This easy homemade pancake recipe is a keeper! Learn how to make my best big, fluffy and beautiful buttermilk pancakes from scratch with basic ingredients.

A person's hand pouring maple syrup over a stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with sliced strawberries, and a pat of butter.

This old-fashioned buttermilk pancake recipe is without a doubt the tried-and-true favorite in our family. It’s a simple, classic recipe you’ll want to keep in your recipe file or learn by heart, which I have after making it on repeat in a sleepy morning stupor.

Light and fluffy pancakes

I’ve tried sooo many other pancakes over the years. But they just don’t measure up to these big, puffed, tender and buttery beauties. I grew up with my mom’s pancakes, and I swear she must have worked some kind of magic into them besides following the recipe on the Bisquick box.

They remain the standard against which I measure all pancakes, and it’s one of my now and forever breakfast recipes along with these one-bowl blueberry muffins.

A stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes on a plate with a fork and strawberries on top.

Seriously though, who are we kidding?! Pancakes ARE SUPPOSED to be a carb dream. Warm, griddled and dripping with butter and syrup, puffy pancakes are slightly indulgent and approachable at the same time. In other words, pancakes are the ultimate comfort food.

This basic pancake recipe makes delicious plain cakes. But you can also use it as a base for mixing in all your favorite pancake embellishments.

Jazz up your pancakes

Fold in about 1/2 cup of any one:

  • Chocolate Chips
  • Berries! Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries…etc.
  • Banana

Add some spice (1/2 – 1 teaspoon)

  • Cinnamon
  • Ground ginger
  • Vanilla extract

Pancakes with buttermilk

I think buttermilk adds something magical to plain pancake batter. The buttermilk adds only a slight tang, so if you’re worried your pancakes will taste sour, rest assured they won’t.

What actually makes buttermilk so good in pancake batter is that it produces a more tender, puffed pancake than plain milk does.

The acidity in buttermilk activates the leavening power in the baking soda and baking powder, which helps the batter rise higher when heated.

A stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes on a plate with a fork and strawberries on top.

Once you’ve tried real buttermilk pancakes, it’s hard to go back to making them any other way.

Tips for success

There’s nothing more basic than pancakes, but there are a few key things to keep in mind if you want a perfectly light, fluffy and buttery stack:

  • Use a flat griddle with a nonstick surface, or a well-seasoned cast iron pan rubbed with a little oil.
  • Heat your griddle over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it’s evenly hot but not smoking. This is important! I know you’re in a hurry to dig right into the stack with your fork. But if the griddle isn’t hot the batter will literally just sit there like a sad puddle.
  • You’ll know when the pan is ready when you can flick a few drops of water on the pan and they sizzle, sputter and disappear after a few seconds.
4.75 from 16 ratings

Best Ever Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Karen Tedesco
This is homemade pancake recipe is a keeper: Learn how to make the best light, fluffy buttermilk pancakes from scratch. The recipe is easily doubled to make a bigger batch.
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Yield: 12 4-inch pancakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (60 g) granulated sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1½ cups (375 ml) buttermilk, whole milk preferred
  • Maple syrup, warm
  • Optional garnishes: Fresh berries, softened butter, powdered sugar

Equipment

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat oven to 200 (100 C) degrees. Place a nonstick griddle or seasoned cast iron pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.
  3. In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, butter and buttermilk.
  4. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is incorporated (don’t overmix).
  5. Pour ¼-cup scoops of batter onto the hot griddle (a few drops of water flicked on the pan should sputter), spacing about 3 inches apart.
  6. Flip the pancakes when bubbles start to appear on top and the edges become set, after about 2 minutes. Scooch the edges of the pancake with the spatula if you want a neater edge. Cook the other side until golden brown.
  7. Transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet or ovenproof platter and put in the oven while you make the remaining pancakes.
  8. Serve the pancakes with warm maple syrup and whatever garnishes you like.

Notes

  • The pancakes can be kept warm in a low oven for about 20 minutes before serving. You can brush the cakes with a little extra melted butter to keep them moist.
  • Keep an eye on the heat under your griddle and adjust up or down as necessary, as all stoves are different.
  • How to freeze leftover pancakes: Place them in a plastic freezer bag or other container with a lid, preferably in one layer.
  • To serve frozen pancakes, brush with butter or oil and heat in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. You can also use a toaster or toaster oven to heat them, but use a medium setting so they don’t burn.
  • Cook the pancakes on an electric griddle set to 350 degrees, which will make the cooking step just about foolproof.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 127kcal Carbohydrates: 18g Protein: 4g Fat: 5g Sodium: 368mg Fiber: 0.4g Sugar: 6g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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