Easy Pancakes from Scratch

Written by
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Danilo Alfaro
Updated 10/02/20
Pancakes

The Spruce

 
  • Total: 30 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 15 mins
  • Resting Time: 20 mins
  • Servings: 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
246 Calories
5g Fat
41g Carbs
9g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 246
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 70mg 23%
Sodium 900mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 378mg 29%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 177mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This recipe makes light, fluffy, and utterly delightful pancakes with just a few simple ingredients. You will never reach for the pancake mix again. Flavorful and spongy, these pancakes are also cheaper to make than buying a pre-made mix, and you'll know which ingredients are in it, sparing yourself and your family from hidden preservatives and stabilizers.

For perfect homemade pancakes, you'll need to be thorough with the measurements and freshness of ingredients. Firstly, you should weigh your flour: too much flour will make the pancakes tough while too little can make the batter too thin for it to hold properly. Secondly, be sure your baking powder is not stale; old baking powder won't rise as much, yielding heavy and rather dense pancakes. Lastly, use fresh eggs and full-fat milk.

If this is your first time making pancakes, learn some tips and tricks to easily master any type of pancake.

1:23

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons baking powder

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 cups whole milk

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Optional:

    2 tablespoons butter

  • Optional:

    Maple syrup (to taste)

  • Optional:

    2 cups mixed berries

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Pancakes from scratch ingredients

  2. Sift together the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

    Sift flour and baking powder
    The Spruce

  3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly, then stir in the milk, sugar, and salt and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the vanilla.

    Beat eggs with milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla
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  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and use a fork to gently and thoroughly combine all of the ingredients. Make sure not to overmix—you'll still see some lumps. Gently break up some of the bigger lumps with your fork, but don't mix for much longer than 20 seconds.

    Add dry mixture to wet mixture using fork
    The Spruce

  5. Allow the batter to rest at least 20 minutes.

  6. If making bigger batches, preheat the oven to 170 F to keep the pancakes warm while you cook the entirety of the batter.

  7. Preheat your griddle to 375 F, or heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

    Pre-heat skillet for pancakes
    The Spruce

  8. When your cooking surface is hot, lightly spray it with cooking spray.

    Spray skillet with cooking spray
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  9. For each pancake, ladle 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle or pan. Cook until the tops of the pancakes are full of bubbles and the bottoms are golden brown.

    Cook pancakes on one side until golden brown
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  10. Flip the pancakes and cook.

    Flip pancakes and cook other side
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  11. Either serve right away or transfer to the oven to keep warm.

    Serve cooked pancakes
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  12. Top with the optional butter, fruit and maple syrup, or any toppings of your liking.

  13. Enjoy!

How to Make Fluffy Pancakes?

There are a few steps you can take to ensure your pancakes will be fluffy and airy. Keep in mind to:

  • Not over mix the batter: if you whisk and stir the batter, the gluten protein in the wheat will develop and in turn, the pancakes will be rubbery when cooked. Just mix until the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated into the wet, with some lumps still visible.
  • Allow the batter to rest: give the batter 20 minutes to 30 minutes to rest. This gives those lumps a chance to dissolve and the glutens in the flour to relax. You can actually hold the batter in the fridge for several hours, even overnight, if needed.
  • Separate the yolks from the whites, an extra step, but one that will make your pancakes extra fluffy. Follow the instructions of the recipe but mix in only the yolks when it is time to add in the eggs. Five minutes before the batter is done with the resting time, whisk the whites to peaks. Gently and slowly fold the whites into the batter and cook right away. The extra air in the whites will make the pancakes really soft.
  • Only flip the pancakes when you see bubbles on one side: this means it's well cooked on one side and needs just a couple of minutes on the other. Never flatten the pancake with a spatula to check if there's raw batter inside. This will deflate the pancake entirely; besides if you added a sufficient amount of batter it should cook thoroughly.

How to Store Pancake Batter and Cooked Pancakes

Here are a few tips on how to safely store your pancake batter or leftover pancakes:

  • The prepared batter can rest in the fridge overnight. If you need to prep ahead, cover the batter with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge in a non-reactive bowl.
  • To store leftover pancakes, place them in an airtight container and use within 24 hours.
  • To freeze, once the pancakes have cooled, place them in ziptop bags, separating the individual pancakes by wax paper.

Flavorful Additions and Substitutions

Here are some substitutions and additions you can play with:

  • Substitute plain yogurt or buttermilk for half the milk. Your batter will be thicker, so lower your griddle temperature. The pancakes will still turn out fluffy, and the extra tangy flavor is heavenly.
  • Use the same amount of a nut-based beverage or oat milk as you'd use of cow's milk if there are any dairy allergies in your household. Coconut milk is also a flavorful replacement. Serve the pancakes with vegan butter instead. Using water is also acceptable, but the fat in milk and milk substitutes adds to the texture of the pancakes and to the overall flavor.
  • Add a cup of fresh or thawed frozen blueberries to the batter for colorful and nutritious pancakes.
  • Sprinkle with chocolate chips before flipping the pancakes.
  • Add 1/2 cup of coconut flakes for extra crunch and flavor.
  • Serve with caramel sauce and chopped almonds or cashews.