Fluffy Air Fryer Pancakes

The secret to making pancakes in the air fryer is in the method, so get ready to learn how to cook up an epic stack in your favorite appliance here!

Do Pancakes Work in the Air Fryer?

Yes! You can use the air fryer to make thick, fluffy pancakes that taste delicious. In fact, I created this recipe after my daughter saw the TikTok trend but had several failed attempts herself.

While I typically make the best fluffy pancakes in a pan or griddle, she’s in a college dorm, and she can only use the air fryer or a microwave to make pancakes. She had been relying on frozen waffles in the air fryer, but last weekend was craving homemade pancakes.

No worries, mom comes to the rescue with a fail-proof technique that yields a great stack that you can now use too!

Ingredients

You’ll find the ingredient amounts in the recipe card below; however, a few notes on them here:

• Pancake Mix: a complete pancake mix (mix + water) is the simplest. This also works with mixes that call for eggs and milk and traditional pancake recipes.
• Liquid: water or milk, depending on the recipe and mix you’re using.

Can I Use Homemade Pancake Batter?

You can use your favorite pancake recipe and cook it in the air fryer. Pancakes made with oats or whole-wheat recipes have a thicker batter and might need 1 additional minute of cooking.

Do You Need Special Equipment for Air Fryer Pancakes?

To make pancakes in an air fryer, you’ll need to put a silicone mold to hold the pancake batter inside the air fryer and give the pancakes their shape.

Can You Use Parchment Paper

Parchment liners make cleanup a breeze and help prevent foods from sticking in an air fryer; however, they are not useful for cooking pancakes in an air fryer. In fact, I’ve tested the method that uses parchment paper to separate pancakes several times, and I’m convinced it’s a hoax.

How to Make Pancakes in the Air Fryer

There are some notable tips in the main steps that should be noted when making air fryer pancakes. They include:

1. Make the batter
   Whether you mix it in a bowl or a batter shaker, I recommend you use a traditional batter or pancake mix (gluten-free pancake mixes work too) to get you started and learn how to make them in your particular air fryer.
2. Preheat the Air Fryer
   This is a crucial step that should not be avoided. This helps the pancake batter cook through.
3. Set it up
   Place the silicone mold inside the preheated air fryer and fill each circle half way full, no more than ⅓ cup.
4. Air Fry the pancakes
   The pancakes are cooked at a lower temperature than preheating. I also recommend you don’t open the basket; doing so will release the heat, and your pancakes will take longer to cook.
5. Stack them high
   Remove the pancakes from the silicone mold, stack them, and top them with your favorite pancake toppings.

First time air frying pancakes? Watch this quick video to see the process start to finish.

How to Flip Pancakes in the Air Fryer

When you use a silicone mold to make pancakes in the air fryer, there’s no need to flip the pancakes over.

How to Prevent the Batter from Spreading

Without a mold to hold the pancake batter in place during cooking, the batter will naturally spread inside the air fryer basket.

Storing Leftovers

The air fryer can only cook up to 3 pancakes at a time, so leftovers are rare. However, you can pre-mix extra batter in a pancake shaker bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, and in minutes, you can have warm pancakes.

Warming Up Pancakes in the Air Fryer

The air fryer is the perfect place to reheat leftover or frozen pancakes. You’ll want to warm them up at a lower temperature, 340F, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Best Toppings for Air Fryer Pancakes

Air fryer pancakes are the perfect blank canvas for healthy pancake toppings like fresh fruits and your favorite pancake syrups!

Fluffy Air Fryer Pancakes

Servings: 3

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 6 minutes mins

Total Time: 11 minutes mins

Get ready to make incredibly fluffy air fryer pancakes using your favorite pancake mix or classic pancake recipe.

5 from 32 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

• 1 cup pancake mix
• ¾ cups water

Instructions

Make the batter:

• If using a pancake mix, you can use a large bowl or batter shaker bottle, to combine the mix and water. If your pancake mix calls for eggs, butter, and milk, I recommend using a bowl so you can combine the ingredients well.

Preheat the Air Fryer:

• This is a crucial step that should not be skipped. Heat up an empty basket at 400F for 5 minutes.

Make the pancakes:

• After preheating, place the silicone mold on top of the wire basket and fill each circle with batter halfway, with no more than ⅓ cup inside each. Spraying the molds makes it easier to lift and release the pancakes.
• Air fry the pancakes at 340F for 6 minutes without opening the basket until the last minute -opening the basket lets the hot air out, and it will take longer to cook.
• Remove the silicone mold from the air fryer onto the counter. Flip it over and fold to release the pancakes from the mold.

Serve:

• Serve the pancakes with your favorite toppings and syrup.

Storage:

• Leftover pancakes or batter can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the pancakes in the air fryer at 340F for 3 minutes (no need to preheat to reheat) or follow the recipe to cook the remaining batter.

Equipment

Air Fryer Pancake Molds

Pancake Batter Shaker

Clean Treats Cookbook

Nutrition

Serving: 2 pancakes | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 1mg