American Recipes/ Breakfast/ Cuisine/ Pancakes and Crepes/ Sweet Breakfast Ideas

Pancakes Recipe (easy and fluffy!)

6 January 2024 By Aleksandra

Fluffy and light pancakes made with simple ingredients that you surely have in your pantry! (no buttermilk needed!). Swap your pancake mix for this easy recipe and enjoy your morning with a stack of these delicious pancakes.

A stack of pancakes with a part missing on a white plate. Maple syrup is being poured over the pancakes. Berries on the side.

Ingredients

Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.

Labeled ingredients for pancakes.

I must admit, I love these buttermilk pancakes best, but, I rarely have buttermilk in my fridge. When I don’t have it, this recipe comes to the rescue – the simplest ingredients possible that I always have in my fridge/pantry!

You will need just: all-purpose flour, milk, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract for some flavor.

Melted butter in the batter is a must for any pancake recipe. It makes them soft and helps them get crunchy edges.

What you could also add to this recipe

How to make pancakes step-by-step

Wet ingredients for pancakes in a white bowl.

STEP 1: To a large bowl, add eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, melted and cooled butter.

(2 eggs, 1 1/4 cups (300g) milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 tablespoons butter)

STEP 2: Whisk until well combined.

Dry ingredients for pancakes on a sieve. Pancake batter in a white bowl.

STEP 3: Hang a sieve over the bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the sieve. Stir together and sift into the bowl.

(2 cups (250g) flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1/4 ts baking soda, 1/8 ts salt)

TIP: How to measure flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.

STEP 4: Whisk until just combined. Don’t overmix the batter, small lumps are fine.

Pancaks are being cooked on a grey pancake pan.

STEP 5: Heat a small amount of butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat (adjust the heat to your stovetop, it can vary depending on how powerful it is).

Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Allow space for spreading. When you see bubbles on top of the pancakes, the edges look set, and the bottom of the pancake is lightly browned, flip them over.

STEP 6: Cook until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan between each batch.

Enjoy!

A stack of pancakes on a white plate with maple syrup and fresh berries.

Storage instructions

How to store pancakes: You can store them for up to 3 days in the fridge. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or put them in tightly closed containers so they won’t dry out.

How to keep pancakes warm: keep them in a 200°F (90°C) oven on a cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet (it prevents them from getting soggy).

How to reheat pancakes: Reheat them in a dry pan on both sides until warm – they will still taste very good. They make a great make-ahead breakfast.

How long to store pancake batter: You should cook the pancakes as quickly as possible after you have prepared your batter. If you have prepared your batter and can’t cook the pancakes right away, you can store it for up to 2 hours on the counter (and longer in the fridge). The pancakes will come out fine in terms of taste but they won’t be light and fluffy, but rather gummy.

How to freeze pancakes: Pancakes freeze very well! Wrap them in plastic foil and freeze for up to 3-6 months. Thaw in the fridge then reheat in a dry pan on both sides until warm.

Topping for pancakes

Top tips for making perfect pancakes

  • Don’t overmix the batter or the pancakes will be dense and not fluffy.
  • Clarified butter is best for cooking pancakes (also very easy to make at home), but if you don’t have it on hand just use regular butter (you may want to wipe your pan with paper towels from time to time to keep it clean).
  • Adjust the heat to your stovetop: cook the pancakes over medium or medium-low heat. This will depend on the type of your pan and on how powerful your stovetop is – this is something that you just have to test in your kitchen. If the temperature is too low the pancakes will soak up fat and be dense and greasy but if it is too high the pancakes may be browned on the outside (or even burned) but won’t be cooked through in the middle.
  • The pan should be well-heated (if the pan is not heated enough the pancakes with be dense and greasy).
  • The best pan for cooking pancakes is a crepe/pancake pan or a griddle but they will also turn just as fine in a regular skillet (must be non-stick, though). A well-seasoned cast iron skillet also works well but you need to lower the heat a bit.
  • Measure flour correctly. I recommend using a digital scale for perfect and consistent results.
  • How to know when it’s time to flip the pancakes? When small bubbles start to appear around the edges of the top of the pancake and the outside portion starts to appear a little “dryer” than the center, use a spatula to carefully lift up and peek under the pancake. When you see that the bottom is golden brown, the pancake is ready to flip. Don’t try to flip the pancakes too early, or they may fall apart.

More pancake recipes you may like

I have over 20 pancake recipes on my website (can you tell I love pancakes?), check out our collection of pancake recipes!

Maple syrup is being poured over a stack of pancakes.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

Pancakes Recipe (easy and fluffy!)

Fluffy and light pancakes made with simple ingredients that you surely have in your pantry! (no buttermilk needed!). Swap your pancake mix for this easy recipe and enjoy your morning with a stack of these delicious pancakes.
Pin This Recipe! SAVE THIS RECIPE
A stack of pancakes on a white plate. Maple syrup is being poured over the pancakes. Berries on the side.
Print Recipe

RATE THE RECIPE

(click on the stars)

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings (16 pancakes)
Calories 455kcal
Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the pancakes:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups (300g) milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
  • 2 cups (250g) flour spooned and leveled, not scooped
  • 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

additionally:

  • butter for cooking the pancakes

Instructions

  • To a large bowl, add eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, melted and cooled butter. Whisk until well combined.
    2 large eggs, 1 1/4 cups (300g) milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 tablespoons butter
  • Hang a sieve over the bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the sieve. Stir together and sift into the bowl.
    2 cups (250g) flour, 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Whisk until just combined. Don’t overmix the batter, small lumps are fine.
  • Heat a small amount of butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat (adjust the heat to your stovetop, it can vary depending on how powerful it is).
  • Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Allow space for spreading. When you see bubbles on top of the pancakes, the edges look set, and the bottom of the pancake is lightly browned, flip them over. Cook until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan between each batch.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • How to measure flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.
  • Calories = 1 serving (4 pancakes) or 1/4 of the recipe. This is only an estimate!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Tried this Recipe? Rate the Recipe and tell us what you think in the Comments!

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here