Homemade Pancakes Without Milk (Using Water Instead)
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Simple, fluffy homemade dairy free pancakes without milk or eggs using water is super easy to make from scratch for breakfast! These dairy free, vegan pancakes without milk or eggs made using this simple ingredient pancakes recipe rely on 3 basic minimal ingredients in its preparation – all purpose flour, baking powder and water.
Try more pancake recipes from here!
can you substitute water for milk in pancake recipes?
The answer to this question is, it depends! It actually depends on the recipe and the flavor you can looking for in the pancakes! When you make pancakes with water instead of milk, there is less fat and the calories will be less. If you want more flavor for your pancakes made with water, you can add flavors like vanilla, cinnamon etc or even use dried fruits, fruit sauce like blueberry sauce, strawberry sauce etc or nuts, nut butter like peanut butter, almond butter etc based on the flavor you are looking for. Adding mashed bananas, applesauce, fruits like apples, peaches, strawberries etc too are great options for making tasty pancakes without milk.
However, you will need to tweak the recipe to balance the liquid content so you don’t change the flour to liquid ratio so the pancakes are still fluffy in texture! This is a very simple and basic recipe to make dairy free pancakes using water and in this milkless pancakes recipe, we only use plain water instead of milk in the preparation of these easy, fluffy dairy free pancakes, egg free pancakes and they are delicious. They are also made without any butter or oil to make this simple vegan pancake batter though you may add butter or oil if you wish, while making the pancakes.
I also added sugar as a 4th ingredient, which I recommend, to add sweetness to these simple milkless pancakes. They are homemade pancakes from scratch using pantry staples without the need to use a boxed pancake mix from stores.
can you make dairy free fluffy pancakes using water instead of milk in this recipe?
Yes, you can make soft, fluffy and delicious pancakes with plain water instead of milk when you follow this simple recipe for milkless pancakes. Though vegan pancake recipes do not use dairy or eggs as well in the ingredients, many of the vegan pancake recipes use a replacement for dairy. Many of the vegan pancakes are made using plant based alternatives for milk, like almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk etc. However, some people are even allergic to plant based milks and would like to use just water to make the pancake batter. If you want to make soft and fluffy pancakes without any milk including plant based milk alternatives, then do try this pancake recipe without milk! We only use plain water in the preparation of the pancake batter and so you can easily make these using water instead of any kind of milk. The texture of the pancakes is fluffy and soft as well. However, when you use milk or butter, the pancakes will naturally have more flavor.
So if you wish to increase the flavor the pancakes, you can use vanilla or cinnamon. Vanilla extract and cinnamon powder are optional ingredients in this recipe for simple pancakes, but if you have them in your pantry, add them too because they easily add some great flavors to these easy, quick, simple and delicious pancakes. As I mentioned early, with regards to the texture, these simple pancakes (which you can prepare in your home using minimal ingredients from your pantry staples) are very soft and fluffy. Since these simple pancakes are milkless and they are free of eggs, butter or any dairy products, these pancakes are vegan too!
Making these homemade, dairy free & vegan simple ingredient pancakes is super easy and you just need one bowl to mix all ingredients together. So its mess free or less messy recipe as well!
These simple pancakes prepared from minimal ingredients using your pantry staples only require minimal work, minimal effort and minimal time too, making the recipe even more simple. And they are delicious and kid friendly too! You can quickly make these delicious vegan eggless and milkless pancakes for breakfast, brunch or snack or even for dinner if you like pancakes for dinner! So here is the ingredient list for making these simple pancakes at home. You may skip or use the optional ingredients, but if you have them, I recommend using them, since they add more flavor.
ingredients used to make simple pancakes without milk
We need the following ingredients to make these simple milkless homemade pancakes that are also delicious.
- all purpose flour 1.5 cups
- baking powder 1.5 teaspoon
- water 1 ¼ cup (may use plant based milk alternatives like almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk etc or you may use diluted applesauce)
- sugar 4 tablespoons (adjust to taste) — this is also optional, if you do not want sweetness you may skip sugar and use little salt instead for taste
optional ingredients:
- cinnamon powder 1 teaspoon
- vanilla essence 1 teaspoon
how to make simple pancakes without milk?
step by step instructions to make pancakes without milk
Step 1 – In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – flour and baking powder until they are evenly mixed.
Step 2 – If using sugar and cinnamon powder, add them too and mix evenly with the flour mixture.
Step 3 – Add the water little by little and mix well (also add vanilla extract along with water if using) without forming any lumps to make the pancake batter. If needed you may use a whisk to mix the batter without any lumps. Only if the batter is too sticky or thick, you may use a little more water (add only one tablespoon of water at time if adding more water).
Step 4 – To make the pancakes, heat a nonstick pan greased with a little oil.
Step 5 – Pour one small ladle of pancake batter to the heated non stick pan.
Step 6 – Wait until bubbles are formed on top and the bottom side of the pancake is cooked.
Step 7 – Once its cooked on one side, carefully release the pancake from all sides and flip the pancake to cook the other side too.
Step 8 – Once the other side of the pancake is also cooked, transfer the pancake to the serving plate.
Step 9 – Similarly cook all pancakes until batter is finished (grease the pan with a little oil before making each pancake for easy flipping).
Serve the pancakes with maple syrup or fruit jam or anything as you like!
substitute for milk in pancakes:
If you do not want to use water in this recipe, you can use plant based milk alternatives as substitute for milk or water. Great substitutes for milk in pancakes include oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk etc.
You can also use fruit juices like orange juice, apple juice or any fruit juice based on your preference for flavor. You can also use applesauce, mashed bananas etc or you can use fruit sauces like peach sauce, blueberry sauce, strawberry sauce etc which can be diluted with water or plant based milk alternative to improve the taste and flavor (just make sure to keep the dry flour to liquid ratio the same when you use different ingredients to make sure the pancakes are fluffy and have the best texture!).
You can read more about substitute for milk in pancakes here.
tips to make milkless pancakes taste better
This is a basic vegan pancake recipe prepared using water as the only one liquid ingredient. And its delicious and soft in texture. However, there are ways to make these more tasty and more flavorful, especially if you don’t want to keep it dairy free. So some these tips include using dairy products like milk or butter, but you can also find other ways to make them more tasty!
- To make the pancakes more tasty, you may replace water with whole milk or a mixture of milk and oil or butter, if you don’t want to keep them dairy free. If you use milk instead of water, the amount of milk needed should be adjusted as 1.5 cups of milk (for 1 ¼ cup of water) and also I recommend using 2 tablespoons of oil or butter.
- You may also use eggs and milk mixture instead, but make sure to adjust the amount of total liquid ingredients accordingly to make the pancake batter with the right consistency and texture.
- You may also replace water with other liquids or ingredients like applesauce, yogurt, fruit juice, fruit sauce or compote (like blueberry sauce, strawberry sauce) etc.
- Always keep in mind that the kind of liquid ingredient that you choose will affect the flavor and texture of the pancakes and depending on the kind of replacement you choose, you may need to adjust the amount slighty.
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frequently asked questions
It depends on the recipe! In this recipe, you can use water to make yummy pancakes!
Mild do help with the texture of pancakes and also affect the flavor and nutrition. When you don’t use milk, the flavor the pancakes changes as it will greatly depend on the liquid that you choose to use in your recipe. For example, if you use a plant based milk like coconut milk instead of regular milk, the flavor and taste of the pancakes will reflect the flavor of coconut milk. So it’s a good thing if you do like the taste and flavor of coconut milk, but if you don’t, then it may not be the right choice. When you use water instead of milk in pancake recipe, the flavor and taste will stay neutral since the water doesn’t add any specific flavor so the taste and flavor of the pancakes will mostly depend just on the other ingredients used in the recipe.
If you use self rising flour and water, this should work since the self rising flour already has baking powder in it though you need to make sure the amounts of flour and liquid used are in the right ratio, for the best results. If you use plain flour instead of self rising flour and just use water (and if you don’t use other ingredients like eggs and milk), the texture of the pancakes may not be soft or fluffy since basic ingredients like baking powder, milk and eggs help with texture and flavor of the pancakes. However, you can still make delicious flatbreads or tortillas using just flour and water (and may be a little salt for taste, added to the flour)!
