I tried cooking pancakes in the air fryer, and the quick process made a delicious breakfast

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Frank OlitoSep 22, 2021, 20:02 IST
I tried cooking pancakes in the air fryer, and the quick process made a delicious breakfast

Pancakes are surprisingly easy to make in the air fryer.Frank Olito/Insider

  • I tried cooking instant pancake mix in the air fryer for the first time.
  • At first I struggled to find a dish for the pancake batter.
  • But after less than five minutes in the air fryer, the pancakes were fluffy, thick, and delicious.
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When I first saw someone cooking pancakes in an air fryer on TikTok, I was extremely skeptical.

When I first saw someone cooking pancakes in an air fryer on TikTok, I was extremely skeptical.
Pancakes. Masahisa Iketani/Getty Images

I grew up eating pancakes most weekend mornings, but these days, I rarely cook the delicious breakfast. On the weekends now, mixing the batter and trying to get the perfect pancake on the stovetop can seem too daunting.

So that's why I was shocked to see a viral TikTok where a user called Air Fryer Guy quickly and easily made pancakes in an air fryer. When I saw the video, I had a lot of questions, mainly, will this actually work? I doubted that you can get a perfect, fluffy pancake in an air fryer, so I decided to try it out myself.

At first, I wanted to make the pancakes from scratch, but I decided to make the process as simple as possible.

At first, I wanted to make the pancakes from scratch, but I decided to make the process as simple as possible.
Pancake mix at the store. Frank Olito/Insider

When I Googled "pancakes in an air fryer," hundreds of pancake recipes popped up. I thought about following one and buying all the necessary ingredients, but eventually I thought better of it. I wanted to see how simple I could make this process, so I decided to buy instant pancake mix instead.

While at the grocery store, I spotted Bisquick's Shake 'n Pour, which allows you to mix the pancake batter in the small yellow bottle. That means there are no dishes to be washed. I thought it couldn't get any easier than this.

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While in the store, I realized I needed something to hold the pancake batter while it was in the air fryer - I found a creative solution.

While in the store, I realized I needed something to hold the pancake batter while it was in the air fryer - I found a creative solution.
Graham cracker crust tins. Frank Olito/Insider

As I was reading the instructions for air-fryer pancakes on various blogs, I learned I needed a container for the pancake batter to go in. The containers needed to be small, round, and oven-safe. Some recipes recommended buying crème brûlée dishes, but the grocery store I was at didn't have any.

I frantically searched the aisles for something similar and came across Keebler's mini graham cracker crust tin cups.

I only needed the tins, so when I got home, I attempted to remove the crusts.

I only needed the tins, so when I got home, I attempted to remove the crusts.
The broken crust. Frank Olito/Insider

Luckily, the crust came apart from the tins easily with the help of a fork. I saved the crumbled crust to use as a topping for a future dessert, so there was no waste.

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Next, I added water and oat milk to the Bisquick pancake mix.

Next, I added water and oat milk to the Bisquick pancake mix.
The Shake 'n Pour batter was easy. Frank Olito/Insider

Although the directions say to only add water, I decided to add some oat milk in hopes it would make the pancakes thicker and fluffier.

After shaking the container for 30 seconds, I had a thick pancake mix ready to go. I was shocked at how easy the prep was, and I was especially happy there were no dishes to clean.

After greasing the small tin containers, I poured in the pancake mixture.

After greasing the small tin containers, I poured in the pancake mixture.
The pancake batter in the tin cups. Frank Olito/Insider

Sometimes when an item isn't heavy, it will move around in the air fryer because of the built-in fans. I've seen it happen when I tried to make grilled cheese in the air fryer and the bread flew around.

This time, my fear was that the tin cups would fly around, throwing pancake batter all over. I decided to add a few chocolate chips so that the cups would be heavier and stay put.

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Finally, I put the first two pancakes in the air fryer at 375 degrees, and after five minutes, they were done.

Finally, I put the first two pancakes in the air fryer at 375 degrees, and after five minutes, they were done.
The pancakes in the air fryer. Frank Olito/Insider

After waiting five minutes, I was relieved to see the tin cups didn't move in the air fryer. I was also surprised to see the pancakes had puffed up and were a dark golden brown.

Even though they were only in there for five minutes, I realized I had overbaked them.

Quick tip: Our Insider Reviews team tested seven different air fryers to determine the best one you can buy. The top pick is the Philips Premium TurboStar Airfryer.

Premium TurboStar Air Fryer (small)

I decided to make a second batch of pancakes and left them in for a shorter amount of time.

I decided to make a second batch of pancakes and left them in for a shorter amount of time.
The finished pancakes. Frank Olito/Insider

After just 3 minutes, I took the second batch out of the air fryer, and they were perfectly cooked and crispy on the edges.

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The pancakes were surprisingly thick and fluffy.

The pancakes were surprisingly thick and fluffy.
The pancakes were thick and fluffy. Frank Olito/Insider

The pancakes were fluffy on the inside and crispy around the edges, creating the perfect bite.

Although I was skeptical at first, I found that cooking pancakes in the air fryer is an efficient way to make a great breakfast.

Although I was skeptical at first, I found that cooking pancakes in the air fryer is an efficient way to make a great breakfast.
I would make these pancakes again. Frank Olito/Insider

Although cooking pancakes in an air fryer might seem counterintuitive, it all worked out. I found cooking dishes that worked and figured out how to weigh them down so they wouldn't blow around in the air fryer.

Luckily, the result was delicious, fluffy pancakes. But next time, I might invest in a larger cooking tray so that I could make bigger pancakes.

Otherwise, this is a great and simple way to make breakfast, and I can definitely see myself doing this again on a Saturday morning.

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