This easy pancake recipe uses everyday ingredients to make Soft and Fluffy Pancakes every single time! Use all my tips and secrets for the best homemade pancakes!
Want more pancake recipes? Try these Low Carb Pancakes or these Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes!
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The Fluffiest Pancakes Ever
My family is obsessed with eating pancakes! I’ve published a bunch of homemade pancake recipes of different varieties over the years because they’re the best breakfast. Pillowy, warm pastries, that are easy to make, layered with butter and maple syrup – what’s not to love?
The secrets in this recipe will have you making stack after stack of amazingly fluffy pancakes. There are a few key ingredients and how-to’s when mixing the batter that you’ll need to know about. Once you’ve mastered the easy technique, you’ll never have to suffer through under cooked or thin pancakes ever again!Â
What Makes These Pancakes So Fluffy?
There are actually 3 important tricks that make these pancakes come out so perfect:
- The first is getting your batter just right. It shouldn’t be too thick or thin, and not over or under mixed. Reaching that middle spot is like finding gold! The best pancake batter has been mixed just until the wet and dry ingredients have just come together. You’ll see a good amount of bubbles when the batter is ready. There will be lumps in the batter, but that’s a good thing! It means the batter hasn’t been over or under mixed and the pancakes will turn out fluffy.
- The second biggest secret is using one whole tablespoon of baking powder! This may seem like a lot, but the other ingredients have been measured to be perfectly balanced and create your new favorite fluffy pancakes.Â
- And finally, sifting the dry ingredients before mixing everything together. By sifting your dry ingredients, you are ensuring everything is perfectly light and airy before you start combining the batter. I know it’s an annoying step, but it is an important one!Â
What You’ll Need
All of the classic ingredients are included in this pancake recipe. You should be able to find all of these in your pantry and fridge. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt – I always recommend using kosher salt.
- Granulated sugar – You could also use light brown sugar.
- Whole Milk – You can also use other kinds of milk, including plant based milks.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Melted butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter.
How To Make Pancakes
The only tools you need in this pancake recipe is a bowl, a whisk, and a non-stick pan or griddle. These tools will make the cooking process easy and help you execute flawless pancakes every time.
Here’s how to make fluffy pancakes:
Mix The Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Add The Wet Ingredients: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in the milk, vanilla extract, egg, and melted butter. Whisk until smooth, being careful not to over mix. The right consistency should have some lumps and bubbles.
Prepare For Cooking: Heat a griddle or a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add a little butter, oil, or cooking spray.
Cook The Pancakes: Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the heated pan or griddle and cook until bubbles appear on the surface (about 2 minutes). Flip with a spatula and cook until browned on the other side (about 1-2 minutes).
Tips for Success
- If your batter is too thick to pour, add a teaspoon of milk at a time until it has thinned out enough.
- If your batter is too thin, add a teaspoon of flour at a time until you’ve reached the right consistency. Be careful not to overmix.
- Use a low to medium heat to cook the pancakes. You’ll know the griddle or pan is the right temperature when a droplet of water sizzles when dropped on the heat. If your pan is too hot, your pancakes will cook too fast on the outside and be raw on the inside.
- Butter the pan when you are cooking the pancakes. This helps them not to stick, but also adds flavor!
- Use whole milk! This is important for the overall taste. The added fat in whole milk makes these pancakes perfect.
- Sift together the dry ingredients. I know this is a little bit of annoyance, but it is so worth it to make fluffy pancakes! It’s a key step that you do not want to skip if you want your pancakes to be fluffy!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Homemade pancakes are so easy to store. Keep them in a plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave (or very lightly in the toaster!) and enjoy!
You can also freeze them! When I freeze homemade pancakes, I make sure and place a layer of parchment paper in between each pancake. This will keep them from sticking to each other once frozen. You can thaw them overnight in the fridge or microwave them straight form the freezer!
Serving Ideas
Pancakes are best served fresh and warm with a dollop of butter or a drizzle maple syrup. You can also top these fluffy pancakes with fresh berries or bananas, Nutella, peanut butter, or whipped cream if you’re feeling adventurous!
Make a complete meal by serving them with a Dalgona Coffee, Overnight Breakfast Casserole and perfectly cooked bacon in the oven!
This recipe is made time and time again in our house and I am excited to share it with all of you. It uses simple every day ingredients and you probably already have everything to make them in your kitchen! Please leave a review or comment below letting me know how this pancake recipe turns out for you.
Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder

- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
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Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Make a well in the center and add in the milk, vanilla extract, egg and melted butter. Whisk until smooth, do not over mix.
- Heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Add a little butter, oil or cooking spray.
- Pour batter (I do 1/4 cup batter at a time) onto hot pan, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
- Serve warm with maple syrup! Store any leftovers in airtight bag in the refrigerator and heat in microwave.
Video
Nutrition
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These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had!
Whoa, game over! Thanks for the recipe, best pancakes I’ve ever made.
I made these pancakes for breakfast this morning. It was a big hit. It was so fluffy and went very well with the bananas. (Those were the only fruits available.lol)
Thank u very much.
Have made these a few times now, super easy and uncomplicated as the ingredients are always in my pantry! I really enjoy how fluffy they are and the delicious buttery flavour if using it to cook the pancakes. Thanks for sharing!
These are delicious, love the vanilla flavor.
Do you have to use whole milk?
It provides the best final result, but you can use any milk product you like!
Well, I can say vanilla extract isn’t an every day ingredient. Pure vanilla is extremely expensive. And if you have lumps in your batter, that means you haven’t incorporated (mixed) the flour and other dry ingredients enough…it’s not a good thing. That’s also a ridiculous amount of baking powder, no matter how you try to spin it. I suggest people use less that that and compare the results.
What type of butter is used? Salted or unsalted?
Either is fine because there is such little butter used. But if you want to be extra safe, use unsalted!
This recipe looks great! I’m a big fan of your low carb pancake recipe but my husband wants the real deal. I’m going to try these, I’m just a little confused about the serving size. It says serves 4, serving is 1 pancake. This looks like it’ll make more than 4 pancakes though. Either way, thanks for your yummy recipes. Been a fan for years!
Hi Terri! The recipe says it serves 4 people and the serving size for nutrition facts is showing the nutrition for 1 of the 4 servings.
This recipe will make more than 4 pancakes! For me this recipe makes about 12 pancakes (about 4-5 inches across). Hope this helps!
I just saw your reply haha. Yes this helps! Thank you