Sour cream pancakes are a perfect way to start the day. Without the need for buttermilk or the headache of a making a meringue base, you can quickly whip up a batch of wonderfully soft and airy pancakes with that melt-in-your-mouth magic to them.
Truth be told, bestieโฆI really love these sour cream pancakes. I mean, more than many of my other pancake recipes - I know, I know. I shouldn't play favourites. But it's true. These glorious little babies are easy to whip up, taste great, and they really just make me happy.
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What are sour cream pancakes
Sour cream pancakes utilise the sour cream as a substitute for buttermilk - meaning there is no other milk product required for this recipe. The end result is a fluffy pancake that is also soft and full of moisture. The relatively scarce amount of flour allows for a much lighter finished product (say goodbye to your gluten coma, and hello to freshness!). Compared to your traditional buttermilk pancake, that sour cream pancakes don't puff up as much, but tend to be more moist. And, in my opinion, are more flavourful too.
(I'm sorry if you're one of those people that hates the word, moist. But I really don't have any other way to describe themโฆI mean, would you rather I said they were "more not dry"? Exactly. Moist.)
Tips for great sour cream pancakes
Most pancake recipes tend to follow the same rules. These are no different. I've written about them in detail in some of my other pancake posts, but here's the gist of it.
- The batter should be lumpy. Overmixing is death to fluffiness.
- Don't skip the part where you need to let the batter rest. It's important.
- Be careful when turning the pancake over. This needs to be a delicate turn, and not an impressive flip.
If you're new to the kitchen or you've not cooked anything in a while, you'll definitely want a reminder on how to read a recipe post properly before getting started.
Can I make these pancakes ahead of time
You can prepare the batter the night before, and then cook the pancakes in the morning. (The batter can be prepared up to 2 days in advance though.)
If already cooked, the pancakes can be individually wrapped and frozen for up to a month. However, I believe some of the airy texture is lost in this process.
What if I don't have any sour cream?
You can replace sour cream with an equal amount of full fat Greek yoghurt. The results won't be exactly the same, but you will have a tasty pancake (and obviously, it will no longer be a sour cream pancake).
If you want to replace with milk or buttermilk, I'd recommend checking out one of my other pancake recipes.
Can you substitute sour cream for milk in pancakes
In case you’re wondering about the opposite – whether you can substitute sour cream for milk in your regular pancake recipe, the answer is still no. (Sorry!)
The consistency is very different leading to entirely different ingredient ratios. So please don’t just swap out milk for sour cream, use a dedicated sour cream pancake recipe for the best results!
What toppings to add
The sky is the limit. I think a pat of butter and some warm maple syrup are magical. But if you're feeling fancier, you can whip some leftover sour cream with a little maple syrup. Alternatively, fruits are always a great way to go!
More great pancake recipes to try
Here are a few more pancake recipes that I know you'll love, bestie:
- Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes - no buttermilk required for this great recipe.
- Japanese Souffle Pancakes - the softest, fluffiest pancakes you ever did see.
- Blackberry Pancakes with Brown Sugar Butter - elegant restaurant- style pancakes to woo the breakfast table.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes - pure indulgence right here.
- Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes - can't go wrong with a classic, right?
Helpful tools
The links below are an affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase using them, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. And that would be so very lovely of you. Thank you.
One of the best things about having pancakes in the morning is that you don't need a bunch of fancy equipment to get started. However, if you're into perfectly circular pancakes, it would be helpful to use a pancake mould.
If you made this sour cream pancakes recipe, drop me a comment below and tell me what you think. If you've tried them before, tell me how you think they compare to regular ol' pancakes.
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๐ Recipe
Sour Cream Pancakes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 pancakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Sour cream pancakes are a perfect way to start the day. Without the need for buttermilk or the headache of a making a meringue base, you can quickly whip up a batch of wonderfully soft and airy pancakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- ยฝ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 ยฝ tsp baking soda
- Salt, a pinch
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Butter, for frying
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, gently combine the sour cream with the dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Whisk in the egg mixture until just combined. (Again, be careful not to over mix! A lumpy batter is the goal.),
- Refrigerate the batter for at least 10 minutes, ideally 20 minutes to an hour.
- Heat a griddle over medium-low heat and melt some butter in the pan. Pour in the batter using generous ยผ cup servings. Cook the first side until bubbles start to form on the surface, and the edges begin to brown. Gently flip, and cook for another minute or two. (Pancakes will be a little on the soft side – that's okay, it's what you want.) Repeat for all the pancakes. Serve 'em up with maple syrup and a pat of softened butter.
Notes
For best results, make sure to use regular sour cream (none of that fancy low fat sour cream).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Princess
Tried this recipe because I didn’t have any sour cream. The final product tastes like slightly sweet scrambles eggs to me and I followed the instructions to the T. Any tips?
Riz
Hi there,
Unfortunately, this recipe can’t be made without the sour cream (it’s a pretty integral part). Without the sour cream, you just have eggs with flour, sugar and vanilla, which is why it tasted like sweet scrambled eggs. Hope that helps!
Vera Moore
I made these this morning but only needed 1/2 c sour cream to 1/2 c flour and 2 jumbo sized eggs, a little extra on the vanilla. Perfect consistency, but I assume because the eggs were extra big and one with double yolk lol.
Riz
Sounds like the perfect adjustments. Thanks for sharing, Vera! I’m glad you enjoyed it – Happy New Year!