Homemade Pancake Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Rise and shine! This easy homemade pancake recipe delivers the perfect pancakes—fluffy inside, crispy outside, and way better than store-bought mixes.
This homemade pancake recipe, adapted from The New York Times Cookbook, has been a beloved staple in my kitchen since my kids were little—and for good reason. Made with pantry staples I always have on hand, the pancakes turn out perfectly fluffy with crispy, golden edges every time.
They’re delicious on their own but also easy to customize with your favorite add-ins. When my kids were younger, I’d sprinkle in chocolate chips for a fun treat. These days, I love adding fresh or frozen blueberries for a fruity twist.
If you’re looking for variety, my banana pancakes and pumpkin pancakes are fantastic options, too. Once you’ve tried making pancakes from scratch, you’ll never go back to boxed pancake mix—homemade is just as easy and so much better.
“My husband and daughter agree, best pancakes ever!”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Homemade Pancake Recipe
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar & salt – The dry ingredients: flour gives structure, baking powder makes the pancakes light and fluffy, sugar adds sweetness (and helps with browning), and salt balances the flavor.
- Eggs & milk – Work together to bind the batter and make it smooth and pourable. (Do not substitute buttermilk for the milk.)
- Butter – Adds richness and flavor to the batter and helps with browning.
- Vegetable oil – Used for cooking the pancakes; it prevents the butter from burning and helps the pancakes brown evenly.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until evenly combined.
Step 3: Combine everything. Add the wet ingredients and melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened—it’s okay if the batter looks lumpy. If it seems too thick, go ahead and add a splash more milk.
Step 4: Cook the pancakes. Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat, coat with oil, and swirl in a pat of butter. Scoop ¼ cup of batter per pancake into the pan and cook until golden on the bottom and bubbly on top—that’s your sign they’re ready to flip.
Step 5: Flip and finish. Flip the pancakes and cook the other side until golden, about 30 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the batter, wiping the pan clean between batches. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup and enjoy! Leftover pancakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
More Breakfast Recipes to Love
Best Homemade Pancakes
These pancakes are simple enough for a weekday yet special enough for a weekend.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups milk, plus more if necessary
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for cooking
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until evenly combined.
- Pour the milk/egg mixture and the melted butter into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. If the batter seems too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk.
- Heat a griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat; coat it lightly with vegetable oil and swirl in a thin pat of butter. Ladle or drop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake; cook until the first side is golden brown, or until the top surface bubbles and is dotted with holes. Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. This happens quickly so peek after 30 seconds and watch carefully! Adjust the heat setting if necessary. Wipe the griddle clean with a paper towel between batches. Serve immediately with maple syrup.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The pancakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each pancake and stack together. Wrap the stack of pancakes tightly in aluminum foil or place inside a heavy-duty freezer bag. To reheat, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 240
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 262 mg
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These were the best homemade pancakes I’ve ever made! I followed the recipe exactly, spooning the flour into the measuring cup instead of just scooping the measuring cup into the flour, and making sure to stir until just combined, etc. and they were perfect! The batter was thick but I trusted the process. I made sure to put oil and butter in the pan and to only flip the pancakes once and they rose flawlessly, resulting in a pancake that was thick and fluffy with a crispy, buttery exterior. Thank you very much for this great recipe. It will be my go-to forever more.
I make these frequently. Great recipe but made excellent with 1 tsp vanilla and half the sugar. I add blueberries when we are in the mood. Thanks, Jenn!
This recipe was easy to put together, however the pancakes were not good. They looked great but didn’t taste good. Very disappointing.
Wow! Excellent recipe I added a little vanilla and a mashed banana. They were marvelous!
its ok
My go to pancake recipe! I add 1 tsp vanilla and they turn out perfect everytime. Freeze well, and I just pop them in the toaster to reheat. They come out crispy again and are an instant easy breakfast!
Hi Jenn , I love your recipes and I use them often. Do you have a recipe for whole wheat pancakes?
Thank you,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, thanks for your nice words about the recipes! As of now, I don’t have a recipe for whole wheat pancakes, but think you could swap white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose. Please LMK how they come out if you try it!
I have tried this recipe numerous times, but always go back to the original recipe and you can always double the recipe!!
Best Breakfast Pancakes
1 cup of flour – spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with the back edge of a knife.
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg
3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled. If I don’t have unsalted butter I use salted butter and omit the salt.
1. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and mix.
2. Beat the egg and milk together in a bowl. In another bowl, add the milk mixture
to the melted butter stirring constantly with a whisk to blend. What I usually do
is to heat up the milk some, beat the egg in and whisk the butter in (that way the
butter doesn’t curdle up).
3. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir enough to moisten the
flour mixture. It should look lumpy. (If you overwork the mixture, the pancakes
will be tough.) This is a thick batter but if it seems to thick, add a bit more milk.
4. Heat griddle or a non-stick pan over medium heat and coat it with vegetable oil (I
usually use Canola Oil). Drop the batter from a large spoon (about a 1/4 cup)
and cool until it’s golden brown, or until the top surface bubbles and is dotted
with holes. Flip and cool until the other side is golden brown. This happens
quickly so peek after 30 seconds and watch carefully. Adjust the heat setting if
necessary. Wipe the griddle totally clean with a paper towel between batches.
Serve immediately.
These turned out great! I’ve made the the NYTimes version and I like these better. I’m saving this recipe.
Very Basic, did not taste full of flavor