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 pancakes. I used whole wheat flour, almond milk instead of cow milk and coconut oil spray to cook. Really yummy!!
Absolutely loved these pancakes!! I work at an iHop do I’m always eating their pancakes but these are soooo much fluffier and I’m so proud that k cooked them myself! I’m a young college student and learning how to cook on my own and I plan on using this recipe forever. Definitely give it a try!
These were absolutely amazing! I’d never had fluffy American-style pancakes before, but now I think I’ll make these all the time. I used butter to cook them instead of vegetable oil and I used a soup ladle to scoop them into the pan. I managed to get five large pancakes and a small one, so I’m not sure if this recipe is really enough for 6 to 8 pancakes (but perhaps I made mine too big). They were absolutely delicious and really fluffy and not too sweet at all. I usually don’t put any sugar in my pancakes and crepes, but I did this time, since the recipe demanded it, and I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t know how people manage to eat stacks of them, though. They are so satisfying that I only managed to have two of them. I served them with fruit (bananas and strawberries).
I made your pancakes like 10mins ago..well! Well! ..my husband and son can’t get enough. .your pancake recipe is the bomb..thanks for sharing it..love love it
I had been meaning to try these for so long (I found it on yummly) & finally got around to making them today. I’m an amateur in the kitchen but these were sooo easy to make & tasted so so good!! So crispy on the outside & soft on the inside. Definitely the best homemade pancakes I’ve ever tasted. Thank you so much for this.
I needed a quick pancake recipe for dinner and these hit the spot, they were so light and fluffy (which I love) and I was tempted just to eat them on their own. My husband and kids loved them too! Thank you for a great recipe, I’ve tried so many and this is the best yet!
First comment is that it is unnecessary to usr 3/4 and 2 tablespoons of milk when you will be saying ” if batter too thick add milk” – no point. Second the batter was way too thick and i had to modify it by adding more milk and souring it with vinegar and to get more fluffiness so it reacts with baking powder as well. I definetly had to not work it too much. Not as fluffy as my other recipes. Will have to get a rating from my kids.
I would try these without vinegar first, and the reason the recipe called for milk was so that you wouldn’t have to add as much in the end. The batter may seem thick, but it since they turn out so soft, the thickness, I think, compliments the pancake!
Hey I know it says 6-8 pancakes, but the ingredients look quite small in the sense of amounts. Does anybody know if it actually makes 6-8?
I find that I get 4 to 5 pancakes from he recipe. I make them in an 8″ omelet pan so they are not huge, either. It is a small amount of batter, so I double it when serving four people.
These were really good. That is high praise from me; I am not a big pancake fan, unless they come from Original Pancake House (best I have ever had.) I have tried about a zillion scratch recipes, and this is the only one I have liked to date.
These are the closest to OHP so far and I will definitely make again. But if you could make an OPH copycat recipe…. that would be awesome!
These pancakes were so lumpy, they didn’t cook all the way at all. They burned faster than they could cook. I have made pancakes so many times before and these were just a failure. Do not waste your time on these – I feel like I wasted a bunch of ingredients.
Hi Sydney, Sorry you had trouble with the pancakes. Sounds like they weren’t mixed well enough and your heat was too high.
I think you should give them another try, Sydney. I’ve been making pancakes for 45 years and these are by far the best I’ve ever made!