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, homey, and simple. This pancake recipe is from my first cookbook, The Mom 100, and we’ve made them more times than I can count. They are the perfect centerpiece to any breakfast spread, alongside a Frittata, Perfect Scrambled Eggs, or Migas. Make a batch of oven-baked bacon to go with them, and, if you’re feeling ambitious, some strawberry sauce!

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.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Sugar – These pancakes don’t have that much sugar because that’s what the maple syrup is for!
• Baking powder
• Egg
• Milk 
• Vegetable oil
• Maple syrup 

Variations

• Make as much as you need. This recipe makes about 12 pancakes but doubles, even triples, easily. 
• You can use melted butter instead of the oil.
• If you like thinner pancakes, add another 1/4 cup of milk to the batter.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
• You can use buttermilk instead of milk for buttermilk pancakes; in that case, change the baking powder to baking soda.
• To make bigger pancakes, use 1/2 cup batter instead of 1/4 cup for each pancake. 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: Small and adorable. To make them, use just 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. They should 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. 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.
• Also, check out the Pumpkin Spice Pancakes recipe.

How to Make the Best Pancakes

1. Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined.
2. Make the batter: 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.
3. Cook the pancakes: 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, cook for about 2 minutes, flip the pancakes, and cook to your desired doneness.

4. Serve: Serve hot with maple, syrup, butter, jam or jelly, or whatever toppings you like!

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 heat-proof 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.

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).

Make Ahead and Storage

If you want to make these for a group in the morning, you might mix up the wet ingredients in one container and then the dry in another. Store the wet ingredients in the fridge. Combine them just before griddling them up in the morning. If you combine them too soon, the baking powder will begin to react and then your pancakes will be less fluffy when you make them.

Leftover pancakes can be stored in the fridge for a few days. Reheat in the microwave or over low heat on a griddle.

What to Serve With Pancakes

How to Make Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake

How to Make Perfect Whipped Cream

More Breakfast Recipes

• Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
• Oven-Baked French Toast
• Dutch Baby Pancakes with Sauteed Apples
• Blintzes