Pikelets are as Australian as meat pies and Lamingtons. Quick to make – less than 20 minutes from start to finish – these mini pancakes are a delightful breakfast, or as a snack at any time of the day. These are really EASY Pikelets, I promise! Serve them with copious amounts of strawberry jam and cream for the true Aussie experience!
PIKELETS – an Aussie favourite!
It wasn’t until I was in my 20’s that I learned that pikelets are actually a very Aussie thing. I grew up thinking that kids all over the world were snacking on pikelets and begging their mums to make them for breakfast.
But actually, while they are well known in Australia and New Zealand (and apparently in Scotland???), the rest of the world is sadly deprived of pikelets.
Do you know what pikelets are? They are just mini pancakes! I don’t play favorites, I LOVE my pancakes, but the great thing about pikelets is that they can be eaten with your hands. It would be weird to daintily eat pikelets with a knife and fork. Just plain wrong!
The other little thing I want to share with you other than a little intro to essential Aussie grub is this very important cooking tip 😉 :
HOW TO MAKE THE FIRST PANCAKE PERFECT
Anyone who has made pancakes before would know that the first pancake comes out quite splotchy and sometimes a tad soggy, rather than perfectly light and fluffy and a beautiful golden brown. In fact, I even saw an episode of Brunch with Bobby Flay where he spoke of this exact problem.
It’s so childish of me, but I felt immense satisfaction with the knowledge that I knew something about cooking that Bobby Flay doesn’t know – that you can make the first pancake perfect, every single time.
All you need to do is melt butter in a non stick skillet, then wipe it off with a paper towel before putting the batter in the skillet. It’s a little trick I picked up from the clever folk over at America’s Test Kitchen. The pikelets in the skillet in the photo above are the first batch. They came out perfectly, just like this:
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 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 in the skillet than pancakes.
An essential part of experiencing pikelets the true Aussie way is to serve them with copious amounts of jam and cream. Or lashings of butter. I’m partial to the jam and cream myself. 🙂
So whether for breakfast, for a snack, or a treat for company, I hope you give these easy Pikelets a go! And I hope you have a great weekend! – Nagi x
More Aussie favourites
- Scones – and Lemonade Scones 3 ingredient shortcut scones!
- Caramel Slice
- Lamingtons
- Pavlova
- Sausage Rolls
- Party Pies
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Pikelets
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups / 185g plain flour (Note 1)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup / 185ml milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extra (optional)
- 2 tsp butter
To Serve
- Strawberry jam and cream (heavy cream, whipped) or butter
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk until the batter is almost lump free - a few small ones is ok. The batter should be the consistency in between maple syrup and tomato sauce - see photo above in post.
- Melt butter in a NON STICK skillet over medium high heat. Then WIPE all the butter off with a paper towel so there are no visible drops of oil. This is how the first batch comes out beautifully golden instead of splotchy.
- Place 2 tbsp of batter (or 1/2 filled ice cream scooper which is what I use) into the skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface (see photo) then flip and cook the other side until golden (usually around 1 - 1 1/2 minutes). Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve warm with jam and cream, or butter!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
I spy with my little eye….evidence that Dozer’s been snacking on pikelets…… 😉 Actually, I was training him to not touch food until I give the command. He absolutely hates practicing that which is why his face is turned away, refusing to look at the pikelet or the camera. Usually he just gets up and walks away from the food, that’s how much he detests it!
Yum! I left out 1/4 cup of flour and put in 1/4 cup of custard powder instead and a touch more milk. I’m sure they are delicious without the addition of custard powder, but I couldn’t help myself! 😊
Interesting Laura – I’ll have to try! N x
May I use whole wheat flour?
By the way, is this similar to Japan’s fluffy and soft mini pancakes? If not do you have a recipe for that too? 🙂
Help! I’ve tried this recipe twice now and the batter is sooo thick. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. I’ve tired adding more milk or another egg but the taste still seems very floury…
I found the batter was much too thick – they reminded me of American style hot cakes rather than pikelets. I added more milk but next time I’ll also reduce the baking powder. I don’t need such a dramatic rise on my pikelets.
Well I don’t think they are boring! They are delicious but, in the U.K., we would call these Scotch pancakes or drop scones and they would traditionally be cooked on a thick cast iron slab. In the U.K. a Pikelet is a very thin crumpet – gorgeous but definitely savoury, not sweet. Best, in my opinion, smothered with an obscene amount of butter and some Marmite (like Vegemite but much better……controversial!!)
Love all the different names for these, crumpets here are something different again!!
Beautiful! Can’t beat a Pikelet with jam and cream. Fab recipe Nagi, thank you:)
Your recipes and videos are my lifeline, my family now like my cooking thanks to you:)
Thanks so much Rebecca!!
These are not pikelets they are scotch pancakes and very boreing
When I was a child and grew up in Nottingham UK we had a local firm that made pikelets I think it was called pikkits pikelets they were great just covered in buttet
Pikelets are 5/8 thick there top is peppered with holes for the butter to sink in to the pikelets great
Sounds like you’re talking about what we call crumpets here as these are definitely what we know as pikelets. Sorry you think they are boring, I think they are delightful! – N
HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR name??!!??
We really love your recipes we have had spaghetti and your pulled beef AND your fish!
That’s awesome Max! My name is pronounced “nah ghee” 🙂
Hello Nagi,
Just made them this morning. Wauw! What a result. Been looking for the perfect recipe for a while now. Conclusion: found it!!!! That tip is also fantastic! I will put some photo’s on instagram and tag you. Thank you so much for all your great recipes. Been following you for a while and everyone who sits at my table is happy☺️
Colette
That’s so great to hear Colette!!
Hi Nagi, like Kim Mackie’s comment, I’m wanting a savoury recipe to serve with smoked salmon. Do you suggest I omit the sugar and obviously the vanilla?
Hi Anne, yes you can just omit the sugar & vanilla here – N x
Hi Nagi, I have made and loved many of your recipes, but this one I wasn’t so keen on. The flavour is good, but I have to agree with Molly, they are just a dense tough unpleasant texture. I was very careful not to over beat the mixture, and I weighed the ingredients and followed your recipe to a T. But as I said they do taste really nice.
Hi Deb, I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy these! Can I ask what flour you used?
Best pikelet recipe ever.
Hi Nagi used your recipe….amazing… omitted the vanilla and made tiny blinis with dill & lemon cream cheese, smoked salmon & baby capers for a high tea..so many compliments…thank you for another awesome recipe
That’s great to hear Kym! Thanks for letting me know! N x
These looked and tasted beautiful but ours came out a little tough. Any advice? I’m looking for a go to pike let recipe and so far this one is the closest!
Tough?? 🤔 Any chance you mixed the batter a lot??? Believe it or not there is such thing as over beating a batter – but it takes effort to do that!
Hi,
Are you able to freeze these once made to use again??
Yes! They will freeze just fine! 🙂
In the USA, we call these siver dollar pancakes. 🙂
*silver not siver
😍
I’ve been making pikelets for my family for over forty years but yours looked so plump and fluffy I thought I would follow your recipe as a Father’s Day treat for my partner. Perfect. I would add extra milk to make the mixture go further so they ended up looking like mini pancakes, never again.
That’s so great to hear Helen! So happy to hear you enjoyed this – N x