Transform your weekend brunches with these fluffy, golden air fryer pancakes. A delightful twist on a breakfast classic, these pancakes are delicious and offer a healthier alternative to traditional pan-fried versions. Perfect for leisurely mornings, these perfectly round and large pancakes will become a new favorite in your household!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Better For You Option: Air frying pancakes means less oil than pan frying - lightly mist a cake tin with enough oil to get the pancakes out. Enjoy these pancakes with all the taste and none of the extra calories. If you're trying to eat a healthy diet, you can make them more nutritious by pairing them with healthy toppings like fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegan yogurt. (Check out all my healthy Air Fryer recipes!)
Perfectly Round Pancakes: Have you ever wondered how to get those round diner-style pancakes at home? Well, now you know! Using a cake pan to cook the pancakes, you'll always get perfectly round pancakes in any size you like. To get creative, you could make different shapes by selecting novelty pans.
Fluffy and Golden: These pancakes rise well in the air fryer, resulting in a fluffy, bouncy texture that soaks up maple syrup perfectly.
Allergy-friendly: These pancakes are egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, and can easily be dairy-free and gluten-free with a simple substitution. There's no need for eggs in this recipe; the binder for these pancakes is creamy buttermilk. It's easy to make gluten-free by using a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking mix. You can also easily make these into dairy-free vegan pancakes by swapping out the dairy milk for soy or almond.
What you'll need to make the best air fryer pancakes recipe
Equipment
Sifter: You'll need to sift the dry ingredients to make this recipe. You can use a sifter or a metal colander for this purpose.
Air Fryer: The hero of this recipe is an air fryer that can fit an 9-inch cake tin. If you’re skeptical about making pancakes in the air fryer, trust me, it works! You’ll be amazed at how well air fryers can make baked goods. You can even use them to make air fryer cake and vegan banana bread.
Now, if your air fryer basket is too small for a cake tin, don’t worry - I have an alternative solution! See variations listed below.
9-inch Round Cake Tin: The vessel to create our perfectly round large pancakes.
Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
Flour: The base of our pancake batter, giving structure and soft texture to the pancakes. You can use all-purpose flour or a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking mix.
Caster Sugar: Adds a subtle sweetness without being overpowering.
Baking Powder: This leavening agent makes the pancakes rise and become fluffy.
Salt: Just a pinch to balance the flavors and help the pancakes to rise properly.
Milk: The base of our wet ingredients. In this recipe, as a binder, we will transform regular milk into a thick and creamy buttermilk to bind the pancakes. You can use dairy or non-dairy milk. I've tried this recipe with both soy milk and almond milk, and both worked well.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Combines with milk to create a simple buttermilk, helping to bind the pancakes and give them a delicious, soft texture. You can substitute lemon juice if you need to.
Vanilla Bean Paste: I prefer vanilla bean paste over vanilla extract but they are used interchangeably. Vanilla bean paste is thick and rich and has vanilla beans crushed up in the liquid. You can see them. Vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol and then removing the beans.
Vegetable Oil: Use lightly to grease your cake tin to ensure the pancakes don't get stuck. You can also use melted butter or butter-flavored cooking spray if you prefer that flavor.
To Serve: Serve your pancakes with any toppings you would like. My personal favorites are ice cream, strawberries, and maple syrup. I've listed more topping ideas below - so read on for inspiration.
Variations
Mini Pancakes: If you don't have a 9-inch cake pan, or if your air fryer is too small to fit your cake pan, you can also make this recipe using 6-inch cake pans or even smaller tart pans to make smaller pancakes. Cooking times will be shorter; start with about 4 minutes and insert a skewer through the center to check if they are cooked through. Air fry further in 1-minute intervals if needed until cooked through.
Add-Ins: Customize your pancakes by adding blueberries, chocolate chips, or nuts into the batter for an extra flavor kick. You could also add a scoop of protein powder to your pancakes to make them more filling.
Savory Twist: Remove the sugar and add herbs or cheese for a savory version.
Time-saving shortcut: If you are running short of time, you can use a commercial pancake mix and follow the instructions below to cook it in your air fryer.
How to air fry pancakes
Making air fryer pancakes is so simple! Here's how to make air fryer pancakes in just five easy steps:
Combine milk, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Rest for 5 minutes to thicken.
Sift flour, sugar, and baking powder together.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat air fryer for 3 minutes. Pour batter into a greased cake tin and air fry at 350°F (180°C) for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Repeat until all batter is used. Serve on plates with toppings of your choice.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Milk: Soy, almond, or oat milk can be used instead of regular milk for those preferring a dairy-free option.
Apple Cider Vinegar: If you don't have apple cider vinegar, you can use lemon juice to create the buttermilk. The acidity will have the same effect.
Storage
To Store: Keep any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Reheat: Warm them up according to these instructions.
To Freeze: Flash freeze the pancakes by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours. When solid, transfer them to an airtight freezer container. (If you don't have time for flash freezing, you can stack them in the container between layers of parchment paper.) They will keep for up to 2 months.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some delicious topping ideas for your pancakes:
- Butter
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Ice cream
- Whipped cream
- Yogurt
- Any fresh fruit including:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Banana
- Lemon
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Chia seeds
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Raspberry sauce
Do you need ideas about what to serve your pancakes with? Here are some complementary drink and meal ideas that pair beautifully with pancakes:
- Make these pancakes into a meal by making pancake tacos
- Baked Veggie Omelet
- Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll
- Cheddar Cheese Sausage Balls
- Vanilla Coffee
- Yogurt Mousse
- Blueberry Smoothie
- Air Fryer Pineapple
FAQ
Can you cook pancakes in the air fryer?
Yes, believe it or not, you can make fluffy round pancakes in an air fryer! It really is similar to making regular pancakes except you don't need to babysit them on the stove. Follow this recipe and instructions to try it out for yourself.
Can you reheat pancakes in the air fryer?
Yes, you can quickly reheat cooked pancakes in the air fryer. Simply wrap a small stack of pancakes in aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out and reheat them at 350°F for 3 minutes.
The cake tin doesn't fit in my air fryer; any suggestions?
You can also use 6-inch cake pans or even smaller tart pans to make smaller pancakes. Your pancakes will be smaller (much smaller with the tart pans) but still delicious. Be sure to reduce the cooking time to 4 minutes, and insert a skewer through the center to check if they are done. If the skewer comes out dirty, continue to air fry the pancakes in 1-minute intervals until they are cooked through.
Can I make the batter in advance?
Yes. You can make the batter up to 1 day before cooking and store it in the refrigerator. Leaving the batter to rest actually helps improve the finished result.
Related Recipes
Looking for other tasty breakfast ideas? Here are some delicious recipes to try:
- Carrot Cake Pancakes
- German Apple Fritters
- Raspberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
- Mini Breakfast Pizzas on English Muffins
- Savory Breakfast Muffins
- Air Fryer Banana Muffins
- Banana Waffles
- Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Crepes
- Buttermilk Pancakes
I hope you love these easy air fryer pancakes. They always come out perfectly round and use less oil than frying - win-win! Just remember to let the batter rest for a super fluffy texture.
Recipe
Air Fryer Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups milk or non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or equal amount vanilla extract
- vegetable oil or butter, to grease the cake tin
To serve
- Ice cream
- strawberries
- maple syrup
Instructions
- To make buttermilk, combine milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla bean paste. Stir and leave to rest for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until smooth. Rest 30 mins.
- Grease a 9-inch round cake tin with vegetable oil or melted butter. Pour about ¼ of the batter into the tin. This will make 1 large pancake.
- Air fry for 8 minutes at 350°F (180°C) or until lightly golden and cooked through the middle. Remove from cake pan and set aside. Grease the tin again and repeat until all batter is used.
- Serve with ice cream, berries, maple syrup, or toppings of your choice
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This article originally appeared on Pink When.
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