These quintessential fluffy pancakes are made from scratch in minutes and are loved by kids and adults alike. Throw out your boxed mix!
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My kids absolutely love pancakes. Well, I'm not sure what they like more -- the fluffy, warm pancakes, the big slab of butter on top, or the maple syrup that they both demand to pour themselves. This independent pour typically results in a huge puddle of maple syrup around their pancakes, but hey! That's one of the reasons we buy our pure maple syrup from Costco.
This Easy Fluffy Pancake recipe has been tested in our household for years -- and it's been in the breakfast rotation along with blueberry donuts and chocolate chunk banana bread. That's some high praise!
Why Kids and Adults Love These Pancakes
- Easy pancake recipe for kids - This is the perfect recipe for kids to help make. There's nothing overly complicated, and my kids love stirring the batter.
- Uses basic pantry staples -- Nothing fancy you don't already have in your kitchen: flour, eggs, baking powder, salt, butter, milk, eggs.
- So fluffy - These pancakes are incredibly fluffy thanks to a little extra baking powder and not over-mixing the pancake mix.
- Fast, fast, fast -- I can get my first round on pancakes on the table in about 15 minutes, including letting the batter rest for 10 minutes. That's fast!
- Sugar free -- Maple syrup my kids drown their pancakes in is plenty of sugar on its own.
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I don't hate on those who use pancake mix out of a box or the "Just Add Water" kind, but when making pancakes is *this* simple, it really doesn't make any sense to include all of the additives and preservatives. I'll save those additives and preservatives for a better time.
You'll also notice these pancakes are not sweetened. I love making this Quick Blueberry Maple Compote -- it's maple syrup and fruit in one and makes the pancakes plenty sweet. If you feel the need to add sugar, feel free to add 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the batter.
Ingredients You'll Need + Important Notes
The good news is that the batter for these pancakes can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes. It's really just utilizing your basic pantry staples: flour, baking powder, butter, eggs, milk, and salt.
- all-purpose flour - Make sure you measure properly by spooning the flour into a measuring cup.
- baking powder -- Use aluminum-free baking powder. I buy Rumford brand but there are several brands that are aluminum free like Clabber Girl or Bob's Red Mill. This is the rising agent for these pancakes and there's quite a bit to get that nice rise. If you aren't using aluminum free baking powder, your pancakes could taste tinny.
- Kosher salt - Not to be confused with table salt. See note below on the difference!
- unsalted butter - There's plenty of salt in these pancakes, so I prefer unsalted butter.
- milk - We always keep whole milk in the house, but you can use whatever kind of milk you have on hand.
- egg
Table v. Kosher Salt
This recipe calls for Kosher salt. Kosher salt is made of larger, flakier crystals of salt than table salt. Table salt is very fine. If you use table salt, a teaspoon of table salt will taste very salty so make sure you're use Kosher salt.
Tips for Making Fluffy Pancakes
Here are a few additional tips to ensure you've got fluffy pancakes you and your kids will love!
- Properly measure your flour. This could be a tip I include on every page where flour is involved. Don't scoop the flour out using your measuring cup. Pour the flour into a measuring cup or use a spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup. This will guarantee you don't pack the flour in resulting in too much. Too much flour means dense, dry pancakes.
- Let the batter rest. This is really essential because the batter will thicken up a little bit when the flour absorbs the liquid and the baking powder has time to activate. Thick batter equals fluffy pancakes. Watery battery will mean thin, flat pancakes.
- Use a non-stick skillet. Don't mess with a regular skillet because you'll have to use a lot more butter to ensure the pancakes don't stick, and that's really difficult on medium heat. You could also use a griddle if you're fancy.
- Use Kosher Salt and aluminum-free baking powder. We've already covered this, but I can't stress how important it is.
"Just so you know, they came out perfectly fluffy. I've never made pancakes from scratch before and these were super simple. My husband isn't really a pancake fan but he loved them and said they came out great! I am definitely using this as my go-to recipe for pancakes from now on, except I might have to double it from time to time. Thank you!"
--Imsen
How to Store Pancakes
To store: These pancakes can easily be frozen and heated up when the busy week hits. We store our pancakes individually in freezer-safe bags once they're completely cooled to room temperature. Then we take them out as needed and stick them in the microwave for 25-30 seconds until nice and warm. They're delicious from the freezer. You feel like you've had a homemade, sit-down breakfast even on the craziest of mornings (which is every weekday morning around here).To reheat: Place the pancakes in the toaster until heated through or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
How to Make Pancakes Vegan
If you want to make these pancakes vegan, substitute the butter for olive oil or canola oil and the milk for almond milk. Instead of the egg, mash up bananas or use applesauce. Voila! Vegan pancakes.
Other Breakfast Ideas
Check out these delicious breakfast ideas for some more inspiration!
- Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread is so crazy delicious! And what else are you going to do with those brown bananas on your counter?!
- Banana Spinach Smoothie is the perfect way to start the day with something nutritious and so easy to make.
- This Healthy Egg and Vegetable Bake is one of the most popular recipes and I understand why: so easy and so delicious.
- Belgian Waffles are good any weekend of the year. I double the batch and put the rest in the freezer for when we need breakfast STAT.
- Go sweet with Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Glaze or Blueberry Donuts
More Breakfast Recipes
Easy Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder*
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt**
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium size bowl, whisk melted butter, milk, and egg. Gently stir in the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful to not over mix. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat non-stick frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Melt a small pad of butter (about ½ Tbsp). If butter sizzles, it's ready for batter. Add 4 small pancakes (using about ¼ cup of batter each time) onto pan. When bubbles start forming at the top and bottom is browned, flip and cook until browned and cooked through (about 2-3 minutes).
- Continue cooking in smaller batches. Serve immediately with butter and blueberry compote.
Irene says
No sugar added?
Kathryn says
No sugar -- but you can always add 1 Tbsp or so if you'd prefer!
Jeddiah says
I just made this I think they are a 5 out of 10
sabrina Roitman says
Way too much salt Iin this recipe.
I made it for my kids and the taste of salt was so overbearing we couldn't eat it.
Kathryn says
I'm sorry, Sabrina. Salt is one of those things that people are very sensitive, too. We love this recipe. Hopefully you'll try this again with just a bit less salt!
Jan says
Delicious and easy! Added blueberries for a special treat!
Kathryn says
Yumm! Love blueberry pancakes, Jan! Thanks for making these and coming back to leave feedback! ❤️
Diane says
There is no pancake recipe in the world that needs 3 1/2 tsp of baking powder!!!! Tasted notably metallic.
Kathryn says
I'm sorry you had a negative experience. You may want to switch to aluminum-free baking powder (like Rumford or Bob's Red Mill) so you get all the fluffiness without the tinny taste.
Marie says
This was too salty and actually kind of gross with the extremely ridiculous amount of baking powder. Don’t make this!!
Kathryn says
I'm sorry you felt this way. Make sure you're using good quality baking powder that's aluminum-free. I'll add this in the notes.
imsen says
Thank you for the heartfelt story that preempted the recipe, it made me want to try the recipe even more. Just so you know, they came out perfectly fluffy. I’ve never made pancakes from scratch before and these were super simple. My husband isn’t really a pancake fan but he loved them and said they came out great! I am definitely using this as my go-to recipe for pancakes from now on, except I might have to double it from time to time. Thank you!
Danielle says
Delicious!!
Kathryn says
I'm so glad you like them, too, Danielle! These are a family favorite around here!
Dazzle says
Probably the worst recipe I’ve ever tried. Too salty. Medium high burns everything. What a waste of ingredients. This is just my honest opinion. Thanks.
Kathryn says
I'm sorry you feel that way. Thanks for your feedback.
Bama Star says
I've made my own pancakes, box pancakes, other people's pancakes, an scores of online pancakes.
Upto this recipe it has been one disappointing disaster after another.
I'm not a culinary chef rather just someone who needs good pancakes.
Let's get into it!
I didn't have unsalted butter so I skipped the salt an the salt was not present in the end as is tast test.
I'm lactose intolerant so I used Lactaid milk at given measures.
Lactose free milk is always sweeter than regular milk but the sweetness is not present either in the as is tast test.
One thing I hate about pancakes is being dense, not this recipe!
I was concerned about the 3&½ tsp of baking powder being to much, it's not, I used 1/2 cup for scooping into pan an got three 6"x½" round pancakes, the fourth an last was 7½"x½" round!
I buttered the pan before the first pancake then after the second an had no sticking issues.
These pancakes are a perfect fluffy blank slate for any breakfast condiments.
I've purposely waited for the pancakes to go cold because for me cold pancakes are an appetite killer, not these!
I did have a second person as is tast test "dry an missing something", this person only makes an eats box pancakes, yeah it's dry an missing something, pancakes are supposed to be before you put stuff on them, lol!
A fresh an hot pancake will work perfectly for wrapping up sausages with syrup!
I'm serious, these pancakes have so much potential in what can be done with them!
I'm adopting this recipe for my pancakes because it's five star good!
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Thank you to the author of this recipe!
Roll Tide Roll Kathryn!
Kathryn says
Well thanks for such a thorough review! And Go Dawgs! 🙂
Wendy says
I’m kindly asking you to please remove this recipe from the net/blog or update/decrease the salt amount. I made it and it was way too salty. Imagine you made a batch and you have to throw it in the trash because no one can eat it.
Thank you!
Kathryn says
I'm appreciative that you are asking relatively nicely because that has not been the experience always for me with blog comments. 🙂 I make these pancakes all the time for my family and the salt has never been an issue. I'm going to experiment with a different brand of salt to maybe see if people are using finer salt whether that makes the difference.
K says
These were really tasty!! I cooked them with lots of butter in the pan, and they were delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Kathryn says
Thanks so much, K! I'm so glad they were delicious! These are the only pancakes we make around this house!
Maddy says
Definitely fluffy but so bland! Probably a good base if you’re doing a flavored pancake but not good by itself. It’s missing something. Maybe a sweetness. Might add a splash of vanilla next time.
Kathryn says
I'm sorry you didn't love these, Maddy. We don't put anything in them but to each their own!
Fatima says
I truly hope you take this recipe down or at least adjust it. It tastes disgusting
Kathryn says
I'm sorry you had that experience. I use Morton's salt and get zero over-salted tastes from these pancakes. I'm wondering if the type of salt you're using makes a significant difference.
Marg says
Just like so many other comments I am seeing, the amount of baking soda is wild actually. Wish I’d read reviews before making as wow, we have so many metallic tasting pancakes to get through now. 🙁
Kathryn says
Please make sure you're using baking powder and not baking soda. You should also use an aluminum-free baking powder so you get the rise without the metallic taste.
Diana says
Wow - these taste sooooo baking soda-y. Wish I’d read the reviews first and avoided this recipe. Waste of food! 🙁
Kathryn says
You should be using baking powder, not baking soda. Also make sure you're using an aluminum-free baking powder so you can get the rise without a heavy metallic taste.
Hails says
Wayy tooo salty!!!!
I didn’t read the comments till I was making them.
Connor says
Perfect definitely recommend!