Start your morning with these dreamy Buttermilk Pancakes—soft, fluffy, and irresistible. Pile them high and add your favorite toppings for a breakfast worth waking up for.
Buttermilk Pancakes are a classic breakfast favorite known for their light, fluffy texture and slightly tangy flavor. The acidity of the buttermilk helps create tender pancakes with a soft crumb while also giving them a subtle richness that pairs beautifully with maple syrup, butter, fresh fruit, or any of your favorite toppings! No one will be able to get enough!
If you are a pancake lover like me then you have to also try my Mini Pancakes, Blender Pancakes, and Strawberry Yogurt Pancakes.
Table of Contents
Why We Love These Pancakes
- They’re not just for breakfast—serve them for brunch, dinner, or even dessert with fun toppings.
- You can prepare the dry mix in advance, saving time for busy mornings.
- With a few basic ingredients and easy steps, you can have a batch ready in no time.
Recipe Ingredients
Buttermilk – Combined with baking soda, it makes pancakes thick, fluffy, and gives them a classic, subtle tang.
Egg – Room temperature eggs blend more smoothly into the batter, but using them straight from the fridge works perfectly if you’re short on time.
Butter – Melted butter adds richness. Let it cool slightly before mixing to avoid curdling.
For a full list of ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below.
Variations
Pancake Toppings – Make your pancakes special with whipped cream, fresh berries, chocolate, caramel, or strawberry sauce as tasty options alongside syrup.
Buttermilk Substitute – If you’re out of buttermilk, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
How to Make Buttermilk Pancakes
Step 1: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Lightly beat until combined.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, being sure not to overmix. Lumps make for fluffy pancakes!
Step 4: Place a pan over medium heat and add ½ tbsp. of butter. Scoop the batter out using a ¼ measuring cup and pour it into the center of the heated pan. Allow the pancakes to cook for approximately 2 minutes, or until you see small bubbles on the surface of the pancake. Flip, and cook pancakes for 1 additional minute. The pancakes should be lightly golden brown in color.
Expert Tips
Avoid Overmixing – To prevent flat or dense pancakes, mix the pancake batter gently until the ingredients are just combined. Overmixing can lead to tougher pancakes.
Let Batter Rest – Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes before cooking. This helps improve texture and can offset accidental overmixing, giving you fluffier pancakes.
FAQs
Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles appear on the surface and the edges start to set. Use a wrist motion while flipping to keep them intact and perfectly shaped.
No, a griddle isn’t required! You can use a non-stick skillet or frying pan instead. However, a griddle’s larger surface and even heat make it easier to cook multiple pancakes at once.
Storage Information
To STORE leftover pancakes, let them cool completely, then place them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, place wax or parchment paper between the pancakes and store them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. You can also arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, FREEZE them until solid, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Pancakes can be frozen for up to 2 months.
To REHEAT, microwave frozen pancakes for about 20 seconds per pancake. For a larger batch of pancakes, place them on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil and warm in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 10 minutes.
More Favorite Pancake Recipes to Try
Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp butter - melted
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Lightly beat until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, being sure not to overmix. Lumps make for fluffy pancakes!
- Place a pan over medium heat and add ½ tbsp. of butter. Scoop the batter out using a ¼ measuring cup and pour it into the center of the heated pan. Allow the pancakes to cook for approximately 2 minutes, or until you see small bubbles on the surface of the pancake. Flip, and cook pancakes for 1 additional minute. The pancakes should be lightly golden brown in color.
Made these this morning for the family and all of us enjoyed it very much!! Light, fluffy, and flavorful!!!
What sold me on trying this recipe (besides your gorgeous pics!) was how easy the recipe is. Who has time to fiddle with complicated recipes or ingredients non existent in the pantry. Nope this recipe is so simple for morning breakfasts with accessible ingredients…..PERFECT buttermilk pancakes, perfect morning!!
Thanks for sharing!! This will be my new go to recipe. I wonder if I can use in our waffle maker….hmmmmmm.
Hugs~
I’m so happy to hear that! Our family loves them too! I do have a buttermilk waffle recipe that’s really yummy, it’s under “Breakfast” in my recipe index. Do let me know if you try this one in the waffle maker, I’d love to hear if it works 🙂
I think there is a mistake in that you have more milk than flour(1 1/3 cup milk to 1 cup flour)? It made soup so I added more flour to try to salvage and it made these dense and weird.
Hmmm… I’m not sure what the problem was. We’ve made this recipe several times and it has always turned out. Did you use actual buttermilk? Sometimes I like to let it sit for a few minutes before pouring the batter into the hot pan, that way the leavening agents have time to activate and it thickens up a bit.
YUM! (I have a fabulous waffle recipe that came with my new waffle iron, if you want it – it has buttermilk in it, too)
Yes please! I haven’t quite found a waffle recipe that I love 🙂