Made with common ingredients already hiding in your pantry, these Old Fashioned Pancakes are soft, tender, fluffy, and so easy to make! Just whisk the ingredients together, let the batter rest, then cook and serve the most perfect homestyle pancakes with a dollop of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. Perfect for lazy Sunday mornings!
Weekends are all about that breakfast spread, am I right? And what breakfast spread is complete without a stack of the best, soft and fluffy, old fashioned pancakes? None. None at all. Ok, let's be real. You don't have to wait for the weekends to have Pancakes, because they just about 15 minutes to prepare and make from scratch. So basically any day is pancake day, and I am all about it.
One of the best parts about making homemade pancakes is the balance of simplicity and flavor. They're so easy to make, yet they taste way better than you'd expect for such simple ingredients. Plus, pancakes made from scratch are leaps and bounds better than any boxed mixes. These good old-fashioned pancakes are the best pancakes: sky-high, so tender, and fluffy with just a hint of sweetness. They're absolutely delicious with some fresh fruit, your favorite toppings, and a nice hot cup of coffee!
Why You'll Love These Old Fashioned Pancakes
- Fluffy and delicious. The secret to tender, fluffy pancakes is to use real milk, melted butter, and a little egg. The fat in the milk and butter adds a soft, tender texture, and the egg will help hold the batter together. These are the real deal — no box of Bisquick here!
- Feeds a crowd. Heat up a large griddle and make several pancakes at the same time! You can easily feed a small army (or a hungry family) in a very short amount of time.
- So easy to make. This old-fashioned pancake recipe uses a two-bowl method. Just sift the dry ingredients together in one bowl, whisk the wet together in another, then mix them together. Give the mix a little time to relax, then griddle to perfection. Breakfast is served!
- Double the recipe. If you are serving this up for some guests or just for your own big family, consider doubling the recipe to feed more mouths. Sometimes I like to think that I won't be able to finish the whole batch of these and that I will be able to save half the batter for the next day. Unfortunately, this wishful thinking never pans out. Between my hubby and I, the whole batch gets devoured in one sitting.
Ingredients in Old-Fashioned Pancakes
The good thing about making old-fashioned pancakes, is that it requires simple refrigerator and pantry staples, so you will most likely already have all the ingredients that you need. You will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- all-purpose flour - keep it simple with regular all purpose. Other types of flour will not turn out quite the same.
- baking powder - this gives the pancakes a nice rise. Make sure it's fresh!
- white sugar - a little sweetness highlights that classic pancake flavor.
- salt - to bring out the flavor.
- whole milk - use either regular milk or buttermilk for the softest, fluffiest pancakes.
- unsalted butter - melted butter makes the batter silky smooth.
- vanilla extract
- egg - use a room temperature egg when possible.
- vegetable oil - to keep the pancakes from sticking to the pan. Cooking spray will work, too.
- butter and maple syrup - Serve with butter and pure maple syrup on the side.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a large mixing bowl, whisk, paper towel, and a large frying pan or your favorite griddle.
How to Make the Best Old Fashioned Pancakes
Pancakes are so easy to make. It takes 5 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to let the batter sit, and another 5 minutes to cook. Sure, you could use a box of prepared pancake mix, which takes about the exact same time, but the results will not be same. We all know that homemade from scratch is just so much better. You end up with tastier and fluffier pancakes! I seriously didn't realize what pancakes tasted like until I stopped using boxed mixes.
Here's all you need to do:
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, vanilla and egg.
- Mix together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined (will be lumpy). Do not overmix. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
- Cook. Dampen a paper towel with vegetable oil and rub on a large frying pan or griddle. Heat pan over medium heat and add pancake batter using a ¼ measuring cup. Pour as many as fit in your pan or griddle. Cook for 1-2 minutes until small bubbles have begun to form on the surface and edges and the pancake is golden brown. Flip the pancake over and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the other side is also golden brown.
- Repeat. Repeat until batter is used up.
- Serve. Serve with pats of butter on top, a drizzle of maple syrup, and/or fruit.
Recipe Variations
- Use buttermilk. Buttermilk pancakes are extra fluffy, as the acid in the milk will react with the baking soda in the baking powder for an extra rise.
- Sprinkle some mix-ins. Once the first pancakes are on the griddle, sprinkle some fresh blueberries, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or other mix-ins for extra flavor.
- Elevate the toppings. Instead of regular maple syrup, use an infused maple syrup or one aged in bourbon barrels. You can also cook down fresh or frozen blueberries for a homemade blueberry sauce. This option is especially great with a little whipped cream!
How to Serve Pancakes
These Old Fashioned Pancakes are delicious served on their own for breakfast or part of a bigger brunch spread. Pair them with some of my favorite breakfast dishes including:
- Egg and Potato Breakfast Casserole
- Hash Browns
- Glazed Lemon Blueberry Scones
- French Toast
- Quick and Easy Butter Croissants
- Mediterranean Scrambled Eggs
- Fruit Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing
For more brunch recipes, see our 40+ Best Brunch Ideas.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don't overmix. It seems counter-intuitive, but you actually don't want to whisk out all the lumps in your pancake batter. The extra mixing can cause your batter to become dense and ruin the fluffy texture. Keep it a little lumpy!
- Let it rest. I highly recommend allowing the pancake mix to rest for at least 10 minutes after whisking. This really brings everything together and allows those lumpy bits to soften perfectly.
- Use a hot skillet. We've all accidentally poured the pancake batter too soon or too late, giving us either soggy, undercooked pancakes or scorched ones destined for the trash. Don't rush! Set the pan over medium or medium-high heat and hold your hand over it. You should feel the heat radiating up from the hot skillet. This is when you want to pour your first pancake.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Allow the pancakes to cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To keep them from sticking, you can set a small sheet of parchment paper between each one.
How to Reheat
There are several ways to reheat pancakes. If you need breakfast quickly, pop them in the microwave for about a minute. They can become overly soft or a little soggy like this, though. For a better texture, toast the pancakes in a large skillet over medium heat or bake them in the toaster oven at 350 degrees F for a few minutes.
How to Freeze
Leftover pancakes freeze really well! For best results, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between each one and stack them in an airtight container. Freeze for 2-3 months and thaw in the fridge before reheating.
FAQ
The tallest, fluffiest pancakes are made with milk or buttermilk. These liquids will make the batter quite thick, which leads to a really fluffy texture. Water will work, but you'll get a much lighter pancake without the tall, fluffiness of traditional pancakes. Since that's kind of the point, use either regular milk or non-dairy milk for the best results.
It's highly recommended! For the best pancakes, allow the batter to rest for 10-30 minutes before cooking your pancakes.
Although either can be used for cooking, butter burns at a much lower temperature than oil. If this happens, your pancakes will absorb the browned and burnt milk solids, which gives them a black, dirty look on the outside. They can still be eaten, but they aren't nearly as appetizing. Use either vegetable oil or a neutral cooking oil that can tolerate high temperatures, like coconut oil or avocado oil.
More Pancake Recipes
- Blueberry Pancakes
- Mini Pancakes (Silver Dollar Pancakes)
- Applesauce Pancakes
- Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Gingerbread Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
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