This is the best homemade pancakes recipe from scratch. You can fool around with all sorts of other ingredients when it comes to pancakes, but in the end it’s always Grandma’s recipe that rules them all.
This was my Grandma’s and then my Mom’s recipe and now it’s all that I use for my family anymore! It’s perfect every time! I also have a great Belgian Waffles recipe if you want to try those as well.
How to Make Pancakes from Scratch
Making these is easier than you think. Here’s how to get started:
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, white sugar and salt in a medium bowl. (see the recipe card below for measurements)
- In another bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil and vanilla.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ones, whisking until smooth.
- Start heating your griddle (medium heat) then take a scoop of batter and pour onto the preheated griddle. Flip when slightly bubbled and golden brown underneath. Cook until golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
Variations
- Whole Wheat: You can substitute whole wheat flour easily (just add another 1/2 tsp of baking powder to compensate for the heaviness).
- Cake Flour: If you want your pancakes to be fluffier, follow the instructions below and use cake flour!
How to Make Fluffy Pancakes
I have a whole post on how to make fluffy pancakes, so make sure to read that! I suggest letting the batter sit for a while ( 5-10 minutes) and let the chemical reactions start working. I’ve also found that waiting to heat your griddle AFTER you make the pancakes gives you that time to let the batter sit.
Making Pancakes From Scratch Tips & Tricks
- Use a hot griddle. Not as hot as a lot of recipes tell you, because then you just burn the outside of the pancake and the inside is raw. Try using a medium-high heat setting.
- Get a wide spatula/flipper. This will help you lift the pancake properly and turn it over. I like flippers.
- Serve this with my Homemade Brown Sugar Sauce (that’s what is in the photos)
- If you want lighter, fluffier pancakes use the cake flour, but the end product pancakes do soak up the syrup more than the all purpose flour pancake recipe does. I personally like it better, and will keep a bag of cake flour on hand for pancakes.
- Don’t have cake flour? See below for instructions!
IMPORTANT NOTE
IF YOU ARE USING SIFTED FLOUR, adjust your liquid measurements! I do NOT use sifted flour and that is why your batter will be too runny. Don’t sift your flour!
How to Make Cake Flour
Making your own cake flour is so easy it’s not even funny! I just happened to have a bag of it, but when I make pancakes and don’t have that bag anymore (because obviously I am bad at remembering to buy flour) I will make some cake flour. All you have to do is:
- For every cup of all-purpose flour that you use, you are going to remove 2 tbsp of the flour, then replace it with 2 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk in.
- So for example, scoop 4 cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl. You will then remove 8 tbsp ( which is 1/2 cup) of the all-purpose flour and put it back in the bag. Then you will get 1/2 cup of cor
nstarch and add that into the bowl of flour. Take a whisk and whisk it all together. - Voila! Cake flour!
This is the recipe that my mom used while we were growing up as she always made pancakes from scratch. She would freeze then and then we would eat them during the week for a quick breakfast! Try my Overnight Cinnamon French Toast Casserole or my Best Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins for more great breakfast and brunch recipes!
Happy cooking!
Karlynn
The BEST Homemade Pancake Recipe From Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose or cake flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons oil or melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or a large 16 cup capacity liquid measuring cup, whisk together the flour, baking powder, white sugar and salt.
- In another large capacity liquid measuring cup, combine 2 1/2 cups of milk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix until combined. If you need to, add more milk until the batter reaches desired consistency.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour the egg mixture in. Whisk together until the batter is smooth with only a few flour chunks – it doesn’t have to be completely smooth.
- Let the batter sit for a while ( 5-10 minutes) and let the chemical reactions start working. This will cause it to fluff up, giving you that texture you want.
- If you have a griddle start it heating now on medium heat. I have a cast iron one that I adore, but it takes a while for it to heat up uniformly. If not, heat the largest pan that you have.
- To make the pancakes I use a muffin batter scoop, which is called a #8 disher scoop. This is one of my favourite kitchen hacks, that scoop! It measures out muffins, pancakes, extra large cookies, you name it!
- Take one scoop of batter and pour onto your already heated griddle, fitting on as many as you can at once. Flip your pancakes when they are slightly bubbled on the surface and golden brown underneath. The key is a medium heat that is ready and raring to go, so they instantly sizzle when you place them on the surface, but not so hot they burn.
- Continue to cook all of the batter, placing cooked pancakes on a covered plate when cooked.
- Serve with my Homemade Brown Sugar Sauce.
Video
Nutrition
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sylvia says
people in the comments are so dramatic😭. it’s a great recipe!