Easy Basic Pancakes Recipe from Scratch

Making perfect pancakes at home is honestly not a big feat. With the right easy recipe like this one, anyone can make the perfect, fluffy, delicious pancakes at home with just a handful of ingredients that are already in your kitchen.

Trust me, once you make them, this easy Pancake recipe will become your go-to recipe to make homemade pancakes from scratch.  They taste so much better than any boxed mix.

Over the years, I have tried so many different ways of making basic pancakes, tinkered around with the ratios and such, and tried many recipes out there. This homemade pancake recipe is the winner and I have only used this to make pancakes since.

We are a family of pancake lovers. We make pancakes on weekend brunches, for “breakfast for dinner” days, for lunchboxes, for everyday breakfasts, and for special occasions too. A stack of pancakes with a candle on top is a birthday morning tradition in our family. 

We love these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, Raspberry White Chocolate Pancakes, Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes, Chocolate Chip Almond Pancakes, and Strawberry Banana Pancakes. If you are more of a waffle person, then you should try this Pumpkin Buttermilk Waffles .

Tips to make perfectly fluffy pancakes every single time!

• Start with fresh ingredients. Make sure your flour and/or baking powder is not stale and beyond best by date. 
• DO NOT overmix. I have done this many times in the past and wondered why my pancakes were not fluffy. Mix the batter just enough to combine all the ingredients without any lumps.
• Rest the batter. Once the batter is mixed and ready, cover it and let it rest for 10-15 mins at least before you start making pancakes. By letting the pancake batter rest, you are allowing the flour to fully absorb the milk and hydrate well, thereby allowing the gluten to relax, thus making pancakes that are not tough. It also lets the leavener (baking powder or baking soda) distribute evenly into the batter, thereby making the pancakes rise better when cooking and making it fluffier.
• Cook on a hot surface. Wait for the griddle to get hot and then add butter/oil to it and then the pancake batter. But keep the heat to medium when cooking the pancakes. This gives the pancakes enough time to cook all the way through without burning the bottoms.
• Flip at the right time. Pancakes should be flipped over when little air bubbles start popping on the surface and the sides start to look a little firm.
• Once flipped DO NOT pat or push down the pancakes when they are on the griddle. Just flip them over and let it be.
• Serve the pancakes warm.

How to keep pancakes warm before serving?

Place the pancakes on a baking sheet or oven safe plate and put it in an oven at 200F until it's time to serve. The pancakes will stay warm while you are done cooking everything else.

Ingredients 

To make perfect everyday pancakes you need only a handful of ingredients that are already available in your kitchen.

• Flour - Use any all purpose flour that you use for baking. If using whole grain flours, you will need more liquid to hydrate the flour properly.  I generally use Kamut All Purpose Flour. This is made from Khorasan wheat, which is found to be a more complex grain than the regular all purpose flour. 
• Baking Powder - baking powder acts as the leavening agent making the batter rise when cooking, thereby making fluffier pancakes.
• Salt - a pinch of salt rounds up the flavors in the pancakes.
• Milk - use whole milk to make these pancakes. Start with 1 ½ cups for every 2 cups of flour and work your way up to 2 cups of milk. Each brand and type of flour will need just a little different amounts of liquid to hydrate fully and make the perfect pancake batter.
• Eggs - large organic room-temperature eggs are best to make these pancakes.
• Butter or Oil - use melted unsalted butter or any neutral oil.

Method

Gather the ingredients

Gather and measure out the dry and wet ingredients needed for this recipe.

Mix the dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.

Mix the wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter. 

Combine the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix enough to make a smooth batter without any lumps. Do not over mix.

Set the batter to rest and preheat the oven

Let the batter rest for 10-15 mins at least before you start making the pancakes. Preheat the oven to 200F, if you are planning to make all the pancakes together. This will keep the pancakes warm before you are ready to serve them.

On a regular morning, there are impatient hands with plates waiting for pancakes, so I just place them on the plate as soon as they are ready 🙂

Heat the griddle or a large skillet to make pancakes.

Heat the griddle to medium heat to medium-high heat. Grease the skillet with butter, oil or cooking spray.

Make the pancakes

Use an ice cream scoop or a rounded ladle to scoop pancake batter to the greased skillet. For a regular sized pancakes, use about 3 tablespoons of batter for one pancake. Wait for small bubbles to appear on top and pop, and the sides of the pancakes to start firming up before you flip it over.

Let it cook on the other side for another minute or two. Do not press down on the pancakes after flipping them.

Serve or keep them warm in the oven

Serve immediately or keep them warm in the preheated oven in an oven proof platter or a baking sheet.

Variations to basic pancakes recipe

Chocolate chips are an excellent addition to make chocolate chip pancakes. Add frozen blueberries to this easy pancakes batter to make blueberry pancakes.

Serving Suggestions

These basic fluffy pancakes are best served warm with a little butter and good old maple syrup. But you can always use any other fruit syrup, chocolate syrup, mixed berry compote, whipped cream, sprinkles, powdered sugar etc. A side of fresh fruit is also a great option.

How to store leftover pancakes ?

Leftover pancakes can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.​

How to store leftover pancake batter?

Leftover pancake batter can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also make pancake batter ahead of time or the night before and store it in the refrigerator to make pancakes in the morning.

​How to freeze pancakes?

Both cooked pancakes and pancake batter can be frozen

To freeze cooked pancakes, line the pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze them for a few hours or overnight. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag like ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to three months.

To freeze pancake batter, pour the batter in to freezer bags and lay them flat in the freezer. Make sure you leave some room in the bags and don't fill them all the way through. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then to almost room temperature before making pancakes.

How to reheat pancakes?

To reheat frozen pancakes - preheat the oven to 350F. Line the pancakes in a baking sheet and heat in the preheated oven for 7-10 mins. 

To reheat refrigerated pancakes - refrigerated pancakes are also best reheated in an oven. Line them in a baking sheet and heat in an oven preheated to 350F for about 2-3 mins. You can also use a toaster to reheat pancakes.

Whatever you do, do not use a microwave to reheat pancakes. You will just end up with soggy pancakes.

📖 Recipe