Out of milk? This easy no-milk pancake recipe uses water instead to cook up soft, fluffy, delicious pancakes.
My family loves these. My "food critic” (15-year-old) says it's the best she's ever tasted. Used water, no milk. – JC
Can You Make Pancakes Without Milk?
More than once I’ve gone to make homemade pancakes only to realize we’re out of milk. Instead of running to the store, I follow this recipe, which uses water, and these pancakes turn out just as fluffy and delicious. If it’s your first time making these, my short video in the recipe walks you through it.
No Milk Pancakes Ingredients
Water (a milk alternative also works) swaps out milk. To avoid bland pancakes, keep the vanilla extract, sugar, egg (also binds the batter), and butter (for moisture) in the recipe. All-purpose flour is the base; baking powder gives them a fluffy texture; and a bit of salt balances it out.
Making Pancakes with Water
Making pancakes with water is just like making pancakes from scratch. You’ll mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add water instead of milk and the other wet ingredients. Since water adds no flavor, sugar, butter, and vanilla are essential to making them taste great. Check the other flavor add-ins listed below.
Pancake Batter Consistency without Milk
The batter is on the thicker side and should not spread when poured. In fact, I use the back of the scoop to shape it into round pancakes.
Laura’s Tips for Great Pancakes
Not really. Milk adds richness, but butter and vanilla provide plenty of flavor. Most people won’t notice a difference once the pancakes are topped with butter and syrup. Make sure not to skimp on the ingredients that add flavor, such as sugar, melted butter, and vanilla.
Yes, you can omit the butter and use a vegan, plant-based margarine that’s butter-flavored (my top choice here), or a neutral-flavored oil like avocado, and add a bit more vanilla.
Here are my notes on using dairy-free milk alternatives. Some are linked directly to a recipe that I’ve developed using those specifically.
Almond milk: makes great smoothies and also epic pancake batter.
Oat milk: although a little thicker in texture, oat milk pancakes are delicious.
Soy milk: another great substitute that yields a terrific pancake batter without dairy.
Cashew milk: a delicious and texture-rich alternative that works great.
Rice milk: a little thin, but it’s no different than using skim milk.
Hemp milk: you can’t go wrong with it; plus, it’s an extra source of healthy omegas.
Half & Half: I dilute it with some water to thin it out since it’s much thicker than milk.
Heavy cream: I also mix it with water to thin it out to a milk-like consistency.
Sweet cream: makes deliciously rich pancakes. Use this sweet cream pancake recipe.
Coconut milk: canned coconut milk is too thick to use straight from the can and should be diluted 50/50 with water. Follow this coconut milk pancake recipe for the best results.
Eggnog: makes terrific holiday pancakes! Use this eggnog pancake recipe.
When using water or a milk substitute, you can flavor your batter by adding:
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 (extra) teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
1 ½ teaspoons maple extract
1 (extra tablespoon of melted butter
¼ cup jam or jelly to the batter
Zest of 1 orange
Another way to make these pancakes taste great is by drizzling some homemade syrup, blueberry syrup, strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup for pancakes, or cinnamon syrup over the top.
Absolutely! Add ½ cup chocolate chips for chocolate chip pancakes, ½ cup blueberries and turn these into blueberry pancakes, ½ cup chopped strawberries for strawberry pancakes, or ½ cup raspberries for raspberry pancakes.
There are two main reasons: the first is packing too much flour in the measuring cup, in which case you can add 2 tablespoons of additional liquid and gently mix. The second is mixing the batter too much (overmixing), which activates the gluten in flour and yields chewy and dense pancakes.
Fluffy Pancakes without Milk
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, aluminum-free
- Pinch salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the batter:
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the middle and pour in the water, egg, butter, and vanilla extract. If using cinnamon or other flavorings, add it now. Break up the egg first with a fork, and then begin to combine the flour, working from the outside of the bowl in, until just combined and mostly smooth. If adding mix-ins, like fruit or chocolate chips, gently fold them into the batter now.
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. Use the back of the scoop (or a spoon) to gently spread it out and shape the pancakes.
- 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 pancakes after flipping; this will make them dense and chewy. Remove the pancakes from the pan onto a plate and keep them warm while you cook the rest. If the pancakes are browning quickly, reduce the heat and rinse the pan between batches.
Serve and store:
- Plate a few pancakes on a plate, top with your favorite toppings and syrups.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Microwave them for 30 seconds to 1 minute or toast them until warm.
Notes
- Add ½ cup of fruit, cut small, like diced strawberries or blueberries (whole).
- Chocolate chips: about ½ cup to the batter.
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons almond or maple extracts
- ¼ cup of jam: mix with the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add the mix to the dry ingredients bowl, and combine to make the batter
- Zest of 1 orange or 1 lemon
- If your batter is too thick, you likely added too much flour into the cup during measuring (it also happens when you omit the butter). Add 2 to 3 more tablespoons of milk to thin it, then mix gently.
- If your batter is too runny (often due to under-measuring), add 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour, mix gently, and wait 5 minutes before cooking.
- If your pancakes are flat, your baking powder is no longer active (gone bad). Baking powder typically degrades after being opened for 6 to 9 months. This ingredient cannot be omitted.
- Omitting the butter results in a thicker batter (and less flavor). Omitting the vanilla will also yield a more bland batter.
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Ashley says
Made them twice, added extra vanilla. second time I added berries for flavor.
Chelsea says
Surprisingly good texture, even with a GF mix! Better than some pancake recipes with milk and reg flour. Impressive.
Laura Fuentes says
Thanks for sharing you enjoyed these pancakes without milk!
Will says
Oh my god these are perfect! They’re so fluffy and delicious. In case anyone prefers fruit pancakes: I got rid of the extra 1/4 cup water and added some chopped lychees instead, and they turned out lovely, with just the right amount of juicy lychee.
Laura Fuentes says
that sounds like it added a great flavor!
Rubee says
I use this recipe every time I find out we don’t have milk. It’s SO amazing! You don’t even have to use butter, you could use coconut oil or (my favorite) olive oil. They’re so fluffy and thick at the same time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for sharing how much you enjoy this recipe!
Cmj says
I was out of milk so found this recipe. They have a great texture but are bland. I also did not have vanilla or butter so that’s probably why they tasted like that.