Buttermilk Pancakes are the Saturday morning breakfast that Maria has been making completely from scratch for as long as any of us can remember because she believes and has always believed that reaching for a box mix when you have flour and buttermilk and butter in the kitchen is one of the great missed opportunities of home cooking.
She whisks the dry ingredients in one bowl, whisks the buttermilk and eggs and vanilla in another, drizzles the melted butter through while stirring, and then folds the two together with the most gentle hand so that a few flour streaks remain when everything goes onto the preheated pan. The result is something golden and crisp at the edges and completely cloudlike inside and genuinely extraordinary with a pat of cold salted butter melting into each stack.
Buttermilk Pancakes made completely from scratch are ready in under fifteen minutes and are so vastly superior to anything from a box that once you make them this way you will genuinely never reach for the mix again. Thick and fluffy pancakes made from all-purpose flour, buttermilk, eggs, butter, a touch of vanilla, and the perfect combination of baking powder and baking soda that produces the most beautiful rise and the most tender crumb imaginable. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful breakfast recipes and easy morning favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
This Buttermilk Pancakes recipe is the from-scratch breakfast that is genuinely easier and faster than most people assume and produces results that are dramatically better than any box mix could deliver. The entire process from the first measurement to the first pancake on the table takes under fifteen minutes when the skillet preheats while the batter rests. That brief resting time allows the baking powder to begin activating and the gluten to relax, both of which contribute to a more tender and fluffy finished pancake.
The buttermilk is the ingredient that makes these pancakes genuinely distinctive. Its natural acidity reacts with the baking soda to produce carbon dioxide bubbles that give the batter its lift and its extraordinary fluffiness. Its slight tang adds a flavor complexity that plain milk pancakes simply cannot achieve. And its thickness contributes to the characteristically thick and substantial body of a proper buttermilk pancake that holds together beautifully under a generous pour of maple syrup and a melting pat of butter. Our Sausage and Egg Casserole makes the most hearty and satisfying companion for a complete and deeply comforting breakfast spread alongside these fluffy buttermilk pancakes.
Ingredients Needed for This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
- 2 cups (250g) All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 2¼ cups (530ml) Buttermilk, cold
- 2 large Eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 tbsp (57g) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
How to Make This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until fully combined with no pockets of any individual dry ingredient remaining. Set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lightly beaten eggs, and vanilla extract until combined. Take the melted and slightly cooled butter and drizzle it slowly into the wet ingredient bowl while whisking continuously. The butter may separate or make the buttermilk look curdled if the buttermilk is very cold. This is completely normal and absolutely fine, cara mia. Keep whisking until everything is as combined as possible.
Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or wide spatula, stir together with a very light and gentle hand until just combined. Do not overmix. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and produces dense and flat pancakes rather than the thick and fluffy ones this recipe is designed to create. A few flour streaks remaining in the batter when you stop stirring are completely fine and correct. Allow the batter to rest while you preheat the pan.
Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray or lightly brush with a neutral oil and place over medium-low heat. Allow the skillet to preheat for about 5 minutes before adding any batter. A properly preheated pan produces pancakes that cook evenly from the moment the batter hits the surface. Test the heat by hovering your hand a few inches above the pan and feeling the warmth radiating upward.
Scoop approximately half to two thirds cup of batter per pancake into the preheated skillet. Cook until the edges of the pancake look set and defined and the bubbles that form across the surface of the batter begin to burst and leave holes that do not fill back in. At this point slide a thin spatula completely under the pancake and flip with one decisive and confident movement. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes on the second side until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying or lightly oiling the pan between each batch.
Serve warm with salted butter and good maple syrup.
How to Serve This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Serve these pancakes stacked high on warm plates with a generous pat of cold salted butter placed on the top of the stack so it begins melting down through each layer as the pancakes arrive at the table. Pour maple syrup over the entire stack and serve immediately while the pancakes are still hot and the butter is still melting.
Fresh berries on the side bring a bright and tart freshness that pairs beautifully with the gentle sweetness of the pancakes and the richness of the butter and syrup. A pot of hot coffee is the most completely natural and satisfying companion to a stack of these buttermilk pancakes on any morning. Our Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes make a beautifully bright companion for a complete weekend brunch spread alongside these pancakes.
How to Store This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Store leftover cooled pancakes in an airtight container or zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. To reheat, warm in the microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through, or warm in a 350°F oven on a baking sheet for 5 to 8 minutes for a slightly crispier result.
To freeze, arrange the completely cooled pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag with parchment between layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in the toaster for the crispest result or in the microwave for a softer texture.
Tips to Make This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Never overmix the batter. This is the single most important instruction in any pancake recipe and the one most commonly ignored in the rush to get breakfast on the table. Stir with a very light hand until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined with a few flour streaks still visible and then stop completely. The batter will look lumpy and slightly rough and that is exactly correct.
Cook on medium-low heat rather than high heat. High heat produces pancakes with charred exteriors and raw uncooked centers which is the most disappointing possible pancake outcome. Medium-low heat allows the inside of each pancake to cook through completely by the time the exterior reaches a beautiful deep golden color.
Helpful Notes for This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
The baking powder and baking soda combination is what produces the thick and fluffy rise that makes these pancakes so distinctive. The baking powder provides a longer sustained rise during cooking. The baking soda reacts immediately with the acid in the buttermilk and produces the characteristic lift from the very first moment the batter hits the hot pan. Both are essential and neither can be replaced with a larger quantity of the other without changing the result significantly.
If you do not have buttermilk, make a quick substitute by combining two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup and filling to 2¼ cups with cold whole milk. Stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes until slightly curdled. Use in the same quantity as the buttermilk. Be aware that homemade buttermilk is slightly thinner than commercial buttermilk and the batter may be more liquid, so add gradually until you reach the right consistency shown in the photos.
Variation of This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Maria made a version folding a cup of fresh blueberries into the finished batter with two or three gentle strokes before scooping into the pan for blueberry buttermilk pancakes that were completely extraordinary with the berries bursting into the fluffy batter in the most beautiful way. Teresa tried adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of nutmeg to the dry ingredients for a warmly spiced version that smelled like the most wonderful autumn morning and tasted completely comforting.
For a lemon buttermilk version, add the zest of one lemon to the dry ingredients and replace the vanilla extract with a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice for a bright and fragrant pancake that is completely wonderful topped with fresh berries and whipped cream. Our Dandelion Honey Marshmallows make a wonderfully whimsical and completely unique topping alongside honey drizzled over these buttermilk pancakes for the most extraordinary spring breakfast imaginable.
FAQs About This Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Why are my buttermilk pancakes flat and not fluffy?
The most common cause is overmixing the batter. Once the wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients, stop stirring as soon as the flour is just incorporated. Every additional stir develops more gluten and deflates more of the bubbles from the leavening agents. A flat dense pancake is almost always the result of a batter that was stirred 30 to 60 seconds too long. The second most common cause is baking powder that has expired and is no longer active.
How do I know when to flip the pancakes?
The two visual indicators to watch for are the edges of the pancake looking set and matte rather than wet and shiny, and bubbles forming across the surface of the batter that begin to burst and leave holes that do not fill back in. Both of these signs together indicate that the bottom is golden and the pancake is structurally ready to be flipped without falling apart.
Can I make the batter ahead of time?
Pancake batter is best used immediately or within 30 minutes of mixing. The leavening agents begin releasing their gas bubbles as soon as they contact the wet ingredients and the longer the batter sits the more of that lift is lost before the batter ever hits the pan. For the fluffiest possible pancakes, mix the batter and begin cooking immediately rather than refrigerating and cooking later.
Conclusion
These Buttermilk Pancakes are the Saturday morning breakfast that turns any ordinary weekend into something genuinely worth waking up early for. Thick, golden, fluffy, and completely extraordinary in their simplicity and their flavor. We hope they fill your kitchen with that irreplaceable warm buttermilk and butter fragrance and bring the same deeply joyful morning to your table that they have always brought to ours. Make them, share them, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa
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Buttermilk Pancakes The Most Thick and Fluffy Breakfast You Will Ever Make
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 pancakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most thick and fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes made completely from scratch with all-purpose flour buttermilk eggs butter and vanilla in under 15 minutes. A completely foolproof from-scratch breakfast recipe that produces golden perfectly risen pancakes every single time.
Ingredients
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
2 1/4 cups Buttermilk cold
2 large Eggs lightly beaten room temperature preferred
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted and cooled
Instructions
1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until combined.
2. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
3. Drizzle melted butter slowly into wet ingredients while whisking.
4. Pour wet into dry ingredients. Stir very gently until just combined. Do not overmix. A few flour streaks are fine.
5. Allow batter to rest while preheating skillet.
6. Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-low for 5 minutes until hot.
7. Scoop 1/2 to 2/3 cup batter per pancake into skillet.
8. Cook until edges look set and bubbles burst on surface without filling back in.
9. Flip with one confident movement. Cook 1 to 2 minutes more until golden.
10. Repeat spraying pan between batches. Serve warm with salted butter and maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 243
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 305mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 69mg
Keywords: buttermilk pancakes, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, homemade pancakes from scratch, best buttermilk pancake recipe
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