Buttermilk Pancakes from Scratch
Buttermilk Pancakes are one of those things worth making from scratch, and this batter comes together in about the time it takes the skillet to heat up. One bowl of dry, one bowl of wet, stir them together, and you’re cooking. No mix, no fuss, and they taste like pancakes are supposed to taste! If you don’t have buttermilk you can STILL make these!
Scratch made buttermilk pancakes are TALL. That’s the first thing you notice. The buttermilk and the baking soda get together in the bowl and start working before the batter ever hits the pan. They cook up soft all the way through with just a little crisp around the edges. I like to use brown sugar instead of white and it gives them a faint caramel-y taste.
These come together FAST too. Like you can think about making them, decide to make them, and then suddenly you’re eating soft fluffy pancakes. One bowl for the dry, one for the wet, no mixer, no resting, no waiting around for anything.
Here’s the thing I want you to remember about pancake batter: lumpy is good! Stir the wet into the dry just until things come together, and leave the lumps and a few flour streaks alone. If you beat the batter smooth, you’ll get tough, flat cracker style pancakes every time. I know it feels wrong to stop stirring when it still looks messy, but that’s exactly when you should stop.
Ingredients for Scratch Buttermilk Pancakes
You probably have everything for these already. Buttermilk is the only thing that isn’t in most pantries and you can STILL make these even if you don’t have it. I’ve got a replacement that makes them easy to make whether or not you have buttermilk on hand, keep reading!
- all-purpose flour
- brown sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- egg
- buttermilk-see notes below
- cooking oil
No salt in this recipe? I know I’m going to hear but hear me out, baking soda AND baking powder are both salty. Buttermilk is also a little salty.
Want more salt? Make a small pancake and taste it, if you think the pancakes need salt add a pinch. But I felt they were salty enough.
No buttermilk? Make your own.
Put a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup, pour in enough milk to reach the one cup line, and let it sit for about five minutes until it looks a little curdled. That’s your buttermilk. It’s thinner than the real thing and not quite as tangy, but the acid does the same job with the baking soda, and it makes good pancakes. I use this trick ALL the time!
Change These Up!
A few ways to change these up: a handful of blueberries or chocolate chips dropped onto each pancake right after you pour the batter into the pan, cook a called for in the recipe. Or try a little cinnamon stirred into the dry ingredients, that just screams fall to me but it’s good all year round. Add a splash of vanilla added to the wet ingredients. Any of these will work with the batter as written.
Got Leftovers?
To store leftovers, let the pancakes cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat them in a dry skillet over low heat or in a toaster oven until they’re warmed through. They won’t be quite as good as they were fresh out of the pan, but they’re still worth eating.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Stir together the dry ingredients and set aside
- Mix the wet ingredients together
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to mix. It can be a little lumpy or have some flour streaks in it. Just don't overmix the batter
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat
- Add a little oil or butter to the pan
- Use a 1/4 c measuring cup to scoop up the pancake batter and drop it onto the hot skillet
- Cook until bubbles appear, then flip
- Cook until the other side is lightly browned
- Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter
- Serve immediately, or make stacks and serve them in stacks
- Serve with butter, syrup, or brown sugar. Whatever you do, serve them while they're still hot for the best flavor
