Most of us have fond memories of our moms making us pancakes for breakfast. She would wake up early, painstakingly open the box of Bisquick, lovingly add water and stir. Mmm, mmm, where did she find the time?!?
Maybe it was the partially hydrogenated soybean oil or the use of dried egg whites, but for some reason these pancakes never could stack up with a good diner’s. Even when using a mom’s secret ingredient, “love”, you can never get restaurant quality pancakes out of a box. However, I’m going to let you in on the secrets to making buttermilk pancakes not only as good as your favorite restaurant’s, but better! The use of real ingredients and adhering to a few restaurant secrets will produce a light and fluffy pancake that no box can ever replicate.
First assemble your ingredients.
2 1/2 cups Flour
1/4 cup Sugar (or malted milk powder)
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs, yolks separated
2 1/2 cups Buttermilk (adjust as needed to get pourable consistency)
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) Butter, melted
(This will yield approx 12-16 pancakes using a 1/3 cup ladle)
The first secret to perfect buttermilk pancakes begins by separating the egg yolks from the whites. You need to whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed, ideally with a hand mixer unless you enjoy torturing yourself. The reason for this will be explained shortly.
With the exception of the egg whites, combine the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Wet ingredients include egg yolks, buttermilk and melted butter. Once each are properly mixed combine the two bowls together.
The next secret is to leave the batter lumpy. Stir your mixture to combine the wet and dry ingredients but only stir enough to ensure everything is mingled. The lumps will work themselves out and result in a lighter pancake.
Now for the most important step. FOLD the remaining egg whites into the mixture half at a time. Be careful not to overly agitate the batter because you want to leave all of the bubbles intact. This will give the pancakes extra rise.
Folding Egg Whites with a Spatula Works Best
Now let the batter rest for 15-30 minutes to allow the baking powder to work its magic and let the flour absorb the moisture.
Heat your griddle to 375 degrees, brush with butter and begin frying! Flip the pancake when you see bubbles on the surface.
If you would like to add additional ingredients such as blueberries, chocolate chips or anything else – don’t mix it in the batter. They will just sink to the bottom. Instead, sprinkle the additions on the pancakes as soon as they are ladled onto the griddle.
Here is one final bonus tip: If you really want to replicate the flavor of an exceptional diner pancake replace the sugar with malted milk powder instead.
If you had hoped to make the batter in advance, you can cheat and do so. However your results will not be the same. The pancakes will still have good flavor but the light and airy pancake will be replaced with a thin and dense saucer instead.
Enjoy!
I love to hear feedback, so please let me know what you think if you try this recipe! And be sure to follow Fox Valley Foodie on Facebook to stay on top of all my latest posts!
The Secret to Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes from Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Flour
- 1/4 cup Sugar or malted milk powder
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs yolks separated
- 2 1/2 cups Buttermilk adjust as needed to get pourable consistency
- 1/2 cup Butter melted, 8 tbsp
Instructions
- Separate egg yolks from whites and whisk egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.
- Combine egg yolks, melted butter, and buttermilk in a bowl and mix together.
- In separate dish combine all dry ingredients and mix together.
- Once wet and dry ingredients are each are mixed, combine together. Do not over mix or the pancakes will be tough. Mix just to combine leaving some lumps. (The lumps will work themselves out and you will have a lighter pancake for stirring less)
- FOLD egg whites into mixture half at a time being careful not to overly agitate.
- Let the batter rest 15-30 minutes.
- Heat griddle to 375 degrees and brush with butter before frying.
Dave says
July 30, 2012 at 8:56 pmMade the Buttermilk Pancakes for my family and were they good! The batter was amazing how it all came together and produced 1/2 inch high fluffy pancakes! Can’t wait to make them again but with an electric griddle. My middle burner stove top griddle is to hot at the low setting. The Griddle is Cast Iron by Camp Logic.
I have used it about ten times but can’t seem to find the sweet spot. Any suggestions? Thank you for the great recipe!
Dave B in Howard
Fox Valley Foodie says
July 30, 2012 at 9:26 pmI’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
375 degrees is a good temperature to cook pancakes and I can get my cast iron at that temperature somewhere around medium on my stove (I have a temperature gun). If your burner is getting your griddle hotter than that at the lowest setting then the burner is kicking out some real power! Keep in mind cast iron retains heat very well, so if you turn the heat higher for a while and then put it on low the pan will take a while to cool down. Personally, I really like using a big electric griddle for pancakes. It is nice to be able to cook a bunch at once.
Denise says
October 21, 2012 at 8:21 amThese pancakes were perfect! My family loved them! They said they were way better than a restaurant! I used powdered buttermilk and added water and also added a little pure vanilla! Yummy!! This will be my go to recipe for pancakes from now on!
Jake says
October 30, 2012 at 10:02 amFantastic! The BEST pancakes I have ever made from scratch. I had to use a mix of milk with vinegar for the buttermilk (1c milk with 1 Tbsp white vinegar), but the turnout was better than I expected. Thank you for the detailed step-by-step explanation. I will be using this recipe from now on.
Nicole says
November 22, 2012 at 2:09 amThese are the BEST pancakes ever! Use a vanilla bean to really top this recipe off! I had a recipe from my grandmother (which I lost) and this is as close as it gets…..you are SO right about the egg whites, that is what makes the pancakes so special.
Thanks again, look forward to new ideas…
Lindsey says
December 16, 2012 at 9:46 amI’m excited to try this recipe but I have one question – is the butter (all 8 tblspns) part of the actual batter recipe, or is that intended to just be for greasing the griddle?
Fox Valley Foodie says
December 16, 2012 at 9:58 amThat is part of the actual batter recipe. If you want a healthier recipe you can cut back on the amount but the butter gives it great flavor.
Christopher says
December 27, 2012 at 8:14 pmDo I use the egg yokes or do I throw them out. I wasn’t sure from the recepie.
Thank you
Fox Valley Foodie says
December 27, 2012 at 10:35 pmYes use the egg yolks as well. Most recipes will have you use the egg as one whole ingredient however my recipe specifies to separate the yolk from the white because I ask you to beat the egg whites. If not for that, the whole egg would be treated as a wet ingredient.
Camima says
June 29, 2013 at 11:01 amWhy do you suggest “malted milk powder”? What is the difference between using sugar or using malted milk powder? What does the malted milk powder do to the batter?
Kathy says
March 23, 2015 at 3:47 pmSo do I melt the butter and mix it with the wet ingredients?
Fox Valley Foodie says
March 23, 2015 at 4:19 pmYep! That’s exactly right.
Victoria says
May 29, 2015 at 11:21 amI just read your recipe and in excited to try it! I’m looking forward to fluffy pancakes…..I’ve been craving pancakes for days now.
sophie says
October 17, 2015 at 6:06 pmhello. two questions for you:
1) will this work with all-purpose gluten-free flour
2) will kefir/yogurt work in place of buttermilk (realizing that this goes against the whole “buttermilk” pancake thing…)
?
Thanks!
Fox Valley Foodie says
October 18, 2015 at 8:29 amI have never tried using either ingredient, however I suspect it may work. There are pancake recipes that use gluten-free flour and kefir.
Tom says
April 21, 2016 at 10:45 amSweet and puffy, just like pancakes were meant to be! The batter looks just like if you were using dry pancake mix, but the taste is so much better! Plus, it’s quick and easy for those of us with impatient, hungry little tykes.
Francis says
April 24, 2016 at 2:31 pmI used to make a similar recipe years ago but lost the cookbook I got it from so I’m glad to find it again. I experimented by adding 1/2 cup sour cream to the batter. The pancakes come out so fluffy, you may have to double the recipe, but it really is good. Thanks for sharing
Fox Valley Foodie says
April 24, 2016 at 2:35 pmSour cream sounds like it could be a fantastic addition!
Jeremy says
May 4, 2016 at 10:07 amDELICIOUS! I ate about 5 last night on my own … I didn’t want to change or tweak the recipe in anyway, to see if they came out the same as everyone else’s seemed to … so yummy! Yes the batter was thick, and had me worried but I made them and they turned out very fluffy and light 🙂 After my third pancake, I put 1/4 cup batter in the pan, then when I was about to flip it … i placed a slice of ham and cheese on one side and folded it in half, made a delicious little breakfast taco 🙂 THANKS FOR THE AMAZING RECIPE! So perfect for my little midnight snack, it was nice having all the ingredients on hand for a change!
Deborah says
May 29, 2016 at 10:39 amThis really is the best pancake I’ve ever had! However, the directions need to be clarified. For instance, the butter should be melted. Also, egg yolks are to be used in the liquid ingredients. Thanks!
Fox Valley Foodie says
May 29, 2016 at 12:01 pmThanks for the comment, you are right that should have been clarified in the recipe. I have updated it accordingly!
Alice J says
May 29, 2016 at 6:38 pmBest. Pancakes. Ever
Jenene says
July 17, 2016 at 9:32 amBEST RECIPE EVER!
I made this for me and my fiancé, and it turn out fluffy and amazing, a winner in my book. Since it was only the two of us, I cut the initial measurements in half. I also used oats flour instead of regular flour. I have the hardest time finding a restaurant that makes light and fluffy pancakes, and the mixes from the box always seems to disappoint. This is now my go to recipe!!
Fox Valley Foodie says
July 17, 2016 at 9:36 amI’m glad you like it! You’re right, fluffy pancakes at restaurants are hard to find. They often mix up a big batch of batter and use it throughout the morning, which creates increasingly thin pancakes as it sits.
Kim says
December 3, 2016 at 10:01 amI made these this morning and they came out fantastic. The one addition I made was to add good quality vanilla. This recipe will be made again in the future!
Fox Valley Foodie says
December 4, 2016 at 12:01 pmVanilla would be a great addition! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Z says
December 22, 2016 at 10:27 amGood grief, these are good! I still have some on the griddle, and I just had to pause to say these are amazing! I’d been searching for a recipe that would make me ok with leaving boxed pancake mixes…this one did it!
1.5 tablespoons of pure vanilla in with the wet ingredients (and milk/vinegar as a buttermilk substitute) are the only changes I made. I’ll probably try them with a little less butter in the mix, but this is a fabulous recipe.
Fox Valley Foodie says
December 22, 2016 at 10:30 amThanks, for taking time to leave the comment! It is a favorite recipe of mine.
Nina says
June 20, 2017 at 4:19 pmHi.
I have tried several recipes… This one didn’t turn out fluffy. I followed the instructions and didn’t change any of the ingredients. It’s a failure. Taste great though. No fluffiness so flat. I have been making pancakes since I was at girl scouts. Lost my original recipe year’s ago. Excremented with several. Unfortunately not even this worked out.
Fox Valley Foodie says
June 20, 2017 at 4:50 pmI’m sorry it did not work out for you. This is one of those ‘practice makes perfect’ recipes. The secret is making sure you are gently folding in the egg whites without overworking the batter. Overworking the batter will cause it to come out flat.
Theo says
November 5, 2017 at 11:04 amThis is now my “go-to” pancake recipe. I can’t even go to a diner now because they don’t compare to the deliciousness of these pancakes. I really think the key to great pancakes is the addition of the buttermilk. I won’t ever make pancakes without buttermilk. Thank you for posting a great and simple recipe. It does take some time to prepare but it is worth every bite.
Dave Baur says
February 4, 2018 at 11:14 amMr.Gorges I made the Buttermilk Pancakes using WHOLE Buttermilk and inadvertently forgot the butter. I didn’t realize it until I was printing a copy of the recipe for my daughter. The cakes still tasted great! I imagine the extra fat in the whole buttermilk was my saving grace. So next time I will try it with the butter added and I imagine they should really have a rich flavor. Do you have any caveats that I should know? Thank you Dave B Howard
Fox Valley Foodie says
February 4, 2018 at 11:25 amYou are right, fat carries a lot of flavor (and moisture) in the pancakes. It sounds like you are on the right track and I’d expect them to turn out great for you next time!
Tammy says
July 6, 2018 at 10:06 amThese were excellent. The perfect amount of crispiness on the outside while also still fluffy.
Sam says
November 6, 2018 at 10:55 amCan I cut the amount of butter in half? Seems like a lot of butter!
Fox Valley Foodie says
November 8, 2018 at 8:24 amButter adds flavor and moisture but you will probably be fine if you want to cut it back.
Alycia Nichols says
May 11, 2019 at 9:05 pmMalted milk powder! Of course!!!!!! I’m headed to the store to find some tomorrow. Never, ever, ever did it occur to me! I make great scratch pancakes, but they’re about to get WAY better! Thank you!!!! And Happy Mother’s Day!