Pancakes With Malted Milk Powder
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 30, 2025 
These fluffy, moist and diner-style griddle cakes are so easy to make at home — all thanks to one special ingredient. These Pancakes with Malted Milk Powder are seriously the BEST diner pancakes ever!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Why do old-school diner pancakes taste better than those floppy homemade pancake disks you make in your kitchen? We all have secretly wondered this at some point in our lives. If you’ve just gotta know the mysteries of perfect pancakes, today we’re spilling the beans batter on How to Make Homemade Pancakes from scratch that will make your family swoon.
The secret ingredient to making these perfect diner-style pancakes at home? Malted Milk Powder.
I’m not exactly sure where or how this started, or even why. Yet I can tell you, malt powder makes all the difference!
Why You’ll Love These Pancakes with Malted Milk Powder
- Fluffy and moist – Just like with my homemade pancake mix, these delicious pancakes are light, fluffy and incredibly tender.
- Old school flavor – Every bite of these nostalgic diner-style pancakes are loaded with that classic old school flavor.
- Customizable – Add in your favorite toppings or keep these plain, as they are in my recipe! Or use this batter for my pancake casserole or baked pancake recipe.
Trust me, these malted milk powder pancakes take breakfast to the next level.
Ingredients and Tips
- All-purpose flour – You can use a gluten-free flour alternative, but note that your griddle cakes might not turn out quite as fluffy.
- Malted milk powder – Use a classic malted milk powder for that caramel-like flavor and golden brown crust.
- Salt, baking powder, and baking soda – Essential for getting the perfect fluffiness.
- Milk – I prefer whole milk, but you can use 2% or any non-dairy milk. (However, you could use buttermilk.)
- Egg – I usually use large eggs.
- Butter – Melted.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Chocolate chips – Mix some mini chocolate chips into the pancake batter for a gooey chocolate chip pancakes version of this recipe.
- Blueberries – Fold in a handful of plump blueberries to make blueberry pancakes.
- Banana – Stir in about half or an entire banana for some extra sweetness.
- Mini pancakes – Make mini versions of these amazing pancakes for kids or for a quick snack.
- Nutella – Drizzle some Nutella over the pancakes for a rich finish.
- Waffles – Cook the batter in a lightly greased waffle maker to make delicious waffles!
- Gluten-free – Use gluten-free flour and double check that the malted milk powder is gluten-free as well.
How To Make Pancakes With Malted Milk Powder
Tips for Success – Don’t over-mix the batter. It’s common to mix pancake batter too long in an effort to remove clumps. This creates tough pancakes and cakes. Mix the batter just long enough to incorporate all the ingredients, then STOP. If there’s a clump or two, they will work themselves out while baking.
Find the full Pancakes With Malted Milk Powder recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Enjoy these pancakes immediately!
- Freezing Leftovers – Place cooked pancakes one by one on parchment paper and freeze each layer in a zip loc bag for up to 4 months.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to enjoy these classic Americana pancakes. Serve them the classic way, with a dollop of butter and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
You can also enjoy these with honey and crumbled nuts.
If you want to make these savory, serve them up with a side of sizzling crispy bacon, or a sausage, and a fried egg.
Pancake Recipe With Malted Milk Powder
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup malted milk powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 extra large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Heat the griddle (or non-stick skillet) to medium-high.
- In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk the milk, egg, and vanilla until frothy.
- Add the milk mixture to the dry mix and whisk until smooth. Finally, whisk in the melted butter. Allow the pancake batter to rest for 3-5 minutes to thicken.
- Start by making one pancake as a test-batch to ensure your heat is accurate. Use a 1/4- to 1/3-cup scoop to ladle the batter onto a buttered griddle.
- Cook for 1-3 minutes per side. Flip when small bubbles rise to the top of the batter. The center should dome and bounce back when touched. If the pancake turns dark too quickly, turn the heat down. Continue with the remaining batter.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
These two are not so easily exchangeable, although they can be very similar. A hotcake is usually thicker and stays in the pan longer, taking more time to cook.
If you haven’t tried malted milk powder, think of what Whoppers taste like. Yum! Essentially, malted milk powder has a slightly nutty and toasty flavor with a hint of caramel.
It’s best to cook the pancakes as soon as you prep the batter.
These are the best pancakes ever! Had pancakes at a diner in Michigan and I have been trying to figure out the recipe ever since. You nailed it! Thank you so much!
I love the addition of malted milk powder! Such great flavor!
We always do pancakes on the weekends! This is seriously so easy to throw together! Love the added touch of vanilla bean paste!
This was really amazing!! So fluffy and delicious!
These are so simple to make and delicious. Next time I am definitely making a double batch and freezing one!
needed to add milk for sure and on gas burner kept burner under medium or they burned. still having a little trouble getting it exactly right (occasional raw inside) but getting better. end result is worthwhile – like the diner but better because it’s homemade and I know what i’m putting in my kid’s belly! thanks!
if i do buttermilk, is it correct to increase from 1C to 1 1/4C and increase baking soda to 1/2 tsp from 1/4 tsp?
loved the malt powder addition!
It’s my first time on your site. You appear to have many pancake recipes. Thus I think you are wonderful. Laughing here. AND I have asked myself why restaurant pancakes taste different. Not necessarily better, but consistently delicious and they are firmer. So I am going to give this a whirl.
These were so fluffy. Thanks for sharing the secret.
Pancakes are good for desserts after a having a heavy lunch specially in hot summers
I am always looking for the perfect pancake recipe. I think I just found it! I have malted milk powder in the house. A great use for it. I will try these and let you know what happens. Thanks for the inspiration.
I thought I was the only one who was thinking this? Thank you for this recipe.