Home > Breakfast > Homemade Pancakes Homemade Pancakes April 12, 2019 | 5 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Our absolute favorite Homemade Pancakes are flavorful, light, fluffy, and the perfect landing spot for plenty of syrup and fresh berries. I’m sharing my step-by-step photos, easy instructions, all my “secrets” to perfect pancakes every time, and some pancake-making troubleshooting! We’re huge fans of everything breakfast around these parts! Top these delicious Homemade Pancakes with the best Blueberry Syrup, this Vanilla Sauce, Caramel Syrup, or Whipped Cream and berries! My boys will tell you their favorite “dinner” is breakfast. At least once a week, we’ll have a big breakfast spread for dinner — pancakes, waffles or French toast, eggs, bacon, whipped cream, and fresh fruit. The boys won’t let me leave anything out of our breakfast spread! Since I make breakfast for dinner so often, I’m always experimenting and tweaking my pancake recipe. When all three boys (I’m including my husband in that count!) declared these were the perfect homemade pancakes, I decided it was time to share the recipe and quit messing with it! I hope your family loves these as much as my family does! So first up, if you aren’t using the boxed mixes, what exactly is in pancakes? Pancake batter ingredients You’ll find you probably have most (if not all) of these ingredients right now in your pantry and refrigerator. Nothing too crazy, ingredient-wise! Melted butter Whole milk Vinegar (We use this to make our own “buttermilk.”) White flour White sugar Cinnamon (Just a touch adds a boost of flavor.) Salt Cornstarch (It makes these pancakes soft and light.) Egg Baking powder Baking soda Vanilla extract (Again, it adds a flavor boost.) How to make homemade pancakes It’s not hard to make delicious Homemade Pancakes, but there are a few procedures you have to follow. Start by melting the butter: These pancakes call for melted butter, but you don’t want to add it in hot. Set it in the fridge to come back to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. DIY buttermilk: Funny enough, I’ve tried regular buttermilk in these pancakes, but I like them better with my “DIY buttermilk” (vinegar added to regular milk). This is great because I don’t always have buttermilk on hand! Dry ingredients: Make sure to spoon and level your flour measurement so you aren’t packing in too much flour to these pancakes. Whisk together wet ingredients: All the wet ingredients get whisked together. Combine: Dry and wet mixtures get combined and barely mixed. Again, BARELY mix; it’s okay to have a lumpy batter! Cook: While a skillet will work just fine, I love using a griddle to cook these pancakes. Secrets to the best homemade pancakes My number #1 tip: Do NOT overmix the batter. Too much stirring is going to start the gluten development in the batter and make your pancakes tough (not light and fluffy). As soon as you don’t see flour streaks, stop mixing. Remember, lumps in the batter is a good thing! Make a well in your dry ingredients: If you add wet ingredients to that well of dry ingredients, it will be easier to make the batter come together smoothly and quickly–and that helps you to avoid working the batter. Let the batter stand at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before adding to the griddle. As the flour absorbs the liquid, it allows some of those stubborn lumps (that you didn’t overmix!) to take care of themselves. Pay attention to temperature. Really pay attention while you cook the pancakes. If they’re browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit and cool the pan for a minute. Sticking a lot? Add a bit more butter to the pan. Invest in a griddle: If you make pancakes often and have space, I highly recommend an electric skillet or griddle. Before your pancake batter hits the hot pan, run a cold stick of butter over the pan to grease it. This gives the pancakes an evenly distributed layer of fat to cook in. Just make sure to wipe the pan or griddle in between each batch. Here’s why. Homemade Pancake Troubleshooting If no recipe substitutions were made and you’re still having pancake problems, below is some quick troubleshooting. What makes pancakes light and fluffy? The key is getting the right consistency in your batter. If your batter is too thick your Homemade Pancake will be fluffy but undercooked on the inside. Too runny and the pancake will just spread and not puff up. If you gently lift your spoon with batter on it above the rim of the bowl and it runs off slowly then you have the right consistency. If it immediately falls off the spoon it’s probably too runny and if it doesn’t fall off the spoon it’s too thick. Why are my pancakes flat? Make sure your baking powder is fresh. If it’s old or expired, you’ll get flat pancakes. This article explains how to test your BP. Other factors: flour was under-measured, butter was too hot when added, or batter was overmixed. Why are my pancakes tough? Overmixing pancake batter develops the gluten that will make the pancakes tough. Remember, for light and fluffy homemade pancakes, you want to mix just until the batter comes together—it’s okay if there are still some lumps of flour. How do I make my Homemade Pancakes rich and moist? The melted butter (fats) will make your pancakes perfectly moist and rich tasting! Whole milk will also contribute to the richness of your pancakes. Toppings for Homemade Pancakes The best thing about Homemade Pancakes is you get to pick exactly how you want them topped! Here are some ideas: Caramel sauce Vanilla sauce Whipped cream Fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.) Coconut Coarsely chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, etc.) Cinnamon sugar Maple syrup Blueberry syrup (my personal favorite!) More breakfast favorites Ham and Cheese Quiche Bread Pudding Recipe Easy Banana Bread Chocolate Muffins Homemade Cinnamon Rolls FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Homemade Pancakes 5 from 3 votes - Review this recipe Our absolute favorite Homemade Pancakes are flavorful, light, fluffy, and the perfect avenue for plenty of syrup and fresh berries. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Homemade Pancakes 5 from 3 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Our absolute favorite Homemade Pancakes are flavorful, light, fluffy, and the perfect avenue for plenty of syrup and fresh berries. Course Breakfast Cuisine American Keyword homemade pancakes Prep Time 15 minutes Sitting Time 10 minutes Total Time 15 minutes Servings 12 pancakes Calories 144kcal Author Chelsea Ingredients▢ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter divided▢ 1 tablespoon white vinegar (not white wine vinegar)▢ 1 cup + 3 tablespoons whole milk divided▢ 1 and 1/4 cups white all-purpose flour▢ 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional▢ 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch optional▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda▢ 1 large egg▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsHeat the oven to 200 degrees F and prepare a large baking sheet by setting a cooling rack on top of the tray. Place both in the oven. Start by melting 5 tablespoons of butter. Once completely melted, chill for a few minutes to get the butter to room temperature. Pour 1 tablespoon white vinegar into a 1-cup measuring cup. Fill the rest of the measuring cup with whole milk and gently whisk with a fork. Set aside.In a very large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and set aside.Pour the remaining 1/4 cup whole milk and the cup of whole milk with vinegar into a medium bowl. Add an egg and whisk constantly, slowly drizzling in the cooled melted butter until smooth. Once smooth, stir in vanilla extract.Pour wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and mix until JUST combined. Do not overmix; just mix until you don't see streaks of flour. The batter should be a bit lumpy. Let the mix stand for 5-10 minutes.Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat (~300 degrees F). When hot, run a cold stick of butter across the pan. (See Note 1) (I like to hold butter with tongs to keep the heat away from my fingers.) Lower the heat to medium-low and use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop and drop pancake batter onto the skillet or griddle.The batter should spread into a pancake about 3 inches wide. Cook until bubbles are forming on the edges of the pancakes and then use a thin spatula to gently lift one side and look underneath. If the pancake is golden brown, flip and cook on the other side for 1 and 1/2 to 2 and 1/2 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown and the pancake is cooked through. If the pancake or butter is burning, lower the heat)As soon as you take a pancake off the skillet/griddle, place it on the prepared pan with the cooling rack. (This keeps pancakes from getting soggy underneath.) Place the pan in the oven as you continue to cook more pancakes. Wipe down the skillet/griddle with a paper towel. Rub the butter across the skillet again and repeat until the batter is all used up.Serve pancakes as soon as possible, topped with an extra pat of butter (optional) and your favorite syrup -- maple syrup or some of the options listed in the post. Our favorite topping is homemade blueberry syrup which whips together nicely while you're waiting for the batter to stand. The blueberry syrup recipe is linked in the post. Recipe NotesNote 1: This recipe calls for eight tablespoons of butter. Five tablespoons are melted for the batter. The remaining three tablespoons can be used to grease the pan for cooking the pancakes. If your butter comes in stick form, this is easy to divide out. Nutrition FactsCalories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 294IU | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
I like to consider myself a pancake expert and these are quite literally the best pancakes I’ve ever had. The optional cinnamon is a must! Reply
The best hotcake formula! I’ve never had the capacity to make hotcakes the manner in which my grandmother makes them. They are in every case too level when I use box blends. Each time I attempt a formula sans preparation it’s in every case excessively runny or just nothing more than a bad memory. They are cushioned and simply the perfect measure of sweetness. I included only a sprinkle more milk in light of the fact that my hitter so thick I couldn’t get it out of the scoop lol. I additionally included some vanilla Reply
