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Making was a pain, but the results were delicious

If you love pancakes and like to use your air fryer then check out this air fryer pancake recipe. I had some fun with it, although my pancakes are far from the perfect batch that you see in the image (sorry, not sorry).

Granted, wet batter is generally a 'no, no' to cook in one of the best air fryers but this air fryer recipe - which has 29,000 views (and counting) - offers an ingenious way to get around this. The video was uploaded by blogger Fork to Spoon (opens in new tab) . There's a detailed recipe and method to follow on the page, along with the video, and it's something that caught my eye. 

Why? There are only eight ingredients, it'll take less than 20 minutes to work through a batch, it's easy enough for busy mornings, and it's beginner friendly. Keep scrolling to find out how I got on when I put this air fryer pancake recipe to the test.

If you're yet to purchase an air fryer for your home, or are looking to upgrade, check out our top-rated air fryers below, all available to buy now for the best prices.

Other than an air fryer to make your air fryer pancakes you'll need two more pieces of equipment, which I think are essential:

1. A pan to sit in the drawer (basket air fryer) or on racking (oven-style air fryer). Use any round pan that will work; ideally 4 - 5in. Alternatively, get hold of a stack of disposable aluminum mini pie dishes. These can be bought from Amazon US (opens in new tab) or Amazon UK (opens in new tab) .

2. Cooking spray. This will prevent the batter from sticking to the tins so you can easily lift out the pancake without causing too much damage.

This recipe uses a buttermilk pancake mix. You can either buy this ready-made from the store or make your own. I made my own, although finding buttermilk was tricky. If you struggle to find any then you can either make your own buttermilk or use ordinary dairy or non-dairy milk.

This air fryer pancake recipe will work in an oven-style or basket-style air fryer. I used the Swan Duo Digital 9L Basket Air Fryer (opens in new tab) which I currently have on test. I bought a pack of 20 aluminum small pie dishes which is more than enough for each batch of pancakes.

If you have air fryer pancakes left over, you can freeze them for up to three months. Let them cool, wrap them individually, and pop them into a freezer bag before shutting them away.

Step 1: Measure out all your ingredients

Step 2: Make the batter. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, egg, sugar, and butter into a large bowl. Mix until all combined.

Step 3: Rest the batter. Let the batter sit for 3 - 5 minutes.

Step 4: Add the batter to the pan. Spray each of the cooking pans with oil then spoon the batter into the pan. Spread it as thin and evenly as you can while covering the bottom of the pan.

Step 5: Set the temperature to 350F / 180C, and cook for 6 minutes. Check halfway for cooking progress.

Step 6: You should have golden brown pancakes. Check that they are cooked all the way through. Carefully remove from pan. Add your favorite toppings.

I like to try cooking different foods in an air fryer and I'm glad I followed this pancake recipe because I now know that I probably won't be doing it again, although I could be tempted. 

I found it a bit of a pain and time-consuming to spread the batter into the aluminium tins, and repeat the process for making the rest of the batch. The batter also stuck to the tins on a few occasions. On the first round of pancakes that I made in my basket air fryer, one of the tins had been blown over on its side so I had to redo that one again. Tins are also creating waste which, ok, can be recycled, but it still doesn't sit quite right with me.

The air fryer pancakes were delicious with a lovely and fluffy middle, though. The buttermilk was really tasty with the contrasting sweetness of the maple syrup I poured on top, and it's a good way to get some berries into the diet too.

With that all said, I think I'll be sticking to just using my air fryer for making heavier cakes such as muffins, and quickly making dinners from frozen in the future. Air fryers are great for cooking so many different recipes, and it's always good to give these things a go. If you're yet to purchase an air fryer, you may want to read our article on whether air fryers are worth it to help you come to a decision.

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 Jennifer Oksien is TechRadar’s Homes Editor. Jennifer (Jenny) has over a decade of experience as a digital product writer specialising in appliances, smart tech and mattresses for some of the UKs leading retailers and magazine titles such as Real Homes, Ideal Home and Livingetc. Generally, you’ll find her watching the latest Netflix series, digging around in the garden or attempting to make a cake that is edible. 

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