Best Pancakes
on Feb 10, 2023, Updated Mar 28, 2024
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Fluffy and thick, these homemade pancakes take minutes to whip up, and will start your family's day off with a big smile.
There is something so comforting and happily indulgent about a morning that starts with homemade pancakes. A boxed mix is oh-so-fine, but a pile of fluffy homemade pancakes is oh-so-much-finer. And here’s the deal; that boxed mix is essentially just a blend of flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar — you still usually have to add the oil or butter, eggs, and milk. If you’re willing to take an extra 3 to 4 minutes and mix up the dry ingredients from your pantry, you can be the proud owner of a platter of homemade flapjacks.
These are thick and fluffy pancakes, homey, and simple. This recipe is from my first cookbook, The Mom 100, and we’ve made them more times than I can count.
Table of Contents
Best Pancakes: Fluffy and thick, these homemade pancakes take minutes to whip up, and will start your family’s day off with a big smile.
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Tips for Perfect Pancakes
Leave Some Lumps: This may seem counterintuitive but read on for a moment. You want to add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir everything together with a spoon until just barely blended. There will still be a significant amount of little lumps in the batter, but this is good. You don’t want to overmix the batter when stirring it, as that will cause the pancakes to become tough or dense.
Heat the Skillet to Hot, But Not Smoking Hot: A too-hot skillet will cause the pancakes to brown too quickly on the outside before the inside is cooked through. A too-low heat will contribute to pancakes that are pale and dense. Adjust the heat as you cook to keep the pancakes cooking consistently at a medium temperature.
Oil the Pan: Make sure there is just the sheerest coating of oil on the bottom of the pan for the best even browning and cooking experience. If you have a pastry brush, this is a great tool for spreading a very small amount of oil evenly in the pan.
Flip When You See Bubbles: When bubbles start to appear on the top and edges of the pancake, it’s ready to be flipped. After 2 minutes, if the pancakes are not browned nicely on the bottom, the heat needs to be raised. If they are browning very quickly, you need to lower the heat.
Uneven Color: Why does that first batch of pancakes always turn out a bit unevenly in color? Always, right? It’s because of the initial amount of fat in the pan, which can cause uneven browning. Subsequent batches get more of that nice, even golden brown coloring. But they all taste great! I’d eat the first batch any day.
Variations
- Make as much as you need. This recipe makes about 12 pancakes, but doubles, even triples, easily.
- If you like thinner pancakes, add another ¼ cup of milk to the batter.
- To make bigger pancakes, use 1/2 cup batter instead of 1/4 cup — you may need to spread it out a bit with the back of a spoon as the batter is thick. You can make them even bigger if you want! You will likely need to increase the cooking time by a minute or two on each side.
- Silver dollar pancakes are smaller, and only a few inches in diameter. To make them, use just 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. They should take about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Make chocolate chip pancakes. For the whole batch, you’ll need about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Simply sprinkle a generous tablespoon of chips over each pancake as the bottom cooks, then flip as directed to finish cooking. The cooking time should be the same.
- Blueberry pancakes are always a hit. For the whole batch, you’ll need about 1 cup of blueberries. Simply sprinkle about 10 blueberries over each pancake as the bottom cooks, then flip as directed to finish cooking. The cooking time should be the same.
What the Kids Can Do
Kids can measure, dump, and mix the dry ingredients, crack the eggs, stir the pancake batter, and carefully sprinkle the chocolate chips or blueberries over the pancakes in the skillet as they cook (if desired).
What to Serve With Pancakes
Maple syrup, softened butter, jam, or jelly are traditional toppings for pancakes, and rightly so. You can also think about banana slices, and in the warmer months, freshly cut strawberries and peeled peaches are also fantastic on pancakes. Strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry sauces or syrups are a lovely treat as well. For a special treat, try this strawberry topping or make homemade strawberry jam!
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Best Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups milk (preferably whole or 2%)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus more for cooking the pancakes)
- Maple syrup (or softened butter or jam or jelly, for serving)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and vegetable oil until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir everything together with a spoon until just barely blended; there will still be a significant amount of little lumps in the batter, but this is fine. Overbeating will cause the pancakes to be tough.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add about 1 teaspoon of oil. Swirl the skillet to make sure the bottom is covered with the oil. Pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, making sure they don't touch.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, until you see bubbles forming on the top and the edges start to look cooked. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes, which should be golden underneath, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes (you can peek to see if the underside is golden). Adjust the heat as necessary, and repeat adding additional oil as needed, until all of the batter is used.
- Serve hot with maple, syrup, butter, or jam or jelly, or whatever toppings you like!
Notes
- Make as much as you need: This recipe makes about 12 pancakes, but doubles, even triples easily.
- Thinner Pancakes: If you like thinner pancakes, add another 1/4 cup of milk to the batter.
- Bigger Pancakes: Use 1/2 cup batter instead of 1/4 cup – you may need to spread it out a bit with the back of a spoon as the batter is thick. You can make them even bigger if you want! You will likely need to increase the cooking time by a minute or two on each side.
- Silver Dollar Pancakes: Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. These should just take about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Chocolate Chip Pancakes: For the whole batch, you’ll need about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Simply sprinkle a generous tablespoon of chips over each pancake as the bottom cooks, then flip as directed to finish cooking. The cooking time should be the same.
- Blueberry Pancakes: For the whole batch, you’ll need about 1 cup of blueberries. Simply sprinkle about 10 blueberries over each pancake as the bottom cooks, then flip as directed to finish cooking. The cooking time should be the same.
I absolutely love these. They are our go-to pancakes!