Microwave pancake mix recipe? Madness! Can you really make good pancakes in a microwave, or will this just be a dud? Well, I’ve made pancakes in a microwave for many years – but, no, sadly they aren’t as good as “proper pancakes”, made in a frying pan – however – they do TASTE the same, so they’re great if you don’t have access to a hob at all.   

Pin It: Microwave Pancakes Mix Recipe

I have no hob! Therefore, right now, I want to make microwave pancakes as it’s Shrove Tuesday. I’d originally sat and thought “Ah, Pancake Day …. I won’t bother”, but then I got caught up in a sudden rush of enthusiasm, so decided to make some.

The basic pancake mix recipe is the same for a microwave as it is for a frying pan or griddle pancake. There’s no change there. As I am cooking for one I wanted a pancake mix recipe for one – which was, quite simply:

Pancake Mix Recipe for One Person: 

• 1 medium egg
• 50 grams of plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 140 ml milk, I used full fat because that’s the only milk I buy
• A pinch of salt
• Optional smear of oil, I didn’t bother.

Method:

1. Combine the egg, flour, milk and salt in a bowl and beat/whisk until it’s smooth.  I did this in a Pyrex jug and used a fork to do the beating.
2. Rest the mix in the fridge for at least 30 minutes if you can.  After this time, give the mix another quick beat before you use it.
3. With a TINY smear of oil, optionally grease your chosen parchment paper or dish – I didn’t bother to be honest.  This is to make it easier to remove the pancake once it’s cooked, but I was keen to get to the end point where I just ate them.
4. Pour out some of the pancake mix onto what you’re going to cook it on/in and, optionally, carefully spread it out into a nice neat shape (you don’t have to care about this if you’re just keen for that pancake taste!).
5. Microwave for X seconds.  Ah, that all important timing.  The number of seconds it takes to cook a microwave pancake will depend on the power of your microwave and how thick your mix is.  For mine, 1 minute 30 seconds at full power in an 800 watt microwave was about right.

As you cook a pancake in the microwave it’ll bubble up, starting at the outside edges – it will also give off a lot of surplus water so you can’t watch it through the window.

In short, this is something you will have to experiment with a few times to see what’s the correct length of time in your own microwave.  The longer you cook it, the drier it becomes, so you also need to get it to the point where you personally think it’s right.  We all have different tastes.

Parchment Paper or Dish?

Well, you have what you have – and if I state anything here that you “need” then you might feel you’ve not got the right thing.  I’ll use a sheet of parchment paper, or a shallow dish, or a shallow plate.  Today I tried my silicone cake pan.

In short, what you’re looking for is a FLAT surface to pour the batter onto.  Many dishes have their issues, which you’ll discover only by trying what you’ve got, including:

• Parchment paper is hard to get absolutely flat and if you’re trying to make really thin pancakes then you’ll find you end up with a bald spot where the pancake mix ran into the ridges.
• A shallow bowl – you might struggle to get leverage to get the pancake out of the dish, this is where using oil might help.
• A flat plate – you might find your flat plate isn’t quite as flat as it looked, but give it a go
• A silicone sheet – this is best….but I’ve not got one at present!

What you need is something flat and microwave safe – that’s it.  Have a dig around the cupboards and see what you’ve got.

How Well Do Pancakes Cook in the Microwave?

In short, get these right and they taste exactly the same as pancakes cooked in a frying pan – but you’ll not get that brown colour at all.

For a “quick fix” if you’ve no alternative, they are good enough to give them a go, but I’d hesitate to serve them to anybody else, except in a jokey “try this” way.  The TASTE is there, but you will never get the dry texture of the outside of a pan fried pancake, that’s a fact.

It’s a question of how much you want pancakes.  For me, if I choose to cook pancakes, I’m happy enough that I just got the taste part … and am happy to forgo the texture if the alternative is to completely go without.

What Do You Serve With Pancakes?: 

I was brought up just sprinkling granulated sugar on pancakes.  I’m happy with that – but you can put all sorts of extras with them, including things such as bananas, mini marshmallows, chocolate, chocolate spread ….

… even jam.  I had jam with pancakes once, but I found it made my lips go rubbery and feel odd!  Most peculiar!

Menu Cost: 

1 egg costs 8p, the flour costs about 5p, the milk costs about 12p.  Total cost is about 25p to make 4-6 pancakes – about the right number if you’re cooking for one.