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A stack of fluffy pancakes at breakfast
  • No baking powder
  • Whipped whites

How do you make pancakes without baking powder?

the lift comes from whipped egg whites, not from powder

By Bastien Delorme 1 min read

Prep
10 min
Total
25 min
Calories
138
Difficulty
Easy

In short

  1. With no baking powder, the lift comes from egg whites whipped to firm peaks and folded in last: the trapped air expands as it cooks.
  2. The ratio that works: 150 g of flour to 250 ml of milk and 2 eggs, giving a thick batter that holds on the ladle.
  3. Stop mixing the moment it is even: developed gluten makes pancakes chewy instead of fluffy.
  4. Cook over medium-low heat, 2 minutes 30 on the first side, 1 minute 30 on the second, in a barely greased pan.

Ingredients

For 8 pancakes
  • plain flour 150 g
  • whole milk 250 ml
  • eggs, whites and yolks separated 2
  • caster sugar 20 g
  • melted butter, cooled 25 g
  • fine salt 1 pinch

Instructions

  1. Separate the eggs

    Separate whites from yolks into two bowls. The whites need a perfectly dry bowl with no trace of yolk, or they will not whip.

  2. Mix the base batter

    Whisk the yolks with the sugar, milk and melted butter, then add the flour and salt. Stop as soon as it comes together: a few lumps are better than an over-worked batter.

  3. Whip the whites

    Whip the whites to firm peaks, until they hold a beak on the whisk. No need to add sugar, the batter already has some.

  4. Fold in gently

    Loosen the batter with a third of the whites, whisking properly, then fold in the rest with a spatula, lifting the mixture over itself. The batter has to stay airy and must not collapse.

  5. Cook over medium-low heat

    Drop a small ladle of batter into a barely buttered pan. Wait for bubbles to break the surface, around 2 minutes 30, then flip and count 1 minute 30. The first pancake is always the temperature test.

Good to know

A whipped egg white grows to six to eight times its volume and holds air in a network of denatured proteins. It is the same leavening effect as baking powder, except it is mechanical rather than chemical: no bicarbonate aftertaste, and no resting time to respect.

A pancake recipe almost always opens with a spoonful of baking powder. It is convenient, and it is also what gives that faint metallic note when the dose runs a little generous.

The whipped-whites version takes five more minutes and gives thicker pancakes. It is the Japanese pancake method, made far simpler.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make pancakes without baking powder?

Whip the egg whites to firm peaks and fold them in last with a spatula. The air trapped in the whites expands during cooking and raises the batter exactly as baking powder would, without any bicarbonate aftertaste. Use 150 g of flour, 250 ml of milk and 2 eggs for 8 pancakes.

Can bicarbonate of soda replace baking powder?

Yes, but bicarbonate on its own needs an acid to react with: buttermilk, yoghurt or lemon juice. Without acid it does not lift and leaves a soapy taste. Whipped whites avoid the problem entirely.

Why are my pancakes flat?

Three causes, in order of frequency: the whites were whisked in instead of folded, the batter sat too long before cooking, or the pan was too cold. A whipped-whites batter has to be cooked within ten minutes.

Can the batter be made the night before?

Not this one. Whipped whites collapse within a few hours in the fridge. The base batter without the whites does keep overnight: just whip the whites in the morning and fold them in.