I cannot wait for you to try our pancake recipe! These are the easiest, fluffiest pancakes I’ve made. We make them from scratch with ingredients I bet you already have in your kitchen!
These are, without a doubt, my family’s favorite homemade pancakes! 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! This recipe has inspired many of the pancake recipes on Inspired Taste, and I cannot wait for you to try it!
Key Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for these pancakes, 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).
As you stir this pancake batter, it will thicken and bubble (that’s the baking powder beginning to work its magic!). If you find the batter is too thick, you can add a splash of extra milk. Our recipe video below shows how thick the batter should be.
When cooking these, flip your pancakes when the edges look dry and bubbles appear and pop on the top surfaces. They’ll need 1 to 2 minutes on each side. If you notice them browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly (I stay around medium heat).
Here’s a photo of a cooked pancake. Look at how fluffy it is in the middle! These pancakes turn out so thick and fluffy (remember, it’s all thanks to that baking powder). We hope you love them as much as we do!
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!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
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
- Make Pancakes
1Melt the butter and set it aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. (Don’t worry if the butter solidifies slightly).
3Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture and stir gently with a fork until the flour is just incorporated. A few small lumps are okay. As the batter sits, it should start to bubble.
4Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle in a few drops of water to test if it’s ready. You want them to dance around a bit and evaporate.
5Brush the skillet with melted butter (this creates crispy edges, but you can skip it if using a quality nonstick pan).
6Scoop the batter onto the skillet using a 1/4 cup measure or large cookie scoop, and 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 lightly browned and cooked in the middle.
8Serve immediately with warm syrup, butter, and berries.
- Storing
1Store pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze them for up to 2 months. If freezing, line the pancakes on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper between each pancake to prevent sticking.
2To reheat pancakes, 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.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- My favorite pancake toppings: Our family loves fresh fruit, maple syrup, and extra butter. You can also consider whipped cream or vegan whipped cream (delicious!), nuts, apple butter, maple pumpkin butter, chocolate chips, or the homemade butter pecan syrup I add to our pumpkin pancakes!
- What to serve with them: For something savory on the side, try my favorite crispy baked bacon, homemade breakfast sausage, creamy scrambled eggs, or these poached eggs! I also love a side of fresh fruit salad!
- 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.
- 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: On 4/27/2024, I 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.
Fantastic recipe. Easy, fluffy, great taste.
So happy you love the recipe! 🙂
5 stars no comment
These were amazing! Light and fluffy and my niece and nephews loved them! Easy and quick to make!
Wonderful! So happy your family loved the homemade pancakes! 🙂
I’ll never buy store-bought pancake mix again. This was really easy to make and the pancakes turned out awesome!!!!
We are thrilled to hear that 🙂
I’ve tried different pancake recipes and this is by far the best one. The pancakes get crispy without having to add extra butter to the griddle. I used 1/4 tap of salt and 1 tsp vanilla and they were so good. I’ll try the full amount next time. This will be my new go to recipe.
You have made our day! 🙂
I made these tonight for dinner. Topped them with cream cheese and strawberries. They were perfect AND delicious! Very light and fluffy.
Yum!
These are good, but more like fry cakes rather than pancakes
Randomly found the recipe and tried just because I have all the ingredients… Now I never have to buy shake ‘n pour! Also freezing them is one thing I have never thought of and it worked pretty well. I appreciate it! P.S. I used Splenda allulose powder instead of sugar (1:1). The pancake itself is not sweet at all but it works for me as I will have maple syrup with them anyways.
So happy you found us! 🙂
We put the batter on the griddle and it smelled amazing already!
We love the smell of cooking pancakes! 🙂
I have been using this recipe for 2 years now and it has never failed me, always makes the best pancakes. Thank you !!
You are so welcome and we are so happy it is your go to recipe! 🙂
These were very good and easy! Kids all loved them and I did too!
Made this recipe x3 times for kids and that’s all they want from me now (dad cooks all other meals). Very easy to follow and measure! Tasty too!
Best pancake recipe I’ve ever come across. My teen and toddlers love them. It’s my go to recipe.
The pancakes turned out so fluffy and yum ! The recipe is really easy and nicely explained . Definitely go for it