Without a doubt, these are our family’s favorite homemade pancakes. It’s the easiest, fluffiest pancake recipe we’ve shared.
We’ve been perfecting this incredibly simple, from-scratch recipe for years, so it’s guaranteed to deliver light, super fluffy pancakes every time. Best of all, these easy pancakes call for a short list of pantry staples we bet you already have on hand—meaning you can officially say goodbye to the boxed mix.
The second the batter hits the skillet, it rises tall and fluffy. Our easy pancake recipe calls for regular milk, but if you have buttermilk on hand, definitely try our buttermilk pancakes instead. We love this recipe so much that it has basically become the blueprint for all of our favorite pancake recipes.
Key Ingredients
Flour: We use all-purpose flour, but whole-wheat flour, spelt flour, or your favorite gluten-free flour blend works in this recipe! We have used this base for our whole wheat pancakes and buckwheat pancakes.
Sugar: A bit of granulated sugar keeps things classic and helps the pancakes brown, but brown sugar, cane sugar, or coconut sugar are easy swaps.
Baking Powder: The secret to that tall, fluffy texture. Make sure yours is fresh (it usually loses its potency after about 3 months), and opt for aluminum-free if you want to avoid a metallic aftertaste (we keep Bob’s Red Mill in our kitchen).
Milk: Regular milk or your favorite non-dairy milk both work perfectly. We’ve tested this recipe with almond, soy, and even homemade oat milk with great results.
Egg: This adds structure and richness to the batter. To make these egg-free, swap in a flax egg or check out our vegan pancakes.
Butter: You can’t beat the taste of butter in this batter. Unsalted or salted both work (just skip the extra salt in the recipe if your butter is salted). We also recommend cooking the pancakes in a little extra butter for those perfectly crispy, golden edges.
Vanilla: A generous amount of vanilla extract adds a nostalgic flavor and balances out the baking powder. Consider it non-negotiable.
How to Make the Best Pancakes
Tip 1: Whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately. You’ll need two bowls to make the batter for this recipe. In the first, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) until the baking powder is evenly distributed. In the second bowl (or measuring jug), whisk the wet ingredients (melted butter, egg, vanilla, and milk).
