Easy Fluffy Pancakes from Scratch

How we make the best homemade fluffy pancakes. This easy recipe makes pancakes that are light and fluffy. You only need a few simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now. Jump to the Easy Fluffy Pancakes Recipe

A stack of fluffy pancakes

How to Make Fluffy Pancakes

Say goodbye to the boxed pancake mix. Everything you need to make delicious pancakes is probably sitting in your kitchen right now. This recipe is easy! The pancakes aren’t too sweet and are lightly scented with vanilla. They are delicious and they are easily adapted to what you have in your kitchen. Let’s do this!

Stack of homemade pancakes with berries

Pancake Ingredients

We love simple, no-fail recipes and this pancake recipe is just that. It’s quick to make, and we’re willing to bet you’ve got everything you need to make them right now. We call for eggs in this recipe. If you are looking for egg-free pancakes, here is our recipe for vegan pancakes. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you will need (the full recipe with ingredient amounts is shared in the recipe below).

Flour: Use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or a combination of the two. For gluten-free pancakes, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend or try buckwheat flour. Here is our buckwheat pancake recipe for reference.

Sugar: We use granulated sugar, but other sugars like coconut sugar, raw sugar, or brown sugar will work in the recipe.

Baking Powder: It is the baking powder that makes these pancakes light and fluffy. If you’d like to make pancakes without baking powder, I have shared tips for using baking soda in the frequently asked questions below.

Salt: We like to use 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt. It balances the sugar nicely and brings out lots of flavor in the pancakes. If you are using salted butter, consider reducing the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.

Milk: Whole milk, reduced-fat, and even skim milk will work in this recipe. For dairy-free pancakes, substitute non-dairy milk (like unsweetened almond milk or homemade oat milk). I’ve also used orange juice in place of the milk before and it worked nicely. If you’d like to use buttermilk, take a look at our recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes.

Melted Butter: You can’t beat the taste of butter for this, but if you need a plant-based option, melted coconut oil or melted plant-based butter work, too. We use unsalted butter, but salted butter will work as a substitute. If you do use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt by 1/4 teaspoon.

One Egg: The egg adds structure, flavor, and fluffiness. I’ve shared tips in the frequently asked questions below for making pancakes without eggs. We use a flax egg. You might also enjoy our recipe for vegan pancakes.

Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds sweetness and depth of flavor. You could try other extracts, too. Almond extract would be pretty delicious.

We have lots of pancake recipes on the blog. If you love blueberries, you must take a look at this recipe and if you like to swap regular flour for whole wheat, try these fluffy whole wheat pancakes. We have also recently added a vegan pancake recipe to the blog, which we both love!

Our Step-by-Step Method for the Fluffiest Pancakes

These simple pancakes come together fast! They are perfect for kids (if you scroll through the reviews so many our of readers makes these with their kids and sometimes the kids even make them!) To make them follow these easy steps:

  1. Whisk dry ingredients together
  2. Melt butter and warm milk (we use the microwave)
  3. Whisk wet ingredients together
  4. Combine the dry and wet ingredients
  5. Cook on a hot buttered skillet
  6. Enjoy!

Here’s the secret to the fluffiest pancakes: Mix dry and wet ingredients separately at first then combine just before cooking. You can mix the dry ingredients as much as you want and do the same for the wet ingredients, but when the two mixtures come together, use a light touch. Over-mixing the batter is a common mistake — it makes them heavy and flat, not fluffy.

By the way, these tips apply to waffles and muffins, too. We use this same strategy when making our favorite blueberry muffins as well as our favorite waffles.

Mixing the pancake batter

When we are ready to cook, we combine the two mixes with a fork or whisk. I like to stir until I no longer see dry clumps of flour. There can be some small lumps, though.

The middle of fluffy pancakes
See how fluffy these pancakes are?

The recipe makes 8 pancakes, so depending on how many you eat at one sitting, this recipe could serve 2 to 4 people. If you have some pancakes leftover, you can freeze them! I love this trick for when just one of us wants pancakes in the morning. Check the frequently asked questions below for how we freeze them.

Variations

This is our basic pancake recipe. We use it often as is, but have used it as a base for other recipes. Add what you love. Here are a few suggestions:

What Our Readers are Saying

There are lots of things you can do to make these your own. If you’d like, come back and share what worked for you. We’d love to read about it. In fact, here’s what our readers have been saying about the recipe:

“Best pancakes we’ve made so far. Delicious!” – Leigh

“This was an amazing recipe! I make homemade pancakes with my kids and they always come out flat and rubbery, these are fluffy and my kids keep asking for more!” – Ebony

“Pancakes from heaven! So light and fluffy. I had to make a second batch, no one could stop eating them!” – Kimberly

“These are by far the BEST pancakes I have ever eaten!” – Kayla

Frequently Asked Questions

Since posting this recipe, we’ve had some frequently asked questions. Here are the most common:

Can I make pancakes without baking powder? Yes, absolutely. To use baking soda instead of baking powder, you will need to swap the milk for sour milk or buttermilk and use 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda. If you do not have buttermilk, you can make homemade buttermilk or “sour milk” 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. The addition of sour milk is required because, unlike baking powder, baking soda needs acid to work in the recipe. If you go with the baking soda/sour milk combination, they will be just as fluffy as the original recipe.

How to make pancakes without eggs? For pancakes without eggs, we use a flax egg. To make a flax egg, mix one tablespoon flaxseed meal (ground raw flaxseed) with 3 tablespoons water. Set it aside for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator to thicken, and then use to replace the egg in the recipe. We also recommend that you look at our Vegan Pancakes Recipe.

Can I make the pancakes ahead of time? Can I freeze the pancakes? Yes! These are perfect for freezing and reheat nicely. This way, you can have pancakes for one, two, or more any day of the week. To freeze them, cook the pancakes, and then lay them out in one layer on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes (or until they are hard). Then divide them between freezer bags with a sheet of parchment or wax paper between them (so they don’t stick to one another). To reheat, use the microwave or oven. To microwave, place them onto a plate and microwave for 20 seconds for one pancake or longer for multiple pancakes. To reheat in the oven, package them in foil then place them into a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

What to Serve with Pancakes

Recipe updated, originally posted September 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. Since sharing the first video, we have updated it. To watch the old recipe video, watch it on YouTube.– Adam and Joanne

Easy Fluffy Pancakes from Scratch

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

These pancakes are light and fluffy and made entirely from scratch. They’re not too sweet and are scented with vanilla, making them extra delicious. These are easy to adapt — try adding a handful of berries, nuts, or chocolate to the batter.

*We call for unsalted butter in the recipe. You can use salted butter, but you may want to reduce the amount of salt used.

Makes 4 servings, 2 pancakes each

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

1 ½ cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour, see tips below for how to measure flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder, see notes for substituting baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of fine sea or table salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if sensitive to salt

1 ¼ cups (295 ml) milk, dairy or non-dairy

1 large egg

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  • Make Batter
  • Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and the salt in a medium bowl.

    Warm milk in the microwave or on top of the stove until lukewarm, not hot. You should be able to keep your finger submerged for 10 seconds.

    Whisk milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until combined. (By warming the milk slightly, the melted butter mixes into the milk instead of turning into small lumps).

    • Cook Pancakes
    • Heat a large skillet (or use griddle) over medium heat. The pan is ready if when you splatter a little water onto the pan surface, the water dances around the pan and eventually evaporates.

      Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour milk mixture into the well and use a fork to stir until you no longer see clumps of flour. It is okay if the batter has small lumps – it is important not to over-mix the batter.

      Lightly brush skillet with melted butter (this is optional if you have a high-quality non-stick pan). Use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to spoon batter onto the skillet. Gently spread the batter into a 4-inch circle.

      When edges look dry, and bubbles start to appear and pop on the top surfaces of the pancake, turn over. This takes about 2 minutes. Once flipped, cook another 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked in the middle. Serve immediately with warm syrup, butter, and berries.

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

  • Measuring the flour: Mismeasuring flour can cause this recipe to fail. Either measure by weight (grams) or fill your measuring cup, fluff up the flour in your canister or bag and then spoon the flour into the measuring cup. When the cup is full, use something flat (like a butter knife) to scrape the excess flour off the top of the measuring cup.
  • Baking powder: For the fluffiest pancakes, use baking powder. We use quite a bit to achieve that fluffy middle (I know it seems like a lot, but trust us). I buy aluminum-free baking powder (Rumford and Bob’s Red Mill are examples) since they prevent that tinny flavor that can appear when baking powder is used in higher quantities (like in this recipe).
  • Substitute for baking powder: To use baking soda instead of baking powder, you will need to swap the milk for sour milk or buttermilk and use 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda. If you do not have buttermilk, you can make homemade buttermilk or “sour milk” 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. The addition of sour milk is required because, unlike baking powder, baking soda needs acid to work in the recipe. If you go with the baking soda/sour milk combination, the pancakes will be just as fluffy as the original recipe.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving: Serving Size 1 pancake / Calories 184 / Protein 4.5g / Carbohydrate 23.8g / Dietary Fiber 0.7g / Total Sugars 5.2g / Total Fat 7.8g / Saturated Fat 4.5g / Cholesterol 42.3mg / Sodium 173.5mg

AUTHOR: Adam and Joanne Gallagher

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