Simple, soft, fluffy pancakes, an essential that everyone should know. You’ve been good all week. Go on. You deserve freshly made homemade pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!
Pancakes recipe
Homemade pancakes shouldn’t be complicated. It doesn’t matter if they come out wonky or with a splotchy surface instead of being a beautiful, even golden brown – after all, they’ll get smothered in toppings.
But they should be soft and fluffy. And in my world, not too sweet. Because….you know. Toppings. Load up on toppings!
Any day starting with homemade pancakes is a GREAT day!
What goes in homemade pancakes
This is what you need:
flour
baking powder
sugar
egg
milk
vanilla extract – optional
No buttermilk, no baking soda / bi carb, no yoghurt. You only need baking soda for an extra fluff boost when you have add ins in pancakes, like Blueberry Pancakes, because it weighs the batter down.
And of course TOPPINGS! Why limit yourself to just butter and maple syrup? See below for all sorts of ideas!
Pancakes Toppings – what to put on pancakes
Butter and maple syrup – the classic!
Maple syrup alternatives – honey, golden syrup and other sweet syrups suitable for eating raw
Lemon and sugar – one of my favourites! Light sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon
Strawberries and cream! Pictured below – layer it up like a cake, sandwiching the pancakes with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, then finish with a dusting of icing sugar / powdered sugar;
Sinfully rich sauces – like caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, butterscotch sauce, peanut sauce, anything!
Lemon curd, fruit compotes and sauces – like blueberry sauce (try the one in this Blueberry Cheesecake), Strawberry Sauce (use the one in this Strawberry Cheesecake) or try the warm apple topping in this Apple French Toast
BACON and maple syrup – YES!
Sprinkle of nuts
Fresh fruit – chop it, pile over pancakes with cream!
Ice cream – add a scoop onto a stack and drizzle with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce. Don’t forget the whipped cream!
Dusting of cinnamon and sugar
Pro tip: Keep a STANDBY PANCAKE MIX!
Homemade pancakes aren’t complicated to make, but sometimes it’s that much more appealing if there’s a ready made mix in the cupboard, just like the ones you can buy at the store!
Just measure out the dry ingredients and pop them in a ziplock bag, jar or airtight container, then when you want to make fresh pancakes, just add the wet ingredients!
To make a handy shake ‘n pour bottle like pictured above, you’ll need a 1.5L/1.5Qt+ bottle to leave enough headroom for the required liquids + shaking. I mix the wet ingredients in a jug then pour it in then shake away!
Now, go forth and elevate your morning by making a big stack of these soft, fluffy, golden pancakes! TELL ME what you top YOURS with! – Nagi xx
Watch How To Make It
Simple Fluffy Pancakes recipe video!
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Simple, Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain / all purpose flour (Note 1)
- 4 tsp baking powder NOT baking soda / bi-carb (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup white sugar (caster / super fine is best but not essential)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg (~50g / 2oz in shell)
- 1 3/4 cups cups milk (any type, any fat %)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 4 tsp butter , for cooking
Instructions
- Whisk dry – Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl, whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients – Add egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk until lump free – no longer than 30 seconds.
- Melt then wipe off most butter – Heat a non-stick pan – use medium heat if you have a strong stove, medium high if you have a weak one. Add a tiny bit of butter (about 1/2 tsp) and swirl to melt. Use paper towel to mostly wipe the butter off (this is the trick to avoid a dodgy 1st pancake).
- Pour 1/4 cup batter into the middle of the fry pan (I use a slightly heaped ice cream scoop with lever, standard is 1/4 cup).
- Cook – Swirl pan lightly to spread or use the ice cream scoop edge to spread into 11cm / 4.5" circle (ruler is a must) (joking!). When bubbles rise to the surface (see video), flip and cook the other side until golden.
- Keep warm and repeat – Remove the pancake and keep warm in a low oven. Use more butter every 2 to 3 pancakes – depends how good your non stick coating is.
- Serve with toppings of choice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More pancake recipes
Giant Pancakes – to share!
Pikelets – mini pancakes!
Life of Dozer
I’m surprised there isn’t a massive drool hanging from his mouth.
Oh wait. I don’t want to gross you out, but after I wrote this post, I almost slipped on a puddle of drool when I was cleaning that area. Ewwwwww!
Bought myself an electric pancake waffle maker and had been dying to use it, found this recipe for breakfast pancakes and finally made them today, sandwiched with some sliced banana, couple rashers of bacon and maple syrup. Was surprised how easy they were to cook (used the ice cream scoop) and delicious will definately make again using this recipe. 😊👍
I am planning to make these! I’ve prepped the flour mix ahead of time. After adding the egg/milk/vanilla can you store any unused batter in the fridge for the next day? I am thinking I will not use all the batter but want to make fresh pancakes the next day!
Wow this is a super way to make icing…using it for a smash cake for one year ols!
Absolute perfection, Nagi 👍 I’ve lost track of how often I’ve made these, but they’re perfect every single time. Lately I’ve added mashed ripe banana to the mixture and the pancakes are another flavour sensation. Thank you, Nagi 👏
Wow!! I have tried soooooo many American style pancake recipes over the years. This is a clear winner. No faffing around with melted butter or separating eggs. They are the fluffiest pancakes, slightly sweet and soooo tasty. They never last long in my house. I make around 18 to a batch using a large spoon as a measure. Won’t be looking back from this recipe for sure.
Hi Nagi, absolutely fantastic recipe, so light and fluffy! 😋 my partner and stepson both said these are the best pancakes they’ve ever had!! Just wondering if oat flour could be used instead? If so would it need more baking powder?
Absolute perfection! Followed the recipe as it says and turned out great. My 3 year old helped me flip them – we had a wonderful time together making these pancakes (little one requested jam, butter and maple syrup) xoxo Thank you Nagi
I tried these for Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day and they were a big hit! Made a couple weeks later and they were more like crepes. 🤔 Realised today I’d used metric the first time and measured by cups second time. I tested my theory and sure enough, my 2 cups were barely 250g flour – nearly 1/2 cup less than the 300g!!! I tried again using metric and it was spot on. Perhaps our cups are different sizes??
Yes, if you’re in America they are. Australian cups are 250mls. Hope that helps.
This pancake recipie is devine, every time I have made it the pancakes have turned out perfect!
Thankyou for sharing
Recipetineats rarely misses for me, but unfortunately this one does. In my opinion, pancakes are all about texture. They should provide minimal flavour on their own, and be little more than a vehicle for toppings. I like them crispy around the edges, and very light and fluffy on the inside. While these are OK in the flavour department, they always come out a little too dense for me to enjoy. I prefer the Allrecipes Good Old-Fashioned Pancakes or the NYT Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes, for what I consider to be the best pancakes I’ve ever made.
Just made these.. pure perfection. Juuuuust enough sugar to not be overly sweet because you put toppings on anyway as mentioned. Thank you Nagi!!!! With love and gratitude 💜
Accidently used 4 TABLESPOONS of baking powder instead of TEASPOONS!
Unfortunately that made them inedible.
I think the recipe would be better if the note where is says you can use self raising flour were not a note but instead the main ingredients… If I used SR flour it probably would have turned out fine.
Made these this morning! Perfect recipe!!! So quick and oh so fluffy! Thanks Nagi 🤩
Fluffy, delicious pancakes.
Oops! “No buttermilk, no baking soda / bi carb, no yoghurt. You only need baking soda for an extra fluff” Should be “You only need baking powder…?”
No, it makes sense because she’s talking about the fact that (unlike this recipe) you DO need baking powder for blueberry pancakes because it helps the pancakes with the added weight from the mixed in blueberries.
But there’s baking powder already in the recipe. I think she’s saying add baking powder, but baking soda isn’t required.
Thankyou so much Nagi for another great recipe. I love pancakes but could never get them just right. Your tips and tricks made making the perfect pancake a breeze.
My husband LOVES pancakes and once in awhile I make breakfast for dinner. I decided to give your recipe a try, and what do you know?! He proclaims these pancakes his new favourite!
I love them too!
Thank-you so much, dear friend!!!
Cheers to you and Dozer!
I tried this recipe yesterday, and it turned out absolutely delicious.
Best. Pancakes. Ever.
Accidentally used the 1/3c measure instead of 1/4c for the sugar, but it just made me not need so much maple syrup. So fluffy and delicious 🤤 thank you for another winner
The step-by-step instructions are so helpful.
Super easy and quick to make and Delicious, Thank you Nagi
Can I make these pancakes with gluten free flour that has a 1:1 ratio?