The top three fluffiest pancake recipes from taste.com.au

Looking for the ultimate fluffy pancake recipe to make for your weekend breakfast? Learn how to pancake like a pro with our pick of the fluffiest pancake recipes you’ll ever try.

Laura Simpson

4 min read

February 16, 2024 - 5:00AM

We’ll see your basic fluffy pancakes recipe and raise you a sky-high fluffy pancakes recipe.

So, what’s the secret to making your pancakes light and fluffy?

It’s all in the preparation and resting, according to taste.com.au Food Director Michelle Southan.

“The first key to keeping your pancakes fluffy, with any recipe you’re making, is not to overmix, which keeps your batter as light as possible,” she says.

“The second thing would be to rest your batter for 5-10 minutes before cooking. This allows your batter to start rising.

“Lastly, if you like your pancakes super fluffy, look for recipes where the egg whites are separated out and whisked separately then folded into the batter before cooking.”

To help you up the fluffiness factor, we’ve rounded up our best fluffy pancake recipes to help you find the perfect one to suit you – including our magic sky-high pancakes that have to be seen to be believed.

Below are Australia’s top three pancake recipes.

Australia's most cooked pancakes.

1) The #1 fluffy pancake recipe Australia can’t get enough of

There’s a reason this recipe has so many rave reviews. It was submitted by taste.com.au member bdittmann over a decade ago and has become one of our most popular recipes of all time. Why is it so popular? It’s insanely easy and it just works. The pancakes puff up nicely when cooked, making them perfect for soaking up maple syrup or honey.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 cups self-raising flour

1/3 cup caster sugar

Butter, for frying, plus extra, to serve

Maple syrup, to serve

Method:

Step 1: Whisk eggs, milk and vanilla together in a jug. Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in sugar. Make a well in the centre. Add milk mixture. Whisk until just combined.

Step 2: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Grease pan with butter or spray with cooking oil. Using 1/4 cup mixture per pancake, cook 2 pancakes for 2 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface. Turn and cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Step 3: Repeat with remaining mixture, greasing pan with butter or cooking oil between batches.

Step 4: Serve with maple syrup and extra butter.

Curtis Stone’s fluffy wholemeal pancakes.

2) Curtis Stone’s fluffy wholemeal pancakes

Thought wholemeal pancakes couldn’t be as fluffy as pancakes made with white flour only? Think again. Curtis Stone’s deliciously wholesome recipe features buttermilk to keep the batter moist yet light, and bicarbonate of soda plus baking powder for maximum lift. He’s even topped them with spiced caramelised apples for that burst of autumnal sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 cup Coles Brand plain flour

1 cup Coles Brand wholemeal flour

3 tbsp CSR caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp Ward’s baking powder

1/2 tsp McKenzies bicarbonate soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

2 large Coles Brand free range eggs

1 tbsp Coles Brand canola oil

Non-stick cooking spray

Method:

Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, and salt to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and oil to blend.

Step 2: Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon just until moist but still lumpy.

Step 3: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Spray the pan with non-stick spray. Using about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake, spoon the batter into the pan, spreading to 12 cm diameter and cook until the pancakes are golden brown and puffed, 2-3 minutes per side.

Step 4: Wipe the pan with paper towels and spray with non-stick spray before cooking each batch of pancakes.

Step 5:Serve immediately with spiced caramelised apples.

Extra fluffy Japanese air pancakes.

3) Extra fluffy Japanese air pancakes

You want fluffy? Now THIS is what we call fluffy. These cloud-like Japanese pancakes get their insane height by whipping airy egg whites into pancake batter. Plus, you cook them in the oven – so there’s no flipping required.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs, separated

50g butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup caster sugar

Vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Maple syrup, to serve

Method:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Grease 12 x 7.5cm round metal egg rings. Line each ring with a 5cm-wide strip of baking paper.

Step 2: Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Make a well. Whisk in milk, egg yolks, butter and vanilla.

Step 3: Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat egg whites until just-firm peaks. Add sugar. Beat for 8-10 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and meringue is thick and glossy. Fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in 3 batches.

Step 4: Preheat prepared tray in oven for 2 minutes or until hot. Place prepared egg rings on tray. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each ring. Cover with a sheet of baking paper. Bake for 14 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface of pancakes and pancakes are just firm to touch.

Step 5: Carefully remove baking paper strips, then rings. Serve pancakes with ice-cream and drizzle with maple syrup.

How do you make pancakes fluffier?

If you have a little time on your hands then get your ingredients to room temperature before starting. Otherwise, allow your mixture to rest for a minimum of five minutes before frying – you’ll definitely notice the difference. For super-fluffy pancakes, try separating out the egg yolks and the whites first, then making the batter with just the yolks. Whip the whites in a separate bowl and slowly fold into your batter just before cooking.

Do I need baking powder in pancakes?

Most fluffy pancakes need some form of raising agent to get a good rise. The simplest way to do this is to pick a recipe that uses self-raising flour. You can also opt for a recipe that uses both bicarb and baking powder for an additional lift. If you skip baking powder altogether you’ll still have pancakes, but they’ll likely be more dense and chewy – or alternatively, you could try making crepes instead.