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!
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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!
Carolyn Pilgrim says
Just reread the recipe sorry I used bicarbonate instead of baking powder. Will try again!
Please disregard both comments.😊
Dianne Stein says
I have just made these, I used low-fat milk, they are so yummy! Ones I usually make are made with SR Flour and sometimes are a bit leathery, but these have are delicious. Thank you
Nagi says
Not a problem, I hope you try them and love them Carolyn! N x
Carolyn Pilgrim says
Just wondering if the amount of bicarbonate is correct. 2 1/2 teaspoons seems a lot to me. Mine also had a very metallic taste.
Janeen Molesworth says
Carolyn it is baking powder not bicarbonate soda so 2 1/2 teaspoons would be correct.
Kat Mac says
I followed the recipe to a T and they taste fantastic. In Oz they are definitely called pikelets!
Bin hooks 84 says
It was really good and mikayla said was dough and Toby farted on me when I was mixing the “dough” 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🥞
Kylie Forrest says
Thanks for your help
Emma says
Love this recipe, so fluffy and delicious.
Kylie Forrest says
Mmm.
Kylie Forrest says
I put cinnamon in my batch it gives a little more flavor cause otherwise mine taste disgusting
Nagi says
Hi Kylie – if you follow the recipe they should definitely not be “disgusting” but cinnamon, choc chips, fruit all can be added here – N x
Kylie Forrest says
Hello Nagi,
I’m not sure why, but when I don’t add cinnamon my pikelets taste like metal, is there any way to fix this?
Elizabeth says
Kylie, I have a similar issue with some foods & modern recipes. For me, simply adding a pinch of salt removes that metallic taste. I have no idea why the salt should make a difference or why only some of us notice a metallic taste. Cinnamon sounds like a nice variation to adding salt so I may try that, but know you are not alone in your taste.
Rosemarie says
Sounds like an issue with the soda. Old or packed down or gotten damp. Or using bicarbonate
Kylie Forrest says
Thanks for your help
Kylie Forrest says
I also followed the recipe.
Kylie Forrest says
Mmm! Divine 😋
Kylie Forrest says
Delicious 😋
Liane Kirk says
These are lovely but in the UK we call them Scotch Pancakes. Pikelets are a thinner version of a crumpet. Great recipe though – thanks!
Linde says
In South Africa we call them “plaatkoekies” (Afrikaans word for pancakes). Simply love them. So quick and easy to make.
KC says
Whereas I’m sure these are lovely, they ain’t pikelets – they look and sound rom the recipe more like scotch pancakes.
E. Huggett says
I am 72 years old and this is the same as my mother taught me. I’m from Queensland and we call them pikelets.
We put the jam first followed by cream but I have noticed that some times people put cream first then jan!
Margaret Turner says
Haven’t made the Pikelets yet, but ingredients and method similar to what we call ‘Drop Scones’ in Ireland
Nagi says
Similar – just different name 🙂 N x
Bernadette Thomas says
Love your recipes thank you
Nagi says
Thanks so much Bernadette! N x
Joseph says
So funny ,,in a great way ,we bin making silver dollar pancakes for ever ,like yours just size of a silver dollar , now read you sausage wrap but no stores and no puff pastry so wrapdat sausage in a pickelet thus pegs in a blanket. Bless you Nagi , James woulda loved you and your love of FOOD. Peace Joseph !! using goat milk powered and powdered egg III reconstituted of course. !!!
joseph says
dats pigs in a blanket
Joseph says
So funny ,,in a great way ,we bin making silver dollar pancakes for ever ,like yours just size of a silver dollar , now read you sausage wrap but no stores and no puff pastry so wrapdat sausage in a pickelet thus pegs in a blanket. Bless you Nagi , James woulda loved you and your love of FOOD. Peace Joseph !!
Laura Beaumont says
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! 😊
Nagi says
Interesting Laura – I’ll have to try! N x
Ysabel says
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? 🙂
Margi says
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…
Sam says
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.
Miles Stevens says
Interesting. Does everyone outside of the US call American pancakes “hot cakes”? We don’t have adorable names for them like “pikelets,” though I might lobby for it now haha. We just call them…pancakes. Old-timers might colloquially call them flapjacks.
Mary says
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!!)
Nagi says
Love all the different names for these, crumpets here are something different again!!