Easy pancake recipes with the cheapest ingredients

Pancakes are one of the cheapest foods to make, the batter consisting of only milk, eggs and flour. A little butter or oil to cook them in and a squeeze of lemon and sugar is all they need to make Pancake Day a success. Supermarket mixes often cost more than a 1.5kg bag of flour, but do contain powdered egg and powdered milk. If you already have milk and eggs in the fridge, then making pancakes from scratch is more cost-effective in the long run.

Pancakes make a great savoury base for meals – stuff them with mushrooms, cheese and ham or a bit of everything. They also freeze well, so can be made in a bulk batch for pancake dinners any night of the week.

Step 1: The pancake batter

If you're the kind of person who likes a little written reassurance, here are our foolproof pancake recipes for beginners.

No scales? No problem!

Watch the video for our tried and tested way of making the easiest ever pancakes – no weighing scales or measuring jugs required.

Step 2: The toppings

Sweet or savoury, we've got the easiest ways to accessorise your pancakes. Whether you want to dress your pancakes from the inside with different flours or flavours, or you just want to bung a great topping on the 3rd pancake for a bit of variety, try these easy pancake ideas. Or try our next-level pancake ideas.

Sweet pancake toppings

1. The classic lemon and sugar pancake recipe
2. Banana pancakes with extra bananas and honey
3. Simple Scotch pancakes taste brilliant with butter and jam
4. Nadiya's Pineapple upside-down pancakes use tinned fruit
5. Mary Berry's drop scones use orange zest with yoghurt and honey
6. Frozen berries and melted white chocolate are a quick win
7. Chocolate chip pancakes with ice cream
8. A little cocoa powder goes into chocolate marble pancakes
9. A little extra butter and sugar makes a caramel sauce that's great with bananas
10. Water, cocoa powder and sugar makes an easy hot chocolate sauce for drizzling

Savoury pancake toppings

1. Ham and cheese
2. Mushroom pancakes with crème fraiche
3. Healthy vegetable pancakes with optional cooked meats
4. Roasted peppers (from a jar), mashed avocado and coriander
5. A fried egg with chilli and peas
6. Goats' cheese with a beetroot salad
7. Savoury pancakes with ham, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese sauce
8. Spicy potato pancakes
9. Easy pancakes with bacon, avocado and poached egg
10. Potato pancakes with sour cream and spring onions

Need a free-from pancake mixture?

No matter what your dietary requirements are, there's a pancake for you.

Vegan pancake recipes

Vegan pancakes don't need a special mix or expensive ingredients, they can be even cheaper than traditional pancakes. A little extra raising agent and plant-based milk is all you need for vegan American pancakes. You can even make a vegan pancake mix that is ready to whip up first thing in the morning.

Gluten-free pancake recipes

A mix of rice flour and tapioca flour works a treat in these traditional gluten-free pancakes, but if you want something with a little lift these buckwheat pancakes can also be made gluten-free.

Egg-free pancake recipes

Egg provides texture as well as flavour in pancakes. Alternatives, such as mashed banana, work well in both fluffy eggless pancakes and flat pancakes. All vegan pancake recipes are suitable, but you can use dairy products instead of any alternative milks or oils.

Dairy-free pancakes

If you need to avoid dairy, you can do a straight swap of cow's milk for the dairy-free milk of your choice and simply fry the pancakes in oil, rather than butter.