Buttermilk Pancakes are deliciously buttery and fluffy with golden, crisp edges and an irresistible buttermilk flavour.
With some tips and tricks to help you get a steaming stack of incredible tasting pancakes, you can now quench your pancake craving whenever it hits with Buttermilk Pancakes. Light, soft and fluffy with the perfect balance of sweet, salty and tang; you may not even want them smothered in syrup! Wait….
BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
After publishing our family pancake recipe, many readers have asked time and time again: Can I add buttermilk to these? Will they still turn out thick and fluffy? With some slight adjustments, I’m sharing with you all how to make the most perfect buttermilk pancakes!
There’s no need to rely on pancake mix when whipping up a special weekend breakfast. And there’s no need to go anywhere when you can have pancakes on the table in no time at all. Once you master these, you’ll be making buttermilk pancakes all the time!
CAN YOU USE BUTTERMILK INSTEAD OF MILK FOR PANCAKES?
Not only does buttermilk provide a tangy flavour in pancakes, it helps activate the baking soda and/or baking powder in the batter, making it light and fluffy even before it hits the heat of your pan!
The acid in buttermilk that helps break down gluten, developing soft, moist and tender Buttermilk Pancakes.
PERECT BUTTERMILK PANCAKE BATTER
It all starts with your batter: Too thick and they will be gluggy and undercooked on the inside. Too runny, and your buttermilk pancakes will spread out and won’t fluff up. I like to test the batter with my spoon or ladle, lifting it gently above the rim of the bowl. It has to be thick BUT able to run slowly and nicely off of the spoon.
The less the you mix the batter, the thicker and fluffier they will be. A couple of lumps is okay! They will usually dissolve when you give your batter some time to rest.
See below? No lumps!
DOES PANCAKE BATTER NEET TO REST?
For the perfect fluffy stack…yes. Do you ever find the when you start frying up pancakes straight after mixing the batter, the first couple of pancakes come out thin or flat. But as you make more, they start to fatten up? That happens because you’re allowing the batter to rest while cooking up your first lot pancakes without even realising. Insert wink.
Letting the batter rest for about 10 minutes while you heat up your griddle or skillet allows the butter to set and the ingredients to marry into each other. The butter creates steam when they hit the heat which evaporates and creates air (which you’ll notice as bubbles) = perfect buttermilk pancakes.
HOW DO YOU MAKE FLUFFY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES?
- Preheat your good quality, non stick pan or griddle on medium heat first. Once it’s hot, lower the heat down to low-medium heat. Wait about two minutes. This part is crucial and worth it. Lightly grease the pan with a small amount of butter (yes, even on non stick pans), and wipe away any excess butter with a sheet of paper towel.
- Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour your batter so you get perfect, evenly sized pancakes. Start pouring from the middle, then continue pouring slowly in a circular motion so that the batter spreads into perfect round shapes.
- Allow your buttermilk pancakes to cook properly! Don’t rush them on high heat, or flip them too early. Let that under-side cook to a beautiful golden brown colour, and when bubbles start forming on top and around the surface (batter side), they are ready to flip.
- How to get that flip perfected without creating lopsided pancakes? Grab a good, plastic spatula and slide it underneath the pancake. Use your WRIST to gently flip them instead of using your whole arm. You’ll know what I mean when you’re in front of your pan ready to flip. THIS makes a HUGE difference.
WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF BUTTERMILK?
If you don’t like buttermilk, you can always use regular milk, like we did in this recipe here.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTERMILK
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. All you need for 2 cups of buttermilk is 2 cups regular milk mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit out at room temperature for about ten minutes, usually while you’re getting all of your ingredients together.
This homemade mixture may not get as creamy as store bought buttermilk, but it will do what it’s meant to do in the batter.
Buttermilk pancakes hitting your kitchen soon…I HOPE!
LOOKING FOR MORE PANCAKE RECIPES? TRY THESE!
Easy 3-Ingredient Pancakes
Zebra Marble Pancakes
Jam (Jelly) Donut Pancakes
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Pancakes
Cappuccino Pancakes
Orange Poppy Seed Pancakes
Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose (or plain flour)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (plus up to 1/4 cup extra if needed)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Combine together the flour, sugar (or sweetener), baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large-sized bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk, slightly cooled melted butter, vanilla and egg.
- Use a wire whisk to whisk the wet ingredients together first before slowly folding them into the dry ingredients. Mix together until smooth (there may be a couple of lumps but that's okay).(The batter will be thick and creamy in consistency. If you find the batter too thick -- doesn't pour off the ladle or out of the measuring cup smoothly -- fold a couple tablespoons of extra milk into the batter at a time until reaching desired consistency).
- Set the batter aside for a good 10 minutes to let rest and settle the ingredients into each other while heating up your pan or griddle.
- Heat a nonstick pan or griddle over low-medium heat and wipe over with a little butter to lightly grease pan. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the pan and spread out gently into a round shape with the back of your ladle or measuring cup.
- When the underside is golden and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip with a spatula and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve with honey, maple syrup, fruit, ice cream or frozen yoghurt, or enjoy plain!
RHONDA says
I am the ultimate pancake fan. I have been searching for a really good pancake recipe for some time now. This recipe is a winner! It’s easy to make and the result is super fluffy and unbelievablely delish pancakes!
Greg says
I just made these for the first time and they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Steve says
Can theses be made with self raising flour ??
Karina says
Hi Steve, yes the can. Just omit the baking soda.
M.O.M. (Mother of Men) says
I have 8 children & a husband. I made these buttermilk pancakes & EVERY single one of us didn’t even put butter OR syrup on our pancakes!! THAT’s how delicious they were just all by themselves!!
The next morning I was “asked” to make them again …
Donna says
Made these today. They were delicious. Highly recommend this recipe.
Maggie says
Perfect recipe! Very tasty!
Diane F. says
By far the best buttermilk pancake recipe I’ve ever tried. Thick, fluffy pancakes that melt in your mouth. My search for the perfect recipe is over, thank you!!
Joyce Menezes says
Best recipe. Everyone loved the pancakes … they were delicious. Thanks for the recipe
Deanne Dixon says
I have to say that these were absolutely delicious, and fluffy— the best pancakes I have ever made, and that’s saying something! I did manufacture my buttermilk by adding two tablespoons of white vinegar to regular milk. I also added an extra egg, since my eggs were on the small side. This will be my go-to pancake recipe from now on!
Karina says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed the pancakes.
Jen says
Best buttermilk pancake i double the recipe and my boys devoured it thank you now i am going to try the slow cook ribs .
Michelle B says
The pancakes worked out GREAT this morning, except I cannot find a good pan to do the pancakes, so I end up with misshapen, not round ones! I will continue my search for that perfect pan!
I made my own buttermilk and ended up adding a little more flour as the mix was too runny, but they were delicious!
Leslie C says
Yummm!! I can’t wait to try these.
…We spent our Christmas at home surrounded by family and those we are grateful for. We went a little away from the norm this year, making homemade beans, and my husband smoked a South-Texas style brisket.
TOBIAS says
I wish I could make thin pancakes thats fluffy, not the typical ones i get to buy in the grocery.
I had it once in a family restaurant here in the UK – St Peters day?
But being that I avoid gluten, its hard to make my own perfect pancake…..and the ones I buy from the free from shelves are like sawdust…very crumbly and dry
do you have some ideas for fluffy pancakes?
Josephine B says
Hi Karina, I’ve love your site and have made many of your recipes. I’ve also been able to share on through Pinterest, but this time it’s not letting me post onto Pinterest.
We have pancakes quite often for breakfast especially while away in our caravan, now I can try these out as being “Buttermilk” pancakes they sure would be “soft and fluffy”. Going to give them a go for our Christmas morning breakfast as there’s only the two of us now in our home. We love serving them with a sprinkling of sugar then a drizzle of fresh lemon juice or blackberry jam and a “dollop” of really thick cream.
Can hardly wait for Christmas morning now.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and a Prosperous New Year from an Aussie fan.
Bruce Wright says
The Start of Me becoming “Uncle Buck” The Panckake King … started, When I was a Kid ~ 9 or 10 yr. old, & I spent the night @ my Ukranian Grandmother’s, & when she asked, I said I wanted pancakes for breakfast … She never bought Pancake mix, so she showed me how to make them from scratch, & She LOVED Buttermilk, & always seemed to have a quart in the fridge AND I thought the Pancakes were going to taste terrible … & she told me the “Secret” to fluffy, was NOT to mix the batter too much , leaving numerous SMALL LUMPS in the batter ON PURPOSE … WHAT?????? … & then put it aside for 5 to 10 min., while getting the pan hot. She told me that the LUMPS was the Baking Powder & Baking Soda. so, the 10Min. resting time, gave the 2 ingred. time to do their majic … resulting in SUPER FLUFFY Pancakes…