Simple, soft, fluffy pancakes, an essential that everyone should know. You’ve been good all week. Go on. You deserve freshly made homemade pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!
Pancakes recipe
Homemade pancakes shouldn’t be complicated. It doesn’t matter if they come out wonky or with a splotchy surface instead of being a beautiful, even golden brown – after all, they’ll get smothered in toppings.
But they should be soft and fluffy. And in my world, not too sweet. Because….you know. Toppings. Load up on toppings!
Any day starting with homemade pancakes is a GREAT day!
What goes in homemade pancakes
This is what you need:
flour
baking powder
sugar
egg
milk
vanilla extract – optional
No buttermilk, no baking soda / bi carb, no yoghurt. You only need baking soda for an extra fluff boost when you have add ins in pancakes, like Blueberry Pancakes, because it weighs the batter down.
And of course TOPPINGS! Why limit yourself to just butter and maple syrup? See below for all sorts of ideas!
Pancakes Toppings – what to put on pancakes
Butter and maple syrup – the classic!
Maple syrup alternatives – honey, golden syrup and other sweet syrups suitable for eating raw
Lemon and sugar – one of my favourites! Light sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon
Strawberries and cream! Pictured below – layer it up like a cake, sandwiching the pancakes with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, then finish with a dusting of icing sugar / powdered sugar;
Sinfully rich sauces – like caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, butterscotch sauce, peanut sauce, anything!
Lemon curd, fruit compotes and sauces – like blueberry sauce (try the one in this Blueberry Cheesecake), Strawberry Sauce (use the one in this Strawberry Cheesecake) or try the warm apple topping in this Apple French Toast
BACON and maple syrup – YES!
Sprinkle of nuts
Fresh fruit – chop it, pile over pancakes with cream!
Ice cream – add a scoop onto a stack and drizzle with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce. Don’t forget the whipped cream!
Dusting of cinnamon and sugar
Pro tip: Keep a STANDBY PANCAKE MIX!
Homemade pancakes aren’t complicated to make, but sometimes it’s that much more appealing if there’s a ready made mix in the cupboard, just like the ones you can buy at the store!
Just measure out the dry ingredients and pop them in a ziplock bag, jar or airtight container, then when you want to make fresh pancakes, just add the wet ingredients!
To make a handy shake ‘n pour bottle like pictured above, you’ll need a 1.5L/1.5Qt+ bottle to leave enough headroom for the required liquids + shaking. I mix the wet ingredients in a jug then pour it in then shake away!
Now, go forth and elevate your morning by making a big stack of these soft, fluffy, golden pancakes! TELL ME what you top YOURS with! – Nagi xx
Watch How To Make It
Simple Fluffy Pancakes recipe video!
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Simple, Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain / all purpose flour (Note 1)
- 4 tsp baking powder NOT baking soda / bi-carb (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup white sugar (caster / super fine is best but not essential)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg (~50g / 2oz in shell)
- 1 3/4 cups cups milk (any type, any fat %)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 4 tsp butter , for cooking
Instructions
- Whisk dry – Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl, whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients – Add egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk until lump free – no longer than 30 seconds.
- Melt then wipe off most butter – Heat a non-stick pan – use medium heat if you have a strong stove, medium high if you have a weak one. Add a tiny bit of butter (about 1/2 tsp) and swirl to melt. Use paper towel to mostly wipe the butter off (this is the trick to avoid a dodgy 1st pancake).
- Pour 1/4 cup batter into the middle of the fry pan (I use a slightly heaped ice cream scoop with lever, standard is 1/4 cup).
- Cook – Swirl pan lightly to spread or use the ice cream scoop edge to spread into 11cm / 4.5" circle (ruler is a must) (joking!). When bubbles rise to the surface (see video), flip and cook the other side until golden.
- Keep warm and repeat – Remove the pancake and keep warm in a low oven. Use more butter every 2 to 3 pancakes – depends how good your non stick coating is.
- Serve with toppings of choice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More pancake recipes
Giant Pancakes – to share!
Pikelets – mini pancakes!
Life of Dozer
I’m surprised there isn’t a massive drool hanging from his mouth.
Oh wait. I don’t want to gross you out, but after I wrote this post, I almost slipped on a puddle of drool when I was cleaning that area. Ewwwwww!
Excellent- I had never been able to make them so round and golden! Thanks Nagi!
You’re so welcome! x
Wow so easy and delicious! We ran out of our normal store bought mix and then I thought, Nagi will have these on her blog! You never fail to deliver. Thanks for sharing. Delicious!
Great pancakes! Texture was perfect. Next time I would add a little more salt. Otherwise, excellent recipe and easy to make! Thank you 🙂
These were a total hit at our house! They had awesome fluff and great flavor. Even my little guy with sensory difficulties loved them. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You’re so welcome Jamie! Glad you and your little guy enjoyed it 🙂 N x
Made this pancake today Nagi. It is very good 😍. thanks again for the recipe.
That’s terrific Sheila! Drowned in maple?? 👻
I’ve tried it with all-purpose flour this is a truly phenomenal recipe! My parents are flying in tomorrow morning so I’m planning on making a second batch with whole wheat flour! Will for sure let everyone know how it goes!
P.s. they freeze like a charm <3
These pancakes get 5 stars for being super fluffy and have a great mouth-feel. However, they are too sweet for my taste. Can the sugar be reduced without compromising the fluffiness?
So glad you liked these Casey! Absolutely just reduce sugar to your taste 🙂 N xx
This was the first time I tried to do fluffy pancakes 🥞
N they turned out perfectly 😃😃
I add some chopped bananas to d mixture too..
Thankuu very much for the recipe 👍👍
LOVE HEARING THAT Shaki! N x ❤️
It’s was prefect !!! looking for fluffy pancake without buttermilk for ages, this one is the best! my baby girl loves it so much too! Thanks Nagi!!
So glad you both enjoyed this Yy! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Simple and delicious! Way better than from a box. I love your recipes!
That’s terrific to hear Heather! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
This recipe made an absolutely perfect pancake. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Nagi! I made this for breakfast and it was really fluffy!! 😋 Can I freeze my left over batter or I just cook everything and freeze the cooked pancake? Thank you! 🙂
So great to hear that Kate! Sorry for the late response, guess I’m too late but yes please cook them then freeze! N x
These pancakes come out perfectly every time! All of your recipes are reliable, easy and very tasty. Thank you
Terrific to hear Andrea!! So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
I made these today, and it was my first time having success with a diy pancake mix. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
Great to hear Gia! Thank you very much for leaving a review – N x ❤️
I may be 13 and all but I love to cook I’ve tried many recipes but they honestly didn’t turn out well it could have also been the pan I don’t know but I have something else better to cook my things it seems it will do good so yeah! i am making these pancakes for everyone in my house but thank you for this recipe :]
WOAH! You’re amazing Christina, no way was I cooking properly at 13!! N x
:] I’ve started cooking when I was 8 it wasn’t good but at least I tried but thank you for responding back. :]
This recipe looks really good! I need to try it asap!!:)
Hope you do! N xx
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been searching for a good pancake recipe for ages, and each one has been a failure, except this. I added 1/4 cup more milk and a tbsp of water for consistency, but that’s it. They came out moist, fluffy and soft. Thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear Katie!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
Our son asked for fluffy pancakes for dinner tonight of which I was noted mine are not! So I just found your recipe and getting ready to prepare as hubby makes bacon. Going to add Nutella, fresh strawberries and whip cream when they are done. I doubt I will need to let you know how they turned out 😋. I did however use wheat flour extra fine. Thank you for sharing ❤❤
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Christine! Thank you for sharing your feedback. 🙂 N x
This is SUCH a great recipe!! I’ve tried a couple of pancake recipes but none of them came out as fluffy as these ones! Definitely using this recipe from now on 😀 Thank you so much!~
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the great review Sarah! N xx
This recipe sounds lovely, thank you. 3 questions, can the mixture be made up and left in the fridge to cook later e.g. 4 hours later; and once made can the pancakes be stored in the fridge and once cooked can the pancakes be frozen? thanks for help.
Hi Rita! No to the batter – it will thicken and the rising agent will suffer, once cooked yes to fridge and freezer! N xx