These Classic Buttermilk Pancakes made from scratch are fabulously thick and fluffy. Nothing beats from-scratch pancakes and they aren’t hard at all to make.
I’ve made all kinds of pancakes through the years. Cake Batter pancakes, Double-Stuffed Oreo, Banana Pudding Pancakes, and Pumpkin Pancakes are some of my favorites. It’s great fun to get creative with pancakes and add different ingredients. Some of the pancakes I’ve made are definitely more like a dessert than breakfast. That makes it even more fun.
But truth be known, this basic recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes, with no special ingredients whatsoever, is my absolute favorite pancake recipe. I used to make it just about every weekend and the recipe is permanently ingrained in my memory. It comes from the cookbook My Mother’s Southern Kitchen: Recipes and Reminiscences
by James Villas which is full of old-school southern recipes. The kind your grandmother made.
Buttermilk is the key to really fabulous pancakes. These pancakes are exceptionally fluffy and buttery with a little sweetness from some added sugar. My daughter likes to eat them plain with no syrup. But I think they are out of this world with an extra dab of butter on top and drizzled with maple syrup.
Recipe Tips:
Let the pancake batter rest for about 5 minutes before you cook it.
A griddle that goes over 2 burners is best for making these pancakes. You can cook more at once and you won’t be tempted to rush them.
I know it’s tempting to grab a box of Aunt Jemima mix when you want to make pancakes. Aunt Jemima doesn’t make a half bad pancake I must say. But these homemade pancakes are fabulous and they’re really not that much more trouble than making pancakes from a box. Just quickly mix together some flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in an egg, melted butter, and buttermilk and you are ready to go. I sometimes get the dry ingredients mixed the night before and then these pancakes can be made in a flash. Happy pancake eating!
Watch the short video below to see how easy this recipe is to make.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 4 Tablespoons butter,, melt
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.
- Combine egg, butter, and buttermilk in medium bowl and whisk to combine well.
- Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until combined, but not more than necessary. Batter should be thick, but you can add a little more buttermilk if desired.
- Heat large nonstick griddle pan or large skillet over medium heat.
- Place about 1/2 teaspoon of oil on pan for each pancake and using a measuring cup scoop batter and pour on top of oil using about 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter for each pancake.
- Flip when bubbles start to rise to top and continue to cook until batter cooks all the way through. These are hearty pancakes and the batter will still be gooey in the middle if not cooked long enough.
- If desired, place pat of butter on top (tastes so good!).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: My Mother’s Southern Kitchen: Recipes and Reminiscences Spicy Southern Kitchen is an amazon.com affiliate.
Originally published Oct 18, 2013.
Christin, great recipe! Not big pancake eater, it’s a treat thing, but hubby ate 5 & one was huge! 🙂 he’s now not moving..lol put a few chocolate chips in mine… They were fantastic!
Thank you for a “dependable” recepie!
Betty
They are very filling pancakes aren’t they? So glad you enjoyed them!
These looks great! How many pancakes does the recipe make, if using 1/4 cup batter per pancake? I know it says 4 servings but is that 2 per person? Just trying to calculate nutritional info!
I usually end up with around 10 pancakes, which I know doesn’t divide evenly for 4 people. But we have some 2 pancake eaters and some 3 pancake eaters in our family of 4 so it works for us. 🙂
I don’t really measure when I pour the batter, so if you were to exactly measure 1/4 cup you may come up with a slightly different number. Hope that is at least a little bit healpful!
Perfect, thanks! Can’t wait to try them!
I’ve been looking for the perfect buttermilk pancake recipe for years and after trying several recipes I can definitely say this one is PERFECT! I will be making this recipe my go to recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed it Jodie. I usually love trying new recipes for something, but in this case I can’t bring myself to do it. This is THE recipe for buttermilk pancakes 🙂
Just made these – they’re delicious! I had leftover buttermilk and searched Foodgawker for the recipe. This is going in my box of staple recipes now. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed them! They definitely are a winner! 🙂
Christin I’ve just made these for breakfast today and they came out beautifully. Best pancakes I’ve ever tried, my brothers said that they were the tastiest I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for the recipe! :-*
There really is nothing better than a nice fluffy pancake. It’s true adding fillings makes them special, but they’re not the original! This recipe looks like the perfect one!!!
I agree — plain old buttermilk pancakes are just heavenly with nothing but maple syrup. Yours look so fluffy and golden brown. Pinning!!
Thanks Marcie! Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!
I’ve been looking for the perfect pancake recipe for years! These look flawless, I’d love to try them for breakfast tomorrow. And you’re right, they must be heavenly with a dab of butter and maple syrup on top 😉
Hope you like them Consuelo!
Buttermilk pancakes are my fave pancakes too. The simple and basic recipes are usually the best ones. I would be so ecstatic waking up to a stack of these thick and fluffy pancakes tomorrow 🙂 They look wonderful and perfect for any weekend breakfast!
Thanks Kelly! Isn’t it funny how we go to all the trouble to make elaborate, complicated recipes but then it’s the most basic ones we really crave?
Oh my gosh these pancakes look so deliciously fluffy! Perfect brunch.
Thanks Kammie 🙂