These are the easiest, fluffiest homemade pancakes I’ve made (and so much better than the boxed mixes). These are from scratch with ingredients I bet you already have in your kitchen!
This is, without a doubt, my family’s favorite pancake recipe! We’ve been making them for years, so I’ve spent years tweaking the recipe to make it perfect for you! They are light, super fluffy, and delicious!
The secret to my pancakes is a generous amount of baking powder, which reacts with the heat of the skillet and makes them rise tall and fluffy. We also stir in a good amount of butter and vanilla, guaranteeing they taste incredible! My recipe calls for milk, but if you have buttermilk, I highly recommend our buttermilk pancake recipe. These pancakes have also inspired many of the pancake recipes on Inspired Taste, which I recommend browsing through.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour, but whole wheat flour, spelt flour, or your favorite gluten-free flour blend work in this recipe! I have used this pancake recipe as a base for my whole wheat pancakes and gluten-free buckwheat pancakes.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar, but brown sugar, cane sugar, coconut sugar, and even honey or maple syrup will work. I keep the recipe lower on sugar since we usually add maple syrup or honey when serving them.
- Baking Powder: Remember that the 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 (I use Bob’s Red Mill). 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 made dairy-free pancakes using this recipe with oat, almond, and coconut milk (carton, not canned). Here’s my oat milk recipe if you are interested. For buttermilk, see my buttermilk pancakes!
- Egg: This adds structure and flavor, but to make this recipe without eggs, use a flax egg or see my vegan pancakes instead.
- Butter: You can’t beat the taste of butter when making pancakes. Use unsalted or salted butter (omit the salt in the recipe if using salted). You can substitute melted coconut oil or plant-based butter for a dairy-free option. For golden brown and crispy edges, cook the pancakes in butter, too.
- Vanilla: Adds a soft, sweet flavor. I always add a splash of vanilla to pancake batter (even when someone tells me not to).
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Pancakes From Scratch
We’ve been perfecting homemade pancakes for years and now want to share all our secrets with you! Just look at this photo of a cooked pancake. See how incredibly fluffy it is in the middle? These tips will help you achieve the same unbelievably tasty, thick, and fluffy results every time.
Tip 1: Use butter for flavor. Add it to your pancake batter and cook your pancakes in butter (hello, crispy edges!). If you find your butter burns, try ghee as it has a higher smoke point.
Tip 2: Baking powder makes the fluffiest pancakes, but use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid an unpleasant aftertaste (I use Bob’s Red Mill). As you stir your batter, you’ll notice it starting to thicken and bubble. That’s the baking powder actively working its magic, creating those airy pockets!
Tip 3: Timing is everything when it comes to flipping. Wait until the edges of your pancake look dry and bubbles appear and pop on the top surface. I typically cook pancakes over medium heat, though you might need to adjust it slightly to find your ideal setting. Pancakes generally need 1 to 2 minutes per side. If you notice them browning too quickly, reduce the heat a bit.
Our Favorite Pancake Toppings and Sides
Our family loves fresh fruit, maple syrup, and extra butter (salted, always). You can also consider whipped cream or vegan coconut whipped cream (delicious!), nuts, apple butter, maple pumpkin butter (hello, fall!), chocolate chips, or the homemade butter pecan syrup I add to our pumpkin pancakes!
To round out your plate, try my favorite crispy baked bacon, homemade breakfast sausage (with maple syrup and sage), creamy scrambled eggs, or these poached eggs! I also love a side of strawberry fruit salad or my favorite berry fruit salad (with mint)!
Easy Fluffy Pancakes
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These easy pancakes have been a reader favorite for years! They are genuinely some of the best fluffy pancakes I’ve made at home. Over the years, I’ve increased the butter and vanilla slightly (feel free to use less, but I promise the quantities below make these pancakes taste amazing). Thousands of home cooks have made them and often make them with their kids, which, given I make this with my young son all the time, makes me so happy! If you have buttermilk, you may want to look at our buttermilk pancake recipe.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder, important to level the tablespoon, see tips
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
1Prepare the butter: Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly.
2Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Don’t worry if the butter solidifies a little.
4Mix the batter: Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour the milk mixture into the well and gently whisk until the flour is just incorporated. A few small lumps are perfectly normal. As the batter rests, you should see it begin to bubble. It will be thick, like cake batter. If it seems too thick, add a splash more milk to thin it out.
5Preheat the skillet: Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. To check if it’s ready, sprinkle a few drops of water on the surface. They should “dance” around and evaporate quickly.
6Cook the Pancakes: Brush the skillet with melted butter for crispy edges (you can skip this if using a good nonstick pan). Scoop the batter onto the skillet using a 1/4 cup measure or a large cookie scoop, then gently 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 they’re lightly browned and cooked through. Enjoy your pancakes right away with warm syrup, more butter, and berries.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Keep warm in the oven: If cooking multiple batches, heat your oven to 200°F (95°C) and place a baking sheet inside. As each pancake finishes cooking, transfer it to the baking sheet in the warm oven to keep warm until you’re ready to serve them all.
- Storing: Store cooked pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze them for up to two months. If you’re freezing them, first arrange the pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, placing parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking.
- Reheating: 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.
- My favorite pancake toppings: Try fresh fruit, warm maple syrup, and extra butter. We also love whipped cream or vegan whipped cream, nuts, apple butter, maple pumpkin butter, chocolate chips, or the homemade butter pecan syrup I add to our pumpkin pancakes!
- Measuring the flour: Too much flour makes these less fluffy. To ensure you have the right amount of flour, weigh it or use the spooned and level method. Fluff the flour in its container, gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded, then level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring.
- Best baking powder: Use aluminum-free baking powder (like Rumford or Bob’s Red Mill), which has less metallic flavor. I use Bob’s Red Mill baking powder in this recipe with great results. When measuring, dip your spoon into the container, then level it off using the straight edge of one of your other spoons.
- Pancakes without 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 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of berries, chopped strawberries, nuts, cooked bacon, or chocolate chips to the batter.
- 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: Over the years, I have 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.
Visited our son and daughter-in-law in TN this summer. We were invited to go blueberry picking at a friend’s. DIL used this recipe for blueberry pancakes. Delicious!!
So glad you gave them a try! Love that you added blueberries!
Finally can stop looking for a favorite pancake recipe!
Woohoo!! So happy you found us, Erin!
I have not been a pancake person. These pancakes, are light and I love the vanilla. I definitely will be making these again. Can I use this for waffles as well ?
Hi Pat, I recommend our waffles recipe instead.
Just made recipe for the 4th time. Always wonderful. I was wondering how to make even more fluffy? I guess more baking powder, but that might give it strong taste. I know how much you mix also changes how much it rises. Thank you for fantastic recipe.
I’ve made this recipe several times and found adding an extra 2 tablespoons of flour makes them thick and fluffy. Some other tips that might help are to make sure you don’t over mix the batter and let it sit for a few minutes before cooking. Also, I always make sure my ingredients are at room temperature which may help.
OMG, these are the absolute best pancakes ever. I will NEVER use a mix again! We put fresh blueberries into the batter and so yummy!!!
You will not be disappointed if you make this recipe.
Easy and very light and delicious. I added more milk
Glad you dialed in your batter consistency. Thanks for coming back, Jan!
I made your pancakes this morning and I always like to use a scale when baking. I weighed everything and the pancakes were delicious. The pancakes were fluffy, light and I topped them with a berry coulis and farm-fresh maple syrup (because I am from Canada!). Many thanks and keep the great recipes coming! Louisa/Canada
Your pancakes sound lovely! Thanks for sharing, Louisa.