This simple recipe for buttermilk pancakes leaves you with delicious, light, and fluffy pancakes. This is a breakfast recipe you will make weekend after weekend.
My kids are obsessed with pancakes. Honestly, they are obsessed with breakfast food in general. They could eat pancakes every morning of their ever loving lives and be happy campers. My kids are picky about pancake recipes though, and it should be noted that they give this recipe two giant thumbs up.
There are a few things that make these classic buttermilk pancakes so special. First, this recipe doesn’t call for any crazy ingredients. It is fairly simple to keep all of the ingredients you need for this on hand (make sure to read below about my buttermilk swap). Second, it is incredibly fast to make. Finally, and most important of all, it makes for light, fluffy, delicious pancakes that you will come back to over and over.
Buttermilk Pancake Ingredients
- Flour: All purpose flour is the base of these delightful pancakes. Follow this tutorial for how to measure your flour without a kitchen scale: How to Measure Flour .
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: The combination of the two sugars provides both the perfect amount of sweetness, but the perfect flavors and textures.
- Baking Soda: This will give your pancakes the rise you are looking for. Make sure to replace your baking soda every six months.
- Salt
- Buttermilk: A must for buttermilk pancakes, it provides a richer flavor than milk and activates the baking soda for that lift. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, milk and vinegar make a great buttermilk substitute. Read more about that here: How to Make Buttermilk .
- Unsalted Butter: I call for unsalted butter so that we can control the salt content in the recipe. If you only have salted butter on hand, eliminate the salt from the recipe.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make Buttermilk Pancakes
Step 1: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: Combine the Wet Ingredients
In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 3: Fold the Wet Ingredients into the Dry Ingredient
Stir only until just combined, being careful not to over mix. If there are a few clumps of flour mixture, it is okay.
Step 4: Cook the Pancakes
On a griddle or in a skillet, add 1/4 cup of pancake batter. Wait for bubbles to form, then flip and cook the other side. The pancakes will need approximately 3 minutes on each side.
What Does Buttermilk do for Pancakes
Buttermilk provides that signature taste that you don’t even know you are looking for when you bite into a pancake. Without it, it feels like something is missing. Additionally, it is the ingredient in a buttermilk pancake recipe that is going to activate the baking soda. When that happens, you get those nice pockets of air in your pancakes that make them so light and fluffy.
Tips and Tricks for Buttermilk Pancakes
- Measure the flour correctly. If you scoop your flour with your measuring cup it will pack and you will have too much flour for your recipe. Either weigh your flour, or see my tutorial: How to Measure Flour .
- Let your butter cool. We are using melted butter here in place of oil because it provides a much better taste. But, it is important the butter cools a little before adding it to the recipe or it will start cooking the eggs.
- Be sure to grab baking soda and not baking powder. They are both used in baking, but they behave differently, so it’s important to use the one called for. Baking soda is used here because it will react with the acid in the buttermilk.
- Be sure that your baking soda is still active. It does need to be replaced occasionally, and if it is too old, it won’t react with the buttermilk. To test it, add a little to some vinegar. It should bubble fast and furious right away. If not, it’s time to get a new box.
- Preheat your skillet or your griddle over nice medium low heat. The reason people have to toss that first pancake is because they don’t let their skillet or griddle heat up enough.
- Watch for bubbles. You will know they are ready to flip when you start to see little bubbles forming in the middle of the pancake and the edges of the pancake begin to turn golden brown.
Storing Leftovers and Freezing Pancakes
If you have left over pancakes, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. My kids actually love cold pancakes right from the refrigerator as a snack when they are running out the door.
Pancakes also freeze really well. Flash freeze them in a single layer for at least an hour. Then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To warm them up, pop them in the toaster until they are warmed through.
What to Serve with Buttermilk Pancakes
We love these pancakes with some butter and syrup, but if you are putting out a full spread for brunch, here are some other ideas:
- Strawberry Syrup
- Fruit Salad
- Zucchini Muffins
- Asparagus Quiche
If you make this Buttermilk Pancakes recipe or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (180 grams)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (24.75 grams)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed (13.3 grams)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk see note (283.75 grams)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (56.5 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined. 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. Spray lightly with cooking spray. (Or preheat a griddle to 375 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles begin to form in the middle of the pancake and the edges of the pancake are starting to turn golden brown. Flip, and continue cooking until the pancake is golden brown, about three minutes on each side. Keep in mind that you may need to turn the heat down on a skillet over a gas flame after the first few minutes.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Add 1 tablespoon plus 1 scant teaspoon of vinegar to a glass measuring cup.
- Fill the measuring cup the rest of the way to the one and 1/4 cup mark with milk. (Whole milk works best for this, but I have had great results with skim as well.)
- Give it a stir and then let the mixture sit for five minutes before using it in place of the buttermilk in this pancake.
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The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
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The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (180 grams)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (24.75 grams)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed (13.3 grams)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk see note (283.75 grams)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (56.5 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined. 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. Spray lightly with cooking spray. (Or preheat a griddle to 375 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles begin to form in the middle of the pancake and the edges of the pancake are starting to turn golden brown. Flip, and continue cooking until the pancake is golden brown, about three minutes on each side. Keep in mind that you may need to turn the heat down on a skillet over a gas flame after the first few minutes.
Video
Notes
- Add 1 tablespoon plus 1 scant teaspoon of vinegar to a glass measuring cup.
- Fill the measuring cup the rest of the way to the one and 1/4 cup mark with milk. (Whole milk works best for this, but I have had great results with skim as well.)
- Give it a stir and then let the mixture sit for five minutes before using it in place of the buttermilk in this pancake.
Nutrition
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