Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Best Buttermilk Pancakes - Quick and easy to make and super fluffy! I grew up making this recipe with my dad, and I'm excited to share it with everyone. I love this recipe because it is like a blank canvas for flavors. Feel free to drizzle it with syrup, add a dollop of whipped cream, yogurt, jam, fresh fruit, or whatever your favorite pancake toppings are.

Looking for more pancake recipes? Try my Banana Pancakes!

About This Recipe

Making breakfast with my dad on the weekends is one of the best memories of my childhood. Growing up, I didn't get to spend too much time with my parents since they started work right when I came back from school, but on weekends, we were all free, so that became our family time.

Buttermilk pancakes were one of the recipes we loved to make together. The recipe I'm sharing today is the same one that we used all those years ago, with the exception that we're using REAL buttermilk. You see, back when I was a kid, my family was really poor and we couldn't afford real buttermilk, so we used a very well-known trick, which was to combine vinegar and regular milk.

The pancakes always came out delicious. The difference between real buttermilk is very subtle. In fact most people cannot even tell a difference. I do however think they are moister and slightly tangier. For this recipe, I've written it for buttermilk, but feel free to do the substitution if you don't have it.

Key Ingredients

Buttermilk: 3% buttermilk will give the moistest pancakes, but 1% buttermilk is perfectly fine as well. If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute it with vinegar and regular milk. Simply add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a measuring cup and then fill to the 2 cup line with milk. Since this recipe uses 2 ¼ cups buttermilk, just add another ¼ cup of milk.

Dry ingredients: You'll need flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. We have two forms of leveling going on. The baking powder will puff up the pancakes as they cook. The baking soda will immediately react with the buttermilk and fluff up the batter prior to cooking. This double leveling effect makes for super FLUFFY pancakes.

Wet ingredients: You'll need eggs, melted butter (or oil), and vanilla extract.

Instructions

STEP 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

STEP 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

STEP 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and quickly whisk until JUST combined (do not overmix). There should be plenty of lumps.

STEP 4: Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat until hot (it takes me about 90 seconds). Scoop ¼ cup of batter into the pan and cook until the edges look dry and bubbles form on the surface, about 2 minutes.

STEP 5: Flip and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. If the pan starts getting too hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

This is the buttermilk pancake recipe my family grew up making on the weekends. Super soft, tender, fluffy, and delicious. If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute it with regular milk and vinegar.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups buttermilk (see notes for substitute)
• ¼ cup melted butter (or oil)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter. If the butter solidifies, that is totally fine, it will melt again when the pancakes cook.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until JUST combined (do not over mix). It's totally OK for there to be some lumps.
• Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat until hot (it takes me about 90 seconds on my stove). Scoop ¼ cup of batter into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes until the edges dry up or bubbles begin forming on the surface. Flip the pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve with maple syrup and whatever pancake toppings you want.

Notes

Buttermilk: To make buttermilk, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a measuring cup. Fill the cup with regular milk until it reaches the 2-cup mark. Since this recipe uses 2 ¼ cups buttermilk, just add another ¼ cup of milk.