Best Buttermilk Pancakes (2024)

Buttermilk makes the fluffiest pancakes—and these are so easy to make, we're sure this will become your new go-to recipe. Simply whisk the dry ingredients together and gently add in the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Then combine until just mixed; the batter won’t be smooth—in fact, you want small or medium lumps. To cook, follow our easy directions using an electric griddle, cast-iron skillet, or nonstick pan.

This recipe includes the option of adding blueberries to the batter. Serve them on the side if you prefer, or skip the fruit and go minimal with butter and maple syrup, or maximal with bacon, eggs, and syrup.

Using Buttermilk in Pancakes

Why are buttermilk pancakes the standard against which other pancakes are measured? Because they’re tall and fluffy, which is just what we want in a pancake. The acid in buttermilk kickstarts the baking soda leavener into action, creating extra height. It also helps to break down strands of gluten, creating a tender crumb. Buttermilk also gives the pancakes a subtle tang.

What Is Buttermilk?

Despite its name, buttermilk is not a combination of butter and milk. Traditionally, it was a byproduct of making butter, the cream from the milk was used for the butter and the liquid left behind was naturally fat-free, though it retained the lactose from the cream. When exposed to bacteria in the air (this was before pasteurization), the lactose fermented into lactic acid. This caused the liquid to thicken and develop a slightly tangy, sour taste.

What we buy in the grocery store today is cultured buttermilk, produced by combining pasteurized non- or low-fat milk with bacterial cultures to produce the lactic acid that defines this tangy dairy product.

Buttermilk Substitutes

If you don’t have buttermilk, make our Easy Basic Pancakes recipe instead, which calls for milk, not buttermilk. Or make a buttermilk substitute using 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt and 2 cups of milk.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder

Buttermilk reacts with baking soda, but you’ll notice this recipe uses two leaveners: baking soda and baking powder. That’s because too much baking soda can cause a metallic taste. Also, baking powder and baking soda have different reactions; both reach when first combined with wet ingredients, but baking powder reacts again when it is heated, producing a burst of bubbles in the batter that solidify into tiny air pockets as the pancake cooks.

1. Preheat griddle and combine dry ingredients:

   Heat griddle to 375°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.

   

2. Add wet ingredients and whisk:

   Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine.

   

   Do not overmix the batter, it should have small to medium lumps.

3. Preheat oven, test griddle, and grease it:

   Heat oven to 175°F. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.

   

   

4. Portion pancake batter on griddle:

   Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. Scatter with berries, if using.

   

   Use a thin,broad spatulato flip the pancakes, turning each one over as gently and quickly as possible. The second side should take less time than the first, so keep an eye on them.

5. Cook pancakes:

   When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

   

6. Repeat, using remaining batter:

   Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve with Cranberry Syrup if desired.

   

The Best Way to Store Leftover Pancakes

Pancakes should be cooled completely before refrigerating or freezing, and are best stored the day they were made. If you’re going to eat them in the next day or two, store leftover pancakes in an airtight bag in the refrigerator. For longer storage, separate each pancake with wax or parchment paper and freeze them in an airtight bag or container. (Without the dividers, the pancakes will be frozen together in a lump.) Be sure to remove all air from the bag.

The Right Way to Reheat Leftover Pancakes

If you have a number of pancakes to reheat, use the oven method.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place pancakes on a rimmed sheet pan and warm through. This will take between 6 and 10 minutes if you are starting with frozen pancakes; leftover pancakes from the refrigerator need less time.

For pancakes for one or two people, use your toaster:

• Place one pancake in each slot of the toaster and set it to a medium toast level.
• If the pancakes aren't warmed through enough when the toaster pops up, toast them again at a lower setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my buttermilk pancakes not fluffy?

Is your baking soda fresh? Or did you overmix the batter? Those are two common mistakes that can result in dense not fluffy pancakes.

What makes pancakes fluffier, water or milk?

We always use milk, whether buttermilk, regular dairy milk, or an alternative milk for pancakes. We like the richness it adds to the pancake batter and our pancakes cook up fluffy.

Should you cook pancakes in butter or oil?

The fat you choose won’t have a drastic effect on the texture of the pancakes if you use just a few teaspoons to grease the pan but it may impact their flavor. Both melted butter and neutral vegetable oil, such as canola or vegetable, work well for cooking pancakes but butter may burn if the heat is too high.

5 Other Buttermilk Pancake Recipes to Try:

• Lemon-Poppy Seed Cloud Pancakes
• Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
• Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes
• Apple-Buckwheat Pancakes
• Ricotta-Cornmeal Pancakes