You will fall in love after your first bite of this pancake recipe. This recipe is way better than any boxed pancake mix. I bet that most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen! You don’t need anything fancy to make these fluffy pancakes from scratch.
Whether you want to make these for weekend brunch or on a weekday morning, these pancakes come together in around 30 minutes. Simply mix everything together and place them onto your griddle or skillet. It doesn’t get any easier than that! The pancakes come out so soft and fluffy, they’ll practically melt in your mouth. This is truly the best pancake recipe! If you want another easy recipe for breakfast or brunch, then try my waffles recipe, french toast recipe, or crepes recipe.
What You’ll Need For This Recipe
Flour — all-purpose flour is ideal for pancakes. Cake flour will leave the pancakes a little too fragile, whereas the high protein in bread flour will leave the pancakes dense.
Baking powder — make sure the baking powder is fresh for airy and fluffy pancakes, as this is a key ingredient. Baking powder is a leavening agent and will create bubbles helping the pancake to rise and stay fluffy. To tell if your baking powder is fresh, stir ½ teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. If it fizzes up, the baking powder is fresh.
Milk — use whole milk for the best flavor!
Vanilla — real vanilla extract is preferred over artificial extract. If you have the time, try making my homemade vanilla extract recipe!
Butter — you will need butter for the batter of this fluffy pancake recipe and for the process of cooking them. Adding butter to the skillet or griddle will prevent the pancakes from sticking and add more flavor.
How to Make this Pancake Recipe
1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, and egg.
3. Add the melted butter and whisk until well combined.
4. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients.
5. Fold the batter together just until combined. Lumps are fine.
6. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, rub or brush with butter to lightly grease the pan. Working in batches, add ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Cook for a few minutes until golden on the bottom and bubbles start to appear on the top, then flip over and cook an additional minute or until golden brown. Add more butter with each new batch of pancakes. Serve hot with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Do not overmix the pancake recipe batter, or the pancakes will come out dense and heavy. Lumps are perfectly fine in the batter!
- For the best flavor, serve the pancakes with real maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Jams, preserves, lemon curd, fresh fruit, and berries make for a great topping as well. For a more indulgent breakfast, you can add whipped cream or drizzle some chocolate or caramel over the pancakes.
- Don’t let the batter sit for too long, as the baking powder activates once combined with the liquid. However, there’s some leeway as baking powder is activated a second time when it heats up.
- Only flip the pancakes once! When you see the little bubbles forming on the top of the pancake batter pop, that’s when you flip the pancake.
- If you want to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them in batches, place a baking sheet in the oven with a rack at 200F and add them to the rack in a single layer as you make them. The baking rack will help air circulate underneath to prevent the pancakes from becoming soggy.
- Avoid adding too much flour to the pancake batter as it’ll make it thick, leading to dry pancakes. You can measure your flour with a scale, or if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
- Leave enough room between each pancake to ensure enough space for you to flip them easily. Also, after flipping the pancakes, do not press down on them with your spatula. This will only flatten them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of making the batter ahead of time, I recommend whisking the dry ingredients together and storing them in an airtight container in your pantry until ready to use. Then, whisk together your wet ingredients and combine the two when you’re ready to make the pancakes. If you combine the batter too early, the baking powder will be less effective over time.
If your pancake recipe falls flat, that usually means your baking powder has expired or your batter is too wet. The batter should be thick and not runny.
When making this pancake recipe, make sure you don’t turn the heat up too high or preheat the griddle or skillet for too long. Also, if the butter on the griddle or skillet burns, the pancakes will burn as well or have dark markings from the burnt butter.
I highly recommend using a non-stick frying pan if you do not have a griddle. The key is a smooth, flat surface.
To store leftovers, wait for the pancakes to reach room temperature before transferring them to a zip-top bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you put them away while still warm, condensation will form, and the pancakes will become soggy.
Pancakes freeze wonderfully! Wrap pancakes tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months. You can reheat pancakes straight from the freezer in the microwave or a toaster oven for an easy breakfast.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Pancake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large skillet or griddle
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour (160g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk (240ml)
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons butter melted (56g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla together until well combined.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour and fold together just until combined. (It's okay if there are a few small lumps in the batter. This actually helps make fluffier pancakes!)
- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, rub or brush with butter to lightly grease the pan. Working in batches, add ¼ cup of batter for each pancake.
- Cook for a few minutes until golden on the bottom and bubbles start to appear on the top, then flip over and cook an additional minute or until golden brown. Add more butter with each new batch of pancakes. Serve hot with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Video
Notes
- Do not overmix the pancake batter, or the pancakes will come out dense and heavy. Lumps are perfectly fine in the batter!
- For the best flavor, serve the pancakes with real maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Jams, preserves, lemon curd, fresh fruit, and berries make for a great topping as well. For a more indulgent breakfast, you can add whipped cream or drizzle some chocolate or caramel over the pancakes.
- Don’t let the batter sit for too long, as the baking powder activates once combined with the liquid. However, there’s some leeway as baking powder is activated a second time when it heats up.
- Only flip the pancakes once! When you see the little bubbles forming on the top of the pancake batter pop, that’s when you flip the pancake.
- If you want to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them in batches, place a baking sheet in the oven with a rack at 200F and add them to the rack in a single layer as you make them. The baking rack will help air circulate underneath to prevent the pancakes from becoming soggy.
- Avoid adding too much flour to the pancake batter as it’ll make it thick, leading to dry pancakes. You can measure your flour with a scale, or if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
- Leave enough room between each pancake to ensure enough space for you to flip them easily. Also, after flipping the pancakes, do not press down on them with your spatula. This will only flatten them.
