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Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes

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A Pinterest-optimised image with two photos of the fluffy pancakes stacked on plates, separated by text.

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!

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.

A dark moody photo of large, fluffy, pancakes on a dark blue plate.
This is what moody pancakes look like.

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!

fluffy pancakes, pancakes, flour, sifting, fat pancakes, flapjacks, thick pancakes, sifting flour, sift,
Sifting flour is a beautiful thing. It’s like making snow fall… And then turning it into a cake.

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):

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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!”).

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The faster you cook, the sooner you eat!

Other No-Buttermilk Pancake Recipes You Need to Check Out

Here are four other amazing pancake recipes that don’t require any buttermilk at all. Each one is unique, and delicious!

Golden maple syrup being drizzled on a pat of butter on top a stack of fluffy pancakes.
Maple syrup over a pat of butter. Yes, please!

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!)

A delicious stack of five extra fluffy pancakes stacked atop a blue plate.

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.

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!

A stack of fat fluffy pancakes on a white plate with a blurred out background.
It’s easy to add chocolate chips, just fold a few handfuls into your batter (but for maximum fluffiness, you’ll gently place them into the pancake as it cooks!). Mmm… look at that delicious chocolate!

Let’s Reminisce

Three Years Ago: Baked French Toast
Two Years Ago: Cream Puff Swans (Choux Pastry)
One Year Ago: Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Print
A photo of five super thick and fluffy pancakes stacked atop one another on a blue plate.

Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes

★★★★★

4.6 from 232 reviews

  • Author: Riz | Chocolates & Chai
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 6–7 Pancakes 1x
Print Recipe

Description

A surefire recipe to make fat and fluffy pancakes, without any buttermilk or special ingredients.

Scale

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

  1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and mix well.
  2. 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!
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I found your recipe a while ago and have been using it ever since. Love it! My family and friends think I’m a master pancake maker 😂🥞 Thank you for sharing 😊👍

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Haha, that’s amazing Daiva!! You ARE a pancake master! I hope you check out a few other recipes, and then you can impress everyone all over again!

      Reply

  2. Very Nice pancake, I do mini pankcake and my family loved it.

    Why milk 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp , 2 tbsp every time ×2 ×3.

    Thanks

    Reply

    • Hey Fahad! Thanks for commenting, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
      I think that’s actually an error from the recipe multiplication plugin/software that I’m using. I’ll drop the support team a note to let them know that happens, and hopefully they’ll fix it super quick. Thanks for letting me know!

      Reply

        • Hi Tracy,

          Yes, that’s what I use for this recipe (though some other commenters have mentioned that they feel 3/4 cups is enough – some have speculated that kitchen humidity plays a part in this).

          If you’re feeling super confident, you can add 3/4 cups, and see how that looks (but don’t start mixing otherwise you’ll almost definitely overmix if you need to add more), and add the additional 2 tbsp if necessary.

          Hope you enjoy it!

          Reply

    • Hey Mary! Yes…though I don’t know how ratios would change by using self rising flour and removing the baking powder. But I presume you’d still get fluffy pancakes!

      Reply

  5. Turned out great and fluffy. I used cooking oil instead, but they still turned out great. I’ve also successfully halved the recipe a few times. I do have the problem sometimes of the second side turning out a bit undercooked (but not doughy).

    I’m ready for experimenting! I’ve replaced the flour with corn flour, but the resulting batter/pancake was rather soupy/dense. I still enjoyed it though. Any suggestions for using corn flour?

    I’ve used yogurt mixed with some water. The pancake was pleasingly sweeter, but the batter and resulting pancake were much thicker than normal, though still fluffy and yummy.

    Finally, are there any good ideas for adding banana to the pancakes? I assume adding sliced banana into the pancake while it’s cooking? What about adding banana (or even mango/whatever fruit) puree into the mix? How would I need to adjust the ratios?

    Thank you for the great recipe and advice, bestie!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hey Luke! Thanks so much for the awesome comment! Getting that heat to cook both sides perfectly can be a bit tricky, it’s something I’ve had to experience myself. But once you get it, there’s a lot of satisfaction to it! I’ve never tried it using corn flour so I’m afraid I don’t have much I can contribute on that.

      I’ve not tried mixing in a puree, I would assume it would hurt the fluffiness due to the extra mixing required to combine it all. Another commenter mentioned adding a smashed banana and everything turning out fine. I’d personally go the route of caramelising the bananas separately, and using them as a topping. Let me know what you find out! Hope to hear back from you, bestie!

      Reply

  6. These were so good! I used almond milk instead of regular milk and they turned out great! Topped with banana, walnuts, and maple syrup- so yum!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. SO GOOD. My boyfriend and I made them this morning and added a smashed banana into it. Oh my god… the perfect crust to fluff ratio. Best damn pancakes I’ve ever made. (We topped them with nutella, blueberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup… it was a ‘treat yoself’ kinda morning.)

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hi there Sydney! I’m SO HAPPY to hear you and your boyfriend enjoyed it! Nutella, blueberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup…wow! Those are a bunch of my favourite toppings!! Hope you two make a few more of my recipes!

      Reply

  8. Hi! I loved this recipe! Yet, my pancakes turned out pretty chewy and thick, not very fluffy. What am I doing wrong? When is the egg beaten right and not over beaten? and are you supposed to mix the ingredients with force (handmixer) after combining them? Or just gently scoop them together until it becomes a mix?
    thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi there! If you’re using a handmixer, you’re almost definitely going to overmix the batter. The mixing is a very delicate process, it’s really just a small number of folds with your spatula (thick, lumpy, with a few streaks of flour is perfect). Overmixing is very likely the reason your pancakes turn out chewy and thick (basically its a matter of overworking the gluten, and beating out the air)

      As for the egg, it doesn’t need to be mixed to the point of fluffing up into a meringue like thing. But you don’t want any big gooey bits of the whites left intact (similar to how you would beat eggs for an omelette). Hope that helps, Raanya!

      Reply

  10. These are AMAZING! Super fluffy. And the instructions are PERFECT. Seriously, anyone having trouble should just read through all the tips and tricks in the post!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hey Owen! Thank you for commenting!!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe AND that you found the instructions to be so helpful! This is one of those recipes where following the tips/tricks are just about as important as getting all the measurements right!

      Riz

      Reply

  11. Amazing. Pancakes have always been my Achilles heel in the kitchen. I’m telling you, I could even ruin bisquick pancakes! This recipe changes all that. Perfect, fluffy, sweet, and easy to whip up. My four year old is obsessed!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hey Lena! I’m so glad to hear it!! (Fun fact: I’ve never made Bisquick pancakes, but I’m very curious to try). Glad you and the little one enjoyed it!!

      Reply

  12. I woke up this morning really craving pancakes. But I never have any buttermilk. So I made this recipe and it was amazing. I’ve been looking for a good pancake recipe. I will use this recipe everytime i crave pancakes. Thank you!

    Reply

  13. The directive to add 2 tablespoons of milk to the 3/4 cup of milk might be a result of converting the unit of measurement. I’ve noticed this happen when a recipe from the UK or Australia is converted from measurements in volume in milliliters to volume in cups or ounces for American readers.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hey Nina! The reason I say to add 2 tbsp of milk to the 3/4 cup is because 7/8th cups don’t readily exist! So adding 2tbsp (which is 1/8th of a cup of milk) to 3/4cups is the simplest way to go 🙂 Hope that helps!

      Reply

  14. I have a flaw when it comes to cooking, and about which my family teases me on a regular basis: I can never 100% follow a recipe, and this one was no exception! It looked amazing, I loved the photos of those fluffy pancakes and was drooling over the prospect of making them; however, I also try to make things a touch healthier or whole grain so consequently I made a few changes. First off, I doubled the recipe (I freeze pancakes to have for breakfast or a snack). Then, I soaked 1 cup of whole oats in milk overnight and just used one cup of flour (instead of two, since I doubled the recipe). Then, actually, I used a scant cup of flour because I also put in about three heaping tablespoons of ground flax (plus a little extra milk) and finally, added in some home dried blueberries. Oh my word – amazing! I realize these changes may not be for everyone, but for me – fabulous. Thanks for a great “base” recipe!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  15. Super yummy! Added blueberries to make them extra yum. Weren’t as fluffy as the picture but still super fluffy and super good.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hi Linda, I’m sorry to hear your pancakes didn’t turn out fluffy! I’m not sure where things went wrong, but I’d recommend going through the Why Are My Pancakes Flat section above and seeing if any of that applies.

      Good luck!

      Reply

    • I’m a fairly accomplished cook, but these didn’t work at all. I checked my baking powder, followed the recipe exactly, but my batter was thin and the pancakes came out almost like crepes. Made a second batch thinking I must have done something wrong. Same results. I don’t think cutting the 2 T of milk will be enough to make a significant difference.
      My hubby loves fluffy pancakes. I’m so frustrated!

      Reply

      • I’m sorry to hear this! I’m not sure what the reason could…do you have a particularly humid kitchen (in which case you may need to refrigerate your batter for a bit)? Alternatively, overmixing the batter is where I’ve slipped up the most (it’s surprisingly easy to do). Hope that helps!

        Reply

  17. This recipe is fantastic, I use it weekly on a super yacht for the crew of around 30, multiplied by 6!!

    Does this recipe also work for waffles??

    Reply

    • Hey Rob! That’s awesome (and a lot of pancakes!!). Unfortunately, I’ve not tried this with waffles….do let me know if you give it a shot though!!

      Reply

  18. Finally a proper recipe for thick and fluffy pancakes. Thanks for the effort posting this. It’s my go-to from here on out 👍🕺

    Reply

    • Hi there! You can remove the vanilla extract (it won’t impact the texture/fluffiness of the pancakes), however the flavour will be slightly plain without it. You can mask this with lots of maple syrup!

      Reply

  20. These were YUMMYYYYY!!! Mine used the milk called for plus a tsp. I guess flour plays a roll too.
    Thanks for sharing 😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  22. My grands wanted pancakes this morning and I had run out of mix. My granddaughter said, well, guess we’ll have to look at pinterest. We found this recipe and made it. They loved them and they’re way better than mix. Great with blue berries !!!

    Reply

    • Hey there! Adding banana and chocolate chips to the batter would make it quite difficult to achieve the fluffiness (due to the extra mixing required). I’d recommend gently dabbing on the chocolate chips while cooking the pancakes. (You can try caramelising the bananas separately in the pan and serving alongside or on top of the pancakes too!)

      Reply

  24. If you want fluffy delicious pancakes this recipe is the absolute BEST! ! . My son Vincent and nephew Benjamin are both nine and these fluffy cakes have a a hard time making it to the table. I don’t even need to add more butter before serving! I’ve made this recipe a few times and won’t use anything else! The first time I was a little freaked out by the thick texture. I flipped lightly and was amazed how beautiful and delicious these pancakes came out! We use a small amount of WhistlePig maple syrup and the boys THINK I’m the best cook in the world! Thank you for sharing! We just had dinner for breakfast!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hi Mini, I’m afraid this recipe needs eggs to work. An eggless pancake is one of the things on my to-do list so if you’re subscribed, it may pop up in your feed one of these days!

      Reply

  26. THIS IS LITERALLY THE BEST PANCAKE RECIPE I’VE EVER MADE!!!!!! Followed it to a T and the p.cakes were so soft and fluffy. I will be using it again.

    Reply

  28. I’ve never felt compelled to leave comments on blog recipes like I have with this one. These no-buttermilk pancakes are FANTASTIC. And the tips were helpful (the nonvoilent flip cracks me up, but it was true)

    I’ve made this recipe exactly as is and I’ve also used greek yogurt in place of some of the milk. Both are delicious.

    And your blog is well-written without fluff. Very helpful.

    Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hi Leanne! Thank you so much for commenting! I’m so happy to hear that the tips (the nonviolent flip is key! lol!) were helpful to you 🙂 Wishing you a very happy pancake future!

      Reply

  29. Absolutely awesome. Easy to follow and easy to make. You changed my life. Btw adding blueberries is the bomb!

    Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  32. I tried this recipe and it came out wonderful. Light and fluffy and very tasty. My nephew ate 4 at once. Thanks for the recipe

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  33. This is honestly the only pancake recipe I use anymore. I’ll be immigrating to France, and watching a lot of French cooking shows to work on the language, and every time I see one of them make pancakes I start to cringe because they start to beat the batter like it’s a meringue, hahahahhaha, I swear I only see Europeans do it, I should watch other non-North American cooks try to make them and see if it’s the same. Anyways, I always leave a comment referring them to this page.

    Reply

  34. i love this pancakes even i am beginner chef but my family thought it will turns horrible and instead they loved
    thanks for sharing

    Reply

    • Hey Sara! Welcome to the world of cooking! So glad to hear your pancakes turned out great! Hopefully you’ll experiment with many more recipes, and maybe even share some with me 🙂

      Reply

  36. Ohhhhh WOW! I just finished making these pancakes & they are the FLUFFIEST & MOST DELICIOUS pancakes I have EVER eaten or made! 😀 I used Almond milk, as I don’t use or drink cow milk & they STILL came out amazing! (: .The last time I made pancakes they came out like crepes, instead! Lol Great recipe & tips! This will be my ‘go to’ pancake recipe from now on! (: Thanks! 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Hi there! I honestly couldn’t tell you as I’m not familiar with your griddle…but usually something on the slightly lower end works well!

      Reply

  38. Excellent colour. Just the right amount of sweetness (for my taste) and vanilla flavour. Best of all a delightful, light honeycomb texture. Thank you. This is now my favourite pancake recipe. (Being a Scot, I enjoyed your pancakes with butter and thick-cut marmalade for tea.) Delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Ahh Alastair! Thank you so much!!! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed them (and I love the way you described them “light honeycomb texture”)!

      Reply

  39. I halved the recipe (except used a whole egg) and used oat milk. Holy mog, these were the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever made! I’ve been settling for flat pancakes for 30 years. What an amazing recipe and cooking tips. I think I’ve been overmixing all these years. Thank you so much!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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