Fluffy, homemade Buttermilk Pancakes are the perfect breakfast. These pancakes are super soft and airy inside and with a beautifully buttery crisp edge. After trying this recipe, you won’t want the pre-made mix again. The best part is that they are so quick and easy to make (done in under 30 minutes).
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Tired of storebought pancakes that taste like cardboard? Homemade pancakes are better in every way, from Banana Pancakes to Overnight Sourdough Pancakes, protein-rich Ricotta Pancakes, and Cottage Cheese Pancakes, and, of course, Classic Buttermilk Pancakes are at the top of my list.
My mother-in-law shared this recipe with me early on in our marriage, and we’ve been making it for years. Making pancakes from scratch always gets two thumbs up from everyone in the family.
Buttermilk Pancakes Video
Watch Natasha make this Pancake Recipe and see how easy it is to ditch the mix to make them at home. Now, go forth and cook up your new favorite pancakes.
Helpful Reader Reviews
“So easy and so delicious!! I’ve been looking for a recipe that makes pancakes that have the same taste and consistency as my favorite breakfast restaurants and these match that. Thanks for sharing!!” – Noell ★★★★
“I just made those pancakes last night, and I really have to say that they are amazing!! I didn’t have buttermilk, so I substituted it with plain milk and Greek yogurt (half of each) and they came out G R E A T!!! Half the batch was vanished right away last night, drizzled with honey, and I grabbed some of them with Nutella this morning! Thank you for a great recipe!! – Noppy ★★★★★
Ingredients for the Best Pancakes
It only takes a few minutes to make the pancake batter using the secret ingredient (ok, it’s in the name, so not so secret): Buttermilk! They taste better than any box mix–just like your favorite restaurant (I think the texture is even better).
- Flour – I recommend using all-purpose flour for the right batter consistency
- Sugar – granulated sugar isn’t just to make the pancakes sweeter. It helps with the browning.
- Baking powder & baking soda – combining both leavenings gives these amazing rise and lightness. Buttermilk activates the baking soda to make the pancakes extra fluffy.
- Buttermilk – adds a wonderful tang to add depth of flavor and activates baking soda to give the pancakes a lift.
- Eggs – use large eggs. They can be straight out of the refrigerator.
- Vanilla extract – adds a nice flavor and aroma. Homemade vanilla is even better!
- Butter – melted and whisked in at the end to add richness and moisture to the pancakes.
Substitutions for Buttermilk
If you’re in a pinch and don’t have buttermilk, try these substitutes:
- Vinegar or Lemon Juice + Milk – replace 2 Tbsp out of 2 cups of milk with vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle. Homemade buttermilk is thinner than regular buttermilk, so use 2 cups of buttermilk substitute in this recipe.
- Yogurt + Milk – Combine equal parts of plain or Greek yogurt with milk to substitute.
- Kefir + Water – this is slightly thicker than buttermilk so combine 2 cups kefir and 1/4 cup water.
- Buttermilk powder – following the package directions, it will be thinner than regular buttermilk, so use 2 cups.
How to Make Buttermilk Pancakes
This homemade buttermilk pancake recipe takes moments to mix together and creates such fluffy, delicious pancakes. You’ll never go back to the box mix!
- Dry Ingredients – in a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients – in a second bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Then, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. There may be lumps, but that’s ok. You want to avoid overmixing the batter, which makes the pancakes tough.
- Add melted butter – while stirring, add melted butter and whisk just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Heat the pan – Preheat a large non-stick pan, cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat (325 – 350˚F on a griddle). Spray or brush the surface with oil. Optional: preheat the oven to 200°F to keep pancakes warm between batches.
- Cook the pancakes – Drop between a 1/4 cup (2 oz ice cream scoop) to 1/3 of batter onto the hot surface, keeping some space between pancakes for easy flipping. Sautee 2-3 minutes per side. Flip when you see bubbles form and start to pop.
- Keep Warm – once the pancakes are done, remove to a cookie sheet or piece of foil. Place in warm oven while you cook the rest of the batter.
When Do I Flip Pancakes?
Tiny bubbles will form on the surface of your pancake. Wait until you see those bubbles start popping and forming tiny holes on the surface of your pancake then flip. This takes about 3 minutes.
Can I use this batter for waffles?
While they are similar, pancake and waffle batter are not the same. Waffles contain more fat so they get more dense and crispy in the waffle iron. I suggest using my Waffle Recipe for best results.
How to Serve Buttermilk Pancakes
We top them with whichever seasonal fruits we have on hand. You can keep it simple with maple syrup or load on the toppings, along with a side of fluffy Scrambled Eggs and Baked Bacon on special mornings.
- Fresh Fruit – all berries, sliced stone fruit, and bananas
- Butter – a pat of softened butter melts beautifully on warm pancakes, or try Honey Butter
- Syrup – use real maple syrup, Raspberry Maple Syrup, honey, or agave
- Sauce – Strawberry Sauce, Cherry Sauce, Chocolate Ganache or Whipped Cream
- Nuts – chopped toasted nuts or shaved coconut
Storing and Reheating Pancakes
Pancakes are best enjoyed fresh but they do keep and reheat well.
- To Refrigerate: once cooled, stack pancakes with parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking then transfer to an airtight container or zip-top bag and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to freezer-safe zip-top bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To Reheat: Warm leftover or frozen pancakes on a skillet, in a toaster, in a 350°F oven, or in the air fryer just until heated through.
This easy buttermilk pancake recipe will replace any boxed mix or store-bought pancakes on your regular breakfast rotation. Once you have this basic recipe down, you can change it up to keep breakfast exciting. Try folding in blueberries or mini chocolate chips (my daughter’s favorite!). Let me know what is your favorite topping for pancakes in the comments.
More Breakfast Recipes to Try
If you love these fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, then you won’t want to miss these top-rated breakfast recipes.
- Dutch Baby
- Homemade Granola
- Easy Crepes
- Breakfast Tacos
- Biscuits and Gravy
- Apple Pancakes
- Breakfast Burritos
- Eggs Benedict
Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- light olive oil, to spray or brush the work surface
Instructions
- Dry Ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Wet Ingredients – In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until blended. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk everything together by hand until just moistened.
- Add melted butter while whisking gently and mix just until incorporated. The mixture will still be lumpy. DO NOT overmix or your pancakes will be flat.*
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat, or a griddle between 325-350˚F. Spray or brush the cooking surface with oil. If you plan to keep cooked pancakes warm, preheat the oven to 200˚F.
- Sautee For 4-inch pancakes, add about 1/4 cup or an ice cream scoop, and for 6-inch pancakes, add about 1/3 cup of batter to the skillet for each pancake. Saute about 3 minutes per side. Flip once the pancakes are golden brown on the first side and you see bubbles start to form and pop on the surface.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Pancake batter is best used right away or refrigerated for up to 1 hour. You can also cook the pancakes and keep them warm in a 200˚F oven for up to 45 minutes.
- Storage: Once cooked, pancakes store well wrapped in foil in the fridge for a week, or in a freezer-safe ziptop bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheat in the air fryer, a toaster, or a dry skillet just warmed.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Can I make them with white whole wheat flour?
Thank you
That should work! whole wheat flour does tend to absorb liquid a little more than all-purpose flour. So you may have to compensate for that with liquid. I hope that helps!
Can I make these with Greek yogurt?
Hi Ailuy! Great question! I haven’t tried that but here is what our readers are saying ” I didn’t have buttermilk, so I substotuted it with plain milk and Greek yogurt (half of each) and they came out G R E A T!!! Half the batch was vanished right away last night, drizzled with honey, and I grabbed some of them with nutella this morning! Thank you for a great recipe!!” I hope this helps
I noticed your recipe calls for mixing the batter till smooth. Most other recipes caution against over mixing and even tell you lumpinous is normal. Is there a reason you mix till smooth?
Thx
Bill
Hi Bill, you want to whisk everything together by hand until well combined so you don’t end up with pockets of flour in the batter.
Natasha, this recipe is great. For Gluten Free pancakes, I use oat flour instead, and sometimes substitute buttermilk with plain yogurt. Pancakes come out very tender, and they taste wonderful.
That’s sounds wonderful just reading about it! Thanks for sharing your delicious review Julia!
Can you make the batter the night before
Hi Tina, I don’t think that would work well unless you could keep the liquid and dry ingredients separate. Once you mix the wet and dry ingredients and activate the leavening, it is best to make the pancakes soon after.
Natasha, am gluten free. would you recommend any changes to this recipe using gluten free flour. would be so grateful. Ivanka
Hi Ivanka, I haven’t tested this one with gluten free flour so I’m not sure if any other modifications would need to be made. We did discover a really really good pancake mix recently called Pamelas and it is gluten free. We’ve been making them because our son is going gluten free for a few months. I hope that’s helpful! 🙂
Hello!
Do you think they could me made on electric gridle?
thank you!
Hi Yuliya, I think that could work. It’s worth an experiment!
Hello Natasha, I;m eating this dish now 🙂 The best I’ve ever had, hands down. I added blueberries and white raisins to my batter! What a combination)) Thank you so much for another fantastic recipe, my favorite list grows each time I try your recipes))
You’re welcome Jeffery! I’m so glad to hear how much you love the recipe. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Easy and perfect! Thank you, Natasha!
You’re welcome Inga! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I just made these pancakes and they were perfect! Exactly what I was looking for – not too sweet, very airy and with fantastic taste. My family was excited.
Thank you Natasha!
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You’re welcome Agrita! I’m happy to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Hi Natasha my pan cakes didnt come out right i used 1 cup instead of 2 cups and the taste was horrible and i mixed milk with i tablespoon of vinegar what could have i did wrong?
Hi Sabelo, It is very likely due to making substitutions in the recipe. Have you tried it as written? Did you let the milk and vinegar rest for a little bit to allow it to form into a buttermilk before adding?
Good morning Natasha!
I just made those pancakes last night, and I really have to say that they are amazing!! I didn’t have buttermilk, so I substotuted it with plain milk and Greek yogurt (half of each) and they came out G R E A T!!! Half the batch was vanished right away last night, drizzled with honey, and I grabbed some of them with nutella this morning! Thank you for a great recipe!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy this recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Light, airy, not too sweet, not oily- just perfect. Exactly what I was looking for.
Awesome! I’m glad to hear you love the recipe Allka! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Just made these and they were fantastic. Little tip, I didn’t have any baking soda, so I just added slightly more baking powder.
When I mixed the dry and wet it ended up being too thick so I just put in 1 – 2 tablespoon more buttermilk and the mixture thinned up enough.
Thanks for sharing!
I’m happy to hear it worked out Joshua! Thanks for sharing your tips and review! 😀
Literally the best pancake recipe. I use it all the time when I make pancakes. I add fruits to it or chocolate chips or even stuff the pancakes with Nutella and peanut butter. So much better than ihop or Cracker Barrel panckes 😍😍
Awesome! I’m happy to hear that Kristina! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
As far as I can remember, all of my pancake recipes use eggs, sorry! If I come up with something that doesn’t, I will be sure to share 🙂
Hi Natasha,
First of all, this pancakes are amazing. We do them every weekend. Thank you for the recipe.
I was wondering if there is a way of cutting in half the recipe? Would we use 2 eggs instead of 3? Sometimes they are too many and I have tried to save the batter for next morning and for some reason it starts having green spots so I have to toss it.
Thanks
Hi Erika, I think it would work to cut the recipe down. Also, I have found that these pancakes reheat pretty well in the toaster if you pre-make all of them and then refrigerate. Because the batter has quick acting leaveners rather than yeast, it doesn’t work to store the batter overnight.
Hey Natasha,
I made these easy buttermilk pancakes, and had two problems with them, any pointers. First, my wet ingredients had clumps in them. Second, after I took my fluffy pancakes out, they quickly deflated. Thanks.
Hi Nelli, did you use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients – that helps to break it up so you don’t get clumps. I’m not sure why else there would be clumps. They do deflate slightly but not too much. I wonder if maybe you cooked them over too high of heat and removed them from the pan too soon? I hope that helps for next time! 🙂
hey, can I use milk instead of buttermilk? Moms birthday is soon and I need them like NOW.
Hi Mela, I haven’t tried that substitution but you might googling how to make buttermilk – it’s just milk and a little vinegar or lemon juice stirred together and let sit at room temp for a few minutes. This recipe needs the acidity from buttermilk (or homemade buttermilk) to activate the baking soda and rise properly.
Otlichniy rezept, spasibo!
Love your recipes!
Vika
Thank you Vika, blessings to your family 😬.
Made these this morning, so easy to make, and definitely the best pancakes I have tried! I never have buttermilk on hand, so I used homemade kefir! Turned out delicious… thanks for the recipe!
Lena, thank you for such a nice review on these! We made these couple days ago during our camping trip, they are regular on our table.
Hi Natasha sorry to bother you can I use kefir instead of buttermilk?
Hi Tanya, I haven’t tried that but I think it would work fine.