These are the best buttermilk pancakes from scratch that taste restaurant-quality made simply at home. With pillowy soft texture and crisp edges, they’re light, fluffy, and easy to make ahead to freeze for later.
Breakfast food makes my heart sing. Eggs, waffles, muffins, sausage, I love it all, but nothing compares to a sky-high stack of pancakes. Whenever we go out to brunch, we always have to get an order of pancakes for the table. After all these years, I’ve perfected my own buttermilk pancake recipe that’s even better than your local brunch spot!
I have lofty standards for my pancakes, and this recipe checks all the boxes. You’ll definitely want to throw out your store-bought pancake mix after you try this batter that’s made with one bowl. Flavor them with banana or top them with a raspberry sauce for another level of decadence.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- The perfect restaurant-style buttermilk pancakes. They’re delicate and soft yet sturdy, with golden brown tops and crispy edges.
- Only 5 minutes of prep time. A gourmet breakfast is possible any morning of the week with this pancake recipe. The buttermilk batter takes only 5 minutes to prepare so they’re quick and easy to make.
- Freeze and thaw for busy mornings. My kids love this recipe so much, I like to make a big batch and freeze them to reheat quickly for eating on-the-go.
Shinee’s tip
We love buttermilk in pancakes because the acid in the milk makes the batter lighter and more tender. If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 1 ½ cups sour cream with ½ cup of water.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Sour cream isn’t for tang, but texture. The sour cream creates a light and fluffy pancake that’s not dense or gummy!
- Buttermilk is milk cultured with bacteria, giving it a thick consistency and tangy flavor. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, creating a light, tender texture. If you don’t have buttermilk, swap it with 1 ½ cups of sour cream mixed with ½ cup of water.
- All-purpose flour has enough protein to keep the pancakes sturdy but soft. I don’t recommend swapping whole wheat flour for this one.
- Sugar – Two tablespoons is plenty! The pancakes should be lightly sweet and the maple syrup will do the rest.
- Baking powder is a crucial ingredient for pancakes in general. If you haven’t used your baking powder in ages, test it to make sure it’s active. Add a ½ teaspoon of baking powder to hot water and look for fizzy bubbles. If there’s no reaction, throw it out and buy a new container.
- Baking soda – Its main purpose in this recipe is to promote that beautiful golden color on the pancakes.
- Unsalted butter keeps the pancakes tender and moist. If you don’t have it, you can simply omit the butter.
How to make the best buttermilk pancakes
1. Make the batter
- Whisk the eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Whisking the wet ingredients beforehand makes it easier to incorporate the dry ingredients without overmixing.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix until barely combined.
- Stir in the melted butter. Don’t over-mix, or the pancakes won’t come out as light. Ideally, the batter should be quite lumpy.
Don’t over-mix the batter
The secret to the fluffy tall pancakes is not to over-mix the batter. Your pancake batter should be lumpy!!
2. To cook the pancakes
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Drop a ¼ cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. I can fit four pancakes in a 12-inch skillet at once.
- Cook the pancakes until bubbles pop on the surface, about 3 minutes. Use a thin set spatula to flip the pancakes, then cook until golden brown, about 3 more minutes.
- Repeat until all the leftover batter is gone.
Make the pancakes the same size
I use a large cookie scoop for measuring the batter. It’s so easy to make uniform pancakes that all cook at the same rate.
Expert Tips
- If the pancakes brown too quickly, turn down the heat. You don’t want to flip them too early, or the insides won’t cook all the way through.
- Don’t overmix the pancake batter. Doing so produces gluten and gluten gives you a chewy, dense texture instead of light and airy.
- Lumps in your batter are a good thing! It means you haven’t overmixed your batter. The pancakes won’t be lumpy, I promise!
- Use a large portion scoop for easy scooping. Measuring cups are bulky and messy to use!
- Let the pancake batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat up the pan. Baking powder activates as soon as it mixes with a liquid. If you let the batter sit, the pancakes come out fluffier!
- If you don’t have buttermilk at home, there’s an easy solution. Mix 1 ½ cups of sour cream with ½ cup of water. If you don’t have sour cream, you can use milk and mix in a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Toppings & Mix-ins
- Blueberry pancakes: Only use fresh blueberries! Frozen blueberries release more liquid than fresh and weigh down the batter. Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the pancake batter after you drop it into the skillet.
- Chocolate chip pancakes: Don’t stir them into the batter ahead of time. Instead drop the batter into the skillet, then carefully press the chocolate chips into the pancake. If they aren’t covered with batter, add a tiny bit more to cover them. This prevents the chocolate chips from touching the pan & burning.
- Toppings: Buttermilk pancakes are even better with toppings. Try butter, whipped cream, maple syrup, strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, fresh fruit, caramelized peaches, Nutella, sliced bananas, peanut butter, or shredded coconut!
Make-Ahead
Homemade buttermilk pancakes are an easy make-ahead breakfast! I like to make this pancake recipe on the weekend, then freeze half of the pancakes for busy school mornings.
Storage
Let the buttermilk pancakes cool completely before storing. After they are cooled, carefully place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to a month.
To freeze, place the pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 2 hours, or until solid. Then transfer the frozen pancakes into a freezer bag.
To reheat, pop the frozen pancakes in the toaster and toast until warmed and crisp!
FAQs
It’s always a good idea! Baking powder activates as soon as it’s mixed with a liquid. When you let the batter rest for 10 minutes, the pancakes come out even lighter! It also gives a chance for the lumps to moisten.
If you don’t have buttermilk, use this simple swap: 1 ½ cups of sour cream mixed with ½ cup of water. If you don’t have more sour cream, you can use milk and an acid like lemon juice. But keep in mind, homemade buttermilk with whole milk won’t be as thick, and you may need less to achieve the right consistency for your pancake batter.
The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create carbon dioxide bubbles. The bubbles aerate the batter and cause it to rise, which gives you light, airy, and lofty pancakes.
Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream
- 2 cups (480 ml) buttermilk Note 1
- 2 cups (285 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk.
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix it until just combined.
- Stir in melted butter. Don’t mix it until smooth, the batter should be lumpy.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
- Working in batches, drop ¼ cup of batter per pancake. (I use a large cookie scoop for this step. It's super efficient!) I usually cook 4 pancakes at a time on a 12-inch skillet.
- Cook the pancakes until you see bubbles on the surface, about 3 minutes.
- Using a spatula, flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, another 3 minutes or so. Transfer the pancakes onto a wire rack, and repeat with remaining batter.
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Tips & Notes
– Let the pancakes cool completely before you store them.
– To freeze, place the pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 2 hours, or until solid. Then transfer the frozen pancakes into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
– To reheat, pop the frozen pancakes in the toaster and toast until warmed and crisp! *I learned this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen cookbook. And it’s been our family’s go-to pancake recipe for years.
Nutrition
Can you send me your best recipe for pancakes without using sour cream? I really don’t like sour cream. When a recipe calls for it what is the best substitute to use? Thank you