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!
This recipe calls for 4 tsp of baking powder. Is that correct? Thank you
Amazing! Around my house I’m known for messing up a lot of recipes, so my family was hesitant to try these because I made them, but they were perfect. So good.
I’ve made these several times and they are always delicious! Just like all your recipes Nagi <3 the only time they went wrong was when I mixed up the sugar and the salt- that batch was no good at all!!! Apart from user error, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.
made these on a whim. excellent result even with a couple of wonkie firsts. I like to top with banana and vanilla yogurt and had blueberry sauce as well.
I’m sure these are delicious if you make them correctly! Highly recommend reading the recipe and using the advised 4 TEASPOONS of baking powder instead of the 4 TABLESPOONS I used. Still all eaten but excited to make them the way they should be next time!
I have tried many pancake recipes over the years, and I made these today, and they were fantastic. Flavoursum and fluffy.
What would happen if I made them with chocolate chips ???
Made these this morning for a quick but special family breakfast. Super simple and devoured in next to no time! Will definitely be making again soon. Thanks Nagi
My kids tell me that this is the best pancakes they have ever had. Super fluffy and tasty.
My kids loved it!! Made it for after school this winter. Tahitian lime and sugar was my fav topping : )
Is sieving flour advised?
Best Pancakes ever!
I just made these delicious with gluten free flour and lactose free milk. Perfect
These are the best pancakes ever!! The best way to describe them is super tender. They’re just to die for!
The best recipe ever! So fluffy so easy and so delicioussss
I always swear by your sweet recipes and have done for years. This is the first recipe that I didn’t like. I followed the recipe to the letter using a kitchen scale as I always do. I found the batter too sweet and far too runny, causing the pancakes to be very thin and therefore not having enough lift to make them fluffy.
Needed a pick-me-up after a tricky day at work and these hit the spot! So quick, easy and delicious!
The best pancake recipe I’ve come across.
Just made this for Mothers Day – excellent result
Thanks Nagi – my confidence in the kitchen increases with every one of your recipes I try.
Just made this and it was delicious! And it really did make 13 pancakes exactly!
The best and only pancake recipe I will ever use! Will never buy shakers from the shops again. I use gluten free flour to make them coeliac-safe and they are just delicious!! I even find myself snacking on the left overs without any toppings.