These super fluffy pancakes are sure to be a showstopper at your next brunch party! This recipe is quick, easy, and doesn’t require any buttermilk!
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Life is all about yummy fluffy pancakes.
Admit it, a world without pancakes would be bleak, maybe not even worth living in. You love pancakes, don’t you? You do. It’s okay, I do too. My favourite thing about pancakes (other than eating them, of course!) is watching maple syrup drip off the edges of my pancake tower, like some sort of sun-kissed waterfall.
Fluffy pancakes are one of my all-time favourite Sunday morning breakfast treats. The problem is that a lot of great pancake recipes call for buttermilk. (Honestly, who keeps buttermilk at home? Is that a North American thing?)
Without it, you can end up with a flat, lifeless pancake that looks too much like a lost crepe. Here’s a quick and easy recipe to make super fluffy pancakes with ingredients you probably already have at home. Never buy that horrid box of premix again. Please.
Can you make Fluffy Pancakes without buttermilk?
In short, yes. This pancake recipe uses no buttermilk at all (it does require regular milk though). So, you may ask, what’s the deal with buttermilk? Well, it’s terribly in vogue when it comes to baking. And there’s a reason for it. The acidity in buttermilk helps the pancakes rise.
On the flip side, I’ve never known anyone to regularly stock up on buttermilk. In fact, until I moved to Canada, I had never even seen buttermilk… not even at a supermarket!
(If you’re ever in a real pinch – you can create your own buttermilk alternative by mixing a cup of milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar and letting it sit for 10 minutes. Perhaps less conventionally, you could also use a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar. Neither option tastes as good as the real thing, but they’ll do the trick. Thankfully, with this recipe – you won’t need to!)
Now, if you do happen to have buttermilk, you can give this Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes recipe a shot!
Why are my pancakes flat? How can I make my pancakes fluffier?
There are a number of factors that can lead to your pancakes being flat. But here are the four horsemen of the pancake apocalypse (pancalypse…panpocalypse…pancakalypse…help):
- Overmixing your batter – overmixing your pancake batter will deflate a lot of the air bubbles in your batter, making it difficult for your pancakes to rise into the light and fluffy pancakes you want (the video in my recipe section is an example of this!). Secondly, it’ll develop gluten. And too much gluten will result in a tough, chewy pancake.
- Stale Baking Powder – baking powder typically has a shelf life of 9 months to a year. To check whether your baking powder is still fresh, simply stir half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of water. If you see an immediate reaction (it’ll fizz up, bestie!), then it’s still good to use. If not, you should consider replacing it.
- Humid Conditions – This is based on an observation made by many of my readers (you can see it mentioned in the comments section below). But a very humid kitchen results in a runnier batter, which means less fluffy pancakes. If you happen to be in a place that is very humid, try putting your batter in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t become too fluid/runny.
- Not Letting Your Batter Rest – Letting your batter rest before cooking allows the starch granules in the flour to expand resulting in an airier pancake.
- The Violent Flip – Turn the pancakes over gently. Flipping them high into the air results in the air literally being squished out of them!
Also…make sure to relax, bestie. Making pancakes should be a pleasurable experience! And this fluffy pancake recipe is simple; it doesn’t require any fancy steps (like whipping egg whites into a meringue). Be mindful of the tips above, and pay attention to your heat management, and you’re sure to be fine.
(If you want to do a little reading, check out my How to Read a Recipe Post – it’ll help you understand the procedures and the measurements used in a recipe post, like this one!)
Of course, if you do end up burning your first pancake, just remember what they say: “Le première crepe est pour les chiens!” (A French saying meaning, “The first crepe is for the dogs!”).
Other no-buttermilk pancake recipes
Here are four other amazing pancake recipes that don’t require any buttermilk at all. Each one is unique, and delicious!
- Lemon Mascarpone Pancakes – perfect for days when you’re looking to impress with an elegant pancake recipe.
- Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby Pancake – this is the pancake you serve when you want everyone to spend the first 5 minutes of the meal taking photos of the food.
- Dutch Baby Pancake – a pancake with a twist! Quick and simple to make.
- Fluffy Japanese Pancakes – taking a bite out of these meringue-based babies is like eating a delicious cloud! (Yes, they spark joy.)
Fluffy Pancakes, Updated: What’s Changed?
If you’ve been visiting my blog for a while, you may realise that this is a republished version of one of my very early blog posts (also titled, “Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes”, originally published: February 17th 2015). I’ve updated the post quite significantly.
While the recipe is the same great pancake recipe it’s always been, I’ve rewritten the post with the aims of addressing some of the major questions I’ve received from commenters over the last few years. If there’s anything you feel is still missing, please do let me know with a comment below.
I’ve also done my best to create a clearer, more readable post, while maintaining the gist and the feel of the original. (The original post was written quite some time back, it was mostly me rambling about how much I love pancakes!)
Helpful tools
Heads up! The following are affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, I will receive a small commission. You won’t need to pay a penny more, but it’ll help keep my lights on! Thank you bestie, you rock!
Luckily, it doesn’t take much equipment to make perfect pancakes. It is however a lovely feeling to have all the right equipment. Here are a few little things that might make your pancake-making experience just that much sweeter.
- Silver Dollar Pancake Pan – if you want your pancakes to all look exactly the same.
- Zwilling J.A. Henckels Marquina Non-Stick Frying Pan – a good pan is crucial to properly cooking pancakes, and this one is sure to please.
OR…(and this is super exciting, bestie) how’s about you check out The Chocolates & Chai Shop? The shop is a place for fashionable foodies, providing all sorts of apparel including the popular Today for Tomorrow t-shirt (25% of the profits from it go to charity!).
While I’ve still got your attention, please do take a moment to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Or you can subscribe to my mailing list – don’t worry, I’ll never give out your information or send you any spam. Thank you, bestie!
Let’s Reminisce
Three Years Ago: Baked French Toast
Two Years Ago: Cream Puff Swans (Choux Pastry)
One Year Ago: Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs
Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6–7 Pancakes 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A surefire recipe to make fat and fluffy pancakes, without any buttermilk or special ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, sifted
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tbsp White Sugar
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp Milk
- 1 Large Egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Canola Oil (or any other vegetable oil), for cooking
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter together. Be careful not to use hot, melted butter, as that may end up cooking your eggs!
- Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and stir till mostly incorporated. The batter should be thick and a little lumpy, but without any visible streaks of flour. If it is too thick to work with, add a little milk. Set the batter aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed, non-stick pan over a low-medium heat and coat it with oil. Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop and drop the batter into the pan so that you get evenly-sized pancakes.
- Cook until the first side is golden brown, or until the top surface forms bubbles. Flip and repeat on the other side. Adjust heat accordingly. Serve while still hot.
- Category: Breakfast & Brunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: fluffy pancakes, fluffy pancake recipe, fluffy pancake recipie, fluffy fluffy pancakes, fluffy pancake, pancake recipe, pancakes for two, no buttermilk pancake, no buttermilk pancakes, fluffiest pancake, fluffy pancakes рецепт
They came out thick and sooo fluffy! Very happy with the results. I halved the recipe but used a whole egg and I cooked in margarine & I will always use this recipe from now on.
★★★★★
Hey Kat! So glad to hear it worked out!!! Happy pancake breakfasts to you!!
Hi Riz! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I found this from google “fluffy pancakes” and yours came out to have the most people rated. So I gave it a try just now. I tweaked the recipe a bit by separating egg whites out and beat it until peak forms, just to make sure I will get light and fluffy pancakes. Oh they are so good. I made 3X portions for my family of 6 and everyone loved it!! I will keep this recipe in my collection. 🙂
Thank you once again. We are all very full with pancakes now. Haha 🤪
★★★★★
Hello Shu!!! That’s amazing to hear! I’m happy you managed to find me through google…and now that you and the family have enjoyed some fluffy pancakes, I hope you visit again to enjoy some of my other recipes! Please do let me know if you try anything else! (Or send me a picture of your pancakes on instagram!)
Hi . I’ve just made this recipe, I had to add 4 tablespoons of plain flour and two tablespoons of caster sugar , obviously more milk to thin out the mixture. But . They turned out to be very nice indeed. Thank you so much for the recipe.
★★★★★
Hi there! Thanks for commenting! I’m very happy to hear it turned out well!
My problem I had with these was when I combined the melted butter with the eggs and milk (cold) the butter solidified and I had chunks in my batter. How can I fix that?
★★★★
Room temperature milk should do the trick 🙂
I followed this recipe exactly and I got the flattest pancakes I’ve ever seen. I’m disappointed.
Hi Ariana, I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m not sure what would have gone wrong…but I’d recommend checking your baking powder, and the amount the batter was mixed (those seem to be the most common culprits to flat pancakes per this convo thread!)
This recipe changed my life. I was that mom that couldn’t even make pancakes from a Bisquick box. My son fell in love with pancakes and asked for them all the time. I found your recipe and they were a success. I’ve made them several times, my son LOVES to help. Today we got a little wild and added some chocolate chips today. Absolute perfection. Thank you so very much. Now I’m a confident pancake maker ❤
★★★★★
Hey there Lena!!! What a lovely comment!! Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m honoured you decided to use my recipe, and I’m thrilled that it’s help you and your son have many delicious pancake breakfasts! I hope you also try out some of my recipes, you never know what else you may enjoy cooking together! 🙂
My mom loves fluffy pancakes and i make them but since i found and use this recipe its been a great fluffy pancake that always comes out thank you and my mother absolutely fell in love its great to have people like you that help use with great tasting recipes and tips .thank you again so much i will be following . p.s. this the first time i ever left a comment thank you again ..
Elias! Thank you for your lovely comment! And for your follow too! I’m honoured that your first ever comment has been on one of my posts. I’m very happy that my recipes have been useful to you – actually, I write them BECAUSE I want them to be helpful for you 🙂
Best,
Riz
I made these this morning and they were perfect! I love the vanilla and the bit of sweetness to them.
★★★★★
Thanks Mandy!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I’ve been using this recipe for a long time, and have made these pancakes for clients all over Europe!! Always works, and so simple! Thankyou so much 🙂
Hey Rob! That’s amazing to hear, thank you for commenting! You’re very, very, welcome! I hope you make your clients some of my other recipes too! 🙂
Hey there,
I made mine with the exact same recipe you just posted and let me tell you the result is epiiic it was so fluffy and delicious and i only topped it with butter it was mazing thank you for it .
★★★★★
That sounds AMAZING, Amina!!! So glad they turned out so fluffy and delicious!
I have been trying loads of pancake recipes to try and get the perfect pancakes and these are legit the BEST pancakes I have ever made which was also approved by my kids and wife thank you soo much for the recipe
Thanks so much for the lovely comment, Jon! I’m super happy to hear the wife and kids have approved the recipe!!! 😀
Hello Riz. We had fluffy pancakes for 01/01/2020 breakfast, thanks to you. I followed the steps but I used cardamon powder instead of vanilla extract and margarine instead of butter.
Hi there Nandi! Happy New Year! And thank you for using my recipe for the first breakfast of the year. I really appreciate it! (And the cardamon powder variation sounds delicious!)
What makes them so fluffy? Baking powder?
Hey Denise! The fluffiness comes from a combination of properly proportioned ingredients, heat management, and general technique 🙂
Hi Riz,
Just want to say thank you for your delicious fluffy pancake recipe. I had made it for my husband’s dessert for Valentine’s (well for myself and kids too lol) and this just topped our day off. Served with ice cream and maple syrup. The best pancakes I’ve made 😋
★★★★★
Pancakes with ice cream and maple syrup…that’s one of my favourite things in the whole wide world! I’m so glad you have a lovely Valentine’s Day with the family, Elizabeth! And thank you for using my fluffy pancake recipe! I’m truly overjoyed that it was a part of a such a lovely day.
I have used this recipe for quite sometime, ever since I’ve been cooking breakfast for my boyfriend—now my husband of almost a year!
I have forgot to tag you in my Instagram post. So while I’m making it today for breakfast, I would like you to know I’ve been making your recipe.
It’s not like Japanese fluffiest but yes it’s one fluffy pancake to me!!
Hi Deby!!! Thanks so much!! I’m so glad this pancake recipe could be a part of your breakfast routine!!
(By the way…you know there’s a Fluffy Japanese Pancake recipe on the site too, right? 🙂 )
Love ..love..love the recipe….I added a bit of cinnamon in the batter and it was absolutely amazing…better than the ones I eat at the cafe 🙂
Thanks so much for commenting Pam! A pinch of cinnamon sounds like the perfect addition 🙂
How many pancakes does it actually make?
Hi there! It’ll depend on how much batter you use for each pancake. If you follow the directions in the recipe post, then I typically get 6-7 pancakes from this.
i know this is a bit off subject but wtching th maple syrup poor at the end on the pancake was sooooo satasfying,
LOL! Thanks Audrey! I actually feel EXACTLY the same way… watching maple syrup pours is one of my favourite things! 🙂
Really great pancakes. I was craving fluffy pancakes and stumbled across your recipe. Thanks so much.
★★★★★
Ah!! YAAY! I’m glad you stumbled over! Hope you find your way back soon! 🙂
Hi riz! I’ve used this recipe for awhile now but always halved the measurements Cos was making for just one. Today , I followed the recipe exactly as had a bigger party . There was a strong baking soda taste in the pancakes ! Perhaps the 2 teaspoons of baking soda mustn’t be heaped . On the flip side, they rose so beautifully I could literally see them heightening in the pan… and nobody else noticed the taste Cos they doused it in syrup haha
Hey there! Yes, the baking powder should be leveled teaspoons. But I’m glad to hear they rose well and that you’ve been using this pancake recipe for a while now!
Best pancakes I ever tasted!!!!
Yaay! Thank you so much for saying so!
Hi!
I’m sorry to say I had serious trouble with this recipe. I make pancakes successfully often enough that I’m surprised these turned out hard and pale. They tasted ok but were lead weights.
Since I’m dairy/gluten free due to allergies, I swapped in gluten free flour, ghee and macadamia nut milk which created a thin batter, not thick at all.
I did add more flour to thicken it up a bit.
So my question is what did I do wrong? Is it due to the gluten free flour or? Could it have been the nut milk? I do make gluten dairy free pancakes regularly so not sure what the issue was. Any thoughts? Thanks!
★★★
Hi Luna…this recipe isn’t designed to be gluten-free. The reason it didn’t work is that you swapped out all of the core ingredients (unfortunately, swapping these is not always simple matter of a 1:1 swap).
I do have a gluten-free pancake recipe coming to the blog soon-ish, so check back from time and time, and hopefully there will be something for you 🙂
OH MY GOODNESSSS, they are so easy but sooo good! I nearly cried. Thank you for sharing. I’m your fan number 1 now!
Awww, thank you so much Helena!!! That’s such a lovely thing to say, I hope you’ll come back soon, and try out some of the other recipes here too! 🙂
MADE IT WITH MY WIFE ON PANCAKE DAY. EXCELLENT RECIPE. EXCELLENT AND HELPFUL TIPS. VERY FLUFFY PANCAKES!
★★★★★
Happy Pancake Day to you both! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and found the tips helpful! 🙂
These pancakes were fluffy, but the vanilla and sugar will be omitted next time I make this recipe and I will add a pinch of salt.
★★★
Thanks for commenting, Patti! Sounds good, it’ll make for a much for savoury flavour.
Love this recipe , easy n quick will never buy box stuff again !
★★★★★
Thanks for commenting, Jeannette! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Make sure to try out a few of the other pancakes too, I think you’ll enjoy them!
Made this for my family this morning! It is probably the best pancake I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Thanks so much for the recipe! 😀
★★★★★
Hi there! You’re very welcome, I’m so happy you all enjoyed it! Hope to see you again soon 🙂
my pancakes were very thin
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear this, Lily. I’d suggest going through the Tips section in this post to see if there’s anything that can help you there. Good luck!
I’m not sure what I did wrong as I followed the recipe. The pancakes were a bit bland and tasteless. Even with added chocolate chips and lots of butter.
Hey Hayley, I’m not sure! This is designed to be a base fluffy pancake recipe so it’s not got any special flavour to it…you could try adding some more sugar, or maple syrup is always a good start!
I’ve used this recipe many times with many different outcomes. What I’ve come to realize is this…follow the recipe exactly. Don’t over mix. The heat of the kitchen will change the fluffiness of the pancakes. I’ve found that the batter should be refrigerated during the cooking process. Put the main bowl of batter in the fridge while using scoops of batter for making the pancakes. It’s science. The heat and the humidity will cause flat pancakes if the batter is left out while cooking. This is the best recipe i’ve found for fluffiness and taste. THANK YOU!!!!
★★★★★
Hey Daniel!! Thank you so much for your comment. This is exactly what I’m trying to get across in the post! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! We have officially dubbed this our go-to pancake recipe after a lot of searching. Also, thank you for the automatic doubling and tripling feature, I appreciated not having to math. 🙂
Hi Celia! Thank YOU for trying the recipe and for commenting! I look for any opportunity to avoid math, that feature is there as much for me as it is everyone else! haha!
I was on auto pilot and added 2 eggs, separated and whipped the whites. I also gave the milk/yolk/butter mixture a while with the hand mixer and it got so fluffy and frothy. My combined batter was like a cloud! And the pancakes were light and fluffy as can be!
Woohoo! That sounds amazing, Jo! I think that autopilot style of cooking is when I make my best food too…I think of it as “being in the flow” 🙂
Really fluffy and nice.
My toddler loved them! Thank you!
Hi Mahtab,
I’m so glad you and your toddler enjoyed the pancakes!!! Hope to see you here again soon!
These were DELICIOUS! The lower heat makes a huge difference. I was kind of irked to have to scroll through the whole post but then, intrigued enough to go back and read it. Worth it! I’m looking forward to trying the Japanese fluffy pancakes soon 🙂
★★★★★
Hey Lisa! Thanks so much!!
So, readers scrolling through our posts is one of the key ways we earn money as bloggers, and it’s also important as it helps us provide all the information on a recipe…BUT – for days when you just don’t feel like reading or are in a rush, there’s a Jump to Recipe link at the very top of all my posts (right under the post title). Clicking that will take you straight to the recipe 🙂
I hope you enjoy the Japanese pancakes recipe too!!
So tasty! I tripled it to freeze and they still turned out great!
★★★★★
Hi Sara! That’s awesome, I’ve never tried freezing the recipe, but I’m glad to hear it worked out for you!
Riz
Sit-in breakfast places shut down due to pandemic. Crazy pancake craving kicks in full gear. Oh the irony. So glad I found you and your awesome recipe…..made it tonight at 9 pm (because you know, cravings don’t care that all the dishes have been washed and put away and prefer to grace you with their presence at the most inopportune moment). Made the recipe just as you have it, no tweaks or changes. They turned out great. My new go-to…I thank you from the very bottom of my clean plate 😉
★★★★★
LOL! Hello Rachel! Thank you for your hilarious comment, I feel exactly the same way…those cravings are a mischievous bunch!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, and I hope you’ll pass by again soon! Maybe even try out some of the other recipes on the blog too? 🙂
Thank you soo much !! of course the first one got a little burnt, but then it was soft and fluffy and gold and so delicious. definetly my new go-to recipe !
★★★★★
Hello!!! So happy to hear this! And so glad you got past that first burnt one!
Thanks for this recipe Riz, its really good and fluffy. Perfect Saturday breakfast. I like putting coconut in some and blueberries in others, they really are the bomb! Thanks again 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Lily, thanks so much for commenting! You know, I’ve never tried adding coconut to my pancakes…it’s something I’ll have to try now that you’ve suggested it! Thanks!
the first time I made them they turned out perfect but the second time it was not a success like the first time I made them
Thank you for sharing your recipe and I guess it was because the butter, it was not melted completely.
It Tasted AMAZING. thanks
★★★★
Hi Omar,
Thanks for your comment! So glad to hear you enjoyed them….yes, not melting the butter might’ve been the cause 🙂 Good luck for next time!
Super easy. Super tasty. Super everything.
★★★★★
Hi Sacha! Thanks so much for your SUPER comment! 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them!
Didn’t work at all.
Followed recipe to a T and had condensed, ridged and flat pancakes.
It’s a no for me, Dogg.
Hey there BK! I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work for you! I’m not sure what went wrong, but wishing you a happy pancake breakfast soon!
I’ wondering if this recipe can be made with low fat milk.Thank you
Hi Bonnie,
Using low fat milk will affect the fluffiness of the pancakes. However, if that part is not an absolute necessity for you, you can still get nice pancakes using low fat milk. 🙂
I really love it. Is so so fluffy pancakes.. 🥞🥞
★★★★★
Thank you so much!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!! Hope you come back soon and try out some more recipes! 🙂