Everyday Pancakes Recipe (2024)

By Mark Bittman

Updated Nov. 14, 2023

Everyday Pancakes Recipe (1)

Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5
Cook Time
15
Rating
4(12,798)
Notes
Read community notes

The basic pancake is made from a simple batter of eggs, flour, milk and baking powder for leavening. You can use different types of flour if you want to experiment with whole wheat or buckwheat. And you can also add fruit to the mixture. You might also enjoythis videoof the recipe, which walks through a few variations. The batter can be made from scratch in about the same time it takes to make toast. The most time-consuming part of making pancakes, of course, is cooking them. But that time is so short you should consider these an everyday convenience food, not a special-occasion feast. Cook this recipe a few times and it may become part of your weekly routine. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; For the Uninitiated, a Pancake Primer

Learn: How to Make Pancakes

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 2cups all-purpose flour
  • 2teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼teaspoon salt
  • 1tablespoon sugar, optional
  • 2eggs
  • 1½ to 2cups milk
  • 2tablespoons melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use neutral oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

258 calories; 8 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 270 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Everyday Pancakes Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into 1½ cups milk, then stir in 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter, if using it. Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; don't worry about a few lumps. If batter seems thick, add a little more milk.

  2. Step

    2

    Place a teaspoon or 2 of butter or oil on griddle or skillet. When butter foam subsides or oil shimmers, ladle batter onto griddle or skillet, making pancakes of any size you like. Adjust heat as necessary; usually, first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, after 2 to 4 minutes.

    Everyday Pancakes Recipe (3)
  3. Step

    3

    Cook until second side is lightly browned. Serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degree oven for up to 15 minutes.

    Everyday Pancakes Recipe (4)

Ratings

4

out of 5

12,798

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Ted

They're just pancakes, people. Calm down. You don't need to use 17 different types of flour, chocolate drops only made by a hermit on the highest mountain in Switzerland on select Tuesdays in the Spring, and edible gold glitter. That's why this is titled Everyday Pancakes and not How Pretentious Can I Be Pancakes.

Elizabeth

I halved the recipe and added finely chopped cabbage, grated carrots, finely chopped onion in small amounts so as to not overwhelm the batter. This is a fast and easy western version of okonomiyaki and can be eaten for any meal. Good alone or with sour cream, or maple syrup or your choice. Add an organic turkey sausage and there you have it, a complete meal.

Ben

If you use buttermilk (or any other acid), don't forget to add a teaspoon of baking soda!

Steve

I mix the dry ingredients in a big batch and then store in a tightly covered jar. Then it's quick to mix the milk, eggs, and butter with the dry ingredients.

Stan

I made the recipe as written and found that it was not as fluffy as I like it. I added two heaping tablespoons of sour cream which made them very fluffy and added a subtle flavor. I also used vanilla. As modified, I have made them several times and they are delicious and fluffy.

Sarah

Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract!!!

Jim

This is the same basic recipe my father copied out of Consumer Reports 40 years ago. One variation: substitute 1/2 tsp of baking soda for 1 of the 2 tsps called for, then use buttermilk instead of milk (it reacts with the baking soda). 2 cups buttermilk is about right.

Jeff

Pancakes should not require a buttered or greased skillet - that simply results in frying the edges. A good recipe will have enough fats in the batter to provide good, clean release from the skillet when the pancake is done.

Sherry

For even lighter pancakes, I like to separate the eggs, beat the whites stiff, and fold them into the batter just before ladling them onto the griddle.

Thomas Greisen

I have started to use all chick pea flour (Garbanzo beans) for my pancakes. They do not rise as much as regular pancakes but taste much better. They have a very nutty flavor. And have more protein in them. I will try more baking powder to get more rise.

Valerie

I use yogurt instead of milk ( about a quarter cup less) and a tspn baking soda instead of baking powder and a half tspn salt. I have forgotten the sugar and noticed that my five year old son didn't notice! So you really don't need much. I also add fresh blueberries ( about a half cup or more) at the end. Happy to see this easy recipe in the times. Don't buy a mix!

Farzana

I've often made it on a Saturday and saved half for Sunday in the fridge and it keeps very well; in fact, I think resting the batter, even for half an hour, makes the pancakes fluffier. I love this recipe - my favourite way of serving it is with Nigella Lawson's sauce of blueberries cooked with maple syrup. Yum!

Clark Landrum

The flour doesn't hydrate immediately upon addition of the liquid. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes or so before cooking the pancakes. The batter will thicken up and the pancakes will be lighter.

Susan J.

You are right. The melted and cooled butter in the batter shouldn't be optional. It's what will give a clean release without oiling the griddle.

nancy

make all the pancakes at once and freeze leftovers. nuke to heat.

Sophia Lyons

I made these every weekend until having to go gluten free. I always halve the recipe. Successfully converted to GF with 1 c. gf AP flour with NO xanthan gum, added 1/4 tsp. xanthan, 2 tbsp. oil, 1 tbsp. baking powder, kept everything else the same. Mix all ingredients but leavening, let batter sit 30 min., add leavening and cook immediately.

JemmaT

The worst pancake recipe I’ve ever followed. Realy disappointing, flat with no flavour.

Alissa

These tasted like Matza to me and not at all like everyday Pancakes. Unsure what happened.

Jen K

Batter was really, really thick. First batch came out more like a pancake-scone hybrid. Pretty flavorless, too. Added another 1/4 cup milk to what was left in the bowl for a second batch. Pancakes looked more normal, but still came out weird. Disappointed.

B. Hanna

Excellent with fruit compote

Lauren

Worst pancakes I’ve ever had.

Misty

This just isn’t a good pancake recipe. I’ve tried it twice and both times ended up with a bland, flat mess that glues to the pan and is impossible to flip. When I mistakenly made this again yesterday I wised up after the first pancake (which had to be scraped off the pan) and increased the amount of flour, sugar, baking powder and melted butter and added baking soda. Problem solved. For a great pancake recipe try Alison Roman’s buttermilk pancakes, which is my go to for perfect pancakes.

Fran

Shred an apple (I unpeeled it first) add to batter and toss in a few pecan pieces. Yum.

Moi

Easy, fluffy and tasty.

Third in Line Sous Chef

Cut ingredients by half. Also , followed the recipe and attempted to limit wet ingredients as written. I thought the mix was as described. I was left with about 2 ounces of liquid. Ultimately, pancakes were too dry a closer to a biscuit. Next time if you cut in half, don’t be shy with the wet ingredients.It made enough for one serving.

Joyce

Easy recipe, good pancakes

pancake enthusiast

don’t need the added sugar at all!! sooo yummy

subs

-add 2 cups buttermilk, thick cake batter consistency-mix dry ingredients in biggest bowl-add egg yolks to buttermilk-add melted butter to buttermilk-whipped egg whites to peak -stream buttermilk into dry ingredients whipping gently-whipped in eggs whites-plop onto cooking surface

subs 2

-mix dry ingredients in biggest bowl with substitutions and salt-mix egg yolks and melted butter into measuring cup with 2 cups of buttermilk with vanilla-whip egg whites to peak-stream buttermilk into flour mixture-whipped in egg whites

Amy

These were ok, but nothing more than that. They needed way more salt and weren’t that fluffy. I think a good mix would have been better.

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Everyday Pancakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 things that are discouraged when making pancakes? ›

7 Mistakes You're Making With Your From-Scratch Pancakes—and How to Avoid Them
  • Not Measuring Carefully.
  • Over-Mixing the Batter.
  • Over-Greasing the Pan.
  • Forgetting to Preheat the Skillet.
  • Not Measuring Out Batter for Each Pancake.
  • Impatiently Flipping.
  • Not Keeping Pancakes Warm.
Sep 28, 2022

Why is the first pancake no good? ›

The first pancake is in effect the trial run, working out the kinks before all the variables of even heat and pan seasoning come together. While that first pancake cooks the pan comes to temperature, and it absorbs just enough of the fat on the cooking surface so that second one will cook more evenly.

What makes pancakes fluffy and rise? ›

Pancakes and waffles typically both contain baking soda, which causes them to rise. As soon as the baking soda is combined with the wet ingredients (which contain an acidic ingredient, like often buttermilk), it starts producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the batter to rise.

Should pancake batter be thick or thin? ›

Batter for American pancakes will be much thicker in texture but you should still be able to spoon the mixture into the pan and it should start to spread a little on it's own when in contact with the heat of the pan.

Do you cook pancakes on high or low heat? ›

The ideal temperature for cooking pancakes

Either way, it's obvious that delicious pancakes require an ideal griddle temperature (and a little bit of patience) to get that nice, fluffy texture. Simply put: the best temperature for cooking pancakes is 375°F on a griddle or medium to medium high heat on the stove.

Why do you put milk instead of water in pancakes? ›

Can I Use Water Instead of Milk in Pancakes? Milk adds both flavor and texture to pancake batter, so if you are looking to make pancakes without milk, a simple swap to water doesn't always do the trick. For pancakes made without milk, you'll want to add some flavor through melted butter and vanilla extract.

What are original pancake house pancakes made of? ›

Of course, we only use real eggs and separate the whites from the yolks to order. Our buttermilk pancakes are low fat. We make them from scratch using a low fat powdered buttermilk, and a low fat powdered skim milk. We also only use hardwheat unbleached flour.

What is the first pancake rule? ›

The idea behind the first pancake rule is that it's okay if the first one doesn't turn out perfectly; it's a practice round for getting the cooking conditions just right. Once you've made the necessary adjustments, the subsequent pancakes are expected to turn out fantastic.

Why do you always throw away the first pancake? ›

Why is the first pancake often so ugly that it gets tossed? Pancake experts say that there are some possible reasons, including the amount of butter being used, the temperature of the heating surface, and so on. Perhaps the first one is a "tester." Once it is made, the next batches will be fine.

Why are my pancakes burnt outside raw inside? ›

If you're cooking with a griddle, Wenk says to lower the heat to 360 degrees (the pan can stay over medium heat) before spooning in the batter. Mortillaro explains that high heat results in uneven cooking as it burns the outside while leaving the inside batter raw.

How to get perfect pancakes every time? ›

Other Tips For Making Perfect Pancakes
  1. Even though it's a pain, it's important to mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls before combining them.
  2. Let the batter rest 5 to 15 minutes before cooking.
  3. For really light and fluffy pancakes, separate the eggs.
Jan 18, 2023

What makes restaurant pancakes taste so good? ›

Restaurants use better quality ingredients

Restaurants tend to use real, farm-fresh eggs and real milk when making their pancakes, which as you might guess, adds to a richer, higher-quality eating experience.

Is it better to add milk or water to pancake mix? ›

Pancake lovers' biggest complaint when adding water instead of milk is that the flavor seems to change. Pancakes aren't as richly flavored with water. There are a few ways to improve your batter when you've used water, including: Add extra butter.

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