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!
I didn’t know I needed pikelets for morning tea today until I saw your email. They were absolutely delicious. As usual, a well-presented and easy-to-follow recipe. Thank you, Nagi!
Oh the out-takes are hilarious, thanks for a laugh on Saturday morning! These will forever be piglets now! And brought back memories of making them for my kids, the youngest of whom is now 26!
Pikelets are actually a British creation, not Australian but they love them just as much as the Brits do!
Hi Nagi, I absolutely love your recipes and use them all the time. One comment I would like to make about the pikelets is that my mother and me as a result, always add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the milk before I start. Sours the milk and Makes the pikelets even fluffier and lighter in my opinion.
Yes I do that too, or use buttermilk, or pour the liquid of top of yoghurt and add table spoon of yoghurt to milk. Makes them fluffier.
Yes like you we always added 1 teaspoon of vinegar,
I love Pikelets, they’re a classic in New Zealand too. I’ve not had them in years so am inspired to make some. As kids we had them all the time and we’d make them into cat, or other, shapes for fun. We would wait for the bubbles to come and keep checking with mum if they’re ready yet before turning them.
I’m from NZ originally too although lived in Sydney now for 45 years. My Mum used to make pussycat pikelets for us kids all the time! Your post brought back wonderful memories for me. xx
These look good. I may just have to have a go.
In the UK – specifically Scotland – these would be called drop scones. The Welsh have something similar called ‘bara pyglyd’, which may be where the name comes from.
I see you have the same cream and jam order arguments that people from Devon and Cornwall have over here (for what it’s worth, it’s cream first, then jam…)
And then you found that we in the UK call a honeycomb chocolate bar a Crunchie…. 😁
We call them Crunchies in Australia too.
Thanks for explaining to a dumb Aussie – I was wondering 🙂 !
FAB. Love a Picklet 🙂
Was that really a metal spatula I saw you use with a nonstick pan?
You can use metal implements on a Scanpan
Add some dry mixed fruit for fruit pikelets. Yum 😊
What a good idea 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
My grans (shes long gone now but when i make these or her fruit cake shes standing beside me) her recipe uses s/r flour with bicarb and 2TBSPNS sugar, 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 1 TBSPN butter-melted with a tsp of white vinegar (for extra lift) let it sit over night or fir at least 1hr (ive cooked em right away and theyre still nice just not maybe as fluffy) and you add extra milk if you want pancakes rather than pikelets. Ive trued adding vanilla but that is WAY too sweet tasting for me. Though i could possibly put less sugar in and add the vanilla but it may not taste like my grannys (and thats the whole thing of it 😄). Such an easy breakfast /afternoon teatreat with very little effort and better than store bought mixes or packaged pikelets. Thankyou for sharing. Hugs to Dozer
Thank you for your recipe, I am definitely going to try your recipe and compare it with the recipe given to me by our old English Nanny. Her recipe had two eggs, separated, 1 tablespoon meleted butter, 3 teaspoons Baking Powder, 1 1/2 Tabs sugar, 8 oz flour, 1 to 2 cups milk. She folded in the beaten egg whites last and the Flapjacks as she called them were the lightest and fluffiest I have ever had.
My father-in-law’s pancake recipe is virtually the same and he called them “American Pancakes.” Dinner every Sunday night for years.
Hey Nagi, these look so yummy. Why is life so short, there are so many recipes I want to try. Hugs and kisses for Dozer.
Thanks as always for being such a great source of recipes, and with such good instructions.
And a good reminder that simple food can be the best.
And piglets (won’t get out of my brain, are extremely versatile base and not just for sweet stuff. Can be made a bit savoury with herbs, or serve as a neutral unsweetened base for stand up appetisers at bigger gatherings.
Both my mother and motherinlaw had a sort of Aluminium thick base deep side electric Frypan, With a raised lid, so oten in holiday homes and could do roasts not too badly) made by Sunbeam. I still have one, aged at least 60 yrs. It was great due to the ease of temp control and evenness of heat distribution; slightly rectangular shape, so could do quite a batch in one go. And nice to see your refs to damper and soda bread.
My dad used to make damper with one or two long handled, broad blade shovels over coals (learnt when he was working in a bridge and road construction team, circa 1960. And sda bread so straight forward. Often mums go to for BBQ and things. And loved learning about the etymology of word pikelet.
Regards.
Love pikelets! Scones are just too thick and doughy, and often dry and cloying in the mouth. Pikelets are perfect!
Love pikelets! And agree on easy afternoon tea, decision to table in 20mins. I’m gluten free and have been having gluten free pikelets since I was tiny – they work very well.
How do you make them gluten free?
Try using butter milk people. I use it in all my baking and it makes baking light and fluffy, these look gorgeous Nagi
Thank you
Dozer has got so slim now aww
Carolyn, I agree with the buttermilk comment! Here in the US (at least my kitchen), buttermilk is preferred for pancakes and biscuits.
Pikelets, crumpet, flapjacks, drop scones. No matter what you call them, they are best eaten with butter and marmite.
Excellent light fluffy and yummy
These will be forever pronounced…pick e lets! 🤣
Love your recipes, your sense of community, your dog, etc. Am yet to cook the pikelets recipe, but want to know if it is adaptable for serious gluten-free folk, in this case a long-lost-now-found friend who cannot have wheat, barley, oats and rye. Is cornflour, rice flour, and ??? a possibility?
Hi Chris
I was quickly scrolling through the comments, saw your question and decided to reply right away. There are various packaged GF flour blends readily available in supermarkets, health food shops and bulk-buy places like The Pantryman (here in WA) that also sell their own blends. Also online organic health stores.
The ingredients list will tell you why some are cheaper. I have had good results with, and heard good reports about, “Bob’s Red Mill” Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Ingredients: sweet white rice flour, whole grain brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, xantham gum. It’s made in America, not cheap, but good. Just google Bob’s Red Mill! It’s very popular and currently available on Amazon at $21.60 for 1.25 kg. I’ve used it in Nagi’s chocolate cake recipe which worked fine, pancakes and microwave mug cakes.
I’m sure your lost and found friend will appreciate your efforts! Cheers.