Everybody loves a breakfast classic! These buttermilk pancakes are frequently in rotation at our house along with Cinnamon French Toast, Blueberry Muffins, and Belgian Waffles. I may have a slight pancake obsession. Because I also like to make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Toasted Coconut Pancakes, Hoe Cakes [Cornmeal Pancakes], and Fluffy Japanese Pancakes! And that’s not even all of the pancakes recipes on my site! But the classic, fluffy buttermilk pancakes are the ones my mom made for her family at least once a week while I was growing up. It was one of those recipes that she had memorized and could throw together in no time flat. These are the most glorious, fluffiest, most perfect buttermilk pancakes ever and they don’t have extra steps like whipping egg whites or dirtying extra bowls. Serve them with classic maple syrup or making a batch of buttermilk syrup for an extra special treat.
Ingredient Notes
Buttermilk: You can easily freeze buttermilk if you have some leftover or want to always have some on hand so you can make a fresh batch of these pancakes. I recommend freezing it in premeasured cubes. This is a great post on how to freeze buttermilk if you want more info. If you don’t have it on hand, I’ve got a great buttermilk substitute for you below!Melted butter: I use melted salted butter in place of oil for these pancakes for better flavor.Baking powder and baking soda: These work together to give lift to the pancakes so they rise nice and fluffy. You’ll definitely notice a difference between a box of Krusteaz or Bisquick pancake mix and these homemade pancakes.
How to Make Buttermilk Pancakes
Start by whisking the dry ingredients together in a large bowl to disperse the leavening agents and salt. This is important so you don’t end up with clumps of baking powder or baking soda in your pancake, which can easily happen without whisking since you don’t want to overmix your pancake batter when you add the wet ingredients. Add the buttermilk, melted butter, and beaten egg. Again, beating the egg before adding it to the pancake batter means it will mix in better without overmixing the buttermilk pancake batter. For the lightest, fluffiest pancakes, you want to stir it as little as possible! Use a spatula or spoon to stir the batter together by hand. It’s alright if a little lumpy and on the thick side, but if it seems too thick, add a little additional buttermilk, a tablespoon or two at a time. Once the pancake batter is ready, heat a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat. When hot, add a little butter to the griddle or bottom of the pan and let it melt. Not only will this help prevent the pancakes from sticking, but it also gives crisp buttery edges that really make for the best pancakes ever! Spoon or pour batter into circles on the hot surface and let them cook until bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake. When those bubbles begin to pop, that’s when the pancake is ready to flip. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on the second side until the pancake is done and no longer doughy inside. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter until all of the buttermilk pancakes have been cooked. If you don’t have a large griddle to cook all of the pancakes at once, you can keep the pancakes hot while cooking the rest of the batter by sticking the finished pancakes in a 200 degree F oven. Serve them hot with butter and syrup!
Recipe Tips
Don’t overmix the batter. Mixing the batter too vigorously results in flatter, tougher pancakes. Just use a spoon and stir by hand until only a few streaks of flour remain. Butter your griddle or pan. This step improves both the flavor and texture of the pancakes and gives them more of that flapjack quality with slightly crisp edges and hint of buttery flavor that you don’t get if you skip the butter.Use real buttermilk. A buttermilk substitute works, for sure, but honestly, if you want to do your breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner!) justice, I highly recommend using the real thing. I have many more recipes that use buttermilk so you are sure to use it all up!Blueberry pancakes: Sprinkle fresh or frozen blueberries onto each pancake right after they are poured onto the griddle to make blueberry pancakes.Chocolate chip pancakes: Sprinkle regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips onto each pancake right after they are poured onto the griddle to make chocolate chip pancakes.
More Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
German PancakesFrench CrepesFarmhouse Baking Powder BiscuitsApple Oatmeal Muffins
This post was originally published in September, 2016. The photos and content were updated in November, 2021. Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
