The easiest, fluffy pancakes from scratch I’ve made! See how to make the best homemade pancake recipe using simple ingredients probably in your kitchen right now. They’re light, fluffy, and delicious!
This easy pancake recipe with baking powder is my secret to the best light and fluffy pancakes. The perfect amount of baking powder reacts with the heat of the skillet, making the pancakes rise tall and fluffy.
Trust me, you’ll never go back to boxed pancake mix again! Everything you need to whip up these delicious homemade pancakes is probably in your kitchen right now. To use buttermilk, try our buttermilk pancakes recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for these pancakes, but whole wheat, spelt, or even your favorite gluten-free flour blend will work in this recipe (or see my gluten free buckwheat pancakes). I often use a 50:50 blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour and love them. See my whole wheat pancakes for more tips.
- Sugar: I don’t like really sweet pancakes, so we add just enough sugar to the batter to ensure they taste great, but we don’t go overboard.
- Baking powder: Keeps our pancakes light and fluffy. Use recently purchased double-acting baking powder (it lasts about 3 months). If you are sensitive to the flavor of baking powder, make sure that yours is aluminum-free. If you only have baking soda, check the tips below the recipe for a substitution.
- Milk or non-dairy milk: Both work for this recipe, so use what you have. I’ve successfully made dairy-free pancakes with oat milk, almond milk, and coconut milk (carton, not canned).
- Egg: Adds structure and flavor, but you can make these pancakes without eggs (use a flax egg or see this vegan pancake recipe instead).
- Butter: You can’t beat the taste of butter when making pancakes. Use unsalted or salted butter. For salted butter, omit the salt in our pancake recipe.
- Vanilla: Adds a soft, sweet flavor. I always add a splash of vanilla to pancake batter (even when someone tells me not to).
How to Make Pancakes from Scratch
These easy pancakes come together quickly! So many of our readers love this pancake recipe and have even made it with their kids. Sometimes, the kids even make them on their own!
To make pancakes, you’ll whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Then, whisk melted butter, milk, egg, and vanilla in another. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour. As you stir, the batter will start to thicken and get bubbly (that’s the baking powder beginning to work its magic!). Be careful not to mix too much, or your pancakes won’t be as fluffy. We want to keep those bubbles.
To cook your pancakes, heat a skillet or flat griddle to medium heat, melt some butter, and add your batter. The butter gives them amazing crispy edges! You can use a 1/4 cup measure or a large cookie scoop to scoop the pancake batter into your skillet.
Flip the pancakes when the edges look dry, and bubbles appear and pop on the top surfaces. They’ll need 1 to 2 minutes on each side. If you notice them browning too quickly, reduce the heat a little (I stay around medium heat).
Here’s a photo of a cooked pancake. Look at how fluffy it is in the middle! These pancakes turn out so thick and fluffy (and remember, it’s all thanks to that baking powder).
What to Serve with Pancakes
Our family loves fresh fruit with our pancakes. A simple fruit salad is nice, too. For something savory, bacon or sausage is a classic choice. Here’s our favorite way to cook bacon for perfect results. Eggs are also a fantastic pairing. Try our method for creamy scrambled eggs or perfect poached eggs.
Want more pancake topping ideas? Consider whipped cream or whipped coconut cream (delicious!), nuts, apple butter, maple pumpkin butter, chocolate chips, or this amazing homemade butter pecan syrup.
Easy Fluffy Pancakes
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This recipe makes the best fluffy pancakes I’ve ever made, and I’ve spent years tweaking it for the perfect flavor and texture. I’ve increased the butter and vanilla slightly (feel free to use less, but I promise the quantities below make these pancakes taste amazing). I use unsalted butter in this recipe, but salted is perfectly fine. If you use salted butter, consider reducing the salt by 1/8 teaspoon.
When measuring the flour for these pancakes, either weigh it or use the “spoon and level” method: Fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a flat edge. You can see me do this in our video!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of fine sea or table salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if sensitive to salt
1 ¼ cups (295ml) milk, dairy or non-dairy
1 large egg
5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, plus more for skillet
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, reduce if sensitive to vanilla
Directions
- Make Pancakes
1Melt the butter and set it aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. (Don’t worry if the butter solidifies slightly).
3Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture and stir gently with a fork until the flour is just incorporated. A few small lumps are okay. As the batter sits, it should start to bubble.
4Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle in a few drops of water to test if it’s ready. You want them to dance around a bit and evaporate.
5Brush the skillet with melted butter (this creates crispy edges, but you can skip it if using a quality nonstick pan).
6Scoop the batter onto the skillet using a 1/4 cup measure or large cookie scoop, and spread each pancake into a 4-inch circle.
7After 1 to 2 minutes, the edges will look dry, and bubbles will form and pop on the surface. Flip the pancakes and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned and cooked in the middle.
8Serve immediately with warm syrup, butter, and berries.
- Storing
1Store pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for up to 2 months. If freezing, line the pancakes on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking.
2To reheat pancakes, place them on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 20 seconds per pancake (add more time for multiple pancakes). Or wrap the pancakes in foil and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Measuring flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring. For even more accuracy, use a scale and measure the flour by weight (in grams).
- Best baking powder: Use aluminum-free baking powder (Rumford and Bob’s Red Mill are examples), as they prevent the tinny flavor that can appear when baking powder is used in higher quantities (like in this recipe). I use Bob’s Red Mill baking powder in this recipe with great results.
- Pancakes without baking powder: For the fluffiest pancakes, use baking powder. Swap the milk for buttermilk and use 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda. If you do not have buttermilk, you can make homemade buttermilk by stirring 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into the 1 ¼ cups of milk called for in the recipe and setting it aside for 10 minutes.
- Optional add ins: Add berries, chopped strawberries, nuts, cooked bacon, or chocolate chips to the batter. Use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
- Make ahead pancake batter: You can keep this pancake batter covered and stored in the fridge overnight. Pancakes made the next day will be slightly less fluffy but still excellent.
- Recipe changes: On 4/27/2024, I increased the butter by 1 tablespoon and vanilla by 1 teaspoon for better flavor. Also, I no longer warm the milk before mixing it with the butter and egg for better texture. Feel free to use the older method of heating the milk, but I no longer find it necessary. These changes are reflected in the recipe above.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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Wow, so good, so easy and delicious. First time ever making pancakes from scratch. Thank you