Name: Best American Buttermilk Pancakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 300 g plain flour; 6 tsp baking powder; 4 tbsp white sugar; 1/4 tsp salt; 3 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla; 250 ml buttermilk; 50 g melted and cooled butter

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Best American Buttermilk Pancakes

These american buttermilk pancakes are stacked tall, fluffy, soft, and super easy to make! With the help of baking powder for leavening instead of whipping egg whites, these pancakes come together quickly—ready in less than an hour! I was inspired to make these from that scene in Matilda where she makes pancakes which, at this point, is a core memory for me.

What is the difference between buttermilk pancakes and regular pancakes?

Buttermilk pancakes are taller and lighter, plus the acid in the buttermilk breaks down the glutens making the pancakes more tender and soft. Regular pancakes normally call for regular milk, making thinner pancakes that aren’t as tender.

What does buttermilk do to pancakes?

Buttermilk is the secret to the softest fluffiest pancakes! The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder to add height and lightness and the buttermilk also breaks down the glutens in the flour making the pancakes softer and more tender. The result is a tall and light pancake that is moist and pillowy!

Ingredient Notes – American Buttermilk Pancakes

Here are the ingredients that come together to make these pancakes so delicious:

Buttermilk – Essential for height and tenderness.

Eggs – Help bind the pancakes together while adding moisture.

Melted Butter – Adds moisture, richness, and softens the pancakes.

Caster Sugar – Sweetens the pancakes and helps maintain their softness.

Plain Flour – The perfect base for tender, fluffy pancakes.

Baking Powder – Provides lightness and lift, so there’s no need to whip egg whites.

Salt – Balances and enhances all the flavors.

Vanilla Extract – Adds depth and that signature vanilla aroma.

How to make American Buttermilk Pancakes – step by step

Making American buttermilk pancakes is so easy—just follow these steps:

Prep the Dry Ingredients: Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Then, stir in the sugar.
Add the Wet Ingredients: Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Crack the eggs into the well and pour in the cooled melted butter and buttermilk. Whisk everything together until smooth, ensuring there are no large lumps or clumps. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to thicken.
Heat the Pan: Place a non-stick pan or pancake pan on a low heat.
Cook the Pancakes: Pour about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake into the pan. When bubbles start to form on the surface and most have popped, flip the pancake. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side until golden brown.
Serve & Enjoy: Continue cooking the remaining batter, yielding around 8 large pancakes or 12 smaller ones. Serve with butter and your favorite syrup. Enjoy!

The best toppings for American Buttermilk Pancakes:

These are a couple of options if you’re bored of the classic butter and maple syrup, here are some of my favourites:

Chocolate chips
Fresh Berries
Chopped nuts
Golden syrup (instead of maple syrup)
Chocolate sauce
Greek yogurt & runny honey
Fresh bananas
Nutella
Whipped cream
Peanut butter
Ice cream

The 3 BEST ways to customise these fluffy American Buttermilk Pancakes:

1. Add in a couple handfuls of chocolate chips into the batter before cooking and you’ll have delicious chocolate chip pancakes

2. To make these into zesty lemon pancakes rub the zest of one lemon into the sugar before mixing into the flour. Once the pancakes are done cooking, top with butter and lemon or regular syrup.

3. Coat ½ cup of frozen blueberries in 1 tbsp of sugar, let it sit for 10 minutes and then fold the berries into the batter before cooking and you’ll have fluffy and flavourful blueberry pancakes!

How to make your own buttermilk

If you don’t have buttermilk to hand, this simple trick is a life saver!

Basically you add 2 tbsp of any acid into milk and let it sit at room temp for 10 minutes and voila you have fresh buttermilk, ready to cook with.

You will need:

1 cup of milk
2 tbsp of either, lemon juice, lime juice or white vinegar

Mix these together and allow it to sit for 10 minutes and your buttermilk is ready! The buttermilk will look slightly curdled, but don’t worry that is how it’s supposed to look.

Tips and Tricks – Best American Buttermilk Pancakes

Use a non stick crepe or pancake pan – this will give you best results and make sure the outside of the pancake is really soft
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes – this makes the pancakes even softer and thicker
If you don’t have buttermilk – use can make buttermilk by mixing 1 cup of milk, 2 tbsp of lemon, lime juice or even vinegar, let it sit for 10 minutes and you have homemade buttermilk
The recipe video is on my TikTok and IG – please tag @aceofspoons if you make this recipe