Most Saturday mornings I make pancakes for my family, as it’s currently one of our 1-year-old son’s favorite foods. While I am not above a store-bought mix, sometimes you want to make your own pancakes from scratch OR you have run out of the mix.
I also find sometimes I am missing a critical ingredient. We are often out or running low on milk at our house, and thus I have been perfecting my homemade pancakes without milk all this year.
If you want to make pancakes but are also out of milk, I’ve got the recipe for you.
Can I Use Water Instead of Milk in Pancakes?
Milk adds both flavor and texture to pancake batter, so if you are looking to make pancakes without milk, a simple swap to water doesn’t always do the trick. For pancakes made without milk, you’ll want to add some flavor through melted butter and vanilla extract.
But, you could also add flavor with a couple handfuls of mix-in ingredients like chocolate chips, blueberries, chopped nuts, or sliced banana.
Looking to make your own pancake mix? Try this homemade whole-grain protein pancake mix.
Pancakes Without Milk Ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated White Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Water
- Melted Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
Plus, you will need both butter and oil (I like olive oil) for cooking the pancakes in.
How Thick Should Pancake Batter Be?
The batter should easily pour and spread in your pan. I usually think of it as the consistency of a hearty, thick soup or a country gravy. Pancake batter will puff and become more dense as it cooks.
How Do You Get That Crispy Edge on Pancakes?
Cooking pancakes in hot oil creates that crispy outer edge. This is personal preference, but I love the crispy outer edge on pancakes. I like to cook these pancakes without milk in both oil and butter to get that crispy edge, but deepen the flavor.
Other breakfast recipes you might like:
- How to Make the Best French Toast
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Sheet Pan Breakfast Sandwiches
- 50+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas
- Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
I usually serve these homemade pancakes with a little melted butter on top and whatever fresh fruit we have on hand. Plus maple syrup, always. Enjoy! -Emma
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted (plus more for cooking)
- 2-3 tablespoons oil (for cooking)
Instructions
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the water, vanilla extract, egg, and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
- Stir until combined.
- In a non-stick pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium to medium/low heat.
- Once the butter has totally melted and the pan is hot, pour in the batter, ⅓ to ½ cup at a time. If your pan allows, you can cook multiple pancakes at once.
- Once the edges are set and the centers are bubbling, flip the pancake and cook the other side.
- Continue this method until you've cooked all the batter into pancakes.
I had high hopes, but alas these were flat and dense. I had to try tho 😂
I had the same issue. I tried another batch to see if it was user error, but alas the batter was too runny.
These are so good. I almost never have milk in my fridge, so perfect!
Hey, I just tried this out for breakfast and it came out great! Thanks 👍💙
Awesome! So glad you liked it
In order to make this recipe dairy free, I’ll need to substitute the butter – would it work if I just use oil? I have a dairy-allergic friend and would love to make this for brunch the next time they visit 🙂
I would try a dairy-free butter (like those vegan butters you can find in some stores). While you could use oil, my concern is the flavor that the melted butter adds to the batter. But if you do use oil, I’m sure it will be OK. Maybe just add some blueberries or chocolate chips for good measure. 🙂
*Chocolate Chips & Dairy Allergies*
Hi! Just a caution related to the reviewer’s post stating her interest in subbing the recipe due to an allergy. To dairy, in particular.
In this case, the recommendation to, “add chocolate chips,” has the potential to endanger anyone with this type of medical condition. Further commentary is required for safety…
Most all semi-sweet chips/chocolate contains butterfat, or milk fat. Even some dark chips/chocolates do.
The ONLY way to ensure safety is to:
1. Know every FDA approved term that means, “dairy,” on labels; they can get pretty scientific when they reach the molecular stage/at the tail end of ingredient lists, &….
2. Read labels, extremely carefully.
Lucky, these days, the chocolatier’s take the burden off our shoulders by loudly proclaiming what’s NOT in their product, in large font, smack dab on the front of their packaging.
Many of the most name recognizable in the U.S., as well as higher end baking chips/chocolates, of all cacao %’s, have gone dairy & many other allergen-free.
(About 2 decades too late for me- back when I REALLY needed all this great stuff, for my severely 2x food allergic baby/toddler…. It was a NIGHTMARE trying to catch every single scientific term, for 2 different food groups….ESP back then, with less stringent labeling laws. Google just starting out…
Poor baby boy paid the price & suffered so much if I missed even an atom of, dairy, soy…..In his food OR my own. As I nursed for well over 2 years, until getting pregnant again.)
Thus, check out those chips very carefully for anyone with dairy allergies. Or, to be 100% safe – just go with the fruit add-in’s! —- Rachael 😉
Hi, Stella! (Gorgeous name! My youngest daughter has the same; Estelle!! 🙂 I know your breakfast, brunch, or, “breakfast for dinner,” with your dairy allergic friend has looooong since passed. Lol! But I responded, below. Juuuust in case you get the sudden urge to fap some jacks for him or her again in the future!! Cheers! —- Rachael 😉