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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Easy Fluffy Pancakes from Scratch

    By: Jessica · Posted: Nov 24, 2024 · Updated: Apr 16, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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    Jump to Recipe 29 comments
    4.97 from 29 votes
    stack of pancakes with syrup and text on image

    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!

    stack of pancakes with syrup

     

    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!)

    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • How do you make pancakes fluffier?
    • Simple Ingredients
    • Step By Step Directions for Easy Pancakes
    • Expert Tips and FAQs
    • What to Serve with Pancakes
    • What to Mix in Pancakes
    • Related Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Featured Comment:

    From Amanda: “Honestly, these are the best from scratch pancakes I’ve made. I used an extra teaspoon of sugar and I use Mexican vanilla and I legit melted a tablespoon of butter per pancake and let it sizzle and absorb into the crust and omg…y’all… I put the extra batter in the fridge to see how it cooks up tomorrow!“

    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 (along with this ham and cheese croissant bake) 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!

    fork holding a bite of pancakes

    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 buttermilk 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.

    Ingredients for pancakes

    Interestingly, the ingredients are similar to my vanilla mug cake, so if you have extra, it’s a great idea to try that dessert recipe too.

    See the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.

    • 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.

    1. Pour in flour, baking powder, sugar and then mix together. (Photo 1, 2, 3, & 4 below.)
    Step by Step mixing dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar

    2. Next, add in milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. (Photos 5, 6, 7, & 8 below.)

    how to make pancakes steps - milk, egg, butter and vanilla

    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.)

    Gently whisk pancake batter - lumps are good

    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 ¼ 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.)

    how to cook pancakes on griddle

    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!
    How do you make buttermilk pancakes?

    Simply substitute buttermilk in place of the milk or substitute buttermilk by mixing regular milk with a few drops of lemon juice.

    What makes a good pancake?

    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”.

    Can you cook pancakes in a skillet?

    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!

    Easy Homemade Pancakes

    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.

    Mix-in Ideas for pancakes - blueberries, chocolate chips, sprinkles

    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!

    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!

    Recipe

    stack of pancakes with syrup

    Fluffy Pancakes from Scratch Recipe

    Jessica Burgess
    Easy pancakes from scratch that use everyday ingredients that you probably already have on hand that makes the best, fluffy pancakes every time!
    4.97 from 29 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 2 minutes mins
    Total Time 7 minutes mins
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Servings 5 pancakes
    Calories 281 kcal

    Video

    Ingredients

    • 1½ cups all purpose flour
    • 3½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 3 tablespoons sugar
    • 1¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk for buttermilk pancakes
    • 1 egg
    • 3 tablespoons 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 tablespoons of 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 ¼ 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.

    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!
    How do you make buttermilk pancakes?
    Simply substitute regular milk for buttermilk or substitute buttermilk by mixing milk with a few drops of lemon juice.
    What makes a good pancake?
    1. Making sure all of your ingredients are fresh – not expired, especially the baking powder.
    2. Don’t overmix!
    3. Rest the batter for about 5 minutes before cooking.
    How do you cook pancakes in a skillet?
    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!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2pancakes | Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 2.2mg

    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.

    Keywords fluffy homemade pancakes, pancake recipe
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.97 from 29 votes (22 ratings without comment)

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    1. Cherese says

      September 19, 2024 at 9:23 pm

      It was very light and tasty.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        September 20, 2024 at 11:21 am

        So happy you liked these fluffy pancakes! Thank you.

        Reply
    2. Carissa says

      August 23, 2024 at 11:52 am

      Hi,

      Love these! I make them all of the time. Do you have to alter measurements for waffles?

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        August 24, 2024 at 8:28 am

        Hi Carissa! I haven’t made waffles using this recipe but I do have a recipe for waffles that you may love as well! Blueberry Waffles Recipe

        Reply
    3. Rose says

      February 25, 2024 at 1:07 pm

      5 stars
      Although it’s not the 1st time I make pancakes from scratch, I do like this recipe. It is an easy recipe to follow and it’s tips and pics are very helpful. I appreciated the tip of waiting 5 minutes after mixing the batter and before cooking it.
      I was only making pancakes for myself and was going to refrigerate the extra batter when I saw a comment here about adding sour cream to this recipe. I added about a 1/4 cup of sour cream and cooked a couple more pancakes. The sour cream certainly adds. I will add Cinnamon also to this batter. I loved the flavor and fluffy texture of these pancakes. Thank you!!

      Reply
    4. Wendy says

      January 07, 2024 at 12:01 pm

      5 stars
      I enjoyed this pancake recipe for its detail. I used “Swans Down” cake flour and added a teaspoon of cinnamon powder. I scrolled down too late to see the lemon juice suggestion in the milk, I’ll try it that way next time!
      Overall, it was a hit with my family.. The pancakes were fluffy, melt in your mouth texture and it yielded about 10-12 medium sized pancakes.
      Thank you for this recipe!!!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        January 07, 2024 at 7:50 pm

        That’s so great that you liked this pancake recipe, and I’m so glad. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know and for sharing!

        Reply
    5. Deb says

      October 10, 2021 at 8:16 am

      These were fantastic! I didn’t have whole or buttermilk so I did the lemon juice/milk substitute. So fluffy and so good!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        October 10, 2021 at 6:13 pm

        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. 🙂

        Reply
      • Jamie says

        June 16, 2024 at 7:53 am

        5 stars
        This was our Happy Father’s Day Breakfast Celebration! Pancakes were fabulous!!! Fluffy, tender and delicious!!! I used 2% milk plus some lemon juice because there was no buttermilk or whole milk! Thank you for this keeper!!!

        Reply
        • Jessica says

          June 16, 2024 at 8:58 am

          Yay!! What a great breakfast idea for Father’s Day. I’m so glad that they were a hit for you and your celebration. Thank you for sharing. 🙂

          Reply
    6. Allyssa says

      September 23, 2021 at 3:50 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! It tasted really good and delicious! So easy to make as well!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        September 23, 2021 at 8:21 pm

        You are SO welcome! Thank you so much for coming by and leaving a review too. I’m thrilled that you liked them!

        Reply
    7. Lisalia says

      September 23, 2021 at 2:03 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        September 23, 2021 at 8:21 pm

        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!

        Reply
    8. Betsy says

      September 22, 2021 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        September 23, 2021 at 8:20 pm

        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!

        Reply
    9. Amanda says

      February 12, 2021 at 1:29 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        February 12, 2021 at 1:40 pm

        I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you so much Amanda!! They’re our favorite!

        Reply
    10. Allyson Zea says

      July 18, 2018 at 8:26 pm

      Wow these look so perfect! Thank you for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        July 19, 2018 at 6:54 am

        Aw, thank you Allyson!!

        Reply
    11. Oh Sweet Basil says

      July 17, 2018 at 3:43 pm

      I’m sold on the self retreat!! And I’m definitely sold on these pancakes!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        July 17, 2018 at 3:44 pm

        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

        Reply
    12. Jessica says

      July 17, 2018 at 2:47 pm

      This is so great! Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        July 17, 2018 at 3:44 pm

        Aw, thank you Jessica! XO

        Reply
    13. Jamielyn Nye says

      July 17, 2018 at 2:30 pm

      These pancakes look amazing! Going to make them this weekend for my kids!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        July 17, 2018 at 2:42 pm

        Thank you Jamielyn! As a fan of pancake mix, there’s just something about the taste of pancakes from scratch! 🙂 XO

        Reply
    14. Laura says

      June 12, 2018 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      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! 😘

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        June 12, 2018 at 5:51 pm

        You are so stinking sweet. Thank you so much Laura! You’re always such a bright and encouraging light. XO

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

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