I hope you are ready to have a little fun with your food when it comes to these Bacon Pancakes. I mean, a whole strip of bacon in a pancake, FUN!!
As much as Little G loves pancakes, I think his favorite breakfast food might be bacon, and who can blame him? No one! Uncka loves these because they can be made portable for those on the run, which makes leftovers on a Monday, PERFECTION!
Most of the time it is frowned upon to play with your food, but throw all those thoughts out the window with this recipe. This is food play at its finest, and if you have littles around, put their syrup in a small bowl or on the side and let them dip these long, easily handheld pancakes in it, Little G loved doing that!
If you love pancakes as much as Greyson and do, I try his very favorite Blueberry Pancakes sometime too! Also, be sure to always serve your pancakes with WARM maple syrup, the real kind!
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Ingredients
This is a fun spin on our classic Fluffy Pancakes. The only thing you need that is out of the norm is the cooked bacon. Take a few minutes and cook it ahead of time, I even like to do it the day before I know I want to make these if I can.
Beyond prepping and cooking the bacon, you will find the remaining ingredients to be pantry staples.
What you need:
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- Eggs
- Thick-Cut Bacon, cooked
- Whipped Irish Butter
- Maple Syrup
See the recipe card for full quantities.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
Start by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. Add the milk to the pan and just continue warming until no lumps of butter remain.
You do not want the milk to simmer or boil. When adding cold milk it can make the butter lump up, just warm it enough that the butter becomes liquid again.
In a large bowl, stir the dry ingredients together with the milk/butter mixture until well combined. Then fold the eggs into the mix just until fully incorporated.
Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before you begin cooking the pancakes. This is the secret to extra fluffy, cloud-like pancakes.
To cook the pancakes, heat a griddle over medium heat on the stove, and be patient. Heat it for at least 5 minutes to get fully warm.
I then place a precooked bacon strip on the griddle, let it warm up for a few seconds, flip it over, then drizzle over 2 ounces of pancake batter. Cook till the batter gets very bubbly and the bubbles begin to pop. Flip and cook 30-45 seconds longer till the pancake is fully cooked.
Uncka's Chef Tip
Stack the cooked pancakes up to ensure they finish cooking, the same way you'd stack tortillas and put them in a warmer or cloth to finish. Pancakes finish cooking all the way through in the same way as well as keeping the first cakes warm as you cook the rest. This ensures not wet or soggy middles.
To serve, stack the Bacon Pancakes high and finish with a hearty drizzle of REAL maple syrup as desired! These are also great for dipping, and littles love that, for Little G I serve his syrup on the side and he dips his bacon pancakes in it.
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Bacon - While you can really use any bacon you like or prefer, like turkey bacon or beef bacon, I find classic thick-cut pork bacon to really be the best. I find beef bacon to be too thick and turkey bacon to be too rubbery for this application, but you can absolutely give them a try.
Equipment
These are my favorite little skillets for making pancake toppings and syrups in. You can also toast nuts for use in them too.
My number one, most favorite tool for perfect pancakes is a Cast-Iron griddle. They build up a strong, natural, non-stick coating over time and make for BEAUTIFUL pancakes.
Be sure to season a new griddle, every time you use and wash it (with soap) with this cast-iron oil to build THE BEST non-stick surface.
I like a really sturdy, metal spatula for flipping pancakes. It helps them not stick to it, and makes for a perfect flip, no floppy half-turned pancakes, It's got to be THIS spatula for me!
The use of a 2-ounce ladle makes THE perfect-sized pancakes, in my opinion. They are just the right size and easy to flip.
Storage
While pancakes won't spoil if left on the counter overnight, they are just like a cake, biscuit, or cookie in this way. I prefer to place them in a zip-top bag or air-tight container in the fridge. However, since these have bacon in them, I highly suggest storing any leftovers in the fridge.
You can also freeze pancakes. To do so, lay them flat on a tray, not stacked, then once frozen place them in a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.
Reheat leftover Bacon Pancakes, from the fridge or freezer, in a toaster, or toaster oven for best results.
Top Tips
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If you can use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
FAQ
Why do people put bacon on pancakes?
The light fluffy pancake that is slightly sweet, and the salty bacon, all drizzled in sweet maple syrup offer a great balance of sweet and salty that people love. Plus the bacon offers a nice protein boost and balance to the breakfast plate.
OMG YES!!! If you are one who loves it when your maple syrup runs over to your bacon and you dip it through it, you will love these pancakes. This recipe has a crispy, salty piece of bacon running through a soft and fluffy pancake, that's breakfast perfection in my book!
You ABSOLUTELY can cook your pancakes in bacon grease. It will give them a bit of a salty crust on the outside, paired with a fluffy, slightly sweet interior of a pancake, what a beautiful breakfast match made in heaven.
More of our Favorite Banana Pancakes
If you LOVE pancakes like Greyson and I do, try these other great banana pancake recipes:
More great bacon recipes to LOVE!
If you love to have fun with your bacon, give these Pecan Shortbread Cookies with Bacon and Maple a try. If you LOVE these pancakes, those cookies are right up your alley!
One of Uncka's most favorite ways to use bacon is in these Southern Green Beans! They are packed with flavor, and just what you want next to a big platter of fried chicken.
Bacon Pancakes
I hope you're ready to have some fun with your food when it comes to these Bacon Pancakes. I mean, a whole strip of bacon in a pancake, FUN!!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- 2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
- 10-12 slices Thick-Cut Bacon, cooked
- Whipped Irish Butter, for serving
- Maple Syrup, for serving
Instructions
- Prep and Cook your bacon first. I even do this up to a day or two ahead of time if I really plan properly. I do this by laying it out on a foil-lined baking tray and cooking it in a 425˚F oven for 20-25 minutes until crisp. Drain over paper towels and let cool until needed.
- In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk to the pan and heat just till warm and any butter that solidified is liquid again. Do not boil. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir the vanilla and almond extract into the milk mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- Slowly whisk the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture, just till a lumpy mixture forms.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl and whisk just till incorporated.
- Let the pancake batter rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- After the batter has rested for 5 minutes, warm the griddle on the stove, over medium-heat I suggest a cast iron griddle. It is important to let it get hot till it begins to smoke the tiniest bit, then you know it is ready to be cooked on.
- Turn the heat down two marks on the stove dial, just between medium, and medium-low.
- Place two strips of bacon down on the griddle, let them warm up a bit, flip, then add the pancake batter.
- Using a 2-ounce ladle, drop 2 rounds of batter on the griddle over the bacon, spreading it a bit to make elongated pancakes. Cook for 30-45 seconds, just till the edges begin to set.
- Flip and cook a further 45-60 seconds, then remove to a platter.
- Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200˚F oven if needed.
- To make whipped Irish butter, beat 4 tablespoons in the bowl of a stand mixer, and I like to use my flex edge flat beater it gets the butter extra fluffy, and beat for 3-4 minutes on medium-high, with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Serve the pancakes with a dollop of butter on top if desired and warm maple syrup, the real kind, drizzled all over the top!
Notes
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Bacon - While you can really use any bacon you like or prefer, like turkey bacon or beef bacon, I find classic thick-cut pork bacon to really be the best. I find beef bacon to be too thick and turkey bacon to be too rubbery for this application, but you can absolutely give them a try.
Top Tips
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If you can use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 398Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 811mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 10g
Food Safety
There aren't many concerns when it comes to pancakes, but here are a few tips to help ensure the best experience with your pancakes.
- Ensure your pancakes are fully cooked, as eating raw pancake batter is not advised because it contains raw eggs.
- The USDA advises to not leave cooked foods at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, 1 hour if the environment is above 90˚F.
- That said, pancakes contain the same ingredients as cakes, biscuits, and cookies so they can be stored at room temperature.
- I personally advise keeping them in an air-tight container or zip-top bag and warming them in a toaster or microwave before eating leftovers.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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