Overnight fridge batter is the secret to pancakes on demand

Get a head start on this glorious stack of fluffy golden pancakes.

Caramelised banana pancakes Source: Donal's Kitchen Hero

You want fluffy golden pancakes on your plate, dripping with sticky syrup, as soon as possible after you get out of bed?

Overnight fridge batter is the answer.

Pancakes aren’t hard to make, but many recipes for light, fluffy pancakes require you to rest the batter after mixing or to whisk egg whites and carefully fold them into your batter. Both will give you a satisfying stack – we love these blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and bacon (a stand-the-batter version) or Adriano Zumbo’s indulgent pancakes with banana-caramel cream (an eggwhite style).

Blueberry pancakes with bacon Source: Feast magazine

But for getting a great pancake made FAST, turn the resting time to your advantage. Make the batter the night before, and then you’re all set to go in the morning.

That resting time helps give you that lovely fluffy texture.

“With any pancake batter, you don't want to overwork the mixture. The more you beat that flour through, the more the gluten starts to work, and you need to allow it to relax afterwards,” says Irish cook Donal Skehan. The best thing to do, he says, is leave it for at least an hour, or overnight, in the fridge.

Of course, if you’ve got the time to rest the batter on the morning you make them (or evening – pancakes for dessert are a winner too), you can use the time to cook up an indulgent topping. Skehan likes to serve his American-style pancakes with caramelised bananas and a sticky sauce made with golden syrup and butter.

Caramelised banana pancakes Source: Donal's Kitchen Hero

“Sweet and sticky caramelised banana pancakes are guaranteed to go down well,” he says of the version he shares in Donal’s Kitchen Hero (get the recipe here).

“Pancakes like this, they go beautifully with a bit of bacon if you like your savoury-style pancakes, but like this, it's a really sweet treat and it's perfect for a weekend brunch.”

While we're talking sweet syrups, here are a few more of our favourite toppings: maple butter, which you can keep in the fridge for up to a month, ready to pull out when the pancake urge strikes; Poh Ling Yeow's orange, cinnamon and star anise syrup; and the saffron-cardamom syrup included in the recipe for these Indian pancakes (the batter for these needs to rest for four hours, so it's another you could easily turn into an overnight pancake).

Bengali pancakes with saffron syrup Source: Brett Stevens

Getting ahead with fridge batter is also the secret to another of our favourite pancakes, gut-friendly fermented Indian dosa. These rice and dhal pancakes can serve as a vehicle for any filling you like, and they are great for those looking for a gluten-free wrap. The fermented batter will last for days in the fridge; if you can, let the batter stand out of the fridge for a bit before using it.

Another savoury fridge-batter favourite: In this Food Safari recipe for banh xeo – crisp Vietnamese pancakes – the batter can sit for anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight.

Banh xeo (crisp Vietnamese pancake) Source: Food Safari Water

Whether you lean to sweet or savoury, an overnight pancake batter can make your breakfast satisfaction just that bit quicker!

For hundreds of other sweet and savoury pancake recipes see our pancake collection. 

See Donal Skehan make his banana pancakes and many more delicious dishes in Donal's Kitchen Hero, currently airing weeknights 5.30pm on SBS Food and then on SBS On Demand. Those indulgent pancakes are a star of season 3 of Kitchen Hero; season 3 starts on Friday 23 April and sees Donal on the road in a vintage van, cooking at festivals and gatherings around Ireland.