These soufflé pancakes without baking powder are impossibly light and airy! Whipped egg whites act as a replacement for the baking powder in the pancakes and create an incredibly fluffy texture. This recipe can be whipped together in minutes!
These pancakes are the holy grail of pancakes. Why? Because they are super light and tender and impossibly fluffy. I have a feeling once you make pancakes this way you may not go back!
The process of making soufflé pancakes requires very few steps. The one step that is the most crucial is whipping the egg whites and folding them into the batter.
The air that is beaten into the egg whites is what will lift the pancake batter and create fluffiness.
To create soufflé pancakes you need to separate your egg whites from your egg yolks. The egg whites will not whip up and hold air in them if fat is present, therefore the yolk must be separated from the white.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, milk, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. This is the base of the pancake batter and what the egg white mixture will be folded into.
In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to whip the egg whites on medium speed.
Once the whites are starting to hold shape, gradually stream in the sugar while continuing to beat the egg whites. You want to beat the whites until they almost, but not fully, form stiff peaks.
Note: Your egg whites need to be holding stiff peaks like the picture below. If they are not, keep beating.
Take about one quarter of the whipped egg whites and stir it completely into the pancake batter base. This will lighten the batter slightly and make it easier to fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Next, add half of the remaining whipped egg whites and gently fold it in, making sure not to deflate the air out of the whites. Fold in the remaining whipped egg whites into the batter.
Be sure to cook the pancakes immediately. Because these pancakes rely on the whipped egg whites for their lift, they need to be cooked right after mixing.
You will be so amazed at how tall and fluffy these babies get!
And that is it! It really is that easy!
If you don't have baking powder on hand or even if you do and you just want the fluffiest pancakes you've ever made, this is your recipe!
Pancakes without Baking Powder
About egg temperature: If you do not have time to let your eggs come to room temperature naturally, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before cracking and separating them. Egg whites whip to stiff peaks much more quickly if they are at room temperature. It is absolutely essential that you whip the egg whites long enough to reach stiff peaks for this recipe. Cold egg whites will eventually whip to stiff peaks, but it will take much longer.