Easy Fluffy Pancakes

Without a doubt, these are our family’s favorite homemade pancakes. It’s the easiest, fluffiest pancake recipe we’ve shared.

We’ve been perfecting this incredibly simple, from-scratch recipe for years, so it’s guaranteed to deliver light, super fluffy pancakes every time. Best of all, these easy pancakes call for a short list of pantry staples we bet you already have on hand—meaning you can officially say goodbye to the boxed mix.

The second the batter hits the skillet, it rises tall and fluffy. Our easy pancake recipe calls for regular milk, but if you have buttermilk on hand, definitely try our buttermilk pancakes instead. We love this recipe so much that it has basically become the blueprint for all of our favorite pancake recipes.

Key Ingredients

• Flour: We use all-purpose flour, but whole-wheat flour, spelt flour, or your favorite gluten-free flour blend works in this recipe! We have used this base for our whole wheat pancakes and buckwheat pancakes.
• Sugar: A bit of granulated sugar keeps things classic and helps the pancakes brown, but brown sugar, cane sugar, or coconut sugar are easy swaps.
• Baking Powder: The secret to that tall, fluffy texture. Make sure yours is fresh (it usually loses its potency after about 3 months), and opt for aluminum-free if you want to avoid a metallic aftertaste (we keep Bob’s Red Mill in our kitchen).
• Milk: Regular milk or your favorite non-dairy milk both work perfectly. We’ve tested this recipe with almond, soy, and even homemade oat milk with great results.
• Egg: This adds structure and richness to the batter. To make these egg-free, swap in a flax egg or check out our vegan pancakes.
• Butter and Ghee (optional): You can’t beat the taste of butter in this batter. Unsalted or salted both work (just skip the extra salt in the recipe if your butter is salted). We love higher-fat European-style butter (like Kerrygold) for this pancake recipe as it adds a bit more flavor. When it comes to cooking, we highly recommend using ghee (clarified butter). We explain more below, but it gives you perfectly crispy, golden edges. Butter works, too, but you might find that it browns a bit too much as you cook the pancakes.
• Vanilla: A generous amount of vanilla extract adds a nostalgic flavor and balances out the baking powder. Consider it non-negotiable.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make the Fluffiest Pancakes

Tip 1: Whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately. You’ll need two bowls to make the batter for this recipe. In the first, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) until the baking powder is evenly distributed. In the second bowl (or measuring jug), whisk the wet ingredients (melted butter, egg, vanilla, and milk).

We use the same method for many of our baking recipes on Inspired Taste, like blueberry muffins and banana bread.

Tip 2: For the fluffiest pancakes, don’t overmix the batter. We use a light touch when mixing this pancake batter and have noticed that the more we fuss with the batter, the thinner the pancakes turn out. The moment the baking powder in this recipe hits the wet ingredients, it starts reacting, so the more mixing you do, the more you pop any early bubbles from the baking powder reacting in the wet batter.

We use a whisk and stop just as the flour disappears into the batter. Some small lumps are fine (they are actually my indicator for when to stop mixing). Keep the mixing to a minimum, and you will be rewarded with light and fluffy pancake middles (like in our photo below).

Tip 3: Don’t worry if the butter turns into little lumps. If you don’t typically have the foresight to take the chill off your milk (like us!), the melted butter will clump a little when you whisk it in. This is totally fine! Those tiny pockets of butter will melt in the pan and help the pancakes puff up as they cook (similar to how cold butter helps biscuits rise).

Tip 4: Use ghee to cook the pancakes. We used to add a pat of butter to the pan before pouring the batter (see us do this in our video and in the first photo below). Lately, we’ve converted to cooking pancakes in ghee (clarified butter)! It’s a total game changer. My only complaint when cooking pancakes in butter was that the perfect temperature for getting that puff in the middle of the pancakes is also pretty close to the temperature that butter over-browns.

⭐️ If you have ghee on hand, use it to cook your pancakes. It has a higher smoke point, so you get to keep all the buttery flavor without worrying about the butter browning too much in the pan. If you don’t have any, use butter, but as you cook in batches, keep in mind that the residual butter might start to brown. Simply wipe out your skillet with a paper towel and add a fresh pat of butter.

Tip 5: When to flip your pancakes. Wait until the edges look dry and bubbles appear and pop on the top surface. Cooking usually takes 1 to 2 minutes on each side over medium heat, but trust your gut and adjust as you go. If they are browning too quickly, lower the heat to medium-low. If they are taking too long or turning out flabby, raise the heat to medium-high.

Tip 6: Keeping them warm. If you are making a large batch, place the cooked pancakes on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet, then transfer them to a 200°F oven. We also use this trick in our waffle recipe and even French toast to keep them perfectly warm and crispy until serving time.

What to Serve with Pancakes

Our family loves these pancakes with fresh fruit (blueberries are a personal favorite), maple syrup, and extra butter (salted, always).

If you are feeling fancy, top them with whipped cream or our vegan coconut whipped cream, toasted nuts, apple butter, maple pumpkin butter (hello, fall!), warm cinnamon apples (Joanne’s favorite), or a handful of chocolate chips (our son’s favorite).

To round out your breakfast, try our favorite crispy baked bacon, homemade breakfast sausage with maple syrup and sage, creamy scrambled eggs, or foolproof poached eggs. If you are looking for something fresh on the side, we highly recommend our strawberry fruit salad or our favorite berry fruit salad with fresh mint. Oh, and if you’re celebrating, a batch of mimosas is always a hit!

Variations

This is our basic pancake recipe. We often use it as is, but have also used it as a base for other recipes. Add what you love. Here are a few suggestions:

• Sprinkle a handful of berries, nuts, or chocolate chips into the batter. We love adding blueberries! You can also see our blueberry pancake recipe.
• Layer a few thin slices of banana or strawberry onto the wet batter once added to the skillet. Then, flip. The slices caramelize right in the pancake. (We added a banana to these banana pancakes)
• Add lemon zest or spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice. We love these cinnamon pancakes, or if you are in the mood for fall-inspired flavors, try our pumpkin pancakes.
• Try replacing some of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour. Here are our fluffy whole wheat pancakes.
• Since we like freezing these and serving them as a quick school-morning breakfast, we love adding a tablespoon of flaxseed or swapping a little of the flour for oats (the batter might thicken a little more than usual, so add a splash more milk if needed).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I freeze and reheat leftover pancakes? These freeze so well, making them perfect for meal prep. We do this all the time ourselves! Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for 30 minutes (this stops them from sticking together). Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Then, to reheat, pop them straight into the toaster or microwave from frozen.

Why do my pancakes sometimes have a metallic aftertaste? That bitter or tinny flavor usually comes from the baking powder. Because this fluffy pancake recipe relies on a generous amount of baking powder, any aluminum in the powder can sometimes leave a metallic taste behind. Here’s how to avoid it:

• Always check your labels and opt for an aluminum-free baking powder (we love Bob’s Red Mill).
• Level the tablespoon, don’t add a rounded tablespoon, as this adds too much baking powder to the recipe.
• Don’t reduce the sugar or butter in the recipe. They help balance any flavor from the baking powder.
• You might just be more sensitive, so reduce to 2 1/2 teaspoons or try our buttermilk pancakes instead.