Best Pikelets Recipe

Pikelets are a lovely brunch option or great for lunch boxes. This is the traditional pikelet recipe I love to use, I hope you enjoy it too.

Posted February 22, 2014, Updated December 10, 2025

 

Classic pikelets are a real treat! Fresh from the oven or cold, they are a staple in NZ, Australia and the UK. A little different from a pancake, which are usually lovely and thin, a pikelet is a little denser and served as a morning tea treat since forever. 

 

Pikelets are traditionally served with berry jam & cream – but honestly you can use any topping or spread you like – my kids will even use honey & peanut butter, golden syrup, butter and more. They are so lovely fresh, but will also keep in an airtight container for a day or two, or freeze really well. 

 

For basic pancakes there are only 6 ingredients, all pantry staples and an incredibly easy method. For these particular pikelets I beat together the egg and sugar to form a lovely thick creamy mixture. This helps give the pikelets their height and density. You can use a hand whisk or electric beaters for this step. But otherwise it is just a matter of combining the dry and wet ingredients.

 

I have also created a post including all of my variations on the basic pikelet recipe, some delicious combos I think you will love. Check all of those out here, both sweet and savoury options.

Just A Mums Best Ever Pikelet Recipe +5 Variations

 

There are a few tips for getting perfect pikelets every time, so check these out below, or scroll down to go straight to the recipe

 

Ingredients

1 Cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup Milk

Method

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl (worth nothing I never sift anything – so it all goes in and a quick whisk is the best it gets!)

 

In another bowl beat egg and sugar until thick – I use my handheld electric beater but a food mixer or strong arm on a whisk will do the same thing.

 

The sugar & egg should form ribbons off the beater & be thick and pale in colour

 

Add this mixture with the milk to the sifted ingredients and mix until smooth. I then pour the mixture into a jug to make pouring the pancakes onto the pan easier.

 

Cook Tablespoonsful on a hot greased girdle (*see below for random fact) or non stick frying pan – I sometimes use a small amount of butter on a kitchen paper towel to lightly grease or cooking spray. Turn Pikelets over when bubbles start to burst on the top surface.

 

Cook both sides until golden. What I do next is something my Mum always did – not sure where she got the idea from! But I always lay a tea towel on a plate in half and lift the tea towel to add the pikelets to and cover again to keep them warm.

 

Serve the pikelets with a lovely berry jam and whipped cream – or maple syrup, marmite & peanut butter for the less posh amongst us!

 

This recipe makes 8-10, I usually double it. Great recipe to add food colouring too if you are needing green something for St Patrick’s Day!

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have since I was a little girl.

(*) So a girdle – I had to double check my recipe – surely the mean griddle??? But no apparently not – in Scotland its called a girdle, in Ireland its a griddle & the Welsh call it a bakestone – well that’s what Google told me so what do you call it??

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Happy Baking!

Anna