top to also start to set up. A runny pancake won't flip well.

Take a quick peek at the underside to determine if it needs more time. If it's ready, take a deep breath, then, in one confident movement, lift and flip the pancake in the skillet.

Small Batch Pancake Mix-ins and Toppings

There are a lot of ways you can customize this skillet pancake. Here are some of my favorite twists to get you started:

• Candy or Nuts: Chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, cinnamon chips, toffee chips, sprinkles, etc. I prefer sprinkling them on top of the pancake about 1 minute into cooking to prevent them from burning on the surface of the pan, but you can also just mix them directly into the batter and pour it onto the skillet.
• Fruit: Blueberries, diced strawberries, or diced stone fruit can be mixed directly into the batter after it has time to rest. Thinly sliced bananas can be added to the pancake in the skillet. Other berries like raspberries or blackberries are better served on top of the pancake instead of cooked into the batter.
• Peanut Butter or Nutella: You can pour or dollop it right onto the surface of the pancake and swirl it in with a knife and follow the rest of the recipe as written. But what I like to do is pour half to three-quarters of the batter into the pan, drizzle melted Nutella or peanut butter all over it, and then use the remaining pancake batter to cover it up so that the Nutella or peanut butter cooks inside the pancake. It's a little fussier, but less messy to flip and reduces the chances of the peanut butter or Nutella burning after you flip the pancake.
• Jam or Jelly: Same as with peanut butter or Nutella, you can either dollop or swirl it onto the pancake batter in the pan, or divide the pancake batter to hide it inside the pancake.

Practical Tips and Recipe Notes

• To make chocolate pancakes, replace 15 grams of flour with cocoa powder and increase the milk by 10 grams.
• I like to slice or scoop about ¼ tablespoon of homemade butter and place it on top of the pancake after flipping to give it time to start melting while the pancake finishes cooking. It makes it easier to spread later.
• If you prefer a sweeter pancake, you can double the amount of sugar and add ¼ teaspoon vanilla to the batter along with the liquid ingredients.

📖 Recipe