Buttermilk Pancakes are a family favorite here at the Merkleys. They’re soft, fluffy and made with simple pantry ingredients. They cook up golden on the griddle and are perfect for breakfast, brunch, sleepovers or weekend mornings.
We love this recipe because it’s simple but also because the buttermilk helps make the pancakes tender and flavorful, while a few lumps in the batter keep them light and fluffy. We love to add butter, syrup, fruit, whipped cream, and any other favorite toppings.
This is the kind of classic breakfast recipe that stays in the rotation because everyone can customize their stack. If you love these pancakes, also try German Pancakes, Blueberry Pancakes, Banana Pancakes, and Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Fluffy Stack: These pancakes cook up soft and fluffy with lightly golden edges that make every bite so good.
- Simple Ingredients: Pantry staples and a few refrigerated ingredients are all you need for a homemade breakfast.
- Freeze for Later: Whether it’s leftovers or to make ahead of time, these pancakes are perfect for freezing.
- Buttermilk Base: Buttermilk adds tangy flavor and helps create tender, fluffy pancakes.
Buttermilk Pancake Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour (3 cups): Creates the structure for the pancakes and gives them enough body to hold all your favorite toppings.
- Sugar (3 tablespoons): Adds a little sweetness and helps the pancakes brown beautifully on the griddle.
- Baking Powder (3 teaspoons): Helps the pancakes rise and contributes to their fluffy texture.
- Baking Soda (1 1/2 teaspoons): Works with the acidity in the buttermilk to help the pancakes rise while adding a little extra browning.
- Salt (3/4 teaspoon): Enhances all the flavors and keeps the pancakes from tasting flat.
- Buttermilk (3 cups): Adds classic tangy flavor while helping create soft and tender pancakes. If you do not have buttermilk, you can make a simple substitute with milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Milk (1/2 cup): Adds extra moisture and helps create a pourable pancake batter.
- Eggs (3): Binds the ingredients together while adding richness and structure to the pancakes.
- Butter (1/3 cup, melted): Adds buttery flavor and helps keep the pancakes tender. Let the melted butter cool slightly before adding it to the wet ingredients.
- Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon): Adds warm, sweet flavor that makes these pancakes taste extra homemade.
How to Make Buttermilk Pancakes
BATTER. Mix buttermilk, eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Also mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon (or whisk) until blended – but do not over-mix.
GRIDDLE. Lightly oil a griddle or frying pan and heat to medium-high (about 375°F). Pour about ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the griddle for each pancake.
COOK. Cook until bubbles appear and the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more until browned on the second side.
TOPPINGS. Top with buttermilk syrup and whipped cream and your favorite berries.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- A few small lumps in the batter are completely fine and actually help keep the pancakes light and tender.
- Give your griddle enough time to reach about 375°F so the pancakes cook evenly and develop golden edges.
- Measure about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake so the pancakes are similar in size and cook at the same rate.
- Flip when bubbles appear and the underside is lightly browned for the best results..
- Add some of your favorite ingredients or fruits like bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips, or more to change the flavor.
Buttermilk Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup milk
- 3 eggs
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, beat buttermilk, milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla together.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Don’t overmix! There will probably be flour lumps, which is okay.
- Lightly oil a griddle or frying pan and heat to medium-high (about 375°F). Pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake.
- Cook until bubbles appear and the underside is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more until browned on the second side. Add favorite toppings and serve warm.
Notes
- A few small lumps in the batter are completely fine and actually help keep the pancakes light and tender.
- Give your griddle enough time to reach about 375°F so the pancakes cook evenly and develop golden edges.
- Measure about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake so the pancakes are similar in size and cook at the same rate.
- Flip when bubbles appear and the underside is lightly browned for the best results..
- Add some of your favorite ingredients or fruits like bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips, or more to change the flavor.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
Store the batter in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, or store in an airtight container. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
Place in a freezer bag once they cool to room temperature.
Make sure you separate each pancake with wax paper so they don’t stick together when they freeze. They keep well for 1-2 months. For even more info check out our article on How to Freeze Pancakes.
More Like This
Pancake Recipes
Toppings
Buttermilk Syrup
10 mins
Cinnamon Buttermilk Syrup
10 mins
How To Make Maple Syrup
18 mins
Homemade Strawberry Sauce
25 mins
Collections
This recipe was first published December, 2017.
Kristhyn, you have a winner with this buttermilk pancake recipe. I have made a lot of different recipes of buttermilk pancakes but this one is my top 5 recipes.
I followed the recipe and using top ingredients good buttermilk from (SPROUTS) and the results was awesome buttermilk pancakes 🥞.
I’m so happy that the recipe was a success!
Do you have a recipe for pumpkin pancakes ?
I do have a recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes!
Love this pancake recipe, easy and turn out perfect everytime. Make on Sundays, reheat perfect for next day too.
This recipe is very good. I couldn’t finish making on Sunday so I stored batter overnight with tight covered seal.
The consistency of the batter changed a little wad thin so I don’t know what went wrong. I added little bit of flour. It did help. Every time I’ve served them my kids tell me how great they are. If you could let me know your thoughts would be appreciated.
Pancakes turn out light and fluffy every single time. This recipe is foolproof.
Love this recipe they are so good
Love this recipe
Made these this morning they do good. Thank so much for sharing u recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed!
I am now a widow living by myself, could you please send me recipe for one or two servings. Or can I make this large amount and freeze the pancakes individually?
Yes, the pancakes freeze really well! If you want to make smaller servings, you can adjust the serving size on the recipe card to 1 or 2 and it’ll calculate the amounts for you.
I made these last week and though they didn’t turn out as fluffy as i had thought I really loved the flavor that the buttermilk added. I froze the leftovers and my kids enjoyed them through the week. I will be making them again and see if I can get them fluffier.
These buttermilk pancakes are so good and easy. You don’t need store bought version.
I make these a couple times a month!! My whole family loves them!! They are light & fluffy & taste heavenly!
Made these for National Pancake Day and they were delicious! 100x better than any box mix. We will definitely be making them again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for trying the recipe! 🙂
Excellent recipe! Fluffy, tender and very flavorsome. I only made 1/3 of the recipe and it made 8 four inch pancakes. I don’t drink milk so I substituted more buttermilk, I also added a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Can I add pumpkin purée to this recipe ? Of course with the pumpkin spices… Thanks
Yes, in fact we have a pumpkin pancake recipe on our website too. We love these ones! https://lilluna.com/pumpkin-pancakes
Delicious! I made this recipe for two of us. Of course I had 3/4 of it left over. Rather than cook all of the remaining batter then freeze the pancakes, can the batter be frozen instead? And if so, how long can it be frozen? I love your recipes.Thank you.
Awe, thank you! You can store batter in the freezer for up to a month. When you’re ready to do some pancake making, just thaw in warm water or overnight in the refrigerator. Hope this helps!
Turned out so good! Loved it!
Glad to hear that! Thank you for letting me know!
This is our favorite pancake recipe, always delicious & my family never complains about breakfast for dinner when these are on the menu!!
These really are the most delicious pancakes and they are easy
to make! Thank you!
You are so welcome! Thank you for trying them!
I made these for breakfast this morning and they were the most delicious (and fLUffiest) pancakes ever!!
Thank you so much for sharing!
You are so welcome! I am happy you think so 🙂 Thank you!
These have become a family favorite, my adult children will co e over for breakfast if they know im making them. How long is this batter good for?
I would only keep it in the fridge for up to two days, covered in a bowl. You can freeze the pancakes, once cooked, too!
I’ve made this and it’s the BEST pancake recipe and I’ve tried a lot! But i have no buttermilk right now, can i still Use it with regular milk? Cause i love the fluffiness!
Yes, you sure could 🙂 Glad you like this recipe!
all I can say is wow, these pancakes were amazing! Funny thing is, I tweaked the recipe out of necessity and because the base recipe is so good, they still came out delicious! Here’s what I did. I had no buttermilk on hand and had no desire or enough time to go to the store. *gasp* so, I put with the 3 cups of milk approximately 2 TBL of white vinegar, 1 TBL of Fresh Squeezed lemon juice and…maybe half a cup of whey (the clear yellow liquid) I poured off some organic whole milk PLain yogurt I had along with a heaping TBL of the Yogurt Itself. Stirred it up and let it sit while I got the dry ingredients together. Then I ran out of my regular AP UNbleached flour about 2 cups in. Omigoodness, now what? I thought about not adding all the liquid to the dry, but remembered I had whole wheat flour. I nixed the extra plain 1/2 cup of milk and added about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of whole wheat flour with the other dry ingredients, mixed everything well and let it set again. once 20-30 minutes passed I pulled the batter out for showtime. when I say I found the perfect recipe, I’m not exaggerating. My HUsband, who is picky in general but very picky about his pancakes, said the pancakes I made for dinner were really good, I knew I had to leave a review. I never leave reviews, I read them. They were that good! Thank you, Kristyn for what your doing sharing recipes with us! also, your biscuit breakfast casserole got rave reviews from my family, too! God bless and take care! 🙂
Thank you so much for leaving a review! I appreciate it! I am so glad you improvised & that they were a hit! Thank you so much!
Best homemade pancakes evEr! Do not be worried about the lumpiness of thr batter. They will tuen ouT super delish. And i loved that the edges were rustic and not perfectly ciRcular like bOx mix. You gotta try these. A happy Way to satrt the weekend.
Awe, thank you so much for sharing that!! I am so glad you think that!
Fantastic….so light and fluffy. These are a keeper!!
So glad you think so 🙂 Thank you!!
Aunt Jemima will no longer be visiting my home. Just as easy to make, but 10 times better! We devoured breakfast today, it must have been a sight to see. Thank you for this recipe, it is absolutely perfect!
LOL!! Makes me happy to hear! Thank you!
These remind me of the pancakes i had growing up!
So light, fluffy, & delicious!
Buttermilk pancakes are my favorite! This is a great recipe! A must make!
Can you use the buttermilk pancake recipe to make waffles ,too? Is there a way?
I would think so 🙂 I would keep the same, though you may need a little more flour to make it thicker & can always add more milk, if needed.
Another option for leftover batter is to make pancake cupcakes with fruit added in and baked in a muffin tin. Maple Buttercream is a good addition or just reheat and dip in maple syrup!
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing that!
Thanks for sharing these basic simPle re cipes with us. ?
You are so welcome!!
Can’t wait to try these yummy things! Heard great things about them!
I’d love to know what you think!! They are our favorite!!
This is a great recipe. What I have discovered from other recipes for pancakes is after you mix everything together is let the batter sit for 30 minutes. This lets the soda and baking powder along with the buttermilk do its thing and makes the pancakes rise more. Try it!
I definitely will! Thank you for sharing!
Hi, I tried to make bread for the first time,it raised up fine, I punched it and it didn’t raise the second time????. Any suggestions.
Hmm..I’m not sure. Was it a recipe on my blog?
I tried your meatballs. I decided that I needed more sauce than called for in your recipe. The sauce was great – just needed enough to cover.
Glad you liked it!! Can never have enough sauce 🙂 Thank you!
I will have this pancakes for tomorrow breakfast. Looking at these photos makes me drool~ Thank you for sharing the recipe!
LOL!! They are so good! I hope you like them!
How many pancakes does the recipe for buttermilk pancakes make. It’s only two of us eating and from the ingredients it must make them for a army?
I’m not sure how many it makes, it just depends on how big you make them, but it can make quite a few. You can always half the recipe for just the two of you 🙂
I absolutely love pancakes and these look incredible!
They are!! Thank you & hope you’ll give them a try!
These were the best pancakes ive ever made ! And trust me I’ve made a lot of different kinds..it was a little tricky just making half a recipie but do able, I should have made the whole batch because my husband ate the entire plate it made …
Thank you so much for this awesome keeper! We paired it with your buttermilk sryup better than most resturant pancakes
Omg these look and sounds so so yummy. I think they are perfect for my up and coming Sunday brunch.
They are so good! Glad you are giving them a try! Hope everyone loves them, like we do!