Can you make delicious pancakes without milk? Absolutely! If you ever ran out of milk but wanted to enjoy some fluffy pancakes, then this recipe is for you! The pancakes are made with water instead of milk but don't worry, they're just as light and delicious!
What's great about this recipe is that even though these pancakes are made without milk they are not lacking flavor at all (similar to our Overnight Oats with Water, Milk-Less French Toast or Waffles with Water). This recipe also doesn't call for any milk substitutes- the pancake batter is made with water only.
For more delicious pancake recipes check out Protein Pancakes (no banana), Pancakes Without Baking Powder or Oat Milk Pancakes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's the perfect pancake recipe when you ran out of milk.
- It's an easy one-bowl breakfast recipe.
- It's dairy-free and soy-free.
- To make these milkless pancakes you'll only need 7 simple ingredients.
Can you make pancakes without milk?
The short answer is YES. You can definitely make delicious pancakes with no milk included.
The milk adds some flavor and moisture to the pancakes but this can easily be made up for with some oil.
Milk substitutes for pancakes
If you're asking yourself what to use in pancakes instead of milk, we've got you covered. You have a couple of options here:
- soy milk (higher in fat and protein than other milk alternatives)
- oat milk (our favorite because it's naturally sweeter)
- almond milk
- rice milk
- hemp milk (has a very distinct flavor though)
- coconut milk (choose a light one, you'll need a bit more)
- water: making pancakes with water is not only cheap but also super easy and the method we went for in this recipe
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Flour: This recipe calls for all-purpose flour because it's my favorite type of flour for fluffy pancakes. You could try spelt or whole wheat flour instead. Try an equal amount of gluten-free baking mix for a gluten-free pancake recipe, however, I haven't tried using gluten-free flour in this recipe.
- Baking Powder: Is the leavening agent in this recipe and responsible for the "bubbles" in the pancake batter that are needed to create fluffy and light pancakes.
- Salt (optional): Add a tiny pinch of salt to enhance the flavors. It's optional though.
- Egg: We used one egg in this recipe. Together with the baking powder, it helps to create thick pancakes.
- Olive Oil: Is used as a healthier alternative to melted butter, a popular ingredient in regular pancakes. Similar to butter, the addition of olive oil creates rich and moist pancakes. Besides adding a lovely texture, it also adds a nice yellow color. Instead you could used coconut oil or any other neutral-tasting vegetable oil. Could be omitted for an oil-free pancake recipe but the texture will be a bit different.
- Maple Syrup: The sweetener in this recipe. Feel free replace it with agave syrup, honey or simple granulated sugar such as brown sugar or regular white sugar. The pancake batter is only lightly sweetened because I prefer adding more maple syrup as a topping.
- Water: To replace the milk in this recipe, we create a pancake mix with water. Other non-dairy milk substitutes would include dairy-free milk alternatives such as soy milk, oat milk or almond milk.
- Vanilla extract (optional)
How to Make Pancakes without milk
The recipe for these no-milk pancakes is super simple and very similar to traditional pancake recipes. There's no special equipment needed, you can whisk all of the ingredients together in one bowl (which means less washing up to do!).
STEP 1: Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl combine plain flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk until combined. Then make a well in the center.
STEP 2: Add wet ingredients. Place the egg, maple syrup and olive oil into the center.
Start whisking together only those 3 ingredients first, using a small whisk.
Then add the water and vanilla extract (when using) and stir with a spatula or spoon until you end up with a thick and smooth batter. Do NOT overstir- small lumps are absolutely ok!
STEP 3: Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
STEP 4: Cook. Add some olive oil in a frying pan or hot griddle over medium high heat. Add about ⅓ cup of the pancake batter to the pan. Cook on one side until you can see little holes (popped bubbles) and golden brown edges (about 1-2 minutes).
Slide a spatula under the pancake and lift an edge to check whether it's already slightly brown. If it's ready, flip and cook the other side for another minute or so. Add your favorite toppings (see below for some topping suggestions) and enjoy right away!
Vegan No Milk Pancakes
These flour and water pancakes include an egg and are therefore not vegan. You could try replacing the actual egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal mixed with water and set aside for 10 minutes), but we haven't tried this recipe using a flax egg!
Optional Add-Ins
- Vanilla Extract: ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract adds some lovely vanilla flavors to our water-based pancakes.
- Cocoa Powder: Add 1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder for some chocolatey flavors.
- Chocolate Chips: Never not a good idea in pancakes but tastes equally delicious as a topping!
- Cinnamon: Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to create some fall flavored pancakes.
Serving Suggestions
- Fresh Fruit: Make such an amazing pancake topping. Top with fresh blueberries, raspberries or sliced strawberries or banana. Simply go with whatever you prefer!
- Nuts: Sprinkle with some chopped nuts such as almonds, cashews or Brazil nuts for some extra selenium!
- Nut Butters: Such as peanut butter or Homemade Almond Butter make an amazing pancake topping!
- Dried Fruit: Such as dried goji berries or raspberries add some natural sweetness and taste amazing in combination with nuts.
- Caramel Sauce: Try our 2-Ingredient Vegan Caramel Sauce as a topping!
- Vegan Whipped Cream: or our Homemade Vegan Whipped Cream
- Maple Syrup: The pancakes only include a little maple syrup because we like to add some more when serving!
Tips
- Temperature: We need the right temperature to achieve great-tasting pancakes that are evenly cooked. Oftentimes, the first pancake turns out a little less perfect because the pan wasn't properly heated across its entire surface. Depending on your pan and oven, I would opt for a temperature between medium-low to medium.
- Don't over-mix: There's absolutely no need to get rid of any small lump left in the batter. On the contrary, over-stirring might result in chewy pancakes. For the perfect fluffy texture, gently stir until the ingredients are just combined.
- Equally sized pancakes: I prefer using a measuring cup to scoop out the pancake batter because it will ensure equally big pancakes. I usually go for ⅓ cup of pancake batter.
- Let rest: Let the batter rest for 10 minutes as it will give the flour time to absorb all of the liquid and result in a thicker batter.
- Don't flip too early: Ideally, you would want to flip if you can see a lot of bubbles that have actually popped and left a hole (see photo above). Slide a spatula under the pancake and lift an edge to see if it's golden brown. If the pancake is ready, flip and cook the other side. If it's still very pale, leave it for another 15-30 seconds.
Storage
Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Gently reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 200°F (100°C) degrees. However, pancakes definitley taste best when served right away.
FAQs
To create dairy-free pancakes you can replace the regular cow's milk with a non-dairy alternative such as soy milk, almond milk or oat milk. If you are looking for a pancake recipe without any milk whatsoever, you can use water such as in our recipe below.
Yes, you can create completely milk-free pancakes by replacing the milk with water.
I have not tried this recipe using carbonated water but you can check this recipe for pancakes with sparkling water.
The main purpose of milk is to dissolve the flour and create a thin pancake batter. However, other liquids will also do the job. Regular milk is usually also higher in fat which results in moist pancakes. This milk fat however can be made replaced with oil.
More Pancake Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Pancakes With Water (No Milk)
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp water
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract *optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Make a well in the center.
- Add the egg, maple syrup and olive oil and whisk together these 3 ingredients first.
- Add water and vanilla extract (optional) and stir with a spatula or spoon until you end up with a thick and smooth batter. Do NOT overstir- small lumps are absolutely ok!
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature for about 10 minutes (you can skip this step if you're in a hurry).
- Add some olive oil to a frying pan or hot griddle over medium high heat. Add about ⅓ cup of the pancake batter to the pan.
- Cook on one side until you can see little holes (popped bubbles) and golden brown edges (about 1-2 minutes).
- Then flip and cook the other side for another minute or so.
- Add your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- Don't over-mix: There's absolutely no need to get rid of any small lump left in the batter. On the contrary, over-stirring might result in chewy pancakes. For the perfect fluffy texture, gently stir until the ingredients are just combined.
- Toppings Suggestions: Fresh fruit, dried fruit, more maple syrup, nuts, homemade almond butter, vegan caramel sauce, jam, plain yogurt...
Ngibo says
How fortunate I am to have encountered this recipe when I ran out of milk in the house on pancake day! This recipe lived up to its promise by helping me make the fluffiest pancakes I’ve made in quite a while. I swapped the maple syrup for 1/2 a cup of brown sugar which left the pancakes with the right amount of sweetness for my household. Definitely having this as the staple pancake recipe from here on out.
10/10 would recommend for anyone that is in a pinch or for anyone that doesn’t mind doing away with the dairy aspect of pancakes as a whole. You won’t miss it one bit 🫶🏾
Katie says
Hi Ngibo! Thanks so much for your lovely feedback! Made my day honestly 🙂
Wesley says
A nice, non-greasy recipe with plenty of flavour. Covering for 10 minutes leaves then nice and fluffy. I fried mine with butter and light olive oil, as vegetable oil didn’t allow them to brown and flavour up as nicely.
Katie says
Hi Wesley, thanks so much for your lovely feedback! 😊