Classic Buttermilk Pancakes

This buttermilk pancakes recipe comes out lusciously light and fluffy! The perfect classic recipe for a lazy weekend breakfast.

Here’s the top reason to grab a cool, tall container of buttermilk at the store: this Buttermilk Pancakes recipe! This tangy liquid might not be a mainstay in your refrigerator, but it does wonders for pancakes. These classic flapjacks come out beautifully light and fluffy, with a complex flavor and a subtle lift from the acidity. Fry them up until golden brown, then bask in the aroma of this lazy morning breakfast as it fills your kitchen. Ready to get started?

Ingredients in this buttermilk pancakes recipe

Why add buttermilk to pancakes? Buttermilk is cultured or fermented milk, making it more acidic than the standard. The acidity interacts with the baking powder in pancakes, making fluffier and taller flapjacks. It also creates a more tender crumb and gives a subtle tang to the flavor. You can really taste the difference when compared to a standard pancake recipe made with milk. Here’s what you’ll need for buttermilk pancakes:

• All purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder and salt
• Egg
• Buttermilk
• Unsalted butter or neutral oil

Tips for cooking buttermilk pancakes

Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, cooking up buttermilk pancakes is simple! After making loads of pancake recipes, we’ve got a few tips on cooking surface and heat level to make sure you get beautiful golden discs. Here’s what to know:

• Use a large griddle: non-stick is helpful. Some griddles can be uneven with their heating (we’ve had that problem!), so try to find a quality griddle or skillet. A non-stick surface is helpful and you don’t have to grease it.
• Experiment to find the right heat level. Medium low heat is ideal, but it’s different on every stovetop. It should take a few minutes to get the pan up to heat, so make sure to take time before the recipe to do so. If the heat is too low, the pancakes won’t puff as much when cooking.
• Use about ¼ cup batter per pancake. This tends to make a medium-sized pancake.
• Don’t worry if the first pancake isn’t perfect! Use it as a test for honing in your pancake skills and adjust the heat accordingly.

Add mix-ins as desired

Want to turn these buttermilk pancakes into blueberry buttermilk pancakes? Or chocolate chip pancakes? Here are a few ideas for adding mix-ins to spice up this recipe!

• Blueberries: Pour the batter into circles on the griddle, then place a handful of blueberries into the top of each pancake. 
• Chocolate chips: Add mini chocolate chips right to the batter!
• Strawberries or raspberries: Add a handful of sliced strawberries or raspberries to each pancake while it cooks.
• Banana: Add a handful of chopped banana into the pancake while it’s on the griddle.

Pancake topping ideas

Once you’ve fried up those golden circles of dough, there are lots of great ways to top these buttermilk pancakes! Our favorite is simply butter and maple syrup. But here are a few ideas for getting more creative:

• Powdered sugar
• Fresh berries like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries
• Fresh fruit like chopped bananas, apples, mango, kiwi, etc
• Chocolate chips like bittersweet, butterscotch, white chocolate or peanut butter
• Nuts like chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts or pistachios
• Nut butter like peanut butter, almond butter, pecan butter, walnut butter, pistachio butter, or cashew butter
• Dairy like Greek yogurt sweetened with maple syrup or crème fraiche
• Whipped cream
• Fruit sauces like blueberry sauce, blueberry compote, peach compote, raspberry sauce, raspberry compote, strawberry sauce, or strawberry compote
• Fruit purees like strawberry puree, mango puree, or peach puree

Let us know how you top your buttermilk pancakes in the comments below! We’d love to hear if you love them as much as we do.

Leftovers and storage info

Buttermilk pancakes are easy to store: and they’re actually one of our family favorite snacks! We place leftovers in the fridge and eat them as snacks with nut butter and a little maple syrup. This buttermilk pancakes recipe stores in a sealed container for up to 5 days refrigerated and 3 months frozen. It’s a nice way to extend the life of a batch, especially if you’d cooking for 1 or 2!

What to do with leftover buttermilk

Most buttermilk recipes don’t use the entire container. So what to do with the remainder if you buy it for these pancakes? Try these Buttermilk Biscuits, flaky, savory and tender, or make a batch of Strawberry Shortcake!

More pancake recipes

Love flapjacks? We’ve got lots of variations on the theme, with different flavors for every eater and diet. Here are some highlights from our pancake recipes:

• Try our classic Easy Pancake Recipe, or go for Classic Blueberry Pancakes
• Go for Go-To Banana Pancakes
• Grab Best-Ever Oatmeal Pancakes or Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (gluten-free!)
• Try Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes (gluten-free!)
• Opt for protein-packed Cottage Cheese Pancakes, Ricotta Pancakes or Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

01

Easy Pancake Recipe

02

Go-To Banana Pancakes

03

Classic Blueberry Pancakes

04

Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes

This buttermilk pancakes recipe is…

Vegetarian.

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