The best fluffy pancake recipe! Easy to make with simple ingredients, these homemade pancakes are our favorite weekend breakfast.
The Best Pancake Recipe
My Buttermilk Pancakes recipe has been my go-to for years, but I needed an easy pancake recipe for those mornings when we don’t have any buttermilk in the fridge. I started experimenting in the kitchen and that’s how this pancake recipe was born.
This pancake recipe makes the best fluffy homemade pancakes – they’re worlds better than pancakes from a mix! I love this recipe because it’s quick to make using simple ingredients that I always have in my kitchen. I usually make these on Sunday mornings, along with scrambled eggs and sometimes bacon in the oven. My whole family loves them!
How to Make Fluffy Pancakes
As a mom of 5, I have made many, many batches of pancakes over the years! I’ve also developed and carefully tested 11 pancake recipes to share here on Kristine’s Kitchen – that’s a lot of pancake making! Here’s what I’ve learned about making thick, fluffy pancakes:
- Don’t overmix the batter. It should be a bit lumpy (but you shouldn’t see any streaks of flour). If you over-mix it will deflate the batter and the pancakes won’t rise as well.
- You want a thick batter. A thick batter will give you thick pancakes.
- Add an acidic ingredient for the most lift. My first few tests of this recipe yielded pancakes that were much too thin for my liking. Since we’re not using buttermilk, they needed another acidic ingredient to help them puff up as they cook. The solution? I add Greek yogurt to the batter, which helps to activate the baking soda. Just like these Lemon Greek Yogurt Pancakes, it makes these pancakes nice and fluffy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: Adds rich, buttery flavor.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works great. Sometimes I use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour in this recipe.
- Sugar: Two tablespoons of granulated sugar makes the pancakes just sweet enough, perfect for serving with maple syrup.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: To make the pancakes puff up as they cook.
- Salt: The salt brings out all of the flavors.
- Cinnamon: This is my secret ingredient! The cinnamon adds subtle flavor that makes these pancakes extra delicious. I also add cinnamon to my Chocolate Chip Pancakes.
- Eggs: The eggs provide structure, richness and lift.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: Makes the pancakes fluffier and adds some protein.
- Milk: I like to use whole milk in this recipe. You can use a lower fat milk, or nondairy milk.
- Vanilla: For warm sweetness.
How to Make Pancakes
Make the batter. Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them together, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.
Cook the pancakes. Heat an electric griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat, add a bit of butter and allow it to melt. Scoop the pancake batter onto the griddle, using about 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake. Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side, until bubbles form and the pancake bottoms are golden. Flip and cook on the second side until golden, about 2 minutes.
Serve and enjoy! The pancakes are delicious with butter, maple syrup and fresh berries or sliced banana.
These Freeze Wonderfully
I often make a double batch of these pancakes just so I can stock our freezer with the leftovers. Once they’re cool, store them in a zip-top plastic bag with the air squeezed out (or another airtight container) for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature, overnight in the fridge, or in the microwave. Then warm them for a few seconds in a microwave or toaster before serving.
More Pancake Recipes
Best Easy Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, or 1 cup each all-purpose and whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ cups milk, I use whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt the butter (either in the microwave or in a pan on the stove) and set it aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, milk and vanilla extract. Then whisk in the melted butter.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix until the flour is just incorporated, being careful to not overmix. The batter may be slightly lumpy, but you should not see any streaks of flour. The batter will be thick.
- Heat an electric griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Grease the griddle or skillet with butter (you can skip the butter if using a non-stick griddle that doesn't require greasing.)
- Scoop the pancake batter onto the griddle, using about 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake. Let pancakes cook on the first side until bubbles form and the pancake bottoms are golden, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook them on the second side until golden, about 2 minutes. Serve pancakes with butter and maple syrup, if desired.
Notes
- Pancakes freeze wonderfully. Once cool, freeze in a zip-top plastic bag or other airtight container for up to 3 months. I stagger the pancakes in the bag/container so that they don’t stick together as they freeze. (It’s ok if they overlap a little.) If you want to stack them, I recommend placing a square of parchment paper in between each pancake. Thaw pancakes using the defrost setting of your microwave or let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can also thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.
