I’ve got breakfast covered today with my classic Buttermilk Pancakes recipe — made completely from scratch (and tips to make them if you don’t have buttermilk, too!)! I’ll be showing you how to make thick, fluffy pancakes that can be ready in under 15 minutes! Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Pancake Recipe
Buttermilk pancakes are an American classic breakfast food, but despite their unfussy ingredient list, too often people grab for the box mix because it’s just “easier”. Too many home bakers have struggled with dense, flat, or rubbery pancakes, or ones that have charred exteriors, raw centers, or are just all-around lacking in flavor. Today we’re going to fix that with my favorite, fool-proof buttermilk pancake recipe.
While you’d be hard-pressed to find a truly complicated buttermilk pancake recipe, many recipes sadly leave out important tips and tricks that can make or break your breakfast. Do you know the right time to flip? The right heat for your stovetop? Which substitutions are acceptable and which definitely aren’t? How to make buttermilk pancakes if you don’t even have buttermilk?
My recipe has not only been carefully perfected to yield fat, fluffy, and super flavorful pancakes (the cousin to my paper-thin crepes), but I’m also answering all of these questions and sharing my super simple tips and tricks so you’ll never reach for that box mix ever again.
Grab your (preferably non-stick) skillet and get ready for perfect, golden pancakes every time. Let’d do this.
What You Need for Perfect Pancakes
This recipe is easy and uses pantry staples, but let’s talk about a handful of the ingredients before we get started:
- Buttermilk: When combined with the baking soda, this gives the pancakes a nice lift, making them thick and fluffy. It’s purpose isn’t only a chemical one, though, it also gives buttermilk pancakes a great flavor with a classic but subtle tang. See my FAQ section below to make this recipe if you don’t have buttermilk.
- Eggs. Ideally these should be room temperature. Ideally all your ingredients should be so that the batter combines easily but I’m realistic about the fact that most people aren’t going to wake up two hours early to set their buttermilk out to come to room temperature and I’d never ask you to do something I don’t do myself. Fortunately, this recipe is fairly resilient.
- Butter. This should be melted. Do this first so it has time to cool a bit before you add it to your buttermilk.
- Baking powder and baking soda. The combination of these two leaveners give the pancakes the perfect fluffiness and lift.
- Flour. I recommend using all-purpose flour. You can experiment with substituting some of the flour with whole wheat flour, but since that is a much thirstier flour you might need a bit more buttermilk to keep the batter from being too thick. Self rising flour is not recommended as the baking powder and salt are already accounted for.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Buttermilk Pancakes
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and vanilla separately and drizzle the melted butter into the mixture while whisking. Add to the dry ingredients.
- Very gently fold together the wet and dry ingredients until almost completely combined. Don’t overdo it or your pancakes will be flat and dense rather than fluffy.
- Cook on medium heat until golden brown on each side. Don’t crank up the heat, this will yield pancakes with burnt outsides and raw centers, and that’s just sad 🙁
SAM’S TIP: You can tell your buttermilk pancakes are ready to flip when the edges begin to look set and the bubbles in the batter begin to burst. At this point you should easily be able to flip a spatula underneath to gently lift up an edge and take a peek: look for a golden brown color!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Zach and I often make a half batch of buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, it divides easily and results are exactly the same! For the buttermilk, you would use 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons.
You can use my buttermilk substitute recipe instead (you only need milk and vinegar or lemon juice). Pour 2 Tablespoons + ¾ teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into a large measuring cup then add milk until you have the 2 ¼ cup called for. Stir.
However you should know that “homemade” buttermilk is thinner than the real thing. You may not need to use the full 2 ¼ cup called for, it could make your batter runny and your pancakes too thin. If using the substitute, set aside about ½ cup of your buttermilk (so only use 1 ½ cups) and use the recipe as indicated. If the batter seems too thick, gradually add more of the buttermilk substitute as needed.
Most likely this is a result of over-mixing the batter, this can yield flat, dense, or even rubbery pancakes. Do not over-mix your pancake batter — I can not overstate how important this is. When combining your wet and dry ingredients, gently fold together with a spoon or spatula until just combined. A few flour streaks remaining in the batter is actually a good thing!
Absolutely! You can add up to a cup of add-ins to your buttermilk pancake batter. Because you want to avoid over-mixing your batter, it is best to fold these in when your flour is halfway incorporated rather than waiting until you’ve already mostly combined your wet and dry ingredients.
You can also skip the mix-ins and instead top off your pancakes with whipped cream or blueberry sauce, instead. Or do mix-ins and fancy toppings, I don’t judge!
Yes you can! While I have a waffle recipe that I love and would recommend, my buttermilk pancake batter actually makes delicious waffles, too.
These are great with simple butter and syrup, but sometimes I like to get fancy and add whipped cream, strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, caramel sauce, chocolate gravy, or hot fudge sauce!
Have you ever tried a pancake sundae before with ice cream and toppings? Not health food, but so good!
Alright, I think that pretty much covers it! I hope you’ll try these out and please let me know what you think!!
Enjoy!
Other Breakfast Recipes You Might Like:
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Best Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups buttermilk¹ (530ml)
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (57g)
Recommended Equipment
- Non-stick skillet
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, until well-combined.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together buttermilk,, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Take your melted butter and slowly drizzle it into your wet ingredients while whisking, stirring until well-combined (the butter may separate and curdle if your other ingredients are cold, this is OK, just whisk to combine).
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until just combined — do not overmix your pancake batter or your pancakes will be flat. Use a light hand when stirring, and a few flour streaks in the batter are fine.
- Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray or lightly brush with canola oil and place on burner on medium-low heat.
- Allow skillet to preheat before adding batter (about 5 minutes, it's good for your pancake batter to sit several minutes as well, which is why you prepared that before preheating your pan), and once skillet is heated (I usually test this by hovering my hand several inches above the pan and making sure I can feel the heat radiating from it) scoop pancake batter into pan (I use about ½-⅔ cup of batter per pancake).
- Allow pancake to cook until edges begin to appear cooked and bubbles in batter begin to burst. Using a pancake spatula, carefully flip pancake and continue to cook several more minutes until pancake is golden brown.
- Repeat until all batter is used — I recommend spraying or brushing the pan between each batch of pancakes.
- Serve warm topped with salted butter and maple syrup!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Buttermilk Pancake recipe originally published 01/29/2018, updated just in time for Fat Tuesday! Recipe is unchanged but additional tips have been added and a video is now included!
Susan
So so good. Didn’t alter any ingredients.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Susan! 🙂
Amanda
I can never make pancakes out of a box again! Honestly, now I can’t can’t tolerate IHOP, lol. These are the BEST pancakes ever!
I started making these a while back, just roughly scooping ingredients out and hoping for the best. Even with that terrible technique, these were always a step above other pancakes.
I got a KitchenAid last year and started using that to mix with the whisk attachment, low speed and watching carefully, and they came out well. I even did this as part of an epic breakfast feast for my oldest’s birthday last April (quarantine birthday deserved the best that I could make at home, haha).
I had been using whole buttermilk because I always prefer whole milk to low fat, but one day, all the store had was low fat buttermilk. Okay, I said, I’ll try it. Game changer! With low fat buttermilk, the pancakes are even lighter and fluffier, and they don’t lose any flavor!!! Score!
Then, finally, between your recipes and some input from a couple other people who love to bake, I invested in a kitchen scale. My only regret is that I took so long to get one! Now I measure ALL of my ingredients with the scale (even the teaspoons/tablespoons, lol), and the pancakes got even better. I still use my KitchenAid, but now with the paddle attachment, still low speed and watching carefully to not over mix. Now my pancakes are a work of art.
Everyone in the family is so spoiled now. I told my husband last night that I wanted to make pancakes for breakfast, and it was the first thing he mentioned this morning, LOL.
Thanks, Sam!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy them so much, Amanda! Getting a scale was definitely a great idea. It’s a real game changer if you ask me. Hopefully everyone will continue to enjoy tasty pancakes for breakfast. 🙂
ZeeZee
They turned out really good! This is now what I make on Sundays.
Sam
I am so glad to hear this, ZeeZee! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! 🙂
Kathleen
Hi Sam
I have enjoyed all your recipes! We loved your cinnamon buns so n Christmas Day!
I must be missing something on this recipe. My batter came out very watery. Measured exactly and just opened a new baking soda. Is it 2 1/4c buttermilk and only 2cups of flour? Thanks
Sam
Hi Kathleen! I’m so sorry! Someone else has reported the same thing. I made them Christmas day without issue, but I definitely will look into what’s going on here. 🙁
Sarah
Delicious pancakes! My family and I love them. Would these freeze well?
Sam
Hi Sarah! I haven’t tried it but you shouldn’t have any issues freezing these. 🙂
Josie
I have this recipe memorized after just a couple months of making them. It’s a weekend tradition! My three ravenous kids adore these so much, and so do I. They’re fluffy and light and wonderful. They taste like the ones my grandma used to make – the first time I took a bite I was filled with nostalgia and happy thoughts. Love, love, love. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Josie! 🙂
KS Park
Just made them for breakfast today and my family and I loved it! Never buying premixed again. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Michelle
Hi Sam! I have attempted to make these pancakes so many times and each time my batter is fairly runny and my pancakes turn out thin with lumps of dry flour in them. I try to be very careful to not over-mix and have experimented with letting the batter rest for between 15 min and 1 hr without a change in results. I’m very sure it is something I am doing wrong, I just can’t figure out what it is! Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated!
Sam
Hmmm did you weigh all of your ingredients? I have had someone else report their batter being runny and I’m not sure what could be going on here. I made them on Christmas Day without any issue, but I definitely want to troubleshoot and see if I can figure out what’s going on.
Michelle
I seemed to have figured it out! I have been using the buttermilk substitute (whole milk + lemon juice), which I have used in other recipes of yours without issue, but a change to real buttermilk made my pancakes turn out perfectly this morning! They are delicious! Thanks so much for the troubleshooting efforts!
Sam
I’m glad you figured it out! I have tried with the substitute with success, but it’s good to know it can cause a problem. I will make a note of it in the recipe. 🙂
Candice
Just hosted a kids sleepover – 7 kids total. All went on and on about how these were the best pancakes ever! I used a heaping tablespoon of baking power (I just love baking powder in pancakes). PERFECT.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Candice! 🙂
Nohollabackgirl
I just made these. Delicious.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Miss Niss
Delicious! I’m a scoop and eyeball it, measure kinda cook. I halved recipe for 2 and added a dash of cinnamon. They turned out perfect! Next time, im making the full amount! 😁
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Marcia
Delicious pancake recipe! Light fluffy pancakes that melt in your mouth. A definite keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Marcia! 🙂
luciano s rosado
Thanks for the recipe; we really enjoyed them. Great presentation style, as well. Next: scones.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Luciano! I hope you love the scones as well! 🙂
SHEENA
I always measure my ingredients via scale when I can. Its a much more precise way to cook. I used my scale to measure out the flour and milk and found I got a really watery batter. If you’re measuring by volume (which the average person does) you probably measured out too much flour so didn’t have this issue. I didn’t want to add additional flour and risk over beating so I just had really thin gummy pancakes
Sam
Hi Sheena, I use a scale too for dry ingredients but volume for liquid. I’m not sure why this happened, very strange! It does sound like something must have been mis-measured 🙁
Sheena
Halved the recipe so 265ml milk and 125g flour. Should have been the same?
Sam
Hmmm that’s really odd…
Nicole
Making these today and same results. Thin watery batter and thin pancakes. Measured on scale. Checked measurements twice. Going to make again without scale and see what happens.
Robin
Oh, my goodness! This is the pancake recipe I’ve been looking for! These pancakes are fluffy, light, and delicious. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Robin! 🙂
Julie
Best pancakes I’ve ever had. I was a little concerned about the lumps but they came out beautifully. Usually I have to toss the first pancake as it never browns right, not with these. Light and fluffy and perfectly browned. Thank you for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Julie! 🙂