Start your morning off right with a big stack of these fluffy and melt in your mouth Buttermilk Pancakes. This old-fashioned recipe is so easy, tastes way better than a boxed mix, and gives you pancakes with the most perfectly crisp edges and soft fluffy centers.
This is one of my Breakfast recipes I know youโll want to keep on hand!
Letโs talk breakfastโฆ the most important meal of the day right? Well, who knows for sure, but all I know is that breakfast food is ah-mazing!
Donuts, scrambled eggs, omelettes, biscuits, gravy, bacon, french toastโฆ I could go on all day. But probably one of the most iconic breakfast foods is good olโ pancakes!
Now I donโt know about you, but I usually donโt eat much for actual breakfast. A cup of tea and a granola bar or bowl of cereal, and Iโm good to go.
But I crave breakfast food pretty much all other times of the day! Breakfast for dinner (Brinner) is one of my family’s favorite meals, especially if I’m serving up a big stack of these buttermilk pancakes! ๐
This recipe has been hanging around here on the site for about 6 years, but it’s been republished with updated photos and more helpful information. The recipe has not been changed.
How to make homemade buttermilk pancakes?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Mix dry ingredients. This is the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix wet ingredients. This is the buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon, egg and butter.
- Stir the wet into the dry. Be careful not to over-mix, so just stir them together until you donโt see any more streaks of flour. Lumps are okay.
- Heat griddle or skillet. The secret to great pancakes is to be patient. You want the heat set at MED LOW. Add a bit of butter to griddle/skillet.
- Ladle batter onto griddle. I like to use a 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring cup, so the pancakes are equal in size.
- Cook. Let the pancake cook about 2-3 minutes. Watch for a lot of bubbles popping up on the batter side of the pancake, and for the edges to appear set.
- Flip. Flip the pancake over and cook another 2 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Helpful Tip!
Go easy on the whisking. Pancake batter is easy to over-mix, which means your pancakes won’t be as fluffy and soft as they should be. When whisking the dry and wet ingredients together, just stir until you don’t see streaks of flour. Lumps are perfectly fine; you don’t need to whisk those out.
Variations of this recipe
- Buttermilk substitute โ if you donโt have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own! Add 2 Tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Pour in enough whole milk to reach 2 cups. Stir and let it sit about 10 minutes. It may look a bit curdled, but thatโs okay. Stir and use in the recipe.
- Regular milk โ alternately, you could just use regular whole milk, although we really prefer the flavor and texture of the buttermilk pancakes.
- Chocolate – semi-sweet chocolate chips are a classic stir-in idea, but other flavors of chocolate are great too.
- Fruit – sliced bananas, blueberries, sliced strawberries, etc are all great in these pancakes.
- Nuts – try adding some chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter!
- Flavors โ you can omit the vanilla/cinnamon if youโre not a fan, but alternately, you could try adding some lemon juice (especially if youโll be stirring in, or topping the pancake with some berries).
How to tell when a pancake is ready to flip?
This is a common question, so if you’ve been wondering and not sure how to ask… I’ve got you covered.
There are two main things I look for when deciding if I should flip my pancakes.
- Bubbles. As the pancakes cook, bubbles form and rise to the surface. When those bubbles have come through and popped, it’s a good sign the pancake is ready.
- Edges. The edges of the pancake will start off looking very wet, and as it cooks, they’ll dry out and appear set.
FAQ’s
Buttermilk does two main things in this pancake recipe. First, it adds a beautiful slight tang to the flavor of the pancakes. Secondly, it reacts with the leavening agents in the batter (the baking powder and baking soda) to help the pancakes rise and get nice and fluffy.
You definitely want to use non-expired baking powder for this recipe, or your pancakes wonโt puff up. To test your baking powder, add a bit to hot water. If it bubbles and fizzes, youโre good to go! However, if your baking powder is older than 6 months, itโs best to just get a new can. The older one can still be used for cleaning purposes!
Butter is a classic, and what I use most of the time. However, for the best crispy edges and boost of flavor, try using a bit of bacon drippings!
Making buttermilk pancakes ahead of time
Unfortunately making the batter ahead of time doesnโt work very well, since the leavening agent (the baking powder), will start activating as soon as the ingredients are mixed.
This means when the pancakes are cooked, they wonโt rise and turn into fluffy goodness.
Freezing
If you end up with way too many pancakes leftover, you can freeze them!
Just make sure theyโve completely cooled down, then add the pieces to a wax paper lined baking sheet. Place the whole thing in the freezer for 1-2 hours, until the pancakes are hard.
Add the pancakes to a freezer container, label it with the date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator and warm up in whichever way you like best.
Storage
Leftover pancakes should be refrigerated in an airtight container and eaten within 3-4 days.
My Favorite Spatula!
I love this brand of silicone coated spatulas, since they’re all heat safe, easy to clean and hold up really well! This one is larger and makes getting that perfect pancake flip super easy!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool down slightly.
- To a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to combine all dry ingredients well.
- In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, vanilla, ground cinnamon and egg. Whisk to combine. Add melted butter and whisk again.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking and stirring to mix it all together. Once it’s combined, stop mixing. If you over-mix, your pancakes won’t be light and fluffy.
- Set pancake batter aside and heat up a large skillet or griddle over MED-LOW heat. Add a bit of butter to the preheated griddle and spread it out.
- Use a 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter onto the griddle or skillet. Slowly pour it onto the surface, circling outwards to make a nice circle.
- Let the pancake cook about 2-3 minutes. You'll notice bubbles popping up on the surface of the pancake, if the edges look set, carefully flip the pancake over. Cook another 2 minutes on the other side.
- Remove to a plate and cover with a kitchen towel. Alternatively, you can place the pancakes on a baking sheet and keep it in a low heat oven (175-200 degrees), until you’re ready to serve.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- 1. Please note that the amount of flour may vary, as things such as humidity, brand of flour and the way you measure your flour will effect how things turn out. For reference, I use Gold Medal all purpose flour and measure it by spooning it into my measuring cup, then leveling off with the back of a butter knife.
- A dash of nutmeg is also a great addition to these pancakes.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of vanilla and cinnamon to your liking.
- If you leave out the vanilla and cinnamon, you have a great basic buttermilk pancake recipe.
- This recipe makes enough for 4 people, so feel free to double the recipe in order to feed more people or to freeze some.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Any nutritional information shared is an estimate, and is automatically calculated through a program. If calorie count is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
The Chunky Chef is not a nutritionist and doesnโt provide full nutritional information for recipes as there is a potential for error and we wouldnโt want to potentially and/or unknowingly pass along incorrect information.
Erin says
Can you make this recipe as Belgian waffles? Would you need to change anything?
Amanda says
Iโve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Glenda says
I make lots of pancakes, have done many recipes. The vanilla cinnamon combo here is a win. They are also soft and fluffy, which I think is the buttermilk and liquid to dry ratio (not that much flour). Made them again today. Will make them again and again. My family loves them.
Miranda Georges says
These are the best pancakes I’ve ever made. My son has a friend that loves pancakes and he always requests pancakes when he comes over because he says I make the best! It’s these! So yummy!
Meosha says
Sooooo yummy and so moist. Thanks for the nutmeg tip!
Jeannette Elaine Riste says
I am definitely keeping this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this! Family made me make another batch! Lol will be trying more of your recipes!
Pauline says
Amazing pancake thank you for sharingย
Kimberly D. says
These are really amazing! Our new family favorite!!
Jeff Dwyer says
I made this recipe and enjoyed the best pancakes I have ever tasted. Truly, they are light and fluffy, full of wonderful cinnamon and vanilla flavor (I added twice the recommended amount of vanilla). These pancakes have become standard Sunday morning breakfast at my home. Try them. You will never go back to prepared pancake ingredients (you know to what I am referring).
Aneesh Gregory says
This recipe turns out beautiful every single time. This particular pancake is an all time favourite for my family and friends. I find the pancakes turn out really fluffy when using store bought buttermilk/ ayran/ kefir milk compared to home made buttermilk for some reason. Thank you for this recipe. Love it.
Makeba Hill says
Very good flavor and easy to make! Yum!
Nakisha says
I LOVE these pancakes. I have searching far and wide for the perfect pancake recipe and THIS. IS. IT. I will never buy the “just add water” product again! These really are light and fluffy with the perfect consistency. My kids even said, “FINALLY!” Thank you!
Manasa Gollapalli says
Wow! These pancakes are really the best thing to exist. The amount of cinnamon and vanilla stated in the recipe really was perfect, and the whole flavor of my pancakes was amazing. Thanks to this recipe, I’ll never have to choose another one again. I used equal parts yogurt and water as buttermilk, so I did have to add a little more water to get the perfect consistency. Mixing them only lightly really helped to make the perfect, fluffy, light pancakes.
Shelli says
Easy and deliciousโ๏ธ
lisa wood says
IS this low carb or weight watchers?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Lisa, no this isn’t what I would consider a healthy pancake recipe.
Debbie Grantham says
This is my go to recipe for pancakes. My family loves them. Great flavor, nice and fluffy.
Nicole says
I am always trying different pancake recipes, until now, because this is the ONE!
Marielaina Perrone DDS says
Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Debbie Grantham says
This is my go to recipe for pancakes. My grandsons love them and say I make the best pancakes ever. I love the cinnamon vanilla flavors.
Jane says
I live this recipe. I add pecans and blueberries.
JFarn says
I make these all the time. I love them!