Light and Fluffy Soufflé Pancakes
These soufflé pancakes without baking powder are impossibly light and airy! Whipped egg whites replace the baking powder in the pancakes and create an incredibly fluffy texture.
Souffle Pancakes Overview
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Techniques Used: Easy Meringue
These pancakes are my definition of the perfect pancake. Why? Because they are super light and tender and impossibly fluffy. I have a feeling once you make pancakes this way you may not go back!
Over the years I have been asked many times how various baking recipes could be made without baking powder or baking soda. A few years ago I set out to tackle pancakes that were fluffy as all pancakes should be but made without chemical leavener.
My idea was to whip the egg whites before folding them into the pancake batter. I thought I was brilliant.
Fast forward a few years and I’m now fully aware I didn’t invent this technique. But souffle pancakes, my invention or not, are a must-try for any pancake lover out there!
Whipped Egg Whites: Baking Powder Replacement in Pancakes
The process of making souffle pancakes requires very few steps. The one step that is the most crucial is whipping the egg whites and folding them into the batter.
The air that is beaten into the egg whites is what will lift the pancake batter and create fluffiness.
Step 1: Separate the Eggs
To create souffle pancakes you need to separate your egg whites from your egg yolks. The egg whites will not whip up and hold air in them if fat is present, therefore the yolk must be separated from the white.
Step 2: Combine Ingredients for the Base of the Batter
In a large bowl, combine the flour, milk, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. This is the base of the pancake batter and what the egg white mixture will be folded into.
Step 3: Whip the Egg Whites with the Sugar
In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to whip the egg whites on medium speed.
Once the whites are starting to hold shape, gradually stream in the sugar while continuing to beat the egg whites. You want to beat the whites until they almost, but not fully, form stiff peaks.
Note: Your egg whites need to be holding stiff peaks like the picture below. If they are not, keep beating.
Step 4: Fold the Whites into the Pancake Batter Base
Take about one quarter of the whipped egg whites and stir it completely into the pancake batter base. This will lighten the batter slightly and make it easier to fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Next, add half of the remaining whipped egg whites and gently fold it in, making sure not to deflate the air out of the whites. Fold in the remaining whipped egg whites into the batter.
Step 5: Cook the Pancakes
Be sure to cook the pancakes immediately. Because these pancakes rely on the whipped egg whites for their lift, they need to be cooked right after mixing.
You will be so amazed at how tall and fluffy these babies get!
And that is it! It really is that easy!
If you don’t have baking powder on hand or even if you do and you just want the fluffiest pancakes you’ve ever made, this is your recipe!
Souffle Pancakes (Pancakes without Baking Powder)
These souffle pancakes without baking powder are impossibly light and airy! Whipped egg whites act as a replacement for the baking powder in the pancakes and create an incredibly fluffy texture. This recipe can be whipped together in minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (4.25 oz, 119 gr) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2/3 cup (6 fl oz, 160 ml) whole milk ( can sub skim, 1%, 2%)
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature (*see note)
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature (*see note)
- 1/4 cup (1.75 oz, 49 gr) sugar
Instructions
- Separate your egg whites from the egg yolks. Set the whites aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, milk, vanilla, and egg yolks just until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed. Once the egg whites are beginning to thicken, slowly stream the sugar into the egg whites with the mixer still running. Beat the egg whites until they are just starting to hold stiff peaks. They will still look glossy at this point. Note: The egg whites MUST be holding stiff peaks like the picture in the above post. If they are not, you need to whip them longer. This is ESSENTIAL for this recipe. But don't go too far with it. The whites will start looking dry and a little crumbly then you have gone too far with your beating.
- Add about one quarter of the egg white mixture into the pancake batter and stir it in completely using a rubber spatula. This will lighten the batter and make it easier to fold in the rest of the whites. Add half of the remaining egg whites into the batter and gently fold the whites in, using the rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate the air out of them. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in again gently until there are no visible white streaks. If you are unfamiliar with how to fold egg whites into a batter, watch this tutorial.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup batter per cake onto the greased skillet and gently spread the batter out to a circle with the back of a spoon or measuring cup. Bubbles will still form on top even though there is no baking powder. Flip the cakes once, when the bubbles pop and the bottom is lightly browned. Cook until lightly browned on the other side. Keep warm in a 200F oven if not serving immediately.
Notes
About egg temperature: If you do not have time to let your eggs come to room temperature naturally, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before cracking and separating them. Egg whites whip to stiff peaks much more quickly if they are at room temperature. It is absolutely essential that you whip the egg whites long enough to reach stiff peaks for this recipe. Cold egg whites will eventually whip to stiff peaks, but it will take much longer.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0
342 Comments on “Light and Fluffy Soufflé Pancakes”
This is absolutely awesome!!!
I was looking for this kind of recipe for a long time…
I’m eating them right now – they are great in taste and fluffy as needed to be for American pancakes!
Thanks for a great idea!
Idk what happened but I think mine turned into crepes.
Ya me too
can you use Self raising flour instead of plain flour for pancakes without adding baking powder?
I just made these now after realising I had no baking powder. I’ve never beaten egg whites before so that was some kind of magic in itself. The pancakes came out really nice and light, too.
Amazing! Thankyou!!
How many calories per pancake?
I’m not sure! You could enter the ingredients here though and it will calculate it for you! http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
Noooooo!! I don’t have any eggs! What do I do?
So sorry, the eggs in this recipe are really a key ingredient! It won’t be super successful without it! Maybe try googling an egg free pancake recipe!
I made these but baked it in cake pan and put bananas and fresh strawberries into batter plus honey on top batter after halfway baked, delicious! My husband and kids loved it!
Genius, Cheli! That sounds delicious! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it.
do you have to add backing soda to make american styled pancakes ? love them thought amazing recipe and my mum will love them for mothers day …..
If you want to make traditional, American style, pancakes you can just use this recipe here! https://bakerbettie.com/5-ingredient-classic-pancakes/
My pancakes turned into very thin “pancakes” I followed the recipe exactly. I have a bunch of chunks of flour.
It’s difficult to know exactly what might have happened here but I suspect it might have had to do with your egg whites. It’s possible that they were either not whipped to stiff peaks or that during the folding process the whites might have become deflated. Make sure you are gently bringing the batter up from the bottom of the bowl and over top. Let me know how they turn out next time!
Thank you! This recipe saved me as I was about to make breakfast for six 13-year-old boys and realized I had no baking powder. They were like angel food cake pancakes!
Yes! So light and fluffy. I hope the boys loved them!
Can you leave it overnight for the next day
Hi Jen!
Unfortunately this batter does not stand up well to saving for the next day. The egg whites, which make it light and fluffy, will start to deflate. However, you could mix together the dry ingredients the day before and right before making them, whip you egg whites and add the yolks and the whites to the batter. I hope that helps!
I am so glad I tried this, I’m 7mos pregnant and craving pancakes but no baking powder or soda on hand. It was my first time beating egg whites(by hand to boot lol) and folding but mmm they came out so good! 🙂 I also left out the vanilla bc I didn’t have any and they still tasted delicious. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your comment Amanda! I am so happy to hear you liked them!
Good effort, but your meringue recipe has to be wrong because we were beating the eggs and sugar for 30 minutes and it did not work.
Hi Sohi!
So sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you. Is it at all possibly that you did not separate the whites from the yolks? I’m asking because you state that you were “beating the eggs and sugar for 30 minutes”. Egg whites will not peak properly if there is fat present. If you did separate your eggs, make sure there is not any oil residue in your bowl or on your beaters. Hope that helps Sohi!
SOHI- you MUST have mixed the yolk and whites of the eggs together instead of separately because that just doesn’t make sense- whipping egg whites is NOT a recipe.. you just beat them and they become stiff- unless you have the yolk in there!
Also will happen if you add the sugar before the egg whites get to soft peak stage – or if your eggs are too old.
Works best if eggs are at room tempature as well.
Can I replace the vanilla by sth else?
Hi Clara,
Yes, you can either leave the vanilla out completely or use any other flavoring you like! This recipe feeds 2-3 people!
Can I replace the vanilla by sth else? This recipe is for ? people?
Reply above =)
My mother (who is ill and recovering at my home) said she was craving pancakes this morning.. I didn’t have any baking powder.. and that’s how I found this recipe IM SO GLAD I DID!!! they were delicious and SO light & fluffy!! Thank you so very much!!
That is so heart-warming to hear, Shelly! I’m so glad you and your mother loved them. Hope she gets well soon 🙂
So simple.. Thank’s
You’re very welcome Linda! Enjoy!
Hi,
Not sure if someone else has access to your account but your recipe changed. I’ve made these a few times now and every time my merengue stiffened. Now your recipe says 1/4 cup sugar instead of 1/2 cup and now my merengue does not stiffen. I went back to doing 1/2 cup sugar and now it stiffens again. Just thought i’d let you know.
Hi Jenne!
I did update this recipe recently for various reasons. To make the instructions more clear as well as to reflect the way I now make these pancakes which I believe is a better recipe to the original one I published. However, the amount of sugar and egg whites has not changed. It has always been 1/4 cup sugar and 3 egg whites. You can see the original version of the recipe in this web archive here.
Egg whites actually do not need any sugar at all to become stiff! They will stiffen when beaten alone. Egg whites that are very cold will take longer to whip to stiff peaks. Do you think it is possible your your egg whites were colder this time than in previous times you’ve made this which would take more time for them to stiffen? The sugar does make the process happen quicker though, which is why the extra amount got you there!
Hope you are enjoying the pancakes!
I did crack them right our of the fridge so that now makes sense. Thanks! Yes they’re amazing! My 1 year old daughter loves them.
I’m so glad she loves them! That makes me so happy!
These turned out great, and they taste wonderful!
Thanks so much, Mae! Glad to hear it!
It turned out pretty dense and not sweet at all. It’s a good recipe to make in a ping, but I think I’ll go buy some baking powder.
Hi Amanda! I’d love to help you troubleshoot. If the meringue is folded into the batter properly these should be extremely light and delicate. More so even than pancakes leavened with baking powder. Make sure your meringue is at medium to almost stiff peaks and be very gentle as you fold it in to make sure you don’t deflate it. As far as the sweetness, this is a standard ratio of sugar in a pancake recipe. Most are not sweet since they will be topped with sweet toppings. But you are welcome to increase the sugar to make a sweeter pancake. Hope that helps!
These are my new favorite pancakes to make! I burnt the first one and it was still good. This is a great recipe and will be using it in the future. Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Kirstin! I love them too!!
oooh! I’ve used whipped egg whites in waffles but not pancakes, I neeeed to try it!
Life-changing!
I made pancakes this way and they did not rise nor tatse good
Hi Kaiti,
I’d love to help you troubleshoot. Are you saying you made this recipe? OR you made a recipe using this technique? Either way, make sure you definitely half medium/stiff peaks in your egg whites and be very careful not to deflate them when you fold them in. If you like a sweeter pancake you can add some more sugar. Hope that helps!
A million stars! We reduced the milk by the volume of half a squashed banana with exceedingly tasty results. The whisk feature of the immersion blender perfectly beat the eggs, right in the tall cylindrical vessel it came with. Fluffy, flavorful, and deaa easy.
Love the idea of adding some banana! So glad you loved them Bethany!
OMG!! What a revelation. The pancakes were incredibly fluffy and much nicer than when I use baking powder. Well, I won’t be using it again in my pancakes – ever!
So glad you loved them Annar!
Never actually beaten the egg whites before for any recipe. Was kind of fun. Tasty and remarkably fluffy and so very light cakes. Definitely an new family favorite.
Oh I’m so glad to hear you loved them Tracy!
These are probably the worst pancakes I’ve ever had. Followed every direction as posted above.
Did you whip the egg whites up correctly? The same method as making meringues. Coz it’ll form shiny white peaks and you should be able to hold it above your head without any falling on you.
I’ve just made these for the third time now and the recipe is fantastic.
Hi there! I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy these pancakes. I would love to help you troubleshoot because this is a tested recipe that has been made with great results by many! I’d love to help you achieve the same. What did you find to be the problem? Were your pancakes not fluffy? Please let me know what you didn’t enjoy about them so I can help determine the issue you may have had!
Great recipe!!! I have reduced the sugar to 2 tablespoons and it still great. Love it.
For those who said it turn out to be crepes, I think either the egg white is not whipped properly or you pressed on the pancake when cooking so it became deflated.
So glad to hear you enjoyed them Yun!
This is a great recipe for the biblical week of unleavened bread. Thank you so much! It turned out great and fluffy. I used honey instead of sugar. Next time I will use 1/2 the amount of honey to leave some to pour over with butter. This is a keeper!
Sounds perfect Monica! So glad they were enjoyed! <3
But where is the place of water in all of this. Don’t we need water?
Hi Emy! Pancakes do not traditionally have plain water in them unless you are using a pre-made mix. The moisture is from the milk and eggs. Hope that helps!
I chose this recipe over others to give souffle pancakes a try. My kids all agree, delicious and preferred over conventional pancakes. It’s a keeper. No need to try another one. Technique is important though. Make sure you fully combine the base ingredients with a whisk. Once you get the whites whipped, your best tool for folding is a wide spoon -(I used a spoon that’s soft like a scraper). Don’t use a whisk – not good for gentle folding.
So glad you to hear you and your family loved these Monica! <3 And yes, agree about a whisk. You shouldn't fold with a whisk!
I did not have very good luck with this recipe. Worst pancakes I have ever made. My kids & I couldn’t even finish them. Sorry. Not sure what went wrong. Maybe didn’t beat the egg whites & sugar enough?? They were very flat. No poof. I think I’ll stick with the cheater kind.
Hi Jenny! Sorry to hear you had issues making this recipe. As the recipe states, your egg whites MUST be holding stiff peaks. If your egg whites were flat, you needed to keep beating them. They will eventually get to the right consistency.
Important to remember that although pancakes are made in a skillet or griddle it is still baking not cooking which means you must follow directions carefully. I enjoyed this recipe and appreciated getting advice from an experienced baker on how to improvise without baking powder. For those that had a fail baking is definitely trial and error dont give up. PERSEVERANCE is how great recipes are born.
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe Virginia and glad to hear that you liked learning about baking without baking powder! It does take some creativity and trial and error! <3
Made this recipe this morning and I really enjoyed it. Delicious!!
So glad to hear that Joyce! Thank you for sharing!
It’s surprising how much more batter there was by simply whipping the egg whites. The pancakes turned out great. Everyone loved them and it was an easy enough addition that it will get a permanent spot in my recipe box.
Thank you
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe Jeslyn! <3
This is the best pancake recipe I’ve ever made. Thank you! I have made it twice now — once exactly as is and once with the addition of one teaspoon of baking powder. Without the baking powder, the pancakes fell a bit after removing them from the griddle. With the baking powder, they maintained a lot more of their height and fluffiness. I love the flavor of these — mildly sweet and light. Also, the sugar in them often seems to crystallize a bit on the edges of the pancakes. Yum!
That’s so great to hear Julia! Glad you enjoyed them!
I substituted the oragnge juice for sugar and loved how these pancakes turned out. Ingenious recipe for sure!
That’s a good idea, Chels! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I substituted the oragnge juice squeezed from orange saucfor sugar and loved how these pancakes turned out. Ingenious recipe for sure!
Best recipe ever!!! The hubby and I loooooooooved them, they were so fluffy and sweet, we didnt even have to put maple syrup on them, i stead we added cream cheese. OMG they were supee yummy. I would recommend using less sugar tho but that’s just me
Cream cheese? YUM! Great idea, Javsan. I’m so glad you liked them!
Kinda took longer than I thought, but all in all turned out really good!! Definitely make again
I’m glad you enjoyed it Abigail!
These turned out more like bread biscuits… Do not recommend.
Hi there! It sounds like you may have ended up with too much flour in your batter. Make sure you are fluffing up the flour and lightly spooning it into your measuring cups before leveling it off. These will turn out very light and fluffy!
I just made this pancake recipe because I was out of baking powder. So glad I did, these are wonderful, in fact I love them more than the original way! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear that Anita!
Great recipe! I’m new to making pancakes in general so I have a few questions:
1. What texture should the batter base and the final batter have?
2. Is it okay if my pancake doesn’t bubble when I cook it?
Hi there! This particular pancake batter will be quiet thick and airy due to the whipped eggs. If the pancake doesn’t bubble then it hasn’t cooked long enough yet. These take a bit longer to cook than traditional pancakes.
Mine turned into crepes, but they were still delicious! I added the sugar too soon, so that was my bad. I do think you should change it from “thicken” because I took that to mean when they weren’t clear anymore, which was way too soon. If anyone wants crepes just stir in beaten egg whites in normally! Way before stiff peaks.
Hi Amanda! The egg whites will still thicken up if the sugar was added too soon. You can just keep beating them. They won’t be as stable but they will still beat up! Glad you were able to salvage them into crepes! Sounds delicious!
Best packages yet!!
So glad to hear it Ashley!
Tasted great! I didn’t notice the room temperature thing for the eggs. They were right out of the fridge but it didn’t seem to matter
They taste… like eggs… but yummy eggs… I’m going to call that hour of struggling a success!!
The best. Run out of baking powder, when found this one. Now I do have it on stock, but this recipe have settled as main for breakfast in my BnB )
Definitely not going back to my old recipe!
That makes me so happy!
Just made these this morning. They were wonderful. So light, air and bursting with flavor. It’s like eating a cloud (or what I’d imagine a cloud to taste like.) My new go to recipe. The folding is tedious, but worth it for these!!
That’s so great to hear Ava! Folding does take some practice but it is so worth it for these pancakes! <3