
Here’s the big secret to fluffy pancakes.
In fact, there are two components to this secret:
- a rising agent (like baking powder)
2. perfect timing (and I mean like ‘FLIP IT NOW otherwise it’s going to flop!’ kind of timing)
So no matter if you do these 3 ingredient pancakes for your baby, toddler, grown up kid or spouse, or you choose a different recipe (like that 2 ingredient banana pancakes that everybody seems to love except me), make sure you pay attention to these two elements.
Otherwise you’re going to come back to this post (make sure you save it on Pinterest!) wanting to leave a mean comment and in fact ending up re-reading the instructions all over again because the first time you skipped all the way to the bottom of the post just to get the recipe quantities.
So, now that we got that out of the way and settled the matter, let me explain why timing is important when it comes to fluffiness.
(I will assume you know why baking powder is great for rising, so I’m not going to insist on that).
Probably all the recipes you’ve read until now mention flipping the pancakes when bubbles start to appear on the surface after you first poured the batter in.
And it only makes sense to wait for like 4-5 bubbles to appear before you even decide that yes, those are bubbles and yes, it’s ok to flip them now.
No, it’s not ok.
You should have flipped them 4 bubbles ago.
That means you need your eyes on the pancakes, one hand on whatever you’re using to flip and your other hand on the pan handle to make sure you save a split of a second.
At the sign of the first bubble, you flip. No questions asked.

That’s the sign that the air that is trapped in the batter starts to escape.
It’s a sign your pancakes have already started to cook inside and if you want to keep that air in, you need to block it there by flipping the pancake on the other side.
This also ensures an even cooking surface on both sides. No nasty underdone-looking pancakes that you’re not sure they’re even edible.
Of course, this becomes a bit tricky if you have fruit in the batter, like blueberries. Those little buggers interfere with my theory so I suggest serving them separately.
If you’re looking for fluffiness, then you need to compromise on the fillings I’m afraid. I have 10 other baby pancake recipes you can use if these ones don’t suit you.
Hold on, can my baby have pancakes?
As I explained in my 125 foods babies can’t have with no teeth post, they don’t need teeth to chew food.
These pancakes are so soft, it would be a shame to wait until your little one gets teeth to serve them.
Regardless if you’re doing baby led weaning or traditional weaning, at some point you will have to move to table foods and finger foods to get your little one accustomed to eating like an adult. And these pancakes are neither sweet or savoury, so they work great paired with any meal, at any time of day.

What can I put on these 3 ingredient pancakes/serve them with?
Because this 3 ingredient pancake recipe is neither sweet or savoury, you can pair it with:
- anything you like
Really.
I don’t think there is a right or wrong combo when it comes to feeding kids. (Maybe that’s why my 3 year old eats fruit with anything *shrug*)
But if you are looking for inspiration, here you go: berries of all kinds and other fruit, meats, cheeses of all kinds, milk, yogurt, all the nut butters, soups, stews, pestos, homemade pate, hummus and so on.
You can totally have these for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
They can also go to the freezer, for those days when you just can’t cook anymore.
So here are the quantities and the recipe you can print out.
Make sure you pin this on Pinterest for later reference. The recipe is so simple, yet so effective if you just follow my instructions above.
Happy cooking and remember to tag me on social media @weaningful if you end up doing these or any other recipe from my blog.
This is a recipe from my 3 ingredients ecookbook, available to purchase now. Go on, have a go at 31 more recipes for little ones, with minimal ingredients. It’s the only cookbook of the sort out there; trust me, I’ve checked.
I write weekly about what I do with what’s in my fridge, how I repurpose leftovers, cook with less waste and more variety and daily shenanigans of feeding two little monkeys. If you want to read these weekly thoughts of mine, leave your email address here and you’ll be all set in 3 minutes.

3 ingredient fluffy pancakes (6 months+)
The only pancake recipe you need. For ever.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 120g self raising flour (1 US cup) - or plain flour + 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 190ml milk (0.8 cup)
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Grab a non-stick (pancake) pan, heat it up and drop about 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. Work in batches to make sure you have room enough to flip.
- Flip them at the sight of the first bubble on the surface. This is essential. Please read notes above. Otherwise I won't be responsible for their non-fluffiness.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes more. See above for serving suggestions.
- Enjoy!
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I’m doing BLW and was starting to get in a rut with my almost 8month old! This recipe was just what I needed to try something different with him! We tried bacon too 🙂 thank you!!
Hi Mary Lou! Good to hear they worked for you.
I would offer bacon rather sparingly under 1 year old, as it’s quite salty. Also, make sure he’s drinking enough water on the days when meals are a bit on the salty side. 🙂
Best of luck on your journey!
I thought baking powder was quite high in sodium and not safe for babies under 1yr. I’ve used whipped egg whites in place of baking powder.
Baking powder does not contain salt.
Can I add mashed up bananas to the batter?
Hi Rebecca, yes, it should be fine, but the time to cook might vary slightly, so watch out for the bubbles. 🙂
Awesome thank you!!
The bubble tip was invaluable! I’ve always been waiting until there are a lot of bubbles, then wonder where the fluffiness is… With your tip and recipe: fluffiness achieved!
Hi Mary, glad they worked out for you! Thanks for the feedback!
Can I put oatmilk in the batter ? Looks like a great recipe! 🙂
Hi Ariane, yes, any type of milk should work 🙂
Would these work if I substituted some of the flour for iron fortified baby cereal to make them more iron-rich?
Hi Andrea, I suspect it would work, even though I haven’t tried it myself. Let me know if it worked for you. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. We just added half a mashed banana and oat milk alternative.
I’ve always struggled a bit with burning my pan when making pancakes but this time I didn’t and the pancakes were so fluffy!
Hi Cheney! Thanks for the feedback and trying the recipe. Glad the changes worked for you! 🙂
Can i use coconut cream instead of the milk?
Hi Laura, coconut milk yes, I think so. Not the cream though.
Hiya, just wanted to know how to freeze these beauties
Hi Kisha, after they’ve cooled down, put a bit of baking paper in between each of them, then in a zip bag in the freezer. The baking paper stops them from sticking to each other, in case you want to defreeze just one or a couple.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I Finally mastered fluffy pancakes with this tip 🤯🤤
Glad it helped. Thanks for reading, Judith!
I have never been told this bubble rule!
I always waited for heaps to pop and always wondered why my pancakes weren’t fluffy!
I added mashed banana and these were so thick and fluffy 😀
Hi Meg, glad it helped 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Ioana
I’m eager to try now and I’m going to laugh at myself bc I’m going to fervently be on the watch for these bubbles!
The only milk we ever have at home is either our baby’s formula milk or semi skimmed, they recommend only full fat milk when giving milk to babies so would you recommend formula or would that not work? I must remember to buy some different milk! Thank you!
Up until around 2 years old I think, the recommendations are for full-fat milk as baby needs it. Later on, you can use semi-skimmed once in a while.
Not sure about formula, never tested a recipe with it.
Hope this helps, Sam!
Baby is 9mo. Should I use cows milk or formula?
Hi Nat, cow’s milk is fine as it’s an ingredient. Hope this helps!
Can these be frozen?
Hi Alice, yes they can.
Egg allergy here, do you have an alternative?
Hi Desiree,
You can try half a banana, mashed. Hope it works.
Ioana
You’re still present here! Any fun ideas for oatmeal? balls? Or.. what to do with cooked oats. Babe is at 1 year now and just thinking of something different. .. Other than a nut butter.. and egg. mashed fruit and bake?
PS loved the yogurt cake recipe. Thanks
Thanks, I’m happy you liked it 🙂
Hi Alexi,
You could roll it into balls, then coat in shredded coconut or other ground nuts (assuming no allergies).
Hi, could these be made with formula as a substitute to milk? My son’s coming up for 8 months and I’ve been under the impression milk couldn’t be given ,even in foods until 1 year old
Would you double the butter to double the whole recipe or ?