Fluffy Pancakes Without Baking Powder (Only 4 Ingredients)
These pancakes without baking powder come out incredibly soft, airy and fluffy with only 4 basic ingredients: eggs, milk, flour and sugar.
No baking powder. No baking soda. No substitutes like buttermilk or self-raising flour. The secret is a very simple technique: whipping the egg whites into a soft meringue and gently folding them into the batter. The air does all the rising — the bubbles expand with the heat of the pan and lift the pancakes on their own.
They’re perfect for breakfast or a weekend brunch, and easy to adapt: less sweet, filled with banana, or flavored with cocoa, matcha or even ube for colorful pancakes.
Spanish version: Tortitas (o pancakes) sin levadura: súper esponjosas con solo 4 ingredientes
How we make pancakes without baking powder, step by step
Ingredients
Method
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Start by separating the whites from the yolks. The bowl for the whites must be clean, and no yolk should fall in — the fat in the yolk can keep the whites from whipping properly. If a little white ends up in the yolk bowl, that's fine.
- Mix the yolks with the milk. Add the milk to the yolk bowl and mix briefly, just until combined. The milk should be at room temperature. If it's cold from the fridge, warm it for 15–20 seconds in the microwave — just enough to take the chill off. If you're using vanilla extract, add it here.
- Add the flour without overmixing. Now add the flour. To avoid large lumps, the easiest way is to sift it over the bowl as you mix — a flour sifter or a fine-mesh strainer both work. Here's an important point: do not overmix. Stir only until you no longer see dry flour. A few small lumps are fine — a lumpy batter is better than an overmixed one. Overmixing flour and milk develops more gluten, and we want tender, fluffy pancakes, not an elastic, heavy batter.
- Whip the egg whites with the sugar. Now for the whites. Beat them on low speed at first, without the sugar. When large white bubbles start to appear — like soap foam — add the sugar gradually. Then increase to medium-high speed and keep beating until you reach soft peaks. You'll know it's ready when you lift the whisk and a soft tip forms, like a small curved claw. We're not looking for a stiff, dry meringue — just whipped whites with air, structure and an easy-to-fold texture.
- Fold the whites into the batter. Add a portion of the whipped whites to the yolk, milk and flour mixture. Fold with gentle, sweeping motions — this first addition lightens the batter. Then add the rest of the whites little by little, folding carefully so you don't lose the air you've incorporated. The batter doesn't need to be perfectly smooth; it should be light, airy and free of large streaks of unmixed meringue.
- Cook the pancakes over medium-low heat. Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add a little butter or oil. Spoon portions of batter into the pan — a spoon, spatula or piping bag all work. For taller pancakes, add a first layer of batter and then a little more on top. Cover the pan so they cook evenly. Cook for about 2–3 minutes before flipping. They're ready to flip when the bottom is golden and the top no longer looks shiny and wet — it should look matte and slightly set. Flip carefully and cook the other side until golden.
Video
The trick to making them fluffy
The secret of these pancakes is air.
Since we’re not using baking powder or any chemical leavener, the fluffiness depends entirely on whipping the whites well and folding them in gently.
Three things matter most:
- Whip the whites to soft peaks.
- Don’t overmix the flour, milk and yolk batter.
- Fold the whites in with gentle, sweeping motions.
Get these three steps right and you’ll have very tender, airy pancakes with no baking powder at all.
Recipe variations
Less sweet pancakes
The base recipe uses 50 g (¼ cup) of sugar for 2 servings. For a less sweet version, use 25 g (2 tbsp). They turn out just as well, especially if you serve them with fruit, yogurt, honey or maple syrup.
Banana-filled pancakes
To make banana-filled pancakes, spoon a layer of batter into the pan, add a few banana slices, and cover with a little more batter. As they cook, the banana turns soft and sweet inside.
Cocoa pancakes
For the cocoa version, add about 5–7 g (1 tbsp) of unsweetened cocoa powder per 100 g of flour. Sift the cocoa together with the flour so it blends in without lumps.
Matcha pancakes
For green matcha pancakes, add about 5–7 g (1 tbsp) of matcha per 100 g of flour. Matcha adds color and a mild, slightly herbal flavor.
Ube pancakes
Ube is a purple yam widely used in Asian desserts. In powder form, it gives a beautiful color to batters, creams and sweets. For these pancakes, add about 5–7 g (1 tbsp) of ube powder per 100 g of flour.
Tips for perfect results
- Use a clean bowl to whip the egg whites.
- Don’t let any yolk fall into the whites.
- Don’t overmix the flour, milk and yolk batter.
- Cook over medium-low heat so they cook through.
- Cover the pan while cooking for a more even texture.
- Fold in the whites just before cooking.
- If your pan takes a while to heat up, put it on the stove before folding in the whites.
FAQ: pancakes without baking powder
Can I really make these without baking powder or baking soda?
Yes, that’s the whole point of this recipe. Most “no baking powder” pancake recipes just swap in baking soda plus an acid, buttermilk or self-raising flour. This one uses none of that: the rise comes entirely from air whipped into the egg whites, which expands with the heat of the pan.
Can I make them without sugar?
Sugar helps stabilize the whipped whites and adds flavor. You can reduce it to 25 g (2 tbsp), but we don’t recommend removing it completely if you want to keep a good texture.
Can I use whole wheat flour?
You can replace part of the flour with whole wheat flour, but the pancakes may turn out slightly less light. To start, we’d try 70 g white flour and 30 g whole wheat.
Can I use plant-based milk?
Yes. Oat, almond or soy milk all work. The texture may change slightly depending on the milk, but the recipe should still work.
Why do they rise without baking powder?
Because the air does the work: whipping the whites incorporates thousands of tiny bubbles that expand with the heat of the pan and lift the pancakes. There’s nothing wrong with baking powder, but at home we like to skip ingredients we don’t need when we can. Another way to get there is natural fermentation, that’s how our sourdough pancakes rise.
Can I make coffee pancakes?
Yes, and they’re delicious. The easiest way: dissolve 1–2 teaspoons of instant coffee in the milk before mixing it with the yolks — 1 for a mild flavor, 2 for a stronger one. If you prefer espresso, replace 30 ml of the milk with a lukewarm shot (replace, don’t add, so the batter doesn’t thin out and the pancakes still rise).
Can I make them without eggs?
Not this particular recipe — all the fluffiness comes from the whipped whites, so it doesn’t work without eggs. If you can’t eat them, you’ll do better with a ripe banana and oat batter (about 100 g banana and 40 g oats per serving), which rises less but turns out tender and delicious.
Did you try them?
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