People are obsessed with simple sparkling water hack for ‘perfect’ pancakes

Shrove Tuesday is finally here and I'm sure many of us are racing to combine the likes of flour, milk and eggs to make a salivation-worthy stack of pancakes for the special occasion.

Now, while we all have different preferences when it comes to pancake toppings - from your traditional lemon and sugar all the way through to your Nutella and crispy bacon - there's one lesser-known ingredient that'll really take your pancakes to the next level.

Say goodbye to flat and lifeless pancakes once and for all with this one simple hack that people are absolutely obsessed with.

According to experts, using sparkling water in your pancake mix can make all the difference to the taste and texture of your pancakes.

So how much should you add?

Well, it's best to add approximately five tablespoons per serving of four pancakes.

Experts at Radnor Infusions have revealed the bubbles in the sparkling water infuse into the batter, which expands when heated, giving the pancakes a soft lift and making them flavourful and light.

Chris Sanders, hydration expert at Radnor Infusions, explained: "As sparkling water is carbonated, it naturally aerates the batter. Sparkling water retains fizz for much longer, so when this gets in contact with heat it will form small bubbles in the heat-setting mixture to create fluffy pancakes."

Alexander Spatari / Getty Images

People on TikTok have been loving the idea, with many taking to the video sharing platform to post their own recipes using sparkling water.

One penned: "Did anyone hear about putting sparkling water in pancakes dough?"

A second agreed: "Yes sparkling water is a must!"

"Wow that sounds amazing!" praised a third.

A fourth chimed in: "This is so good!"

For anyone who doesn't want to bother with all the faff of multiple batter ingredients then worry not as an unlikely tin of legume could save you a frantic dash to the supermarket.

You only need one ingredient to fulfil your Shrove Tuesday dreams of maple syrup smothered, Nutella filled, strawberry covered pancake goodness.

Arx0nt / Getty Images

An Instagram food account named Lentily Unhinged took to the platform to share their find with followers.

They wrote: "ONE INGREDIENT PANCAKES !? Guys I’m not being funny but i haven’t had a pancake that tasted so good in years. There is quite literally one golden ingredient (two if you count water) and 0 faff and it creates the best looking, best tasting pancakes ever."

The user teased the ingredient is 'one that pretty much everyone should have lurking in the back end of a random cupboard' which is 'relatively cheap, and often overlooked'.

The magic ingredient? A tin of red lentils.

But what do you do with the legume to turn it into a fluffy, puffy layer-able mountain of goodness which can be lathered in sugar and lemon or bacon and sausage if you like something a bit more savoury?

Lentily Unhinged continued: "You put the ingredient in a blender with a bit of water, juzsh it up, and bam. you’re done. Pour into a pan as you would normal pancake batter, cook each side for a few minutes, and you’re done. ENJOY!"

Topics: Food and Drink, Hacks, TikTok, Life

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.