These Fluffy Pancakes yield some of the most perfect, absolutely wonderful, light, and airy pancakes. They are the pancakes that dreams are made of.
They might be the most basic of all the recipes on this site. But homemade is always best, plus you can always toss some blueberries in them. This recipe was the very first pancake that Greyson ever ate, and Uncka couldn't have been happier to serve them to him!
I also use this basic recipe for my fruit pancakes like rhubarb and plum. It is the perfect jumping-off point if you like to be creative in the kitchen. You can add just about any berry to the inside to top them with many fruits or spreads.
If you love pancakes as much as Greyson and I try his very favorite Banana Pancakes sometime! Also, be sure to always serve them with WARM maple syrup, the real kind!
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Ingredients
Mixing up a batch of Fluffy Pancakes batter uses such minimal and humble ingredients. Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mixed with some milk, butter, vanilla & almond extract, and a couple of eggs.
So easy to whip up, I even make it for dinner from time to time. There is no need to buy pancake mix from the store, they are so easy to whip up with things you probably already have on hand. Call this a pantry staple recipe.
What you need:
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- Eggs
- 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. When it is fully melted, add the milk to the pan and just continue warming until no lumps of butter remain, the milk does not need 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.
Then drop 2-ounce ladles of batter on the hot griddle and cook till it gets very bubbly and the bubbles begin to pop. Flip and cook 30-45 seconds longer till 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 Fluffy Pancakes high and top with a large pat of salted butter. Finish with a hearty drizzle of REAL maple syrup as desired!
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.
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.
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 fluffy 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
Do you use baking powder or soda for fluffy pancakes?
A combination of the two is what gives these pancakes such great lift. When they interact with the acid that the milk has in it, they create air bubbles and that is what makes the pancakes ultra fluffy.
YES! Allowing it to rest lets all of the leveners become active giving them great lift. It also allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid and tighten up the batter which also helps make them fluffy.
Adding butter to the pan when cooking the pancakes will give extra rich flavor, but using a high smoke point oil like avocado or coconut will give the pancakes more even browning. If using a well-seasoned or nonstick skillet, no fat is really needed with this recipe, because it is made with so much real butter in the batter.
Related
If you LOVE pancakes like Greyson and me, try these other great recipes:
More great breakfast recipes to LOVE!
If you LOVE breakfast as much as Uncka, take a look at his recipe for Breakfast Pie. It is inspired by a meal he had on his travels, and it is SO good!
When you want breakfast to feel a little extra special, try our friend's Breakfast Fried Rice. It is inspired by their Asian and Hawaiian backgrounds and so tasty!
Fluffy Pancakes
These Fluffy Pancakes yield some of the most perfect, absolutely wonderful, light, and airy pancakes. They are the pancakes that dreams are made of.
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 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- 2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
- Whipped Irish Butter, for serving
- Maple Syrup, for serving
Instructions
- 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.
- Using a 2-ounce ladle, drop 2 rounds of batter on the griddle at a time. 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. 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 and warm maple syrup, the real kind!
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 banana 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.
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:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 413Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 711mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 6g
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.
Krista Darkins
These pancakes turned out perfect for me! I let my guests cook their own, adding fruit if desired. I served mine with applesauce on top. Yum!!
Kendell
We love to hear of happy pancake days! Fruit is ALWAYS welcome too, and we love the addition of applesauce on top, yum!!