Homemade Pancake Recipe
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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
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Best Homemade Pancakes
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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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.
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this is the best pancake recipe ever, and we are making this recipe every Saturday now, it is like a tradition 🙂 thank you
My 11 year old has started to make these pancakes. This is such an easy way to make delicious pancakes.
These are the best pancakes I have ever made – wow. So fluffy. I added a small bit of Nutella to the centres and they were amazing.
Like that idea!
Waaaaay to salty! Throwing out entire batch, won’t use again! Also, don’t beat eggs just wisk or they will turn out very spongy.
There’s not very much salt in the recipe. Perhaps you added baking soda instead of powder? Or maybe table salt?
You may have used the wrong measuring tool if you could even NOTICE the salt! This mistake happens all the time, but if you just want less salt, then add less salt! Different kinds of salt have bigger and smaller impacts on a recipe, so you could also try a different kind of salt!
I’m throwing mine out too. They were so salty and I used baking powder. I’m pretty sure my problem was using kosher salt. I’m throwing this batch out and making a new one with only a pinch of salt.
Great recipe. I just made these for my office this morning! Recipe was easy to follow, I actually tripled the recipe and made the batter last night. All I needed to do this morning was add some additional milk to it!
These turned out great. They were easy to make, the instructions were clear and easy to follow, and it’s just the right portion size.
These did not rise and barely browned. I made a double recipe for father’s day. Oh well.
Wow that’s really interesting – I have made them many times now- it has become my favorite pancake recipe. They are very talk and fluffy when I make them but I have never doubled the recipe. Maybe the baking powder was aging? I always let them rest while the pan is heating and I add a splash of vanilla.
I bet your baking powder was stale. Also I use melted butter in the pan to cook the pancakes, not only do they have a better flavor, they turn a beautiful golden brown and have the most marvelous crispy edges.
I too, add a splash of vanilla.
Delicious pancakes! Easy to make and easy to cook. I practically have this recipe memorized now that I make them almost every morning. I usually can only make 4 large pancakes though, but it’s enough for 2 people. Best pancakes recipe!
I agree with the serving only 2 people and they are not huge pancakes. I find I double it for more than 2. Love everything about this recipe!
What is the best temperature for cooking them? I almost burn some of mine and even in mid to low temp. They cooked to fast and got black on the edges….
But these were by far the best pancakes I’ve ever made!
Hi Laura, I find medium to med-low is best, but you may have a hot stove. Just adjust the temp as necessary 🙂
Also make sure you pay attention! I found that when I set my stove to medium, it only took about ten seconds for one side to fully cook!
I think these pancakes were really good nice and fluffy and buttery but in stead of 2 table spoons of sugar I added vanilla extract it came out really good thanks for the recipe I loved it!
Can I keep the batter overnight. My pancakes were not as fluffy. What do you think is the problem?