The perfect pancake recipe doesn’t exis…. yes it does! This is it. This easy pancake recipe from scratch is simple, quick and whips together with just 1 bowl needed. They are freezer friendly pancakes, too, great for weekly meal prep. My kids love the easy pancake recipe from scratch and your family will too. Flour, butter, milk, cream, baking powder, sugar, vanilla and more make these fluffy, perfect, pancakes.
The easy pancake recipe from scratch isa pioneer woman pancake. I had been searching the internet for years for that perfect pancake recipe. I was inspired by the pioneer woman pancake recipe, and made a few amendments to make it my own. It is perfect.
Simple ingredients for perfect pancakes
All-purpose flour: any kind of flour should work that is all-purpose. I use off-brands from Fareway or Wal-Mart frequently.
White Sugar: this is NEEDED. It gives the pancakes that extra push to make them the perfect buttermilk pancakes.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: don’t skip these or you won’t have a good rise in those pancakes. Learn more about why baking powder and soda is needed in pancakes, and other baked goods, in this article.
Milk and half and half – I used whole milk, however 2% would work just as well. I also used half and half. One could substitute for heavy cream, too. (I have also made this recipe with just entirely milk and they turned out just fine).
A funny fact: when I was making this recipe, I thought since I have butter and milk in the recipe-that they were buttermilk pancakes. That is NOT true. Learn about buttermilk in this article from country living.
Egg, vanilla, salt: all pretty self-explanatory.
Salted Butter – this should be melted.
Toppings or add-ins: maple syrup, chocolate chips, blueberries, peanut butter.
How to make fluffy, easy pancakes from scratch
This is going to be about the easiest ‘how to make pancakes’ instructions, ever. I like to keep things pretty simple.
Easy Pancake Recipe from Scratch:
- Heat your skillet on medium heat. Get a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients in this bowl and whisk it together to combine it well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl- adding the melted butter last.
- Not required, but I do sometimes crack the egg in a separate bowl to make sure I can grab any eggshells that may fall in. I also would whisk the egg prior to adding with dry ingredients. It is not necessary, though.
- Using a rubber spatula, begin stirring the batter together for a minute or two until it is well combined. The batter may be a bit lumpy- don’t be alarmed that is OK.
- If your batter sits awhile, it will become thick. You can add another 1/8-1/3 cup of milk or water to the batter if needed to help thin out. Start by adding just a couple of tablespoons and work up if needed.
- Next, grease your skillet or griddle. Spray with cooking spray, butter or tallow. Use a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup measuring utensil to drop pancakes on the griddle. (I use 1/4 cup). Let cook until bubbles begin to form on the surface of the pancakes. Flip and cook for another 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on the other side.
- Serve with butter, maple syrup or peanut butter.
Tips on making the best, fluffiest, pancakes possible
- don’t overmix the batter. According to one of my favorite bloggers, the Pioneer Woman, this can make the pancakes chewy and tough. We want fluffy pancakes!
- If you have the time, let the batter sit for 30-45 minutes. Pioneer Woman also says this helps achieve light, fluffy pancakes. I usually do NOT have time for this step- and still love the pancakes. Here are more reasons why you are supposed to let the pancake batter rest.
How to freeze fluffy pancakes from scratch
These pioneer woman pancakes make an excellent freezer prep idea. Here is how these can be frozen:
Follow the instructions noted above and in the recipe. Spread the pancakes out evenly and let them cool at room temperature. Once they are cool (about 30-45 minutes), spread them on a sheet pan and flash freeze them for about an hour. They should be hard to touch after an hour. Now, add the pancakes to a gallon freezer bag.
You could also freeze these immediately in a freezer bag WITHOUT flash freezing, but I would consider putting parchment paper in between each pancake to avoid sticking together. The flash freezing avoids the sticking together.
How to store and reheat homemade pancakes
From Frozen: take your pancakes directly from the freezer and warm in microwave topped with butter. Normally about 30-40 seconds in microwave is plenty.
Storing leftovers (not freezing): these pancakes will last at least 3 days in the fridge. Just let them cool after cooking, and store in an airtight container. Reheat in microwave for 30 seconds, approximately.
Tips for customizing easy pancakes from scratch
Toppings can make these pancakes even more delicious. Here are a few ideas:
- add chocolate chips. Either add 1/2 cup of chips to the batter directly at the end OR sprinkle them in when on the griddle.
- blueberries: I would sprinkle the blueberries on as you make the pancakes on the griddle. If adding directly to batter, they may turn the batter blue due to being crushed.
- sprinkles: sprinkle some on the pancakes for a fun twist!
- Food coloring: add some COLOR! Make these Christmas pancakes by adding red or green food coloring plus sprinkles. So fun!
- Spices: add a bit of cinnamon for a more fall-flavored pancake.
What to pair with pancakes
- fruit salad
- scrambled eggs
- bacon
- maple syrup. I like real maple syrup, but my husband doesn’t like the taste of the real syrup; so we also have the fake syrup in our fridge for him!
- make it ‘breakfast for supper’ and make pancakes with eggs plus chocolate shakes for dessert- my favorite memory as a kid!
More Recipes like easy pancakes from scratch:
- Our homemade oat milk latte recipe made with instant espresso is a hit and would pair well with a homemade breakfast.
- Want a healthier pancake recipe? Try our protein pancake recipe.
- Homemade donut holes are another great breakfast option.
- Last but not least, easy maple cinnamon rolls.
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I hope you enjoy these simple easy pancakes from scratch!- Bobbi Jo
Easy Homemade Pancake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- measuring utensils and common kitchen gadgets
- skillet or griddle
- spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup half and half could also use regular milk in place of
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- maple syrup, toppings, etc.
- additional milk or water to thin out batter if needed
Instructions
- Turn skillet or griddle on medium heat. In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients to the bowl. Whisk together well.
- Next, crack an egg in a small bowl and whisk together (making sure no eggshells in the bowl). Then, begin adding all wet ingredients in the dry ingredient bowl. Slowly adding melted butter at the end. Mix the batter together with a spatula until combined well- it is OK if there are clumps in the batter.
- If you have time, let the batter sit, covered with plastic wrap, for 30-45 minutes. This helps make it fluffier. HOWEVER, I very often do NOT let is sit and they still turn out great. If the batter sits for a while, it will likely get thicker, and you may need to add a few tbsp of milk or water to the mix and help thin out.
- Now, grease your griddle or skillet with butter, cooking oil or tallow. Then, us a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup to pour the pancakes. I use 1/4 cup and got approximately 12 pancakes.
- Let the pancakes cook until they bubbles begin to form, then flip. Let cook an additional 1 minute to 1-1/2 minutes or until the other side is beginning to be golden. Enjoy!
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