My Mum's pikelet recipe. Every Aussie and Kiwi knows about pikelets. They resemble mini pancakes and are served for breakfast or afternoon tea. This easy recipe made with pantry staples will have you enjoying these rounds of joy in no time.
Your mother's recipes are always the best, no matter who you are or how good a cook your mum was. Luckily my mother was an amazing cook. Therefore with a good dose of sentiment as well as a classic recipe, this has to be the best pikelet recipe on the internet.
What makes this pikelet recipe a little different from the others floating around, is it is old school. Mum used bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and cream of tartar to create incredible fluffy pikelets every time.
Easier and quicker to make for breakfast than traditional pancakes. Simply top them with your favourite jam or breakfast spread. They are also a perfect scone substitute for an afternoon or high tea served with strawberry jam and whipped cream.
Sara xxx
Ingredients
- Self-Raising Flour: Can be substituted with the same amount of plain flour (all-purpose) and 3 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Sugar: Normal sugar, not caster sugar/superfine sugar.
- Egg: Free-range if you can, happy cooks equal happy eggs.
- Milk: Use the milk you have on hand. Originally this recipe would have been made with full cream milk. I use reduced fat milk as that is what I buy for general use.
- Cream of Tartar: Acts as a leavening agent in the pikelet recipe. Cream of tartar can be subsituted with white vinegar or lemon juice. I don't recommend subsituting it in this recipe due to the flavour impact both of those ingredients would have on the pikelets.
- Bicarbonate of Soda: Also known as baking soda, works in conjunction with the cream of tartar to make the pikelets rise.
More Australian Favourites
Below are more of my favourite Australian recipes. Some are my take on iconic Aussie recipes, others are my creations, like Vegemite Ice Cream and Tim Tam Slam Cake
- 4 Ingredient Cheese and Bacon Rolls
- Aussie Burgers
- Sausage Rolls
- Australian BBQ Prawns
- Corned Beef
- Tim Tam Slam Cake
- Vegemite Ice Cream
- Lemon Myrtle Cheesecake
- Milo Slice
- Coconut Slice
Recipe Instructions
Scroll to the bottom of the page for a printable version of this recipe.
Place flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, whisk the ingredients together. Whisking also removes any lumps in the flour.
Make a well in the flour mixture. Add egg.
In a small bowl or jug whisk milk, cream of tartar, and bicarbonate of soda.
Pour in the milk mixture and whisk ingredients until combined. It's okay if there are a few lumps in the batter. Be careful not to overmix or your pikelets will turn out rubbery.
Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Drop tablespoons of mixture into the pan, leaving room between each spoonful of mixture.
When the tops of the pikelets form bubbles on their tops and the bubbles start to pop it is time to turn them over. use a spatular to flip the pikelets over in the pan and continue to cook.
Once golden on both sides and cooked through remove from the pan and place on a plate. Repeat with the remainder of the pikelet batter.
Helpful Pikelets FAQs
Pikelets do resemble mini pancakes and do taste similar, but they are different. Pikelets are denser than pancakes, pancakes are fluffier in texture. Think of them as sturdy mini pancakes.
Pikelets and drop scones are the same things. You may also know them as Scottish pancakes.
Yes you can freeze pikelets, not that there will be any left! Once pikelets are cool place them in a single layer in a zip-lock bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat thaw at room temperature.
Rubbery pikelets are due to overmixing the batter. Mix batter until it has just come together. It's okay if there are a few lump in the batter.
Simply place them in an airtight container and consume them within 2 days. They can be stored at room temperature. If the weather is particularly hot store them in the fridge.
Printable Recipe
Pikelets
Ingredients
- 225 grams (1½ cups) self-raising flour
- 75 grams (? cup) sugar
- 250 mls (1 cup) milk
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg
- butter | for cooking pikelets
Instructions
- Place flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, whisk the ingredients together. Whisking also removes any lumps in the flour.
- Make a well in the flour mixture.
- Add egg.
- In a small bowl or jug whisk milk, cream of tartar, and bicarbonate of soda.
- Pour in the milk mixture and whisk ingredients until combined. It's okay if there are a few lumps in the batter. Be careful not to overmix or your pikelets will turn out rubbery.
- Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Drop tablespoons of mixture into the pan, leaving room between each spoonful of mixture.
- When the tops of the pikelets form bubbles on their tops and the bubbles start to pop it is time to turn them over. use a spatular to flip the pikelets over in the pan and continue to cook.
- Once golden on both sides and cooked through remove from the pan and place on a plate. Repeat with the remainder of the pikelet batter.
- Serve with your favourite spreads, or with jam and whipped cream.
Measurement Notes
All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.
Recipe Notes
When ready to eat thaw at room temperature. HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER PIKELETS. Simply place them in an airtight container and consume them within 2 days. They can be stored at room temperature. If the weather is particularly hot store them in the fridge. GENERAL COOK'S NOTES All oven temperatures are fan-forced, increase the temperature by 20 Deg C (70 Deg F) for convection ovens. All measurements are Australian tablespoons and cups. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified.
- 1 teaspoon equals 5ml
- 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
- 1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
- 4 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon
- I use the below unless specified in my recipes.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.
Abbey
Perfect
Jade
Mine were rubbery, I barely mixed the mixture and there were heaps of lumps in it. I mixed the mixture a little bit and then added a bit more milk because it looked as though it wouldn't be wet enough. The only other thing I thought it could have been is I mixed the cream of tartar and bi-carb into the milk and left it for an hour. I do that with bi-carb when I make muffins so I can't see that to be the problem.
Help!
Sara McCleary
Hi Jade
Sorry to hear that the recipe wasn't successful for you. Without being in the kitchen with you it is very hard to know what went wrong. I've never mixed the cream of tartar and bi-carb into the milk and let it sit before, so not sure if this was the cause.
Cheers, Sara
Margaret Smith
Absolutely beautiful took a plate full to our seniors Bingo with jam and cream they were all gone in a few minutes thank you
Sara McCleary
Hi Margaret
I am so happy to hear that your plate of pikelets was a big hit at Bingo. They would have gone down a treat with jam and cream.
Cheers, Sara