Pikelets! Silver dollar pancakes. Drop scones. Mini hotcakes. Whatever you know these as, these baby fluffy pancakes are absolutely irresistible! Serve for breakfast or afternoon tea with copious amounts of jam and cream.
PIKELETS – an Aussie favourite!
When I first shared this recipe in 2016, I called pikelets an Aussie favourite and expressed pity for anyone who hadn’t discovered their greatness.
Turns out, I was a bit clueless – readers quickly pointed out that pikelets exist all over the world, just under different names: drop scones, Scotch pancakes, silver dollar pancakes, mini hotcakes.
Oops! 😅 Consider me educated!
But, for those of you new to pikelets, they are just mini pancakes. Fun breakfast or anytime snack, and great for taking places (think: office morning tea) – quick to make, easy to transport, reheat perfectly and excellent for gatherings because you can eat them with your hands.
I often think of them as the easier scone!
Ingredients in pikelets
Here’s what you need to make pikelets. The batter is the same as pancakes but pikelets have one big advantage – you can make multiple in the pan at the same time. Anybody else feel performance anxiety flipping pancakes one at a time with a table full of hangry people??
Plain flour / all-purpose flour – can be substituted with self raising flour though it won’t be quite as fluffy, as is the case with anything made with self raising flour vs plain flour + baking powder.
Baking powder – this is what makes the pikelets fluffy. If yours has been hiding unused in the pantry for many months, check it’s still active.
Sugar – I only use a small amount, just 2 tablespoons, because the jam adds sweetness.
Milk – The liquid to thin the batter. Full fat cow milk makes softer pikelets but low fat / no fat or even non-dairy milk works fine too.
Vanilla – For flavour. I use vanilla extract which has more pure vanilla flavour than imitation essence.
Egg – Use a large egg, 50-55g/2oz each, sold in cartons labelled “large eggs” (600 – 660g for a dozen).
How to make pikelets
Here’s how to make pikelets. If you can cook without being interrupted, you’ll have them on the table in 20 minutes flat!
Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking powder, pinch of salt).
Add wet – Make a well in the centre. Add the egg, milk and vanilla then whisk until combined and almost lump free. The batter should be fairly thick but pourable, like the consistency of thick honey.
If needed, adjust the consistency with milk (if too thick) or flour (if too thin).
Cook – Melt just 1 teaspoon of butter in a non stick pan over medium high heat (or medium ,if your stove is strong). Then wipe most of it off with a paper towel (too much butter = very splotchy surface, not a big deal, just a visual thing).
Pour about 1 1/2 tbsp batter into the pan and coax it into a circle. An ice cream scoop with a lever will be your friend here.
Bubbles – Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until bubbles rise to the surface and at least 4 of them pop. This indicates the pikelets are ready for flipping. If they are browning too quickly on the underside before there are bubbles on the surface, lower the heat.
PRO TIP: If your batter is on the thick side, the bubbles might not pop. Just take a peek on the underside and if golden, flip!
Flip with a flick of the wrist, with confidence! Then cook the other side for 1 minute or until golden, then remove from the pan.
Pile onto a plate with jam and cream then serve!
Pikelets are so popular in Australia, they are actually sold at supermarkets. It baffles me why anyone would ever buy them! I tried them once out of curiosity and they actually taste artificial. They have a weird fake vanilla-egg flavour.
But putting that, they cost a few dollars for a pack of 6 or so, whereas it would cost maybe $1.50 to make a dozen at home, with the added bonus that they taste so much better. And they are so fast to make, plus easier to handle than pancakes because they’re small so they’re easier to flip without smearing batter everywhere or missing the pan completely (yep, it’s happened!).
So, next time you’re after a quick snack for a hoard of hungry kids or your friends are dropping by unexpectedly, or you’re known as the culinary queen (or king) at work but don’t have the time to make a fresh batch of scones for the fundraiser morning tea on Monday morning, make pikelets! – Nagi x
Pikelets FAQ
I haven’t tried unfortunately. I will come back and update the recipe if I do!
Cooked pikelets will keep 3 days in an airtight container, best to keep in fridge then warm in microwave (goes a long way to freshen them). They can also be frozen for 3 months.
I like serving them warm because they are softer and fluffier. However, they are still great at room temperature which makes them a good option for picnics, bake sales etc.
Anything you put on pancakes you can put on pikelets! Here are some ideas:
Butter
Lemon juice and sugar
Maple syrup
Fruit compotes and sauces
Nutella
Ice cream
Custard or curds (like lemon curd)
Butterscotch sauce / caramel
Watch how to make it
And a fun little outtakes video from this week, when JB made pikelets for the first time – how do you pronounce “pikelets”!?
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Pikelets
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups plain flour / all-purpose flour (Note 1)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (check yours is still active)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg (50-55g / 2 oz in shell)
- 3/4 cup milk (full fat best, but any type even non dairy ok)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional but recommended)
- 2 tsp butter
To Serve
- Strawberry jam
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- Whisk dry – Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.
- Add wet – Make a well in the centre. Add the egg, milk and vanilla, then whisk until it's almost lump free. The batter should be the consistency like thick honey – looser than tomato sauce, thicker than maple syrup. (Note 2)
- Melt 1 tsp butter in a non-stick pan over medium high heat (or medium, for strong stoves). Then most of the butter off with a paper towel so there are no visible drops of bubbles of butter (Note 3).
- Drop ~2 tbsp batter into the pan and coax into 7.5cm/3" rounds. An ice cream scoop with lever will be your friend here. I cook 4 at a time.
- Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and once 4 or more of these bubbles pop (1 1/2 minutes), this means they are ready to flip. Flip with confidence! Then cook the other side for 1 minute or until golden.
- Keep cooking – Remove onto a plate. Cook the next batch (no need to add extra butter until 3rd batch).
- Serve warm with jam and cream, or butter!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in June 2016, before I taught myself to make recipe videos. Republished in 2025 with said recipe video, plus sparkling new photos, refreshed chatter and of course a 2025 Life of Dozer update (spoiler: no change, really, just older!).
Life of Dozer
Dozer 2016. 3 years old, from the original pikelets post. Trained not to touch that pikelet until he gets the command:
Dozer 2025, almost 13 years old. Just can’t see the cream as much because his face is whiter!
So great – the addition of vanilla was perfection! A keeper for sure
My Granny had this recipe so I was happy when I saw it as it had been “lost”. Thanks
But we called them crumpets or Flapjacks. She was from Scotland
NOOOOO I live in Uk and crumpets and flapjacks are quite different- crumpets are made with Yeast and Flapjacks are simply oats ,butter and golden syrup baked in the oven. These are better known in England as Scotch Pancakes.
OMG!
This recipe is perfect. I just made the most delicious, light, fluffy and perfect piklets thanks to this recipe. It’s a great combination of flavour without being too sweet. Super fast to put together and cooks beautifully. You just need to remember to be patient (which I’m not the best at) and not flip too soon.
Those aren’t pikelets and they certainly aren’t Australian. Pikelets are thinner versions of crumpets!
So easy to make! Whipped them up in no time. They remind me of the pikelets my mum used to make for classroom parties.
Another great recipe that 5yo grandson can make with Nanna. Can’t believe how many he ate! Golden Syrup is the best topping, but grandson added some strawberries too! They tasted as good as my Mum’s. 🙂
We had pikelets all the time when I was a kid but not just for breakfast. Mum would make them when we had friends over after school or Brownies/Cubs. But. The one VERY Aussie topping you omitted is Golden Syrup on either cold or hot pikelets – exquisite!
Pikelets aren’t mini pancakes.
Pikelets use sugar and S.R. flour
A proper Pancake recipe is plain flour, no sugar and can have sweet or savoury toppings. Almost like a crepe but not as thin.
Actually, these are well known around the the world, they just have a different name. In the Uk they are known as crumpets and in South Africa they are known as Flap Jacks so we did enjoy them as kids.
In south Africa we grew up eating these as well except we called them crumpets. Amazing how the same word around the world means something else. Pancakes in SA are like the French crepes. Love them all no matter what they are called.
The trick for the first batch works!
Pikelets and pancakes are a bit like muffins: over mixing makes them tough. Instead of whisking, use a wire whisk to SLOWLY stir the mixture until most lumps have gone. Leaving it sitting for a while once it’s half mixed makes it easier to get the lumps out.
Thanks for this comment.
I have always made pikelets with a soured milk recipe and they have been delicious.
I thought I would give these ones a go ( every Nagi is great) and they were a bit tough/rubbery. Next time I will be sure to curb my 3 year olds mixing enthusiam!
Found this from googling pikelets after seeing them on Bluey 🤣 the kids and I will make them soon!
Perfect recipe, but I add an egg as well as some vinegar to the milk (any kind of milk – I use soy) and no sugar (it’s not needed once you’ve added toppings). I spent my Australian youth in the early 80s taking plates of these with jam and cream to friends’ houses – who knew the history is actually Welsh, and they were called bara pyglyd – the English changed them to pikelets! 🙂
I also add a teaspoon of vinegar to the milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. It mimics the action of buttermilk in the pikelets. I like a small amount of sugar in mine because quite a few of my family eat them without a topping and it makes a nicer tasting pikelet.
@Lou. You say you added an egg. The recipe already had an egg in it, so you use two?
Wayne thank you that is good
I grew up in England. Called crumpets pikelets and what you call pikelets were Scotch pancakes.
Growing up in the UK pikelets were what you call crumpets!
Best pikelet recipe I’ve tried! Cooked these up for day 6 of my covid iso. I love all your recipes Nagi, and love the pictures of Dozer. thank you so much for sharing!
Came out perfect first time with your little trick 😉
Simply love your recipes , haven’t tried all but every recipe we’ve tried we love.