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Wondering how to make pancakes from scratch? This easy recipe makes fluffy homemade pancakes that come together in less than 30 minutes. Get ready to dig into a stack of the best pancakes you’ve ever had!
Pancakes are one of my all-time favorite breakfast ideas. This easy pancake recipe makes fluffy pancakes just begging to be stacked tall and drenched in maple syrup. I like to serve them with fresh fruit like blueberries and strawberries, which is the twins favorite combo. In fact, this pancake recipe is so easy that I’ve been making it for them before their swimming lessons early in the morning!
Why You’ll Love This Pancakes Recipe
- Simple ingredients. They are easy to throw together and are made with ingredients you typically already have in your kitchen.
- Flexible. They are easy to change up with different mix-ins and toppings. Add some chocolate chips or fresh blueberries to the batter, or serve the finished pancakes with everything from maple syrup to whipped cream.
- Fluffy! These pancakes come out tender and fluffy. Think of the best stack of pancakes you’ve ever had at a diner. That’s these pancakes.
- Can be made ahead. Did you know you can make a batch of pancakes on Sunday, then store them in the fridge for easy weekday breakfasts? They also freeze well. More on all this below.
What You’ll Need
Making pancakes from scratch only requires a few simple ingredients. (You can even use this recipe to make a DIY pancake mix ahead of time – see details later in this post.)
To make homemade pancakes you will need:
- All-purpose flour – I haven’t tested this with whole wheat flour.
- Sugar – The recipe calls for regular white sugar, but you could also use light brown sugar.
- Baking Powder – This helps the pancakes rise and achieve a super fluffy texture.
- Salt – Adding salt to recipes in moderation can enhance the sweetness.
- Egg – This also makes the pancakes fluffy while also supporting the structure of the pancake.
- Milk – Any kind of milk will do, including plant based milks.
- Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter you may need to adjust the amount of salt used separately.
- Vanilla – Always use pure vanilla extract.
That’s it! Odds are you already have most of this in your kitchen. These pancakes were meant to be.
How to Make Homemade Pancakes from Scratch
So now that I’ve told you these are easy, fluffy and delicious, let’s talk about how to make them.
- Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. Mix the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Use a large bowl for the dry ingredients.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently fold them together. You don’t want to do this too brusquely or overdo it. It can over develop the gluten in flour and end up giving you dense, tough pancakes. You’ll end up with some lumps in your batter and that’s ok.
- Heat the griddle. Let the batter rest while you heat your griddle or pan. Give the batter another little stir before using it and you’ll notice any remaining lumps will break up a bit.
- Cook your pancakes. Spoon batter onto your griddle about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup at a time, depending on how large you want your pancakes to be.
- Flip. You’ll know they are ready to be flipped when they’ve got bubbles coming through the top and the edges are set. I usually cook them until they are just about done, so after I flip them, they just need a little more time to finish cooking the other side so that it’s golden.
- Dig in! Finally, serve your pancakes warm with your favorite maple syrup!
Options Mix-In Ideas
One of the best things about making homemade pancakes from scratch is that you can add some of your favorite mix-ins. Here are some ideas:
- Chocolate chips
- Fresh blueberries or raspberries
- Crispy cooked bacon that’s chopped into pieces.
- Sprinkles
- Lemon zest
Tips for Success
- Check the date on your baking powder: Baking powder is the leavening agent that makes these pancakes super fluffy. Baking powder expires though, so make sure you check the expiration date.
- Don’t over mix. Be sure not to over mix your pancake batter so that you don’t get tough, dense pancakes. Lumps are ok.
- Use a flat cooking surface. For a nice looking pancake, cook on a flat surface. A griddle is preferable.
- Make smaller pancakes. Don’t make your pancakes too large, or they’ll be difficult to flip.
- When to flip a pancake: Your pancakes are ready to be flipped when you see plenty of bubbles coming through the surface and the edges are set.
- Keeping pancakes warm: I like to preheat my oven to 200F and place a baking sheet inside the oven with a rack on top. Then I place the pancakes on the rack to keep warm while I finish cooking the rest of the batter. This way everyone gets warm pancakes when it’s time to serve. The reason I add a wire rack on top of the sheet pan is to prevent the pancakes from gathering moisture in the oven, which can make them soggy.
Want to Make Pancake Mix With This Recipe?
If you wanted to make these pancakes even easier to make, you could combine the dry ingredients ahead of time and have it in your pantry as a pancake mix. You’ll want to put it in an airtight container. It should keep well, as long as the flour and baking powder you use is fresh.
How to Store and Reheat Extras
- Store in the fridge: Let the pancakes cool completely, then store them in an airtight container for up to one week.
- To reheat: Microwave one pancake for about 20 seconds. Add another 5-10 seconds as you add additional pancakes. If you know you’re going to have pancakes in the morning, you could even pop the number of pancakes you’ll need into the fridge the night before so they thaw (which is what I’ve been doing).
Want to Freeze Your Pancakes?
Homemade pancakes are so easy to freeze and reheat later. You can either layer parchment paper between the pancakes when you freeze them so they don’t stick to each other, or you can lay the pancakes out individually onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze them that way. Once frozen, pop them all into an airtight container or bag.
More Pancake Recipes
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Fluffy Homemade Pancake Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 15-20 pancakes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Homemade Pancakes Recipe makes soft & fluffy pancakes. Get ready to dig into a stack of the best pancakes you’ve ever had!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp (52g) sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) milk
- 4 tbsp (56g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- In a large measuring cup, combine the egg, milk, butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold them together until well combined, but still a little lumpy. You don’t want to over mix them or they could end up less fluffy and tough. The batter should be relatively thick, but easily pourable.
- Set the batter aside to rest while you heat the griddle, 5-10 minutes. Any remaining lumps with start to soften as the moisture soaks in. Gently stir again.
- Heat a griddle or non-stick pan over medium-low heat and melt a little butter to grease it. Pour batter onto the pan and let it spread out into a round pancake. I used about 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake.
- Allow to cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges are set, then flip and cook until golden.
- Continue cooking with the remaining batter.
- Serve pancakes with maple syrup or your choice of toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 89
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 71.8 mg
- Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 15.8 mg
Categories
Recipe originally from Cafe Delights.
Wow, these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had. So glad I found this recipe…. Thank you!
Hi, I just check with you if I’m using small eggs, shall I put 2?
I’m not sure. I’m not really familiar with what size a small egg is.
I have tried so many pancake recipes over the years and this is by far the BEST! I will never look for another pancake recipe again! This is my go to!
I love this. I will try yours next time. Am from Kenya. God bless you for helping out many of us.
I’m not a huge fan of pancakes, but now and then I get a craving, Made this recipe this morning and will keep it in the 5 star recipe box!! I did find the batter a bit too thick so added a bit more milk. I also added cinnamon and grated apples. They turned out so fluffy! I will keep leftovers in the freezer then pop them in the toaster for quick snacks, I will also being sharing this recipe with our neighbours who have a large maple sugar bush. Pancakes are served every day there with the fresh maple syrup!!
I will never buy boxed pancake mix again. these were sooo fluffy and tasty !
the best fluffy pancakes ever! so easy to make and so yummy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Wow, Delicious. I cut the recipe in half as there is only two of us. I did use 1 egg as there is no way to half an egg. Fluffy, light. One pancake was more than enough for me.
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed them!
Loved this recipe, my family raved! I could watch the pancakes fluffily rise on my griddle, and to whomever asked, I added chopped bananas and chocolate chips right into each pancake as they hit the griddle — perfection!
Also, i used almond milk due to dietary constraints, and they were as good as any they’ve had before! Thank you!
Awesome! They sound great!
I doubled the recipe for my large family and the batter came out too thick, like muffin batter. Had to thin it with milk and another egg, but then the consistency wasn’t right, so I had to add a bit more flour and baking powder. In the end, they were still delicious and everyone loved the flavour, but there was definitely something off with the measurements and consistency when doubled.
Would this work as a waffle batter?
I’m honestly not sure.
I didn’t like pancakes until I had these. Easy, great instructions, DELICIOUS. Huge hit with my kids. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear it!
DELICIOUS. My husband and 10 mo daughter loved! I substituted sugar with date puree.
I mashed and heated berries for a natural sweet syrup. mmmmmGreeeat!
Thank you
I’ll try the bottle bet I can make shapes
Banana Pancakes
What would be the changes to recipe?
I’ve actually been wanting to test this, but I haven’t yet. I’m sure adding chopped bananas would be fine without much change. But I’d like to try adding mashed banana and will share the results when I do.
This recipe is fantastic! My family loves them, they taste great. We love them, now the family request I make them from scratch. No more box pancake mixes.
I have only one question. The recipe says pour into pan. Each time I have made these wonderful pancakes. The batter is not something which can be poured. It’s fluffy, thick I have been able to scoop up and put on pan. Then take a spoon using a curricular motion to gently spread the pancake out. What might I be doing wrong. I measure each item.
They are great!!!
I’m not sure that you’re necessarily doing anything wrong. I actually use a squeeze bottle, so I suppose I just assumed it would pour well. They usually spread on their own pretty well for me. You could certainly try adding a touch more milk if you feel like the texture would be improved by it.
I made one addition to this recipe, 1 tsp cinnamon. This is the best recipe i have found. My grandchildren cant get enough of the. Thanks!
Only thing I subbed was coconut sugar I don’t know if that makes a difference since that’s all I had on hand. The recipe only needed more liquid, so I upped the vanilla and added a bit of water to the mix. They turned out GREAT ( better than what I’d get at restaurants)! Thank you for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!