I've been making pancakes from scratch for as long as I can remember, and this is the recipe I keep coming back to. It comes together in one bowl with simple ingredients from your pantry. The result is a light, fluffy stack of pancakes with crisp, buttery edges every single time. Serve them with warm maple syrup or customize with fresh fruit, mini chocolate chips or anything else you're craving.
This homemade pancakes recipe is also the base recipe for my Banana Strawberry Pancakes and Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes which are both delicious combos for slow weekend mornings.
Quick Look: Homemade Pancakes
- Ready In: 20 minutes
- Serves: 4 people
- Calories: 498 kcal per serving
- Add to Your Shopping List: aluminum-free baking powder
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, dairy and eggs - can be made gluten free
- Baker's Note: Fresh baking powder is the secret to a light, fluffy stack of pancakes. If yours has been sitting in the pantry for more than 6 months, it's time for a new can.
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Jump to:
- Quick Look: Homemade Pancakes
- Key Ingredients
- How to Make Pancakes From Scratch
- Substitutions and Variations
- Notes From My Test Kitchen
- What to Serve with Homemade Pancakes
- Storing Leftover Pancakes
- How to Reheat Pancakes
- Homemade Pancakes FAQs
- More Fluffy Pancake Recipes
- More Maple and Thyme Recipes You'll Love
- 📖 Recipe
★★★★★
This is BY FAR the best pancake recipe I've tried! Thank you!
Danielle
Key Ingredients
- all purpose flour - be sure to fluff the flour up and the scoop with a spoon into your measuring cup
- whole milk - you can also use a plant based option but in my opinion the best pancakes are made with whole milk
- butter - unsalted butter should be melted and slightly cooled - if you have salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon
- baking powder - be sure to use an aluminum free baking powder for the recipe
How to Make Pancakes From Scratch
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions.
In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients (all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt).
In a large glass measuring cup, combine the melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is just combined. If the batter is a little thick, add a bit more milk.
Warm your griddle or frying pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add a little butter or cooking spray to the griddle or frying pan. Pour circle of batter onto the hot griddle.
Flip the pancakes over and cook for an additional minute - until the pancakes are cooked through.
Serve pancakes with butter and a drizzle of warm maple syrup.
Hint: It's easy to get the perfect flip on your pancakes if you make sure that they are cooked properly. Leave you pancake alone in the hot skillet until you see tiny bubbles forming on the surface of the pancake. Then, use a vert thin metal or silicon spatula to flip the pancake over. Trying to flip too early or with a thicker spatula will prevent you from achieving the perfect flip
Substitutions and Variations
whole wheat flour - If you would like to make the pancake recipe with whole wheat flour, I recommending only swapping out half. Use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and one cup of all purpose flour
fruit pancakes - sprinkle or arrange your favorite fresh fruit on top of the batter right after you pour it onto the frying pan. Blueberries, banana or strawberry slices and shredded apple all work really well
chocolate chip pancakes - sprinkle mini chocolate chips onto your pancakes right after you pour the batter onto the frying pan
mini pancakes - use a mini cookie scoop to make the perfect stack of mini pancakes - these are great for brunch or a fun after school snack.
Notes From My Test Kitchen
I've tested this recipe more times than I can count, and have learned a few important tricks along the way. The temperature of the butter and milk really matters. Too hot, and you will cook the eggs. Too cold and the butter will stay lumpy in the batter. When it comes to mixing, stop before you think you should. A few lumps in the batter are completely fine - over mixing develops the gluten and will make your pancakes dense and flat instead of light and fluffy.
Make sure to always grease your pan with butter or cooking spray, even if it's nonstick and use an extra large cookie scoop for the batter. I love to make a test pancake - the first one is never the best - use it to make sure your pan is at the right temperature. The batter keeps well in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, so I love mixing it up ahead of time and making fresh pancakes anytime the craving hits.
What to Serve with Homemade Pancakes
The beauty of a fluffy stack of pancakes is that it works well with just about anything you put on top. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve these pancakes.
- Warm maple syrup and butter - the classic combo that never gets old. I like to warm my maple syrup up for 15-20 seconds in the microwave before serving.
- Strawberry Compote - spoon my Easy Strawberry Compote over a warm stack of pancakes for an extra special breakfast.
- Homemade whipped cream - delicious along with fresh berries - the best brunch combo.
- Fresh berries and powdered sugar - blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries or a mix. Bright, fresh and full of flavor.
- Lemon curd and blueberries - a tart twist that feels extra fancy. Try this if you love my lemon pancakes recipe.
- A dollop of Nutella or peanut butter - let it melt into the warm pancakes and top with fresh banana slices and whipped cream.
- Greek yogurt and honey - when I'm craving something a little lighter, a dollop of plain yogurt, a drizzle of honey and maybe a sprinkle of our maple pecan granola.
What to serve alongside
- Crispy baking, sausage or veggie sausage - the sweet and salty combo is always a big hit in our house.
- Fresh fruit salad - fills the plate with fresh flavors to compliment that buttery stack of pancakes.
- A mug of good coffee or a sparkling mimosa - for those slow weekend mornings
If you're looking to make a full brunch spread, pair these with my easy apple cinnamon scones or a side of buttermilk waffles so everyone at the table gets their favorite.
Storing Leftover Pancakes
Leftover Pancake Batter:
Store leftover pancake batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I often use empty jelly jars to store the leftover pancake batter. You can give the batter a quick stir and pour it directly onto your hot pan from the jelly jar. Otherwise any airtight container works well. Store leftover pancake batter for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
Leftover Pancakes:
Refrigerator: Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-4 days.
Freezer: You can also freeze the leftover pancakes. To do this, arrange the pancakes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking pan. Freeze the pancakes for 1-2 hours. Move the frozen pancakes to a ziplock bag.
How to Reheat Pancakes
Toaster or Toaster Oven: Warm pancakes in the toaster/toaster oven for 3-4 minutes - use a medium level of heat.
Oven: Warm at 350° for 3-4 minutes. I like to just place them on the open rack so that they warm and get a little crispy on all of the surfaces.
Microwave: Place pancakes in a single layer on a paper towel lined plate. Warm pancakes for 15-20 seconds. Check and add an additional 5-10 seconds until pancakes are warmed through.
Frozen Pancakes in Air Fryer: Use the reheat setting to warm your pancakes for 1-3 minutes. Check after 1 minutes and add more time as needed.
Homemade Pancakes FAQs
It takes about 1 minute on each side to cook pancakes if your pan or griddle is properly heated. You will know that the first side is done cooking when the surface of the pancake is filled with bubbles. Flip the pancake over and allow it to finish cooking for an additional minute until cooked through. If you poke the pancake a little and it bounces back at you, you will know that it is finished cooking.
The best griddle temp for pancakes is medium. You'll want to warm your pan for 3-5 minutes over medium heat and then make a small test pancake. If the better sizzle when you pour it on and the pancakes begins to brown and bubble pretty quickly, then the griddle temp is right. If the pancakes are cooking a little too slow, turn the temperature up just a little If your test pancake cooks too fast, lower the heat just a little. Pancakes should cook for about one minute on each side.
Pancake batter is good for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Store leftover pancake batter in an airtight container.
Yes! This is a great recipe to make gluten free. Simply swap out the all purpose flour for your favorite gluten free flour blend or check out our recipes for Gluten Free Pancakes.
If your pancakes are coming out flat or dense, it's almost always one of three things - the good news is that they are all easy fixes.
Your baking powder is old or you didn't use enough. Baking powder loses its lift over time. For this recipe, you need a full tablespoon of fresh, aluminum-free baking powder. If yours has been sitting in the pantry for more than 6 months, it's time to replace it.
You added too much liquid to your pancake batter. This is the most common culprit. Start with 1 ½ cups of warm milk. If your batter feels too thick, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until you like the thickness. The batter should be pourable but also stick to the back of a spoon.
Your pan wasn't hot enough. A preheated pan gives the batter a quick burst of heat that activates the baking powder, creates lift and sets the pancake so that the batter doesn't keep spreading out. If the batter spreads too much, you end up with flat pancakes. Warm your frying pan for 3-5 minutes over medium heat and then make a test pancake. If the batter sizzles when it hits the pan and cooks right away, you are ready to go.
Both work, and to be honest, I use both - sometimes in the same batch.
Butter gives you the most flavor and gives the pancakes those gorgeous, crisp edges that make a pancake look like it came from your favorite cafe. Butter can burn over medium heat so just be sure to watch it carefully and remove your pan from the heat if the butter starts to burn. If this does happen, use a paper towel to wipe the butter out of your pan and start again.
Oil has a higher smoke point, so it holds up better over time. Your pancakes will still brown but you will miss out on that buttery flavor.
My favorite: I like to use a combination - a quick spray of oil plus a small pat of butter for flavor and color. The oil keeps the butter from burning and you get the best of both worlds. If I have to choose, I'm going with butter every time.
More Fluffy Pancake Recipes
Can't get enough fluffy pancakes? Me either! Here are a few more to keep the stack going - or check out all of our homemade pancake and waffles recipes.
More Maple and Thyme Recipes You'll Love
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Fluffy Homemade Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ cups milk warmed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons butter or canola oil for frying the pancakes
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In the microwave melt the butter in a two cup glass measuring cup or small mixing bowl. Add milk and warm for 30-60 seconds, until butter remains melted on the surface of the milk.
- Add egg and vanilla to the milk and butter mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- In a large frying pan, warm 1 tablespoon butter or oil over medium heat. Once the butter or oil is warmed, drop the batter into the hot butter or oil. I like to use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to pour the batter into the pan.
- Once tiny bubbles begin to form on the surface of the pancakes, flip them over and cook on the second side, for 1-2 more minutes.
- Garnish finished pancakes with butter, fresh fruit and warm maple syrup.
Marianne says
Delicious and easy
Amanda Smallwood says
So happy to hear this! Thanks so much for the feedback! ❤️🥞
Danielle says
I’ve been gluten free for almost 12 years. This is BY FAR the best pancake recipe I’ve tried! Thank you!
Amanda Smallwood says
Thanks so much for the feedback Danielle! I’m so glad that your pancakes came out yummy!! xo Amanda