Description
The ultimate fluffy pancake recipe that delivers light, airy, golden-brown pancakes every single time. Made with simple pantry ingredients and ready in just 20 minutes, these homemade pancakes are tender, flavorful, and absolutely irresistible. Perfect for weekend brunch or a special weekday breakfast treat!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk (cold)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Additional butter or oil for cooking
Instructions
- Prepare Your Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure everything is well combined and there are no lumps. Set aside.
- Mix Your Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. The butter should be cooled enough that it doesn’t cook the eggs.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a whisk or wooden spoon, gently fold the mixture together until just combined. The batter should be lumpy – this is important! Overmixing will create tough, dense pancakes. A few streaks of flour are perfectly fine. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes while you heat your pan.
- Heat Your Griddle: Preheat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium heat (about 350°F if your griddle has temperature control). Add a small pat of butter or spray with cooking oil. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles on the surface.
- Cook the Pancakes: Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or ladle, pour batter onto the hot griddle. Don’t spread it – let it naturally form a circle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2-3 minutes. The pancake is ready to flip when the bubbles start to pop and stay open.
- Flip and Finish: Using a spatula, flip the pancake in one quick motion. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. The second side always cooks faster than the first.
- Keep Warm and Serve: Transfer cooked pancakes to a wire rack in a 200°F oven to keep warm while you finish the batch. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings – butter, maple syrup, fresh berries, whipped cream, or whatever makes you happy.
Notes
- Don’t Overmix: The most important rule for fluffy pancakes is to not overmix the batter. Lumps are good! Overmixing develops gluten and creates tough, rubbery pancakes.
- Rest the Batter: Letting the batter rest for 5 minutes allows the flour to hydrate and the leavening agents to start working, resulting in fluffier pancakes.
- Temperature Matters: Medium heat is key. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks; too cool and you’ll get pale, tough pancakes.
- First Pancake Rule: The first pancake is almost always a test pancake to get your temperature right. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect!
- Fresh Leaveners: Check the expiration date on your baking powder and baking soda. Old leaveners won’t give you fluffy results.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 pancakes (1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 115mg