The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
It’s not an exaggeration— these really are the best buttermilk pancakes! They’re light, fluffy, and full of flavor.
Lazy weekend mornings are made for pancakes, and when it comes to pancakes I promise you won’t find a better recipe.
These tender melt-in-your-mouth pancakes are slightly sweet, with lots of great flavor thanks to buttermilk, vanilla, and real butter. So this weekend go ahead and skip the boxed mix and make these homemade buttermilk pancakes instead!
What makes these the best buttermilk pancakes?
- They’re tender and fluffy
- With a slightly sweet and buttery flavor, and hints of vanilla
- And they’re nice and thick, and great for stacking with your favorite toppings
This pancake recipe has proved time and time again to be better than any other recipe I’ve tried over the years. It’s the only one we make in our house!
We all enjoy them a little differently— my husband goes traditional with butter and real maple syrup, the kids love theirs with jam, and my favorite combo is whipped cream, syrup, and berries. Whatever you like for toppings, one thing for sure is that you’re going to love these pancakes. Give them a try this weekend and let me know what you think!
Ingredients you’ll need
Let’s make some pancakes, shall we? Here’s everything you’ll need to get started:
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Melted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Maple syrup (or your favorite topping), for serving
What is buttermilk? Can I use something else?
Buttermilk is the flavorful liquid left behind after churning cream into butter. It’s full of natural cultures and has a tangy taste, and it’s a great addition to baked goods.
Buttermilk is key to the flavor and texture of these pancakes, so do not substitute with regular milk and try to find real buttermilk if you can. If needed though, you can make your own “buttermilk”. It’s not quite the same, but it will work in a pinch.
To make your own buttermilk: add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup and add enough milk to make 2 cups. Let sit 5 minutes.
How to make the best pancakes
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- Mix it all together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine with a whisk or spoon only until no streaks of flour remain. Do not over mix the batter! And it’s okay if it’s a little lumpy. This will produce a more tender pancake.
- Cook in butter. Preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium high heat and add a pat of butter, and then add batter in roughly 1/3 cup portions. Cook until the edges are dry and bubbles on the top start to burst, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook for another minute or 2 on the other size.
- Keep warm in the oven or serve immediately. If you aren’t ready to enjoy these pancakes right away, keep them warm in a 200°F oven.
- Top as you like! More butter and maple syrup are a classic choice, but feel free to add your favorite toppings.
More tips for making these fluffy & delicious pancakes
- I’m going to say this again, do not overmix the batter or your pancakes will be flat and not as fluffy. Mix only until just uniform.
- The batter will be very thick, and that’s okay! Thick batter means tall pancakes. Measure your flour correctly so the batter isn’t too thick. You can always add more buttermilk a tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Adding melted butter to cold eggs and buttermilk will cause the butter to harden into little bits (that won’t change the cooked pancakes), and if you want to avoid that have your other wet ingredients at room temperature, or add melted butter separately when you combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- I prefer to use a cast iron skillet or griddle for pancakes, as it creates a great golden exterior. Any griddle or heavy-bottomed skillet with straight sides will work also.
- Adding more butter to the pan with each batch of pancakes you make adds even more flavor. However, if the pan is too hot the butter can burn, so adjust heat as needed.
- To keep pancakes warm and crisp while you work, place them in a single layer on a sheet pan in a 200°F oven.
- Pancakes freeze really well! Place a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper in between each pancake inside a ziplock bag or plastic container. Store for up to 1 month. Reheat in the toaster.
- Another make-ahead option is to try my homemade buttermilk pancake mix. The results are almost as amazing, and it makes pancake mornings even easier.
Other weekend breakfast ideas
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Note: The recipe was originally published September 2014.
The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk (475 ml)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled (56 grams)
- Additional butter or oil, for the pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat and grease with butter or oil. Pour 1/4-1/2 cup of batter (depending on pan size and desired pancake size) into the pan and cook until edges appear dry and bubbles are visible on top, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side 2-3 minutes.
- Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the toaster.
41 Comments on “The Best Buttermilk Pancakes”
These pancakes look fabulous…I’m assuming the batter can be used for waffles too?? Just going from the name…
Sorry Katrina! That’s what I get for late night blog writing. I meant to say The Best Buttermilk PANCAKES. 🙂
Actually my breakfast always consist of biscuits dipped in a cup of tea or toasted bread spread with a little butter. But sometimes it’s nice to break our routine and these pancakes would make for a great change! I’d go for fresh fruit and jam, too as toppings!
xo, Elisa
I’m never without buttermilk in the fridge. I have stopped using milk altogether when I make pancakes and waffles because the flavor of pancakes and waffles made with buttermilk is so delicious. Great recipe! Sending hugs from TX (and a prayer that your little starts sleeping in soon!) 🙂
We eat a redonkulous amount of pancakes in this house..like 3-4 times a week. My two boys will eat them for every meal if I allow! I have been trying new recipes every time searching for the best one! I am so excited to try these with my family this weekend!
Goodluck with the 5am wakeup calls..my kids have been doing that to lately! I feel yah!
I have no problem believing these are the best pancakes ever!! And I’m totally a peanut butter and syrup girl… but traditional suits me just fine, too.
Oooh, I like peanut butter on my pancakes too! With some sliced bananas. Going to have to remember that combo next time I make pancakes, thanks Megan! 🙂
What a coincidence, I just posted over on my blog about the best buttermilk BISCUITS! Great minds think alike! Looks like everyone’s in the mood for some delicious breakfast.
Buttermilk makes everything better, am I right? Love buttermilk biscuits too, off to check out your recipe! 🙂
I am officially craving a giant stack of pancakes!
I agree. The Best. I love buttermilk in almost anything! Have you ever mixed it with orange juice?
Like as a beverage? I have not, but going to give it a try now!
I use orange juice and cinnamon. Everyone loves them.
We freeze pancakes quite often! I’ll have to try this recipe!
I made these pancakes several times. I wait till they cool & freeze them in a bag with a twisty tie then put them in a freezer bag. They are really delicious!!!
I also made the Belgian waffles, Amazing!!
I’ve been wanting a good buttermilk pancake recipe. Can’t wait to try this one!
This is the kind of breakfast my family loves the most!
just tried these and yes! They are the best pancakes ever! Completely delicious!
So happy to hear you liked the pancakes! Thanks for the comment! 🙂
These were FANTASTIC. They compare to the Perkins buttermilk pancakes which are one of the best out there in my opinion. I’m so glad to have tried this!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the pancakes! Thanks for the comment!
I made these this morning and found my new go to recepie! I loved the tip of using my cast iron skillet which I’m trying to use more often. We are all going to go take a nap now, we ate so many! 😉
I had no idea I could freeze pancakes! This will come in handy because I always make extras. Thanks!
Thank you for this recipe, this is the perfect recipe that ive been looking for. Ive tried almost every recipe on the internet to find that one perfect one that is light and fluffy but full of flavor. Your tip to put them in the oven for 200 degrees until ready to eat, made my whole apartment smell like buttermilk pancakes. My friend said these are by far the best pancakes ever, he usually puts peanut butter on his but said theres so much flavor with just syrup. =)
Thank you again, I can now end my search on the web and pass this one down in my families recipe box ..
OH My Gooooodness!
I can’t believe I found a recipe that truly makes my mouth water. I’ve been going out to all these places that make pancakes better than mine, but now I can make them just as good as they can. Thank you for posting this amazing recipe!
Thanks so much! I’m so happy to hear you love these pancakes as much as we do. They’re the best!
Hi! This looks amazing! I wad wondering if i could cook the batter on a hot pan instead of in the oven? I dont have a cast iron skillet. Thank u!
I cook mine on an electric griddle.
Fantastic pancakes I love buttermilk it is great to bake with. I’ve never put vanilla in my pancakes, they taste wonderful. This is my new recipe better than Betty Crocker which was my old go to. Thanks
I just made these and they were a huge hit! My daughter actually ate her third one with nothing on it. My husband, who absolutely loves Perkins pancakes said these are better! My only change was to omit the salt as I didn’t have any unsalted butter. This is now my go to recipe! Thank you ?
These are the BEST….the only ones I make now…..you won’t regret….
These are the absolute BEST pancakes ever….I will never make a different receipe……
Wonderful;, fluffy pancakes, the best i have ever eaten, even in a restaurant! THANK YOU so much for this recipe, it is the ONLY kind i will make from now on!
Hi Barbara! I’m so happy you love these pancakes, we do too! 🙂
These pancakes are great. I have tried many recipes for thick pancakes over the years. This one is the best and a keeper . Kids loved them.
I do not always have buttermilk so I do one cup of greek yoghurt and one cup of milk and that works very well.
I have tried different pancake recipes but this one is by far the best one.. I made them today and they were awesome.
I finally found the perfect pancake recipe thank you very much
Can I keep the batter in the fridge for a couple of days? Want to make it for friends on our weekend away and try to safe time. Looks yummy!
Hmm you might get away with 24 hours or so, though I haven’t tested it. You could always mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and add wet when you’re ready to cook them up. Just an idea! Enjoy the pancakes!
Wow! These are amazing.
I was looking for some breakfast foods to batch cook for the freezer for my son with no industrial oils. These fit the bill!
Best pancakes I have ever tasted!
This is a great recipie. One of my tricks is to let the batter sit for 20-30 minutes between mixing and the griddle. It allows the buttermilk to deepen the flavor. It is hard to wait, but try it.
Great tip, thanks for sharing!