I’ve got breakfast covered today with my classic Buttermilk Pancakes recipe — made completely from scratch (and tips to make them if you don’t have buttermilk, too!)! I’ll be showing you how to make thick, fluffy pancakes that can be ready in under 15 minutes! Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Pancake Recipe
Buttermilk pancakes are an American classic breakfast food, but despite their unfussy ingredient list, too often people grab for the box mix because it’s just “easier”. Too many home bakers have struggled with dense, flat, or rubbery pancakes, or ones that have charred exteriors, raw centers, or are just all-around lacking in flavor. Today we’re going to fix that with my favorite, fool-proof buttermilk pancake recipe.
While you’d be hard-pressed to find a truly complicated buttermilk pancake recipe, many recipes sadly leave out important tips and tricks that can make or break your breakfast. Do you know the right time to flip? The right heat for your stovetop? Which substitutions are acceptable and which definitely aren’t? How to make buttermilk pancakes if you don’t even have buttermilk?
My recipe has not only been carefully perfected to yield fat, fluffy, and super flavorful pancakes (the cousin to my paper-thin crepes), but I’m also answering all of these questions and sharing my super simple tips and tricks so you’ll never reach for that box mix ever again.
Grab your (preferably non-stick) skillet and get ready for perfect, golden pancakes every time. Let’d do this.
What You Need for Perfect Pancakes
This recipe is easy and uses pantry staples, but let’s talk about a handful of the ingredients before we get started:
- Buttermilk: When combined with the baking soda, this gives the pancakes a nice lift, making them thick and fluffy. It’s purpose isn’t only a chemical one, though, it also gives buttermilk pancakes a great flavor with a classic but subtle tang. See my FAQ section below to make this recipe if you don’t have buttermilk.
- Eggs. Ideally these should be room temperature. Ideally all your ingredients should be so that the batter combines easily but I’m realistic about the fact that most people aren’t going to wake up two hours early to set their buttermilk out to come to room temperature and I’d never ask you to do something I don’t do myself. Fortunately, this recipe is fairly resilient.
- Butter. This should be melted. Do this first so it has time to cool a bit before you add it to your buttermilk.
- Baking powder and baking soda. The combination of these two leaveners give the pancakes the perfect fluffiness and lift.
- Flour. I recommend using all-purpose flour. You can experiment with substituting some of the flour with whole wheat flour, but since that is a much thirstier flour you might need a bit more buttermilk to keep the batter from being too thick. Self rising flour is not recommended as the baking powder and salt are already accounted for.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Buttermilk Pancakes
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and vanilla separately and drizzle the melted butter into the mixture while whisking. Add to the dry ingredients.
- Very gently fold together the wet and dry ingredients until almost completely combined. Don’t overdo it or your pancakes will be flat and dense rather than fluffy.
- Cook on medium heat until golden brown on each side. Don’t crank up the heat, this will yield pancakes with burnt outsides and raw centers, and that’s just sad 🙁
SAM’S TIP: You can tell your buttermilk pancakes are ready to flip when the edges begin to look set and the bubbles in the batter begin to burst. At this point you should easily be able to flip a spatula underneath to gently lift up an edge and take a peek: look for a golden brown color!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Zach and I often make a half batch of buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, it divides easily and results are exactly the same! For the buttermilk, you would use 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons.
You can use my buttermilk substitute recipe instead (you only need milk and vinegar or lemon juice). Pour 2 Tablespoons + ¾ teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into a large measuring cup then add milk until you have the 2 ¼ cup called for. Stir.
However you should know that “homemade” buttermilk is thinner than the real thing. You may not need to use the full 2 ¼ cup called for, it could make your batter runny and your pancakes too thin. If using the substitute, set aside about ½ cup of your buttermilk (so only use 1 ½ cups) and use the recipe as indicated. If the batter seems too thick, gradually add more of the buttermilk substitute as needed.
Most likely this is a result of over-mixing the batter, this can yield flat, dense, or even rubbery pancakes. Do not over-mix your pancake batter — I can not overstate how important this is. When combining your wet and dry ingredients, gently fold together with a spoon or spatula until just combined. A few flour streaks remaining in the batter is actually a good thing!
Absolutely! You can add up to a cup of add-ins to your buttermilk pancake batter. Because you want to avoid over-mixing your batter, it is best to fold these in when your flour is halfway incorporated rather than waiting until you’ve already mostly combined your wet and dry ingredients.
You can also skip the mix-ins and instead top off your pancakes with whipped cream or blueberry sauce, instead. Or do mix-ins and fancy toppings, I don’t judge!
Yes you can! While I have a waffle recipe that I love and would recommend, my buttermilk pancake batter actually makes delicious waffles, too.
These are great with simple butter and syrup, but sometimes I like to get fancy and add whipped cream, strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, caramel sauce, chocolate gravy, or hot fudge sauce!
Have you ever tried a pancake sundae before with ice cream and toppings? Not health food, but so good!
Alright, I think that pretty much covers it! I hope you’ll try these out and please let me know what you think!!
Enjoy!
Other Breakfast Recipes You Might Like:
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Best Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups buttermilk¹ (530ml)
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (57g)
Recommended Equipment
- Non-stick skillet
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, until well-combined.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together buttermilk,, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Take your melted butter and slowly drizzle it into your wet ingredients while whisking, stirring until well-combined (the butter may separate and curdle if your other ingredients are cold, this is OK, just whisk to combine).
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until just combined — do not overmix your pancake batter or your pancakes will be flat. Use a light hand when stirring, and a few flour streaks in the batter are fine.
- Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray or lightly brush with canola oil and place on burner on medium-low heat.
- Allow skillet to preheat before adding batter (about 5 minutes, it's good for your pancake batter to sit several minutes as well, which is why you prepared that before preheating your pan), and once skillet is heated (I usually test this by hovering my hand several inches above the pan and making sure I can feel the heat radiating from it) scoop pancake batter into pan (I use about ½-⅔ cup of batter per pancake).
- Allow pancake to cook until edges begin to appear cooked and bubbles in batter begin to burst. Using a pancake spatula, carefully flip pancake and continue to cook several more minutes until pancake is golden brown.
- Repeat until all batter is used — I recommend spraying or brushing the pan between each batch of pancakes.
- Serve warm topped with salted butter and maple syrup!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Buttermilk Pancake recipe originally published 01/29/2018, updated just in time for Fat Tuesday! Recipe is unchanged but additional tips have been added and a video is now included!
Kris
So I had a bunch of huckleberries we picked camping and extra buttermilk from making chicken fried finger steaks so I decided to make pancakes 😁 I was so excited while googling recipes to see that my favorite sugar spun run lady has a recipe!!! 😁 You never disappoint. These made wonderful huckleberry pancakes. I used coconut sugar and I only had whole wheat bread flour but I sifted out a lot of the bran and added 1/4 cup more buttermilk and they turned out great. Better than I expected with that kind of flour. My picky 2 year old even loved them yay!!
Sam
I’m so glad they were such a hit, Kris! Huckleberry pancakes so amazing! 🙂
Natalie
Can you freeze the pancakes?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We haven’t tried it, but we think it will work just fine. Enjoy!
Kevin Finnegan
Pancakes freeze beautifully. After they’ve cooled completely, place wax paper or parchment paper between each cake, wrap a stack in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag.
Missy
Do I have to use canola oil in the pan? It mentions it specifically so I’m wondering if it makes a difference. I don’t typically use canola oil because I find the flavor disagreeable.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Any oil or butter will work. We hope you love them, Missy! ☺️
Kita
I’ve tried a few recipes before but this was by far the absolute best!! I’m saving it for future use. I made enough to have for later (just the mix). I love I love I love and can’t express that enough! Gave a perfect crisp (use good amount of butter). My whole family ate them all up. I highly recommend this recipe over any other
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you enjoyed the pancakes, Kita! We appreciate the positive review 🥰
Christina
Making these for my sons 18th BD breakfast. Do I need to make any adjustments when adding blueberries?
Sam
Hi Christina! I actually cover how to add the blueberries in the FAQ section of the post. 🙂
Christina
I must have been scrolling too fast…missed the whole FAQ’s section. Everything turned out beautifully. Thank you!
Kelly Rose
So good!!!! Best recipe I’ve found, the family loves it!
Beverly Y
This is the best pancake recipe that I have come across. The pancakes are sooo light and fluffy. The only change that I made was to reduce the buttermilk to 2 cups. The extra 1/4 cup made the batter too thin for me.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like them, Beverly! Thanks so much for giving them a try 🥰
Eli Schneider
So good. Pancakes are really fluffy and taste is authentic as can be.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the review, Eli! We’re so happy you enjoyed the pancakes 😊
Tina C
This recipe is “Chef’s Kiss”!
Question… Would I need to adjust anything if I were to make them as Sheet Pan Pancakes?
Sam
Hi Tina! I haven’t tried baking this as a sheet pan pancake, but I think it could work as it is. 🙂
tilly
How long can the batter keep in the fridge?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tilly! It will be good for up to 2 days in the refrigerator 🙂
Kathy
These Buttermilk pancakes are the best ever. And I can use my gluten free flour. Yummy! They are so good and freeze beautifully. I freeze two to three in a small zip lock bag with parchment paper in between and then add all the bags to a large freezer bag. Now I can defrost 1 bag at a time for breakfast and enjoy.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That’s a great idea, Kathy! Thanks for sharing 🥰
Lydia
I’d love to know what gluten free flour you used!
Kathy
I used King Arthur gluten free flour 1:1 substitude
Charlie
Excellent pancakes. I’ve added blueberries and on occasion bananas and nuts.
So yummy.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like them, Charlie 😊
Shari
Love this pancake recipe! I have made it using regular buttermilk and one of your buttermilk substitutes (sour cream/milk). The pancakes turned out great both times. Using the sour cream I did end up adding additional milk due to the extra thickness of the batter, but that didn’t affect the outcome.The best fluffy, delicious pancakes ever.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you love it, Shari! Thanks for coming back to leave a review ☺️
Deb
I made these when I was out camping with friends and family, everyone thought that they were fabulous! I had premixed all the dry ingredients at home so it was super simple to put together in the morning. Will be keeping this recipe as my standard pancake go to.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Love that idea, Deb! Everything tastes better over the campfire. Thanks for using our recipe! ❤️
Taylor
My boyfriend and his aunt loved these when I tried making them! His little cousin even enjoyed them as well! I followed the recipe to an exact and let the batter sit for 30 minutes, works wonders. If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own with milk and distilled white vinegar, it’s 1 cup milk – 1 tablespoon of vinegar. for the 1/4 cup it’ll be 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar. Works amazing and the buttermilk should be able to last up to 2 weeks in a sealed air tight container!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy they were a hit, Taylor 😊
Abbey
Wow. So good! Ran short on buttermilk and so supplemented with extra butter and vanilla unsweetened almond milk, and they still turned out fantastic.
Nenie
If anyone is using her suggested buttermilk substitute I made 2 cups of the substitute & used approximately 1 1/4- 1 1/2 cup of the buttermilk substitute and the batter consistency is perfect!!
First time making this batter & I did not have buttercream on hand I used the buttercream substitute you made but mixed my eggs/vanilla/butter into the buttermilk sub (my fault not thinking ahead) so I ended up having to use the full amount of 2 1/4 cup “buttermilk” & it resulted into a runny batter. Started over and added my eggs/vanilla into my dry ingredients drizzled my melted butter and then slowly added my buttermilk substitute.
Pancakes are delicious, perfectly sweet, light & fluffy…by far my favorite recipe I have made so far!
Katie Marlowe
Made these as a “breakfast for dinner” treat for my boys. They were devoured, every last one. Simple to whip up, very fluffy and rich with that delicious buttermilk flavor. I’ve had multiple requests for another batch. This is going to become a staple in my recipes, I expect.