Air Fryer Pancakes

Delicious air fryer pancakes made with a simple batter and your choice of toppings. This easy breakfast recipe is the perfect start to your morning.

Air Fryer Pancakes

Pancakes are a classic breakfast food, and you may have struggled to get the perfect pancake every time in the past. An air fryer gives you the opportunity to try out a new method of cooking pancakes.

You’ve probably heard a lot of hype around air fryers in recent years. They offer a clean and simple method of cooking that can’t be achieved anywhere else. This includes making pancakes.

Let’s dive in and learn how to make pancakes with an air fryer.

air fryer breakfast pancakes banana walnuts maple syrup

Main Ingredients

There’s no special formula needed for an air fryer pancake mix. Your favorite box mix or homemade family recipe can be adapted to cook in an air fryer with no problem.

Traditional pancake mix includes: flour, baking soda, milk, eggs, and salt as the main ingredients. Most recipes call for sugar, vanilla extract, or butter to be added to the batter.

A popular substitute is exchanging buttermilk for regular milk (it activates the baking soda for extra fluffy pancakes). There are plenty of different methods and hacks to get the perfect pancake, some of which we will discuss further on.

Pancakes are diverse, so if you need dietary substitutes or if you want to spice it up, you are free to do so by adding and removing ingredients.

You will also need an air fryer and a cake pan insert (size 5 or 5 ½ inches is recommended).

Toppings

A pancake is the perfect vessel for all your favorite flavors. Everyone has different tastes, but here is a list of possible toppings you can add to your pancakes. They can be sweet or savory, which makes pancakes such a fun meal at any time of day.

  • Fresh or canned fruit (blueberries, strawberries, bananas, raspberries, blackberries)
  • Cinnamon sugar
  • Whipped cream
  • Chocolate chips
  • Nutella
  • Chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, or pistachios)
  • Nut butter (peanut, almond, or cashew)

All of these toppings can be spread easily over a pancake and pair well with maple syrup. You might choose to forgo any syrup entirely if you prefer toppings or a less sweet pancake.

breakfast pancakes served on plate with walnuts and banana slices topped with maple syrup

Side Dishes

Pancakes alone are delicious, but they can be paired with different dishes to make a full meal of different flavors.

  • Fried potatoes can come in many forms and flavors. You can make them spicy, sweet, or simple, and they complement pancakes fantastically.
  • Eggs are a traditional breakfast food. With lots of protein and ways to be cooked, it’s hard to find a better companion dish.
  • Breakfast meats like bacon, sausage, ham, or meat-free alternatives can add a delicious savoriness to the sweet pancakes.

Pancake Hacks

breakfast pancakes served on plate with walnuts and banana slices topped with maple syrup

Here are some tips to enhance your pancake mix and get the most delicious outcome.

How to Get a Fluffy Pancake

  1. Lift the acidity so that the baking soda reacts strongly. You can achieve this by adding lemon juice or replacing regular milk with buttermilk (buttermilk is basically sour milk, so it has a higher acidity).
  2. Let the batter rest for 15–30 minutes. It allows the better to soak in with the dry ingredients without overmixing.
  3. Don’t over mix the batter!

How to Make Pancakes Thicker

  1. Don’t add too much liquid. This gives the pancakes a runny consistency that will spread rather than rise as it’s cooked.
  2. Use buttermilk instead of regular milk.
  3. Add just a little more flour or egg—not too much, though.

Other Tips

  1. Soften butter, do not melt it all the way. It will make the consistency soggier.
  2. If you want to put a sweet topping on your pancake, make sure you add sugar to the mixture so that it balances out the flavor and there isn’t a sharp contrast.
  3. Add eggs that are room temperature. They mix easier with the batter and rise better.

What to Do with Leftover Batter

If you want to prepare for a busy morning or have more batter on hand, you can save pancake batter in the refrigerator or freezer.

To keep the batter in the refrigerator, put the leftover batter in an airtight container. This can be a Tupperware or a large plastic Ziploc bag. Place the batter in the coldest section of your fridge, and the batter should be good for up to two days.

When freezing pancake batter, pour the batter into a gallon freezer bag (or one of appropriate size) and freeze for up to three months. Make sure you squeeze all the air out. Thaw it out overnight in the fridge or in warm water.

How to Reheat Pancakes

Pancakes can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days and double wrapped and stored in the freezer for up to three months.

To reheat them, simply put them in the air fryer for a short time at a lower temperature than you cooked them. No longer than five minutes.
In a microwave, don’t cook them longer than 30-60 seconds.

air fryer breakfast pancakes banana walnuts maple syrup

Air Fryer Pancakes

Delicious air fryer pancakes made with a simple batter and your choice of toppings. This easy breakfast recipe is the perfect start to your morning.
4.20 from 5 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 4 tbsp butter softened, not melted
  • 2 ½ cups buttermilk room temperature
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your air fryer to 325°F (160°C)
  • Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) in a large mixing bowl
  • In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients (buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract) until smooth
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix
  • Grease the air fryer pan with cooking spray or butter
  • Pour the batter into the pan and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes