Buttermilk Pancakes

At a glance

What stands out: These buttermilk pancakes are just like restaurant pancakes: thick, fluffy, and buttery. They’re straightforward to mix!

How long it takes: 10 minutes to make the batter, 8 to 10 minutes per batch to fry
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, griddle
Servings: makes 8 pancakes

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

This straightforward step-by-step recipe results in the fluffiest classic buttermilk pancakes. They taste memorable and will give iHop a run for its money. You won’t ever need store-bought pancake mixes or anything from the freezer aisle again because once you’ve tried these from-scratch pancakes, there is no turning back.

Reliable pancakes. Buttermilk pancakes are the gold standard of all pancakes and for good reason. The fluffy pancakes almost melt in your mouth. They’re exactly what you think of when you dream of pancakes. (If you’re looking for more restaurant-style pancake recipes, try our sweet cream pancakes, too!)

Primed for toppings. Buttermilk pancakes are a reliable blank slate to top with all your favorite things. A stack of pancakes with melted butter and maple syrup dripping down the side and pooling on the plate is guaranteed to bring a smile. We like to add sliced bananas, strawberries, or peaches (try our peach sauce!) to pancakes, too. Keep reading for lots more ideas.

Great for meal prep. Make a double or triple batch of pancakes and freeze some for later. When you’re ready to eat them, just pop them in the toaster or microwave. They’re reliable for a speedy breakfast on the go.

What goes in

• Buttermilk: Look for buttermilk in the refrigerated dairy section of the grocery store. If you’re not familiar with buttermilk, it’s actually a by-product of making butter. It’s thick, low in fat, slightly tangy, and has natural cultures. Buttermilk is slightly acidic so it interacts with baking soda to make the pancakes light and fluffy.
• Butter: To reinforce the flavor of buttermilk, these pancakes include melted butter, instead of the oil that’s more commonly used to make pancakes.
• Egg: Beat the egg lightly before adding it so that the yolk and white are thoroughly mixed together. Use a fork or whisk.
• Vanilla Extract: The warm sweet flavor of vanilla enhances these pancakes. Use pure extract, not imitation vanilla, for a standby flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: Just regular flour is all you need. We usually buy unbleached flour but bleached flour is fine. If you want to make the pancakes with whole wheat flour, we recommend using a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour.
• Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt: Normal pancake ingredients, these pantry staples interact with the buttermilk, a process that makes the pancakes light and fluffy. Salt keeps them from tasting flat.

Cooking Tip

Although these pancakes taste best if you use buttermilk, if you’re in a pinch, you can make a buttermilk substitute. Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice, white distilled vinegar, or cream of tartar to a 1 cup measuring cup. Continue filling the measuring cup with milk. Stir gently and let it sit for about 5 minutes. You should start to see it curdle a bit at which point it’s ready to use.

How it comes together

Mix wet ingredients. Pour the melted butter into a medium-sized bowl. Slowly whisk in the buttermilk until the butter is incorporated into the buttermilk. This prevents the melted butter from clumping when it hits the cold buttermilk or eggs. Whisk in the beaten eggs and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and combined.

Add dry ingredients. Measure out the flour and add it to the egg mixture. Don’t stir it in. Add the remaining ingredients (sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) and lightly stir them into the flour.

Combine. Lightly fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Don’t overstir the batter; stir just until you don’t see dry clumps of flour. The batter will be quite thick. Set it aside while the griddle preheats. The time-out will allow the buttermilk to activate the baking powder and soda, ensuring that the pancakes will be light.

Cook pancakes. Once the griddle is heated over medium heat, add butter if necessary. We find that we don’t usually need to grease our nonstick griddle but if you like the flavor of pancakes fried in butter, grease the griddle with butter.

Since the batter is quite thick, you won’t be able to pour it; use a large spoon, measuring cup, or cookie scoop to put the batter on the griddle. Spread the batter out for each pancake until it’s the desired thickness. Cook the pancakes until they’re lightly browned on the bottom, flip, and brown the other side, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Serve. Serve the pancakes immediately with your favorite toppings or keep them warm until ready to serve.

Pancake Griddle

If you don’t have a pancake griddle, we highly recommend this nonstick stovetop griddle. You can cook at least 4 pancakes at a time. We've had ours for years and use it often. It works well for grilled cheese sandwiches, too.

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Ways to change it

• Thinner pancakes: If you prefer pancakes that aren’t quite as fluffy, add ¼ cup regular milk to the batter. If you use from-scratch buttermilk substitute, your pancakes will also be thinner.
• Silver dollar pancakes: Mini silver dollar pancakes are basically extra small buttermilk pancakes. Everyone loves them because there’s lots of crispy edges.
• Double batch: If you’re cooking for a crowd, double all the ingredients to make 8 servings (2 pancakes each). Press the 2X button and the ingredients will be doubled for you. You may want to try our sheet pan pancakes. Because the pancakes are baked in one pan in the oven, it will save you the time it takes to fry bunch of pancakes.
• Lighter swaps: Make the pancakes with ½ cup of buckwheat or whole wheat flour and ½ cup all-purpose flour (50/50 ratio). Top the pancakes with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit or your favorite nut butter with sliced bananas. From-scratch applesauce with cinnamon is another lighter topping idea. From-scratch fruit sauces like blueberry sauce or strawberry sauce are lightly sweetened and a good substitute for syrup.
• Add-ins: Stir a few tablespoons of mini chocolate chips or colorful sprinkles (great for birthdays!) into the batter. Finely chopped fruit or berries can be also added to the batter.

What To Serve With Pancakes

Eggs/Meat: Serve the pancakes with lots of scrambled eggs (our family’s favorite!). Instant Pot boiled eggs are great, too. Did you know you can even “boil” eggs in your air fryer? They turn out great! You can make bacon in your air fryer and sausages, too. Baked bacon is a real time-saver if you’re cooking a whole package of bacon. Hash brown egg casserole and crustless quiche are good choices, too.

Smoothies: Our kids are happy campers when we serve from-scratch smoothies with pancakes. Try our blueberry smoothie or tropical smoothie.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Pancakes will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you’ve made a big batch or have a lot of leftover pancakes, they freeze well. Cool the pancakes in a single layer on a wire rack, if possible. Freeze them individually arranged on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes before packing them together in a freezer-friendly airtight container or Ziploc bag. This method keeps the pancakes from sticking together so you can take out whatever you need.

Reheat: If the pancakes are frozen, you don’t need to thaw them. A standby way to reheat pancakes is in a toaster oven. Place them directly on the wire rack and “toast” them until warmed through. Microwaved pancakes are softer.

Pancake Mix – with 100% Whole Wheat Option

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• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Method

1. Add the melted butter to a large mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the buttermilk while whisking. This prevents the butter from clumping.
2. Whisk in egg and vanilla.
3. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and gently mix together on top of the wet ingredients before whisking it all together, until just mixed. The batter will be quite thick.
4. Preheat griddle over medium heat; if desired, grease the griddle with butter. Scoop batter onto preheated griddle, spreading it out as needed. Cook pancakes for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Notes

Thinner pancakes: This is a thick pancake batter, and it works best with a scoop. If you prefer thinner pancakes, add ¼ cup regular milk to the batter.

Keep warm: If you’re making the pancakes ahead, preheat your oven to 200-250°F. Place a wire rack on a sheet pan; arrange pancakes on the wire rack and keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve. It’s best not to cover them because condensation will form and the pancakes will get too soft.