Can You Make Pancakes in a Rice Cooker? A Simple Method

Quick answer: Yes, you can make a rice cooker pancake. It cooks as one thick, fluffy pancake cake rather than individual pancakes. Grease the pot well, pour in pancake batter up to about one third of the pot, close the lid and run a cook cycle, checking with a skewer. It may need a second cycle.

Last updated: November 1, 2026

What you need

• Pancake batter, homemade or from a mix
• Butter or oil to grease the pot
• A rice cooker (a non-stick pot works best)
• A skewer or toothpick for testing

Steps

1. Grease the inner pot well with butter or oil.
2. Pour in batter to about one third of the pot, since it rises.
3. Close the lid and press Cook (or the cake setting if you have one).
4. When the cooker switches to Keep Warm, test with a skewer. If it comes out wet, press Cook again.
5. Let it rest for a few minutes, then turn it out onto a plate.

Tips

• Cooking times vary a lot between cookers, so check early and adjust next time.
• The top can stay pale. Flip it out and brown it briefly in a pan if you like.
• Do not fill past the one-third line.

Some cookers, such as the Zojirushi NS-TSC10, have a cake menu. See our NS-TSC10 review.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make normal pancakes in a rice cooker?

Not in the usual flat shape. It makes one thick pancake cake.

Why is the middle still wet?

The cooker switched to Keep Warm before the batter set. Run another cook cycle.

Will it damage my cooker?

Grease the pot and avoid overfilling. Follow your manual about non-rice foods.

Related guides

• What else can you cook in a rice cooker?
• Rice cooker recipes

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