An easy homemade easy, fluffy, American pancakes from scratch recipe that uses everyday ingredients that you probably already have on hand that makes the best pancakes every time!
In less than 10 minutes you’ll have one of the best breakfast foods that kids (big and small) will love and an easy recipe that you’ll save and use over and over again and will uplevel your Saturday mornings! These delicious homemade pancakes will become a new family favorite! (Well, these and these Oreo pancakes too!)
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Here’s why you’ll love this recipe
I love pancake mixes like anyone but when you’re looking for a recipe from scratch, or even curious if you have the items on hand to make homemade pancakes, this recipe only uses basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand!
Plus, it’s incredibly easy, it creates a flavorful, perfectly sweet and fluffy pancake that will make you wonder why you even used pancake mix in the first place!
They’re a delicious weekend breakfast idea, to make for a brunch party when entertaining friends or also quick enough for a weekday morning before sending the kids off to school!
And if it helps… my kids say this is the best pancake recipe, ever!
How do you make pancakes fluffier?
I’ve made a TON of pancakes in the 10 years of being a mother to my little boys… and to say that I’ve experimented with pancakes is an understatement! (This is probably why it was easy for me to come up with 95+ pancake topping ideas too! For real.)
I’ve found that when doing the following, we get the fluffiest pancakes:
- When mixing the batter, do NOT over-mix. Lumps are good and this creates a fluffy pancake, rather than chewy, flat pancakes.
- Let your batter rest a little bit. (Maybe 5 minutes or so.)
- Sometimes, adding a bit of acid (like mixing vinegar and milk like I do for substituting buttermilk in my banana bread recipe) helps give the pancakes a fluffy, buttermilk pancake texture!
Simple Ingredients
See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make these basic pancakes.
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- sugar
- whole milk or buttermilk for buttermilk pancakes (skim milk or 2% will work too) Of, if you want to use almond milk, you can make this almond milk pancakes recipe!
- egg
- melted butter + extra for greasing pan or griddle (salted or unsalted butter)
- vanilla extract (pure vanilla extract is always our favorite, instead of imitation but either will work!)
Step By Step Directions for Easy Pancakes
Begin by mixing dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Pour in flour, baking powder, sugar and then mix together. (Photo 1, 2, 3, & 4 below.)
2. Next, add in milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. (Photos 5, 6, 7, & 8 below.)
3. Gently whisk together the ingredients, making sure it’s mixed evenly, WITHOUT mixing too much. Lumps are good and create fluffy pancakes, instead of flat, chewy pancakes. (Photos 9 & 10 below.)
4. Preheat griddle to 350° or pan to medium heat. (Letting the batter rise while preheating will help make fluffier pancakes as well.)
5. When heated, coat the hot griddle or pan with butter so pancakes do not stick. (Photo 11 below.)
6. Using a 1/4 measuring cup (or batter dispenser) scoop up batter and pour pancakes on to buttered cooking surface about 2-3 inches apart. (Photo 12 below.)
7. Flip pancakes when you notice bubbles starting to form on top of the pancakes. (Photo 13 below.)
8. Cook the remaining side of pancakes for about 1 minute or until the bottoms are golden brown. (Photo 14 below.)
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Making Pancakes in Advance – You can actually make the pancake batter in advance. Simply mix as instructed and refrigerate in an air-tight, covered container for up to 2 days, until ready to cook.
- Freezing Pancakes – Love having pancakes on hand? Or do you have leftover pancakes? You can make a large batch (simply double or triple the recipe using the quick-calculation buttons in the recipe card below to figure measurements for you) and once cooked and cooled, store the pancakes in the freezer until ready to reheat and serve!
- DIY Pancake Mix: To save even more time in the future, whip up extra dry ingredients, mixed together to make a homemade pancake mix, and store in a sealable container or bag. Then, just add the wet ingredients when it comes time to make! Pro Tip: Print off the recipe card below and tape it to the plastic container for easy reference… OR, pour in a cute bottle and give it as a gift idea!
Simply substitute buttermilk in place of the milk or substitute buttermilk by mixing regular milk with a few drops of lemon juice.
1. Making sure all of your ingredients are fresh and not expired – especially the baking powder
2. Don’t overmix! Small lumps are good for fluffy pancakes. If overmixing, the pancakes will be flat.
3. Rest the batter for about 5 minutes before cooking to allow it to “rise”.
Yes! I prefer an electric griddle because it makes more at one time. However, a skillet can also create an “edge” and allow the pancakes to have a crispier edge and a fluffy center! NOTE: See the image below of pancakes cooked in a skillet compared to the other pancake photos that are cooked on a griddle!) Simply butter a large skillet and cook pancakes over medium-high heat, according to the directions in the recipe card below!
What to Serve with Pancakes
If you’re looking to round out a heart breakfast, some of our favorite recipes to serve with pancakes are air fryer bacon, this meaty quiche, or these hash brown patties!
Or, get the oven hot and try baking sausage patties in the oven!
However we also love to serve:
- eggs (scrambled, over-easy, over-medium)
- sausage patties or links
- biscuits and gravy (like our chorizo gravy!)
- fresh fruit (like strawberries, grapes, orange slices, bananas, and more!)
What to Mix in Pancakes
Now, for the purpose of this video, I wanted to make regular pancakes. So, I left out some of my favorite pancake additions. I absolutely love adding special toppings, fillings, and even secret ingredients to sneak in for my kids. I love adding things like:
- chocolate chips (milk chocolate or white chocolate)
- blueberries
- whipped cream
- butternut squash (See my sneaky veggie pancake recipe for my kids: Butternut Squash Pancakes)
- strawberry cream cheese (See my Stuffed Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast recipe)
- sweet potatoes
- pumpkin (See my Pumpkin White Chocolate Pancakes with White Chocolate Maple Syrup recipe)
- sprinkles and candy for special occasions
- bananas
- cinnamon
…in case you feel like adding a little pizzaz to your own homemade pancake recipe!
TIP: If using frozen berries, it’s best to thaw them before adding to the batter as the berries may still be cold or frozen even after frying the pancakes.
If you love pancakes as much as I do, then you’ll want to get a hold of this list of over 95 pancake toppings to add to all sorts of pancakes!
After you make the basic pancake recipe below, feel free to add in a little of any of those toppings above, and gently fold in to the batter! Fry as usual for the perfect pancakes that the whole family will love!
Related Recipes
We are BIG fans of pancakes around here, so if this is your first time here, I want to make sure you know about our sheet pan pancakes, these delicious blueberry pancakes, secret healthy ingredient pancakes (hint: the kids will never know!), and our pumpkin white chocolate pancakes that are perfect for fall!
Or, if you’re looking for a gluten-free option, this gluten free pancake mix is wonderful!
📖 Recipe
Amazing Fluffy Pancakes from Scratch Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 1-1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk for buttermilk pancakes
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon melted salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and sugar.
- Next, add in the milk, egg, 3 tbsp. melted butter and vanilla.
- Using a whisk, lightly mix the batter blending the ingredients. Do not overmix. Lumps are good!
- Use an additional tablespoon of butter, and melt in the pan over medium heat.
- Using the 1/4 measuring cup, scoop out a serving of batter on the butter covered pan.
- When bubbles start to form on top of the pancake, flip.
- Cook this side of the pancake for about 1-2 minutes, or until the color of the underside of the pancake reaches a golden brown.
Video
Notes
- Making Pancakes in Advance – You can actually make the pancake batter in advance. Simply mix as instructed and refrigerate in an air-tight, covered container for up to 2 days, until ready to cook.
- Freezing Pancakes – Love having pancakes on hand? You can make a large batch (simply double or triple the recipe using the quick-calculation buttons in the recipe card below to figure measurements for you) and once cooked and cooled, store the pancakes in the freezer until ready to reheat and serve!
- To save even more time in the future, whip up extra dry ingredients, mixed together to make a pancake mix, and store in a sealable container or bag. Then, just add the wet ingredients when it comes time to make! Pro Tip: Print off the recipe card below and tape it to the plastic container for easy reference!
- Making sure all of your ingredients are fresh – not expired, especially the baking powder.
- Don’t overmix!
- Rest the batter for about 5 minutes before cooking.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
I’d also love to hear what you think of this recipe! Leave a rating and a comment down below if you have a little bit of time, to help others know what you think of it!
Deb says
These were fantastic! I didn’t have whole or buttermilk so I did the lemon juice/milk substitute. So fluffy and so good!
Jessica says
Hi Deb! I’m so glad to hear that you liked these homemade pancakes!! And I especially love that you used the lemon juice and milk substitute! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! It tasted really good and delicious! So easy to make as well!
Jessica says
You are SO welcome! Thank you so much for coming by and leaving a review too. I’m thrilled that you liked them!
Lisalia says
Just wanted to say I’ve always used plain milk with vinegar to make “DIY buttermilk” before… but this time I tried REAL buttermilk. And it made ALL the difference! Fluffy and SO SO flavorful! Thanks for this recipe!
Jessica says
Oh that’s so awesome to hear! We love using a DIY buttermilk in our banana bread! So using that in pancakes too makes perfect sense! Thank you so much for sharing that you liked these with buttermilk and thank you for the review!
Betsy says
I usually use sour milk in my pancakes. Definitely helps them turn out fluffier. I tried your trick for letting the batter sit for a few minutes or so. It worked, too! The pancakes were so wonderfully fluffy! Great recipe! Delicious stuff!
Jessica says
Oooooh! I love the idea of adding sour cream too! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so glad that you liked how they turned out after letting them sit for a few minutes too! Thank you and thank you for the review!
Amanda says
These were so easy to make and turned out light and fluffy. It’s always a bit of a juggle trying to get the heat right with the pans you have and flipping them- typically the last few are always the best but I’m really happy with how they turned out and will make them for the family this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you so much Amanda!! They’re our favorite!
Allyson Zea says
Wow these look so perfect! Thank you for this recipe!
Jessica says
Aw, thank you Allyson!!
Oh Sweet Basil says
I’m sold on the self retreat!! And I’m definitely sold on these pancakes!
Jessica says
For REAL! It’s a must! Getting ready to share my experience from my self retreat, and I hope it encourages so many others to do one! 🙂 XO
Jessica says
This is so great! Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
Jessica says
Aw, thank you Jessica! XO
Jamielyn Nye says
These pancakes look amazing! Going to make them this weekend for my kids!
Jessica says
Thank you Jamielyn! As a fan of pancake mix, there’s just something about the taste of pancakes from scratch! 🙂 XO
Laura says
This is video is just awesome! Amazing job and these pancakes look delicious. I will have to make these very soon! I am always messing up pancakes and I think this time with your help it will work! Thank you! 😘
Jessica says
You are so stinking sweet. Thank you so much Laura! You’re always such a bright and encouraging light. XO