Dairy-free apple pancakes

Grated apple brings gentle sweetness to these small pancakes. Water replaces milk and a little neutral oil replaces butter. Serve for breakfast with extra fruit that suits your household.

Serves: 4 (about 12 small pancakes) | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes | Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 200 g plain wheat flour
• 8 g baking powder, checked to be dairy-free
• 2 eggs (about 100 g without shells)
• 220 mL water, plus up to 30 mL if needed
• 150 g peeled, cored apple, finely grated
• 20 mL neutral oil, divided

Method

1. Mix the flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the eggs, 220 mL water and 10 mL oil in another bowl. Stir into the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the grated apple. The batter should drop slowly from a spoon; add extra water in small amounts only if it is too thick.
3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Brush with a little of the remaining oil. Add three portions of batter, each about 45 mL, leaving space between them. Gently spread to about 8 cm across.
4. Cook for 3–4 minutes until bubbles appear and the edges look set. Turn and cook for 2–3 minutes more, until golden and cooked through with no wet batter in the centre. Reduce the heat if the outside browns before the middle cooks.
5. Repeat with the remaining batter and oil. The yield and cooking time vary slightly with pan size and batter portions. Serve promptly; cut into comfortable bite sizes for younger eaters.

Choose ingredients that suit you

Contains egg and wheat. Dairy-free does not mean egg-free or suitable for every food allergy. Check the baking powder and every packaged ingredient if managing milk allergy, including cross-contact advice. For coeliac disease, do not simply assume a flour swap will work identically; use a suitable gluten-free pancake recipe or a blend with its own verified instructions. Apple and wheat can contribute FODMAPs, so this recipe is not labelled low FODMAP. It is not designed as a low-histamine or sucrose/starch-restricted recipe.

Use a tolerated pear instead of apple if preferred, noting that this does not make the recipe low FODMAP. Avoid adding milk-based spreads if the meal needs to remain dairy-free. See our guide to lactose-free and dairy-free labels.

Storage

Cool spare pancakes promptly on a clean rack, then refrigerate in a covered container at 5°C or colder and use within 2 days, or freeze promptly with layers separated. Thaw in the fridge and reheat until piping hot throughout. Cool to a comfortable eating temperature before serving. Follow FSANZ food-safety guidance. Find more ideas in our recipe collection.