This is the best recipe for homemade buttermilk pancakes that are so tender and fluffy. They are so easy to make from scratch and are the best treat to make for your family on weekend mornings.
What's a better way to enjoy a leisurely weekend breakfast than with homemade buttermilk pancakes? You can whip up the batter in a matter of minutes and cooking takes no time at all if you use a griddle.
I am always searching to perfect each different type of food that I like. I will try many different types of recipes, variations, ingredients until I reach success. Even though I like most of the recipes that I try, I still like to try different recipes, hoping to find something even better or just have another way of making something. However, when I find a recipe that I LOVE, and am completely satisfied with it, I am no longer even tempted to try another version, simply because I know, that this is "the one".
What I'm trying to say is that this is my ultimate buttermilk pancake recipe. It is so fluffy and tender, it just melts in your mouth. Often I will make double the amount on Saturday morning and keep the rest of the pancakes for the coming week. An easy way to heat them up and revive them is to toast them and they come right back to life with their golden, airy goodness.
How to Make Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes Video:
Ingredients
- all purpose flour - I use unbleached all purpose flour
- granulated sugar - this will sweeten the pancakes, you can use raw cane sugar as well
- baking powder and baking soda - you need to use both in this recipe to make them puff up and become really fluffy and light.
- salt - a small pinch of salt will
- buttermilk - this is a key ingredient in the pancakes. The buttermilk activates the baking soda and baking powder creating that incredibly airy texture. It also gives the pancakes a wonderful flavor.
- egg
- oil - you can use just about any oil in this recipe. My favorite is avocado oil, for both the batter and to grease the griddle.
- vanilla extract - this is often not on the ingredient list for most pancake recipes, but it gives such a great flavor to the pancakes. Don't miss it - you will love the aromatic flavor.
Buttermilk Substitutions:
Buttermilk is one of the most important ingredients in these pancakes. It gives them a pleasant acidic tang but also activates the baking soda and makes the pancakes really tender and airy. Substituting plain milk will not work.
Milk + Lemon Juice OR Vinegar
However, if you don't have buttermilk on hand, one of the easiest substitutions is a combination of whole milk and vinegar/lemon juice. Pour 1 ¼ cups of milk into a bowl, take out 1 Tablespoon of milk and replace it with one Tablespoon of plain distilled white vinegar or lemon juice. Allow it to stand for 5-10 minutes, stir and then use in the recipe instead of buttermilk. The lemon juice or vinegar will sour the milk and give it that nice acidic tang.
Milk + Sour Cream OR Yogurt
Another great option is to use a combination of whole milk and sour cream or yogurt instead of the buttermilk. Mix ¾ cup sour cream or yogurt with ½ cup milk until smooth. Use instead of buttermilk.
However, you will have the BEST results if you use actual buttermilk, not the milk+lemon juice/vinegar substitution. Yes, the pancakes will work and will taste good, but they will be significantly fluffier and much thicker if you use buttermilk. I think the yogurt/sour cream + milk substitution is much better and will give you fluffier pancakes than making buttermilk with milk+lemon juice/vinegar.
How To Make Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes:
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Mix until they are evenly combined.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together. (I like to whisk them all in a liquid measuring cup.)
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
- Whisk together just until combined. Do not overmix. It’s ok if there are a few lumps left.
- Preheat the griddle or skillet, adding a bit of oil to cover the surface. The griddle should be about 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit, but adjust it based on your griddle.
- Pour the batter onto the griddle, using a ¼ cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop.
- Flip the pancakes when you see little holes all over the surface of the pancakes.
- Serve the pancakes hot with butter, maple syrup, honey, fruit, jam, etc.
Helpful Tips For the Fluffiest and Most Tender Pancakes:
Don't Overmix the Pancake Batter
Overmixing will make your pancakes tough. It's perfectly normal for the batter to be a little bit lumpy and to see some flour in the batter. Stir the batter just until blended, this is why you DON'T want to use a mixer and to make these by hand.
Let the Pancake Batter Rest For 5-10 Minutes
As the batter stands, the buttermilk and baking soda will start reacting and you will get a much more fluffy and airy pancakes. I mix up the batter and then start preheating the griddle. While it's preheating the batter is resting.
Cooking the Pancakes:
Make sure to preheat the griddle or skillet before pouring the pancakes batter on it. If you're using a griddle, it should be about 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit. The griddle is the best option for cooking pancakes, because it's a large surface, you can cook more pancakes at once and it also gives plenty of space in between the pancakes. Plus, it's easier to flip the pancakes. You can also use a nonstick skillet or a well seasoned cast iron skillet for pancakes. Do not use a stainless steel skillet for pancakes.
Don't Crowd the Griddle/Skillet
Leave enough room around the pancakes so they have enough space to spread out, otherwise they will merge onto each other and stick together. They will also cook more evenly and will be easier to flip if there is enough space around them.
How To Know When To Flip the Pancakes:
Flip the pancakes when there is an even distribution of small holes on the surface of the pancake and edges are dry. The bubbles should be all over the surface of the pancakes before you flip them. Don't flip them too soon or the pancakes will spread our too much, be thinner and won't be as fluffy.
Don't Flatten the Pancakes With Your Spatula
This is tempting, but will make your pancakes dense, thin and tough.
Store the Cooked Pancakes in a Single Layer
A nice way of keeping pancakes fluffy, is placing them on a clean kitchen towel in a single layer and covering with another kitchen towel to keep warm. This way, you won’t smoosh the pancakes too much with the weight of the other pancakes.
Storing and Reheating
Pancakes reheat and freeze really well, so I like to make a big batch so we can enjoy them for more than one meal.
Store the pancakes in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Freeze the pancakes for up to 3 months. Place some parchment paper between the pancakes so that they don't freeze solidly together and are easy to separate.
Thaw the pancakes and reheat in the toaster, the oven or the microwave. We love using the toaster to reheat pancakes because it warms them through but also crisps them up on the outside.
More Amazing Breakfast Recipes
PrintHomemade Buttermilk Pancakes
The perfect homemade buttermilk pancake recipe that results in the most fluffy and tender pancakes.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 12 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
- 1 level teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup oil (any oil will work, my favorite is avocado oil), plus more oil for the griddle/skillet
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together, the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk the wet ingredients, the buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla extract together. Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a large mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
- Whisk together just until combined. Do not overmix. It’s ok if there are a few lumps lefts.
- Using an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup, pour onto heated, oiled griddle or skillet.
- Flip the pancakes when there is an even distribution of bubbles on the surface of the pancake and edges are dry.
Notes
Buttermilk Substitution:
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can easily substitute with milk and vinegar/lemon juice. Pour 1 ¼ cups of milk into a bowl, take out 1 Tablespoon of milk and replace it with a Tablespoon of plain distilled white vinegar or lemon juice. Allow it to stand for 5-10 minutes, stir and then use in the recipe instead of buttermilk.
Other Flavor Variations:
You can add berries, chopped peaches, grated apples or pears, nuts, chocolate chips, M&Ms or bananas to the pancakes. Make the batter just as you would plain pancakes, pour the batter onto the griddle, then add the other ingredients all over the surface of the pancakes before you flip them.
Our favorite pancakes are Blueberry Pancakes. The sweet, slightly tart and juicy berries are perfect with the fluffy pancakes.
Love this recipe, a favorite for my kids!
I made these pancakes today for the first time, wow they came out so delicious. Pancakes were very fluffy and soft. Thank you!
this is the best recipe of pancakes . I tried multiple recipes before, and this one became my favorite!! When I make them, they disappear from the plate immediately. Even my 1 year old loves them!
That's awesome, Valentina. I am so glad you and your family enjoy the pancakes, especially your little one:).
Perfectly fluffy and not too sweet! Just delicious! Thank you!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed them, Angie:).
These are the best pancakes I have ever tasted!!!
That's awesome!
I made these today for the first time, everyone loved them! The recipe is definetely a keeper!
The pancakes were very fluffy and soft!
Thanks for the video, my kiddos and I enjoyed watching it.
That's awesome, Vera!
I love this recipe for pancakes, but when I first tried them my hubby didnt wanna eat them because baking soda is very stong in this recipe, in my opinion its way to much, so I tried putting only 1/4tsp and they are still fluffy and we all love them, and husband don't taste any baking soda. Thank you Olga for this great recipe!
I'm glad you were able to make it work for your family, Nataliya.
Hi Olga! What kind of griddle do you have?
These were the best! I wanted to try with fruits but every time I make them, I don't have any on hand. Last time I had strawberries but I wasn't sure if that will work so I put strawberries with sugar in blender and served that strawberry puree with pancakes. Turned out way too good!!!
P.S. Thanks for cucumber recipe in the comments! I did them twice already! Love them! Olga, you can't even think of how you make my life easier! Your step by step recipes are just right for me! Having two little kids just like you, I wonder when do you have time for everything? I'm glad you keep your posts... May God give you strength! You are in my prayers!
Thanks, blueberry, for such a sweet comment:).
I absolutely love serving pancakes with strawberries, exactly the same way that you did!
I'll have to actually do a recipe post for those cucumbers.
How do you freeze these? do you wrap them individually or throw them together into a ziplock bag? thx! these were AMAZING!
I usually put a bit or parchment paper in between the pancakes and stack them together and seal them well in a ziplock freezer bag.
Very yummy! Is it ok to freeze them?
Yes, you can freeze these pancakes, Masha.
Now, this pancakes turned out very well.
Thank you Olga!!!!!