The Kitchn's Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Serves a Crowd

by: Genius Recipes

January27,2016

4

19 Ratings

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Makes 18 to 20 three-inch pancakes (serves 4 to 6)

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

"My theory is that the original maker of this recipe was supposed to beat the egg white but either forgot or decided to skip the step. And, to be honest, laziness was the reason I thought I would try it, too," Dana Velden, who's been making this recipe for over 15 years, told me."I was more than willing to not beat egg whites at 7am." For extra fluffy pancakes, buy thick, local whole-milk buttermilk when you see it. You often won't have a choice, but when you do, take it. Whichever kind of buttermilk you use, thick or thin, stirring in the egg white (not beating it) at the end gives a noticeable puff and bounce to the cakes. Recipe adapted slightly from Dana Velden via The Kitchn. —Genius Recipes

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cupsflour (Editor's note: in testing, we used 300 grams unbleached all-purpose flour)
  • 2 tablespoonssugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonsfine salt
  • 1 teaspoonbaking powder
  • 1 teaspoonbaking soda
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 2 cupsbuttermilk (for extra, extra fluffy pancakes, seek out thick, whole milk buttermilk)
  • 1/2 cupwhole milk
  • 10 tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 tablespoonCanola or refined peanut oil for frying
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 225° F and prepare a large baking sheet by setting a cooling rack inside. Place both in the oven.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, and milk. Add the melted, cooled butter and whisk until well combined.
  3. Pour the yolk and milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until barely combined. Add the egg whites and stir just until a thick batter is formed. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, film with 1/2 teaspoon of neutral oil such as canola or peanut oil. After about 30 seconds, when the oil shimmers but is not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and use a soup spoon to drop in heaping spoonfuls of pancake batter.
  5. The batter will spread into a pancake about 3 inches wide. Cook for about 2 1/2 minutes. (If the pancake scorches or the oil smokes, lower the heat.) When the bubbles that form on the edges of the pancakes look dry and airy, use a thin spatula to gently lift one side and peek underneath. If the pancake is golden brown, flip and cook on the other side for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.
  6. Remove from the skillet to the baking sheet in the oven. Wipe any stray crumbs or scraps out of the skillet with a paper towel, add a little more oil, and continue to cook the remaining batter.
  7. Recipe Note:If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can use plain yogurt instead. Just use about 2/3 cup and thin it with some milk until it reaches the 1 cup mark. You can also quickly make a buttermilk substitute by mixing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar with 2 cups of milk.

Tags:

  • Pancake
  • American
  • Buttermilk
  • Milk/Cream
  • Cheese
  • Serves a Crowd
  • Christmas
  • Summer
  • Father's Day
  • Mother's Day
  • Winter
  • Spring

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Tracy

  • Jen

  • mdelgatty

  • LauraAOK

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

56 Reviews

LauraAOK November 4, 2023

Pancake love! These pancakes are crisp outside and tender inside. I’m not normally a pancake fan but these have made me a believer.

SoCalGirl October 9, 2022

Sorry, the pancakes in the photo look kind of burnt and which seems to happen with pancakes that have sugar added to the batter. Everyone adds syrup or honey to the pancakes so why the need for sugar in the batter??? Maybe to cover the metallic taste of the baking powder/soda combo. For a classic light, fluffy, and golden (not dark brown) pancakes, look no further than the 6 ingredient Buttermilk Pancake recipe from Marion Cunningham . We call them Mary Poppin's Pancakes - Practically Perfect in Everyway. Cheers.

Amy February 26, 2022

The best pancakes ever! So delicious, light and fluffy. ❤️

bernadette.h January 10, 2021

OH. MY. GOODNESS. The BEST pancake recipe I have ever tried. Fluffy, crispy, light, flavorful. I will definitely be saving this recipe and recommending it to my friends.

mlsjazz November 1, 2020

Sadly, lackluster. Dry and lacking flavor. Did not develop the lovely golden brown of other recipes.

Liz K. November 1, 2019

These are absolutely the best pancakes. Now my son won't eat another pancake recipe.

aly May 1, 2019

didn't work at all. pancakes would not cook in the center. spent over an hour standing over a halved batch, so I expect I'd eat these for dinner if making the recommended amount.

Paul August 5, 2018

Best pancakes I have ever made. Never buying pancake mix again. Ingredients I usually have in my pantry.

Renée R. June 26, 2018

Made these last night for dinner. Added blueberries. Truly great pancakes. Will be my go to recipe. I'm able to get really nice full fat buttermilk at my supermarket. I think it made a difference. These were sensational.

Mary A. March 21, 2018

Just made these for our breakfast for dinner meal. My oh my, these were not only delicious but easy peasy to make, every last one gone. Thank you Food 52 but also thanks to the kitchn for sharing this recipe.

Tracy January 21, 2018

OMG good!! Thank you!

Veronika January 15, 2018

The dirty truth of Canola Oil: Websites that defend canola oil are barking up the wrong tree because they don't address the issue of the processing of canola oil and oxidation of the polyunsaturated component of canola oil, and formation of large amounts of free radicals, which is what makes it unhealthy for human consumption, and why it causes massive inflammation in your body and harms your cell membranes.
No way I would use Canola Oil, I would prefer olive oil or extra virgin Olive oil.

Veronika January 15, 2018

NO Canola---its been labeled as 'toxic'.....personally I would avoid Canola Oil at all costs....Canola oil is made from something called rapeseed. Rapeseed actually had to be bred over the years to reduce the percentage of a problematic component of rapeseed, which is erucic acid. one of the biggest problems with highly processed and refined vegetable oils such as corn oil, soybean oil, and yes, even canola oil, is that the polyunsaturated component of the oil is highly unstable under heat, light, solvents, and pressure, and this heavily oxidizes the polyunsaturates which increases free radicals in your body.

The end result of all of this refining and processing are oils that are highly inflammatory in your body when you ingest them, damaging your cell membranes, contributing to heart disease, weight gain, and other degenerative diseases.

txchick57 May 19, 2022

spare us the food poilce

MB M. January 7, 2018

I was lucky enough to find some local, full fat buttermilk, and I made these yesterday morning. They were fantastic, and I can't wait to enjoy the leftovers for upcoming weekday breakfasts!

SweetSusan July 30, 2017

I just made these for my daughter and son-in-law who are hunkered down upstairs with a brand new baby (my first grandchild!). I'm GF, so substituted my own GF flour blend, reduced butter to 8 tbl (GF flours don't seem to absorb as much fats as regular flour), but otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written. The pancakes were absolutely delicious!!! Enjoyed by everyone. Thank you Food 52. (P.S. And thank you for including grams for amount of flour.)

Barbara M. July 18, 2017

Came out well, though a bit hard to manage while cooking. I imagine they'll be even better (and easier to cook) next time, if I remember to get the melted butter out of the microwave... ;-)

Jen June 1, 2017

Oh these were wonderful AND I made two mistakes! I mixed the egg white into the egg yolk/milk/butter mixture rather than as the last ingredient into the bowl. And, my butter hadn't cooled enough so I had to skim off a bit of cooked egg.
But it didn't matter... they turned out fluffy and yummy!
What I did do for the oil in the pan was swirl in a bit, let it get hot, and then clean up the excess with a wadded up paper towel (so it wasn't too hot to hold).
I love it when a recipe works with mistakes, especially when a night person is attempting a breakfast. :)
Thanks for the recipe!

ginny March 10, 2017

come on people, the plural of measurements does not have the S at the end, but after the mode of measurement I.E cup, spoon.

mdelgatty March 12, 2020

Huh...?

diane March 1, 2017

My grandson and I LOVE these pancakes they are the best we have had, and we try many recipes.

tina February 17, 2017

just made these and they were perfectly fluffy. however, although i cooked them on low, i did find that they cooked on the bottom before any bubbles were rising to the surface so in the end a few pancakes didn't quite cook all of the way through. my batter was rather thick, perhaps that was the problem. am considering adding some club soda to thin them out...

The Kitchn's Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What does an extra egg do to pancakes? ›

Eggs are a crucial ingredient. They provide the cakes with the structure to hold light bubbles. Eggs also give the batter additional, richer flavor from the yolk fat. If you add too many eggs, you'll have “pancakes” that look more like custard or crepes.

Why are my buttermilk pancakes not fluffy? ›

Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.

Why are restaurant pancakes so much better than homemade? ›

Restaurants have professional griddles

The constant heat leads to a more evenly cooked pancake, that never runs the risk of having the batter poured too early. If the heat is always at the right level, it's always the correct time.

Can you use milk instead of water for buttermilk pancakes? ›

You sure can! Instead of water, you can use any kind of milk, including almond milk and coconut milk, to mix up the pancake batter. Some Makers prefer the flavor of our pancakes when you use milk instead of water.

What does butter do for pancakes? ›

Milk and butter: Milk and butter add moisture and richness to the pancakes. Egg: A whole egg lends even more moisture. Plus, it helps bind the pancake batter together.

What is the key to making fluffy pancakes? ›

Here are some tricks from the Bob's Red Mill Team:
  1. Allow the Batter to Rest. A good rule of thumb when you're wondering how to make fluffy pancakes is to let the batter rest. ...
  2. Beat the Egg Whites. ...
  3. Don't Over Mix! ...
  4. Wait for the Bubbles. ...
  5. Follow a Good Recipe.
Dec 1, 2019

Which is better for pancakes, baking soda or baking powder? ›

Baking soda is essential for baked goods, but baking powder is really what makes pancakes and biscuits rise and become so super fluffy. Double-acting baking powder, which is the kind that you'll find in the grocery store, produces bubbles in two ways: when it is mixed with wet ingredients and then when it gets heated.

Why are IHOP pancakes so good? ›

In an interview with Delish, IHOP's vice president of culinary innovation revealed that the pancake house keeps the wet ingredients “ice cold” in the prepared batter. This eliminates any heat interaction with the glutens that might cause the batter to rise prematurely.

Is it cheaper to buy pancake mix or make your own? ›

It's easy to find boxed pancake mix on sale for just a few dollars. So, if you use organic flour and organic sugar, your homemade pancake mix will cost you more. However, if you buy flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder in bulk, the cost per pancake is cheaper than a boxed mix.

What milk is best for pancakes? ›

Use Skimmed Milk to Make Your Pancake Batter

One of the easiest ways to make your pancakes healthier and less calorific is to use skimmed milk as opposed to semi-skimmed or whole milk in your batter.

Is Krusteaz better with milk? ›

A: We don't recommend using milk with our Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix, as we've found it makes the pancakes tougher and brown too quickly.

How many cups of water for 1 cup of pancake mix? ›

Most boxed pancake mixes require you to add water, but the ratio between water and mix can vary from brand to brand. Here's how much water you need to add: Hungry Jack: 1 cup of dry mix to ¾ cup of water. Krusteaz: 1 cup of dry mix to 2/3 cup of water.

What happens if you add an extra egg to batter? ›

If the batter is runny enough to drip from the bowl without a spatula, you'll know you've added too much. To fix this, Delishably instructs adding 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it thickens up. The ideal consistency will depend on what you're baking.

What does adding an extra egg do? ›

Eggs also contain a variety of proteins that create the structure of a cake, and when beaten, they can act as a leavening agent by adding air to the cake batter. However, if you add too many eggs to your cake batter, then your end result could be spongy, rubbery, or dense.

What happens if you don't add egg to pancake mix? ›

Many pancake mixes that call for water without eggs are made with starches such as cornstarch or potato starch. These help bind and thicken pancakes without eggs.

Why are my pancakes mushy inside? ›

Check Your Temperature: If you set your heat too high, the exterior will burn, but the inside of your pancakes will still be raw and soggy. Set your burner to a lower temperature to make sure that your pancakes cook evenly.

References

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