Homemade Pancake Recipe
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Rise and shine! This easy pancake recipe makes the perfect pancakes: fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
This homemade pancake recipe, adapted from The New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne, has been a beloved staple in my kitchen since my kids were little, and for good reason. Made with ingredients I always have hand—like flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and butter—the pancakes have the perfect texture: fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
While they’re delicious on their own, you can customize them with your favorite add-ins. When my kids were younger, I used to dot them with chocolate chips for a special treat. Now that they’re older, I sometimes add fresh or frozen blueberries (these banana pancakes and pumpkin pancakes are delicious, too). Once you try from-scratch pancakes, you’ll never look at boxed mixes the same way again; homemade pancakes are just as easy to whip up and taste so much better.
Table of Contents
“My husband and daughter agree, best pancakes ever! It was so simple and quick to whip up on a busy Saturday.”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Homemade Pancakes
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure to the pancakes. Use the spoon-and-level method to measure to correctly.
- Baking powder: Acts as a leavening agent, making the pancakes light and fluffy.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps with browning.
- Salt: Enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add richness.
- Milk: Provides moisture and helps create a smooth batter.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the pancakes; also helps with browning.
- Vegetable oil: Used for cooking to prevent the butter from browning and to promote even cooking.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Mix well.
Combine the eggs and milk in a bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients and the melted butter into the dry ingredients.
Stir just enough to moisten the flour mixture. It should look a little lumpy. (If you overwork the mixture, the pancakes will be tough.) This is a thick batter but if it seems too thick, add a bit more milk.
Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat; coat it lightly with vegetable oil and swirl in a thin pat of butter. Ladle the batter onto the skillet, using about ¼ cup for each pancake; cook until the first side is golden brown, or until the top surface bubbles and is dotted with holes.
Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. This happens quickly so peek after 30 seconds and watch carefully! Adjust the heat setting if necessary.
Wipe the griddle totally clean with a paper towel between batches. Serve these crispy, fluffy pancakes immediately with maple syrup and a pat of butter, if desired.
How To Freeze Pancakes
Freezing pancakes is a great way to enjoy them later. Cool the pancakes completely on a wire rack to prevent condensation. Then, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each pancake and stack together. Wrap the stack of pancakes tightly in aluminum foil or place inside a heavy-duty freezer bag. To reheat, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake in a 375°F-oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot.
Variations
You can personalize your pancakes with a variety of mix-ins. You can also flavor the batter with vanilla extract or citrus zest for added depth. It’s often best to dot the add-ins like blueberries, chocolate chips, or banana slices directly onto the pancakes after you’ve poured the batter into the skillet. This approach allows for more even distribution and prevents the heavier items from sinking to the bottom of the bowl.
Can Pancake Batter Be Used For Waffles?
No, pancake batter can not be used to make waffles. Waffles require a batter with more fat to create their crispy exterior and fluffy interior, which is different from the lighter, more pourable pancake batter. For the best results, I have a wonderful waffle recipe that’s tailored to give you the perfect texture and flavor. Trust me, it’ll turn out much better!
Video Tutorial
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Best Homemade Pancakes
Rise and shine! This easy pancake recipe makes the perfect pancakes: fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups milk, plus more if necessary
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for cooking
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until evenly combined.
- Pour the milk/egg mixture and the melted butter into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. If the batter seems too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk.
- Heat a griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat; coat it lightly with vegetable oil and swirl in a thin pat of butter. Ladle or drop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake; cook until the first side is golden brown, or until the top surface bubbles and is dotted with holes. Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. This happens quickly so peek after 30 seconds and watch carefully! Adjust the heat setting if necessary. Wipe the griddle clean with a paper towel between batches. Serve immediately with maple syrup.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The pancakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each pancake and stack together. Wrap the stack of pancakes tightly in aluminum foil or place inside a heavy-duty freezer bag. To reheat, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 240
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 262 mg
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Great recipe. I even added frozen wild blueberries to some and all tasted amazing!
Thank you for this gorgeous pancake recipe! They were as soft as clouds! My family just adored them!🥞
Is the ratio of dry to wet ingredients correct? 1 cup flour to 3/4 cup milk with 1 egg doesn’t produce a thick batter. It was quite thin. Sorry if I am missing something.
Sorry you had a problem with these, Dwight! Is there any chance you made a measuring error?
Hubby & I had these for breakfast this morning. I followed the recipe as written and added a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. They were easy to make and so delicious! We intend to make them again. Thank you for your recipes.
Have loved every recipe on your site, so I think I did something wrong this morning when I made these (despite it being a seemingly simply recipe to follow). I can’t figure out why, but the pancakes had a bitter taste to them as well as a bitter/sour aftertaste. I followed measurement. I am wondering if it had anything to do with the oil sitting in the pan too long, but otherwise cannot figure it out. Any suggestions for this?
Hi Sarah, Sorry you had a problem with these. Too much baking powder can cause a bitter taste. Is there any chance you may have made a measuring error with it?
Perhaps baking SODA was accidentally used instead of powder. I’ve seen a different pancake recipe with multiple comments about baking soda in a pancake recipe when the recipe actually called for baking powder but many had misread.
Loved the pancakes. Super easy and delicious- I added chocolate chips and we ate them without maple syrup. Def will be making these again!
Great recipe for pancakes. So light and fluffy. I’ll try the banana pancake recipe next.
My three favorite pancake recipes in the whole world are this one and your banana and blueberry pancake recipes. (I just haven’t tried the pumpkin recipe yet.) Have been making pancakes for decades, but these are the best! However, despite having made this recipe many times and memorizing it, I got distracted today and apparently added the salt, then got the tablespoon and accidentally added MORE salt instead of the sugar. Yikes! That is not a tasty revision – in fact they were not edible and I don’t recommend trying ANY variations to this recipe. I’ve learned a lesson about attentiveness. Thanks for all you do!
Would I face any problems using self raising flour? Thanks
Hi Tracy, I haven’t made these with self-rising flour, so I can’t say for sure. Here’s some more info that may help. Please LMK how the pancakes turn out if you try them with self-rising flour!
Thank you Jenn!! Your “tried and perfected” recipes are a Godsend. They always work. I doubled the recipe, my kids and husband devoured them immediately they got off the pan. And as usual, there were no such thing as leftovers. Thank you 🙂