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Make fluffy and delicious pancakes without baking powder using this easy, no-fuss recipe.

Your weekend breakfast is safe. This recipe for pancakes without baking powder is simple and there’s a quick video to help you get them just right.

stack of fluffy pancakes on a white plate

Can You Make Pancakes Without Baking Powder?

When making pancakes from scratch, baking powder is what gives them their signature lift. However, if you’re out, you can still make pancakes without baking powder that taste great and have that soft texture you love.

I created this recipe without it, while still making the batter the traditional way, without having to whip up egg whites, which is what you’ve probably encountered in your search results, often failing to turn out.

What Happens to Pancakes Without Baking Powder

If you omit baking powder, your pancakes will turn out flat and often dense, which isn’t the same as thin pancakes. This is because baking powder is what gives pancakes their fluffy and airy texture.

Ingredients

These pancakes made without baking powder are made with all-purpose flour, a little sugar to sweeten the batter, vanilla for flavor, milk as the liquid, melted butter for moisture, and eggs to bind the ingredients in the batter. Baking soda and lemon juice (or vinegar) combined will give these pancakes their soft and fluffy texture.

The Key to Fluffy Pancakes Without Baking Powder

I explained this to my 6th grader while he was doing homework, so I’ll keep it just as simple for you. The key to getting a fluffy pancake texture without baking powder is to use an acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, and a base ingredient, like baking soda. Together, they create a chemical reaction that expands the batter when exposed to heat (cooking the pancakes), and that, my friend, is what makes them fluffy.

large bowl of buttermilk pancake batter with a whisk

How to Make Pancakes Without Baking Powder

Make the batter by whisking the eggs in a bowl with the other wet ingredients. In a separate small bowl, measure and mix the dry ingredients. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl and mix until no visible flour remains.
Cook the pancakes over medium heat. Grease the non-stick surface well after it’s hot and immediately pour the batter. They take about 2 minutes per side to cook. If your pan is getting too hot, rinse it under cold water before using it for the next batch.
Serve them warm, topped with your favorite toppings and pancake syrup.

Fluffy Pancake Success Tips With No Baking Powder

After making these for years, here are a few quick tips to remember:

Add flavor. The melted butter, a little sugar, and optional lemon zest, especially if using vinegar as an acid.

Stop mixing the batter once you no longer see dry flour, a few lumps are fine.

Heat the pan before greasing, pour batter immediatly. This prevents the butter or oil from burning and keeps the pancakes golden.

Cook pancakes over medium heat to give each side enough time to cook through without burning.

Flip pancakes once and don’t press with the spatula. This compresses the pancakes and makes them dense.

pancakes without baking powder cooking on a griddle

More Baking Powder Substitutes for Pancakes

There are two ways to make pancakes without baking powder; both of which I’ve tested and share below:

Whipped egg whites, also called soufflé pancakes, is where you beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them into the batter last to create a light, mousse-like texture.
Using baking soda and mixing it with an acid like in this recipe where you can use lemon juice or vinegar, or with buttermilk to make buttermilk pancakes.

Easy Pancakes without Baking Powder

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Make fluffy and delicious pancakes without baking powder using this easy, no-fuss recipe.

5 from 32 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1 cup milk, any
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or white vinegar*
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Instructions

Make the batter:

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking soda.
In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs. Once there are no visible whites, add the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
Add the dry ingredients into the large bowl and mix until the flour has incorporated itself just enough. Some of the visible lumps are ok.

Cook the pancakes:

Heat a non-stick griddle or large pan over medium heat. Once hot, grease, spray, or melt butter on the hot surface. When using an electric griddle, heat it somewhere between 300 and 350F.
Immediately, pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the greased pan. Cook the pancakes for about 2 minutes, until the edges begin to look defined and bubbles form. Flip the pancakes over and cook for another minute on the other side. Avoid pressing down on the pancake after flipping; this will cause denser and chewy pancakes and undercooked batter as it oozes out on the sides.
Remove the pancakes from the pan onto a plate and keep them warm while you cook the rest of the batter.

Serve:

Serve the pancakes warm with your favorite toppings.

Storage:

Refrigerate cooked pancakes once they've cooled for up to 4 days. To freeze, lay banana pancakes flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave (30-60 seconds), toaster, toaster oven, or a pan over low-medium heat.

Notes

If using white vinegar, don’t skimp on the sugar to balance out the taste in the batter. Lemon juice pairs great with pancake batter, so make sure to add some zest for more flavor.

Mix-ins:

Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients bowl. Or, add ⅓ cup of chopped nuts, up to ½ cup of chocolate chips, or ½ cup of blueberries or diced strawberries to the batter at the very end (gently fold them in).