Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

Why This is the Best Recipe

When I make brunch foods for my family, we tend to mix and match our main items between waffles, French toast, and pancakes.

I think this is the best buttermilk pancakes recipe because:

1. Make Your Own Pancake Mix: You can mix together the dry ingredients to have a ready-to-grab DIY pancake mix in your pantry. Just store the whisked dry ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to six months.
2. Tangy Buttermilk & An Easy Substitute: Buttermilk makes pancake batter extra thick and fluffy. It also adds a lot of flavor to the cooked pancake itself. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, just use my easy substitute.
3. Golden Brown Buttery Edges: Griddle the pancakes in melted butter and then be amazed at the gorgeous golden brown pancakes and the super delicious crispy edges that they get!

Ingredients

Homemade buttermilk pancakes only need a few easy ingredients:

• Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can use an easy buttermilk substitute using milk. See my note below.
• Flour
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Vanilla
• Butter

Best Buttermilk Substitute

If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make this quick buttermilk substitute:

Measure 1 cup of milk. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir them together and let sit for 5 minutes.

For these pancakes, just double the substitute and use 2 cups milk with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice or vinegar.

DIY Pancake Mix

First, mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them together.

This homemade pancake mix can be stored in an airtight container in your pantry for up to 6 months if you want to have a buttermilk pancake mix ready to grab for an easy breakfast.

When you're ready to make the buttermilk pancakes, measure the buttermilk into a large measuring cup.

Add the vanilla and eggs and whisk them together till smooth.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir everything together.

For the lightest, fluffiest pancakes, you don't want to overstir the batter.

It's ok if you still have some lumps, just be sure there aren't any large pockets of dry flour hiding in the batter.

I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup to portion out the pancake batter and dropped 6 pancakes onto the griddle top.

You don't want to crowd the pan because you need room to flip the pancakes over.

When to Flip the Pancakes

Let the pancakes cook on the first side until you see bubbles rising up through the center of the batter.

I tried to capture a picture of them, but the bubbles kept popping! If you peek at the center of the pancake, you can see that the trace of bubbles is there:

Use a spatula to firmly get under the pancake and quickly flip it over onto the other side.

Cook the second side until golden brown, about 2 - 4 minutes.

How to Serve Pancakes Family Style

I like to tell my family that I'm not a short-order cook. When we make waffles, pancakes, or French toast I always serve them family style at the table.

Preheat your oven to 200°F. Place a large baking sheet inside the oven.

As you cook the pancakes, transfer them to the oven to keep warm while you finish the rest of the batter off on the griddle.

Make Ahead Tips

One of the biggest treats for the kids on a busy school morning is homemade pancakes.

I love that these homemade pancakes freeze so well.

If you want to make them ahead, you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight bag for up to 5 days.

Or you can freeze them in a storage bag for up to 6 months.

It's a good idea to separate the pancakes with layers of parchment paper so they don't stick together.

To thaw frozen pancakes, let them sit in the fridge overnight or defrost them in the microwave on 50% power for 1 - 2 minutes.

To warm them up before serving, we like to pop them right in our toaster! This works great for just 1 - 2 pancakes and gives them a delicious crispy edge.

You could also heat them up in the microwave or on a large baking sheet in the oven if you're feeding a crowd.

Variations

These easy buttermilk pancakes are only the beginning. Once you learn the basics, the variations you can make for a family breakfast are practically endless.

Here are just a few of my favorite ideas:

Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter.

Strawberry Pancakes: Dice up 1 cup fresh strawberries and stir them into the batter.

Blueberry Pancakes: Stir 1 cup fresh blueberries into the batter.

Serving Suggestions

The obvious way to serve classic buttermilk pancakes is with a pat of butter and real maple syrup drizzled over the top.

But plain pancakes also taste amazing with a spread of cream cheese, peanut butter, or any of my homemade jams if you want to mix things up.

My kids love to eat them plain as they're running out the door!

For a slower family breakfast, you could serve them with peppered bacon or homemade turkey breakfast sausage patties.

Make your own "McGriddles" breakfast sandwiches using two buttermilk pancakes with a baked egg patty and a sausage patty tucked in between.

Peppered Bacon

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Baked Egg Patties

Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches