A tall stack of soft and Fluffy Pancakes makes breakfast so much better. Say goodbye to boxed pancake mix because homemade fluffy pancakes taste like a special treat!
Easy Fluffy Pancakes Recipe
The best recipe for Fluffy Pancakes begins right here! Start your day off right with a thick stack of melt-in-your-mouth pancakes that are light, airy, and absolutely delicious. The from-scratch batter comes together fast, no buttermilk needed. It’s a breeze to whip up a second or third batch when the family begs for more!
The secret to my fluffy pancakes lies in two main factors: leavening agents and mixing techniques. Read on to find my tips and tricks for how to make the perfect pancakes that turn out light and flavorful every time.
Why You Don’t Need Buttermilk for Fluffy Pancakes
While buttermilk is a common ingredient in many pancake recipes, it’s not essential for achieving a light and fluffy texture. My approach ensures you can make deliciously airy pancakes with pantry staples, no special ingredients required! So basically, these are even better and easier than buttermilk pancakes!
How does my recipe work its magic without buttermilk? Instead of relying on the acidity of buttermilk to activate baking soda, my recipe uses baking powder as the primary leavening agent. Baking powder contains its own acid and base, so it doesn’t require an external acidic ingredient to create the bubbles that make pancakes rise.
Ingredients for the Best Fluffy Pancakes Recipe
- All purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder: If you are sensitive to the flavor of baking powder, make sure you prepare your pancakes with aluminum-free baking powder.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk: I prefer to use whole milk or low fat milk because the fat content helps yield tender, fluffy results. For dairy-free pancakes, feel free to use a non-dairy milk, like almond milk or oat milk.
- Large egg: Make sure to use both the egg white and egg yolk–the yolk is responsible for added richness and color.
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Fluffy Pancakes
- Make The Dry Mixture: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Form a slight well in the center of the bowl of dry ingredients.
- Make The Wet Mixture: Whisk together the milk, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter in a small bowl.
- Prepare The Pancake Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Cook: Scoop the pancake batter onto the 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated and buttered griddle. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles start to form around the edges and center, then flip with a spatula. Cook for another 2-3 minutes on the second side.
- Serve: Stack your pancakes onto a plate and top with a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. Serve with a side of fresh berries if desired.
Delicious Variations of Fluffy Pancakes to Try
There’s no shortage of ways to serve your stacks! Drizzle on some maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or Nutella. Add a dusting of powdered sugar, a pat of butter, a sprinkle of chopped nuts, or a dollop of whipped cream on top. Serve fresh strawberries, blueberries
Better yet, skip serving these for breakfast and prepare fluffy pancakes for dessert with a scoop of ice cream on the side!
Feel free to make your fluffy pancake batter with your favorite mix-ins. I love fluffy blueberry pancakes, but other fresh fruit, like raspberries, bananas, strawberries, or mango tastes delicious! Nuts (such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts), dried fruit (like raisins or cranberries), chocolate chips, cinnamon, or even sprinkles can be mixed into the batter too.
For more recipes and easy ways to prepare pancakes without standing over the stove, try my Sheet Pan Pancakes, Blueberry Pancake Mix Muffins, Dutch Baby Pancakes, and Easy Pancake Mini Muffins.
Tips for Perfect Pancakes Every Time
- Prepare In A Pan: You can make these fluffy pancakes in a large 10-12 inch non-stick pan over medium to medium-low heat if you do not have a griddle. You should be able to cook 3-4 pancakes at a time in the skillet. Keep in mind that the longer the batter sits while the other pancakes are being cooked, you will not get as much of a rise from the last batches cooked as you will from the first 1-2 batches. This is due to the baking powder being activated with the wet ingredients and starting to work immediately.
- Grab A Griddle: I love making my fluffy pancakes on a large non-stick electric griddle because I can cook all the pancakes at once and serve them warm, all at the same time.
- Flat vs Fluffy: Overmixing the batter can lead to dense, flat pancakes. When flour is stirred too much, gluten develops, which is great for bread but undesirable for pancakes. To avoid this, gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined—it’s okay if there are a few lumps. This ensures a light and tender texture.
- Scoop The Same Size: Using a cookie scoop allows you to get a uniform size and shape for all your pancakes. This ensures they all cook up at the same rate. If using a ¼ cup dry measuring cup to scoop out your pancake batter, make sure to fill the cup just shy of a full ¼ cup. This should yield 10 (approximately 3 ½ – 4 inch in diameter) fluffy pancakes.
How to Store and Reheat Pancakes
These fluffy pancakes are best served freshly made while still warm. You can freeze these pancakes once cooled completely, in a single layer or stacked with 4×4 inch pieces of parchment paper between each pancake, in an airtight freezer safe zip top bag. Be sure to squeeze out as much of the air as possible without smashing the pancakes as this will help reduce any excess moisture from getting into the bag and causing freezer burn.
To reheat, place onto a microwave safe plate, in a single layer, and warm for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until warmed through. You can also place the pancakes on a baking sheet and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
More Breakfast Recipes
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Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly, divided (3 tablespoons to mix into the pancake batter and 1 tablespoon to lightly grease the griddle or fry pan for cooking)
Optional toppings
- Pats of butter
- Pure maple syrup
- Fresh berries (strawberries and blueberries)
Instructions
- Preheat a large (approximately 20×12 inch) electric griddle over medium heat (350°F). While the griddle is preheating, make the fluffy pancake batter.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Form a slight well in the center of the bowl of dry ingredients.1½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- To a small bowl whisk together the whole milk, large egg, vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter until the egg has been fully incorporated with the other ingredients.1 cup whole milk, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Pour the wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients and stir just until combined and no large dry pockets remain. A few lumps in the batter is fine as you do not want to overmix the pancake batter or your pancakes will not cook up as light and fluffy.
- Lightly coat the preheated griddle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter, spreading it evenly with a heat-safe pastry brush.
- Using a medium (approximately ¼ cup or 2 inch diameter) cookie scoop, scoop out a level portion of fluffy pancake batter and place onto the preheated, and buttered, griddle. Repeat until all the batter has been placed onto the griddle. The pancake batter portions should be placed approximately 1 ½ inches apart. A large griddle should easily fit 8-10 pancakes.
- Cook the fluffy pancakes for 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles start to form around the edges and center of the pancakes, then gently flip the pancakes and cook another 2-3 minutes on the second side. Repeat steps 6 and 7 if needed to cook any remaining pancake batter.
- Remove the fluffy pancakes from the griddle and place onto a large clean plate.
- To serve, you can stack 2-3 pancakes onto a plate and add a pat of butter to the pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup. You can serve them with a side of fresh berries as well if desired.Pats of butter, Pure maple syrup, Fresh berries (strawberries and blueberries)
Jenn’s Notes
- These fluffy pancakes are best served freshly made while still warm. You can freeze these pancakes once cooled completely, in a single layer or stacked with 4×4 inch pieces of parchment paper between each pancake, in an airtight freezer safe zip top bag. Be sure to squeeze out as much of the air as possible without smashing the pancakes as this will help reduce any excess moisture from getting into the bag and causing freezer burn.
- To reheat, place onto a microwave safe plate, in a single layer, and warm for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until warmed through. You can also place the pancakes on a baking sheet and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
- You can make these fluffy pancakes in a large 10-12 inch non-stick pan over medium to medium-low heat if you do not have a griddle. You should be able to cook 3-4 pancakes at a time in the skillet. Keep in mind that the longer the batter sits while the other pancakes are being cooked, you will not get as much of a rise from the last batches cooked as you will from the first 1-2 batches. This is due to the baking powder being activated with the wet ingredients and starting to work immediately.
- I love making my fluffy pancakes on a large non-stick electric griddle because I can cook all the pancakes at once and serve them warm, all at the same time.
- Overmixing the batter can lead to dense, flat pancakes. When flour is stirred too much, gluten develops, which is great for bread but undesirable for pancakes. To avoid this, gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined—it’s okay if there are a few lumps. This ensures a light and tender texture.
- Using a cookie scoop allows you to get a uniform size and shape for all your pancakes. This ensures they all cook up at the same rate. If using a ¼ cup dry measuring cup to scoop out your pancake batter, make sure to fill the cup just shy of a full ¼ cup. This should yield 10 (approximately 3 ½ – 4 inch in diameter) fluffy pancakes.
Excellent